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OK I know there is a separate area for training however, if anyone likes my idea we can work on the training page but I figured it would be good to start in the General Discussion since everyone goes to this board first.
Lots of goals were set for 2013 and multiple riders included Endurance Races. I for one am going to sign up for the Cohutta 100 in a week or so when I know I have that weekend free for sure, 12 hours at Tsali (probably 6 hr solo) and another later in the year. Is anyone interested in a thread about progress made in training? Jeff had a good write up last year for his enduro training for the Cohutta 100. We can exchange how we are doing miles, hours in the saddle, nutrition. Sure we can read what the pro’s do but let’s face it, many of us don’t have the time to follow many of their strict regiments. Just a thought. If riders are interested, either I or someone else can kind of just start with our starting stats and what we do on a daily basis on and off the bike. If there is not any interest I will feel like 😳 for writing this?
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I am in.
I just completed my first of what I hope to be three rides at the The Snake Creek Gap TT. I did the 34 mile route. I am on the waiting list for the Big Frog 65. FYI, the Cohutta 100 and Big Frog 65 are closed for sign ups, but you can get on the waiting list.
I just went out yesterday and bought some lights, so I am trying to step up my training. I have only been doing longer races since this past summer, so any adice/help I can get would be awesome. None of my regular riding buddies are interested.
Right now, my training consist of mtb’ing and P90X and eating well. I did not have a road bike nor a indoor trainer. I will throw in a trail run if time is tight.
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Changed the title from "Enduro" training to "Endurance" training, as enduro is something entirely different.
I am doing the Cohutta 100 as well, and thankfully I’ve already signed up and have a spot! Already 2 weeks into my training plan. Last long ride was 36 miles, and I’m planning on having my weekly long ride peak at 85-87 miles. After that, two weeks of taper before the race!
In addition to slowly building up my weekly long ride, I’m planning on commuting to school twice a week (22 miles and 2,300ish feet of climbing round trip) and at least 1 mtb night ride per week. Also working on calisthenics, especially core, and running once a week as cross training.
I built my training plan based around my schedule, and based on the great recommendations that Jeff made in this blog post: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … finishers/
Also, if anyone wants to follow along on my progress, here’s my Strava: http://app.strava.com/athletes/328001 If anyone else is training for Cohutta, I’d be interested in following you back!!
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"UltimateTherapy" wrote
I am in.
I just completed my first of what I hope to be three rides at the The Snake Creek Gap TT. I did the 34 mile route. I am on the waiting list for the Big Frog 65. FYI, the Cohutta 100 and Big Frog 65 are closed for sign ups, but you can get on the waiting list…
Slightly off topic, but how’d you do at the Snake? Conditions were pretty good this weekend, I had a decent ride. Didn’t feel that great, and did a lot of walking (stupid singlespeed 😆 ), but managed to finish in 4:33 which is 45 minutes faster than my best from last year. Still lots of room for improvement for sure though, hope to knock another 15minutes off next month!
Good luck to everyone doing Big Frog/Cohutta. Had the worst bonk of my life at Big Frog a few years ago, took me over 9hrs to finish. Worst day I’ve ever had on the bike. Part of me wants to go back for redemption….
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="UltimateTherapy":3gtzrcba]I am in.
I just completed my first of what I hope to be three rides at the The Snake Creek Gap TT. I did the 34 mile route. I am on the waiting list for the Big Frog 65. FYI, the Cohutta 100 and Big Frog 65 are closed for sign ups, but you can get on the waiting list…
Slightly off topic, but how’d you do at the Snake? Conditions were pretty good this weekend, I had a decent ride. Didn’t feel that great, and did a lot of walking (stupid singlespeed 😆 ), but managed to finish in 4:33 which is 45 minutes faster than my best from last year. Still lots of room for improvement for sure though, hope to knock another 15minutes off next month!
Good luck to everyone doing Big Frog/Cohutta. Had the worst bonk of my life at Big Frog a few years ago, took me over 9hrs to finish. Worst day I’ve ever had on the bike. Part of me wants to go back for redemption….[/quote:3gtzrcba]
Do the Cohutta with us!!
And congrats on the great finish at the Snake!
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
Do the Cohutta with us!!
And congrats on the great finish at the Snake!
Eh. Lotta $$ to ride a lot of gravel, and it’s all sold out already anyways. I am planning on doing a few 6hr solos this year, as well as Fools Gold 50 and/or Black Bear Ramapage (all the fun stuff of Cohutta without all the gravel filler).
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="mtbgreg1":1j5hzicz]
Do the Cohutta with us!!And congrats on the great finish at the Snake!
Eh. Lotta $$ to ride a lot of gravel, and it’s all sold out already anyways. I am planning on doing a few 6hr solos this year, as well as Fools Gold 50 and/or Black Bear Ramapage (all the fun stuff of Cohutta without all the gravel filler).[/quote:1j5hzicz]
Something magical about that 100 number though!
I was throwing around the idea of just putting together my own dirty century, but eventually decided to just sign up for the Cohutta for the extra incentive, people to ride with, and convenience of aid stations and sag drops
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[/quote]
Eh. Lotta $$ to ride a lot of gravel, and it’s all sold out already anyways. I am planning on doing a few 6hr solos this year, as well as Fools Gold 50 and/or Black Bear Ramapage (all the fun stuff of Cohutta without all the gravel filler).[/quote]
Dgaddis, do the Blankets Creek race to sunset. Its glorious! http://mountaingoatadventures.com/blankets6hour
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Cool. Still haven’t made it to Blankets yet, this is a good excuse. It’s on the calendar!
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Well i guess I will get on the wating list for the Cohutta 100. I did not know it would fill up so fast. I just found out that I do have that weekend free. I guess I will shoot for the ORAMM (Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell). It is a 63 mile course but real technical so I hear. Gregg are you going to move this to the appropriate section or keep it here for a little longer so more people see it? My bad putting "Enduro Training" thanks for the change in subject. I’ll be looking forward to see what others are doing. I also read all of Jeff’s recommendations for last year. If anyone wants to go ride a little of the Cohutta Course I’d be interested in going I’ve never been to the Tanasi area before.
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"MTI" wrote
Gregg are you going to move this to the appropriate section
Done. Left a shadow topic too.
Let’s keep this thread alive… looking forward to hearing how everyone’s training goes!!
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Ultimate Therapy
I signed up on waiting list and it indicates that the fee is $0.00 until they send an e-mail and than I pay the fee. However, I ended up on the checkout page with a $146.00 total. Did you have to pay to get on the waiting list I am a bit confused? -
Just an FYI, ORAMM is one of, if not THE, hardest mtn bike races in the southeast. 1 Pisgah mile = 1.5-2 miles anywhere else.
100 mile Cohutta is easier than the 63 mile ORAMM I’d imagine.
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I just set up my Garmin Connect account for my Edge 800 so I’ll put the link up there in the next day or two. I had a 12+ mile ride at Jackrabbit on Saturday…mostly and a 13.5 mile ride yesterday with 1,115 feet of elevation gain but it was mostly on a paved road as the weather was rotten but I figured I better ride some in the rain.
My plan is for January to just get my legs back to where they were in Oct/Nov 2012 and build up my weekly long ride to 50 miles by the end of January which will be no problem. If the weather continues as it has been…rain I will have to focus on old logging roads as I don’t like ruining the singletrack in the mud. Tsali is getting beat up enough! Beginning in February I am going to increase my weekly long rides by about 5 miles per week to 70 miles by the beginning of March. I’ll decide what to do from there.
In between lots of push ups, pull ups, sit ups, sit ups, sit ups…Did I say sit ups? One of the most neglected excersices for MTB’ing. I will include weekly updates with my Garmin Connect Link. Thanks for the interest!
Oh an dgaddis I know ORAMM is hell…my weakness is Tech Riding buy I am working on it. I did Kitsuma 3 times in one day a few years ago and I regretted it!
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"MTI" wrote
I just set up my Garmin Connect account for my Edge 800 so I’ll put the link up there in the next day or two. I had a 12+ mile ride at Jackrabbit on Saturday…mostly and a 13.5 mile ride yesterday with 1,115 feet of elevation gain but it was mostly on a paved road as the weather was rotten but I figured I better ride some in the rain.
My plan is for January to just get my legs back to where they were in Oct/Nov 2012 and build up my weekly long ride to 50 miles by the end of January which will be no problem. If the weather continues as it has been…rain I will have to focus on old logging roads as I don’t like ruining the singletrack in the mud. Tsali is getting beat up enough! Beginning in February I am going to increase my weekly long rides by about 5 miles per week to 70 miles by the beginning of March. I’ll decide what to do from there.
In between lots of push ups, pull ups, sit ups, sit ups, sit ups…Did I say sit ups? One of the most neglected excersices for MTB’ing. I will include weekly updates with my Garmin Connect Link. Thanks for the interest!
Oh an dgaddis I know ORAMM is hell…my weakness is Tech Riding buy I am working on it. I did Kitsuma 3 times in one day a few years ago and I regretted it!
Nice! Looking forward to checking out the rides!
I did 36 miles down in Atlanta on Friday with jeff & a couple of friends. Rode yesterday and ended up doing 25 miles as well (wasn’t planning on that many). Fun times though! http://app.strava.com/activities/36405173
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I am hoping for the Black Bear Rampage this year. I have been doing some 8-12 mile sprints on the bike followed by a few miles trail running. Planning to do a daulathon at Ft. Yargo in March and hopefully a dirty tri- before the summer. Again maybe the one at Yargo or I have two options in June.
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="UltimateTherapy":obc2v76a]I am in.
I just completed my first of what I hope to be three rides at the The Snake Creek Gap TT. I did the 34 mile route. I am on the waiting list for the Big Frog 65. FYI, the Cohutta 100 and Big Frog 65 are closed for sign ups, but you can get on the waiting list…
Slightly off topic, but how’d you do at the Snake? Conditions were pretty good this weekend, I had a decent ride. Didn’t feel that great, and did a lot of walking (stupid singlespeed 😆 ), but managed to finish in 4:33 which is 45 minutes faster than my best from last year. Still lots of room for improvement for sure though, hope to knock another 15minutes off next month!
Good luck to everyone doing Big Frog/Cohutta. Had the worst bonk of my life at Big Frog a few years ago, took me over 9hrs to finish. Worst day I’ve ever had on the bike. Part of me wants to go back for redemption….[/quote:obc2v76a]
I did not do well this past weekend. Finished at 5 hours. Too much "Holiday’s". I am back at it today with my first night ride. It was really cool. I am hoping I can get closer to 4:30 in Feb. That was about what I did at the pre-ride. Hoping weather cooperates!
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"MTI" wrote
Ultimate Therapy
I signed up on waiting list and it indicates that the fee is $0.00 until they send an e-mail and than I pay the fee. However, I ended up on the checkout page with a $146.00 total. Did you have to pay to get on the waiting list I am a bit confused?I did not get any totals on mine. It just said $0.00.
Is anyone interested in riding a long one this Saturday morning in N. GA. I am thinking about doing an out and back on the 1st leg of Snake (32 miles)? Meet at Dry Pond Creek Trailhead.
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I just confirmed there are 75 spots open for the Cohutta 100…actually I just took spot 75 so they are down to 74! Big Frog is closed but they are accepting waiting list. Now I am motivated! 😼
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I took a nice ride today in the mud and rain on logging roads. My intent was to ride up Perry Gap Road In the Nantahala Forest which is actually an active logging road. When I got at about 3,600 feet I realized they were logging in the rain. The road was just horrible. What is normally hardpack gravel was just a muddy sponge from all the trucks going up and down in the rain which made the ride much more difficult going up and down. I lost tons of speed mostly on the down hill due to the mud. Very little traction. This was a good lesson to me. It may rain on race day so train in all conditions. Stay off the singletrack of course not to damage those trails but it is O.K. to ride on Gravel Roads. When I realized there were probably going to be trucks hauling huge logs I decided to turn around which pissed me off. The road starts at about 3100 feet and peeks at about 4300 at mile 4.5 and then goes on up and down for about 4 miles or so.
I decided to just ride around the forest going up different dirt and gravel roads to make up the elevation that I could not finish on Perry Gap Road which explains my erratic ride. I broke a spoke about 9 miles into it and laughed as I just read Jeff’s article on his Cohutta run and he broke a spoke as well. Never happened to me before. I wanted to keep my pace at 10 mph but failed. It may be due to at the end of my ride I was at 14.25 miles and I just slowly rode around a grassy area at the end to get it to 15 miles. Dumb thing to do but cost me my goal.
My goal is to finish the Cohutta in under 10 hours. How about other riders? Immediate training goals: Drop 10 pounds. I lose weight fairly easily so I will give myself 4-6 weeks. The link to todays ride is posted below.
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Nice job man! Sounds like a pretty awful ride, lol
My goal is to finish the Cohutta in under 10 hours. How about other riders? Immediate training goals: Drop 10 pounds. I lose weight fairly easily so I will give myself 4-6 weeks. The link to todays ride is posted below.IDK if I have a time goal. I just want to finish, haha! And maybe beat Jeff’s time 😉 I’ve got a little bit of a competitive streak! IDK about 10 hours though, that might be out of range.
I also need to lose some weight. Stepped on the scale yesterday and saw the highest number I’ve ever seen. Not too happy about that. Oddly enough, I don’t feel out of shape… I guess I’m just carrying around a few more pounds than I need to. I’d like to drop 15 lbs over training.
Commuted to school and took the scenic way back this afternoon. Almost 30 miles of riding, all on the road bike though.
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Since I was bitten by the "Snake" (5 hours) this past weekend, I have committed to losing about 5-10 pounds. That would get me to 195. Also, to push harder in weekly rides to increase intensity on the shorter rides. Went out and bought some good lights to get more miles during the week. Hopefully, I can get 30-40 miles of ST (2 rides) during the week and another 30-40 miles on one long ride on the weekend. Ihve no means of getting any rode miles, so I will do it all on ST.
Goal is to drop 15-20 minutes off the Snake in Feb.
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Lights really help riding this time of year. I did two loops at FATS yesterday after work with the last few miles in the dark. Sure gets cold fast after the sun goes down. Was originally going to do 3 loops. Did manage a 10k trail run today. tomorrow will most likely get on the trainer and do some sprints.
This weekend I will have a solo long ride followed by a run and also a ride with my training partner, my five year old daughter. Towing her on the Trail-A-Bike is a good work out and family time.
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Trail running is something I need to do more of. Do you do it for the cardio or just to mix it up?
Can never forget family time. I take my kids out to ride the day after a long ride. It helps me get the soreness out and not worry about how slow we go or how many times we stop to snack or look at the scenery!
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I trail run to mix it up and am planning a dualathon in March and a dirty tri later in the spring. I used to hike a lot and about 12 years ago started to trail run the same mountains I hiked.
During the summer months in GA I find it to hot for running but we go to a pool and I will swim laps daily. Half mile to two miles depending on the day. Mt biking year round.
Biking, trail running, hiking, swimming and before moving to GA x/c skiing I have always done because they are fun. Them being good for you is just a bonus.
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Getting in some short but HARD rides is important, even when training for endurance events. Any MTB ride will have those sections where you really have to lay down some power to keep moving, and hard effort training helps with that. Intervals, short loops ridden at full out race pace, etc.
Also, I’ve found that spending a lot of time on a singlespeed has significantly reduced my cramping problems. The SS forces you to put in those very high force/low cadence efforts, and then when on a geared bike on long rides/races I trying to keep up a low force/high cadence spin, which is much easier on the muscles.
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Also, I’ve found that spending a lot of time on a singlespeed has significantly reduced my cramping problems. The SS forces you to put in those very high force/low cadence efforts, and then when on a geared bike on long rides/races I trying to keep up a low force/high cadence spin, which is much easier on the muscles.[/quote]
I totally agree about the SS. I do not have a SS yet, but use my geared bike as one about once a week. Again, for short rides (10-18 miles) a SS can really give you a great workout. It is fun as well to mix it up. My goal is to have a true SS by April.
Does anybody have a good diet plan? I generally eat healthy, but need some new items to throw in the mix. I currently eat fish, chicken and legumes, along with salads and a little fruit. It is always a struggle to balance getting enough energy foods and trying to lose 5 lbs. while working out 5-6 days a week.
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I try to stay away from any processed foods, frozen crap, etc. My wife an I are really good cooks so it is not that hard. I find hard though to loose weight when I pick up the activities not to keep on eating. I am constantly craving protein rich foods like peanut butter. Firmly believe that you will cave what the body needs. This time of year I tend to peak around 205, by the end of spring will be in the mid to low 190’s. Seem never to get lower then that. Will try harder after I loose not to gain it back……….ok that will most likely Chang by Thanksgiving.
Killed an hour while waiting to get my daughters doing sprints on the trainer. Also completely agree with the ss. Then again dgaddis let me sip that ss kool-aid and I have never been the same. Only gear bikes are my wife’s and my daughters here now.
Edit: measurements would be more accurate then a scale. Muscle has a greater mass then fat. Read this in a few tri and trail running books.
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"brianW" wrote
frozen crap, etc.
Even when thawed, crap is pretty gross. 😼
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Poured rain all day yesterday, so it was road bike today for my 3rd long training ride. Ended up doing the longest road ride of my life:
-62.2 miles
-7,760 feet of climbing
-4 hrs 9 min of moving timehttp://app.strava.com/activities/37287703
Also, I listened to all 4 Rage Against the Machine albums on my ride 😼 😼
Fun times!
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Gregg I hear you about the rain. Great job by the way. WNC is just soaked…even the fire roads are like sponges. Today I did a long six mile climb from 2,100 ft to 3,800 feet on MTB (I don’t own a road bike). The first four miles I stayed off of the road and on the gravel or muddy grass shoulder…then I wimped out. The final two miles were 1.5 on the road and .5 on gravel. I should have inflated my tire pressure to more than the 32 in the rear that I normally ride. That would have helped but it would have been cheating I guess.
For the week:
4 Rides…43.84 miles…Ave speed 9.9….Elevation gain 4607. Today’s ride click on link.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/261250824
The elevation from the Garmin device was dead on I know this road. For some reason however it is showing lots of ups and downs as I ascended and when I enabled the correction it said 3,700 ft gain. No way. No small ups and down as the chart is showing as it is straight up to the top.
Tomorrow me and my bike mechanic Andy from Bryson City Bikes are doing about a 25 mile ride on a rather tough F.S. road. That is a regular route I use all seasons. Can’t wait to punish myself more! Starting in Feburary my long ride for the week will be 50 miles. I will see what happens from there.
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At last check my elevation graph corrected itself. That is what this climb looked like!
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Tomorrow me and my bike mechanic Andy from Bryson City Bikes are doing about a 25 mile ride on a rather tough F.S. road. That is a regular route I use all seasons. Can’t wait to punish myself more! Starting in Feburary my long ride for the week will be 50 miles. I will see what happens from there.
Have fun on the ride tomorrow!
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Managed 31 miles of single track yesterday in 2hr 48min. 11 mph followed a sluggish 2 mile run. Today just shy of 10 miles, slower pace but pulling the trail-a-bike and my 5 year old. About 60 lbs of extra weight. Monday is my day off. Tuesday been riding, Wednesday a 10k run, Thursday sprint drill on the trainer and fast run. Friday is usually an off day.
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"brianW" wrote
Managed 31 miles of single track yesterday in 2hr 48min. 11 mph followed a sluggish 2 mile run. Today just shy of 10 miles, slower pace but pulling the trail-a-bike and my 5 year old. About 60 lbs of extra weight. Monday is my day off. Tuesday been riding, Wednesday a 10k run, Thursday sprint drill on the trainer and fast run. Friday is usually an off day.
Nice, sounds like a good couple of days!
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I road for a little over 22 miles yesterday. the first 11 miles loop was average speed, but the second I hit it fairly hard. At the 21 miles my body gave up worse than I have ever felt. how do you build up for more endurance and does this happend to others, i’m talking I was not able to ride out!!
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"badbandit12" wrote
I road for a little over 22 miles yesterday. the first 11 miles loop was average speed, but the second I hit it fairly hard. At the 21 miles my body gave up worse than I have ever felt. how do you build up for more endurance and does this happend to others, i’m talking I was not able to ride out!!
How much were you eating and drinking during your ride, and how much had you ridden before that?
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Badbandit12,
Based on my experience the only solution is going to be hours in the saddle. Also eat and drink on your ride. I carrry peanuts, fiber bars, an apple, banana whatever on long rides. Also make sure you have plenty of fluids. Next time do your 11 mile loop and don’t hit the second loop to hard until you build your endurance up. Good luck man!
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Badbandit,
I know in GA it was was about 20 degrees warmer then it should be this time of year. I noticed Saturday it was 81 out. Those extra degrees can zap the energy out of you. One thing that helped my was to ake a spin class once a week. Did this for about a year. Really got an idea what a cadence was while pedaling. I now have a trainer in the garage and do about a 30-40 minute ride on it working on cadence/sprints. -
I got three rides in last week plus some P90X cross training.
This past week I got two night rides at Blankets, one was an intense 14 miles and the other was an 16 miler. Finished the week on Saturday doing and out an out and back on the first section of the the Snake Creek Gap trail. It was a wet/muddy 26 miles.
This week looks like a lot of rain! Cross training and road running is on my weekly calender.
Of course, eating healthy! Only three beers all weekend!
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I’ve been slacking so far this year. Short but hard paced MTB ride on Saturday, easy greeneway cruise with the wife on Sunday, and rode to work today. Gonna ride in 3 days this week, one MTB ride on Weds, and a road ride on Saturday.
Only 8.4hrs on the bike so far this month. Gotta do better.
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"dgaddis" wrote
Only 8.4hrs on the bike so far this month. Gotta do better.
Yeah dude, it’s the Strava Base Mile Blast this month! I’m gunning for at least 400.
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
[quote="badbandit12":2kia85i0]I road for a little over 22 miles yesterday. the first 11 miles loop was average speed, but the second I hit it fairly hard. At the 21 miles my body gave up worse than I have ever felt. how do you build up for more endurance and does this happend to others, i’m talking I was not able to ride out!!
How much were you eating and drinking during your ride, and how much had you ridden before that?[/quote:2kia85i0]
im getting about 15 to 30 miles a week , not near what I would like. I drank pleanty of water but should have had some food with me I ate a banana between loops but it wasnt enough. -
UGH we have been rained on for the past two days straight here in north GA. Was planning on getting some time in on the road bike tomorrow but now the forecast is looking like it’s going to keep raining through Thursday.
My long ride on Saturday might be really painful….
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
UGH we have been rained on for the past two days straight here in north GA. Was planning on getting some time in on the road bike tomorrow but now the forecast is looking like it’s going to keep raining through Thursday.
My long ride on Saturday might be really painful….
Duuuuuude, get some fenders for that road bike. It’ll change the way you look at what is decent riding weather. Yeah you’ll still get wet, but you wont have spray coming up off the wheels covering your face with road grime. They’ll keep your feet dry too.
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="mtbgreg1":2gq4gran]UGH we have been rained on for the past two days straight here in north GA. Was planning on getting some time in on the road bike tomorrow but now the forecast is looking like it’s going to keep raining through Thursday.
My long ride on Saturday might be really painful….
Duuuuuude, get some fenders for that road bike. It’ll change the way you look at what is decent riding weather. Yeah you’ll still get wet, but you wont have spray coming up off the wheels covering your face with road grime. They’ll keep your feet dry too.[/quote:2gq4gran]
Is it a pain to take them off when you don’t need them?
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Yeah, so you just leave them on. That way they’re always there and ready to go. They don’t weight much, not enough to worry with anyhow, especially since neither of us are riding weight weenie race bikes 😆 But seriously, once they’re on, you don’t even notice them, until the road is wet and you’re not.
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Hmm i’ll have to think about that….
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This rain is misery. I just got out the trainer for tomorrow. I hate them but no choice. Long ride for me Friday. Hopefully 37-38 miles with at least 5,000 ft elevation gain. Fun ride at Tsali Sunday.
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OK this is my main training gravel road. Until this 4 days of heavy downpours occured it was nice hardpack gravel with some rocks sticking up by nothing techinical. After the rain some damn techinical areas. Major erosion. Today the temp started at 55 and 10.5 miles in the ride dropped to 32 degrees. No sun hit that part of the mountain so ice patches on the steep downhill miles 10.5 to 12.15…and uphill on the way back. Beautiful waterfalls after all the rain though.
A great 24 mile ride under good conitions. Great elevation gains for the mileage. Last year before the Tsali race I rode it 3 times in a row for 72 miles. When I am in good shape I can do the 24 miles in 2 hours for the first lap. I’m happy with the time due to the time of the year but I was very rigid riding today, crappy form. I had to keep reminding myself to stay loose, utilize my cockpit, pedal efficiantly, attack form, stop squeezing the shit out of the handlebars, etc. I was not feeling all that good today and forced myself to ride since we finally had sun. I was going to add on another 10 miles but chose to wait and not push it so early in the season. I will update stats on Saturday night. Probably be rather low this week due to rain.
Oh yea and I am going to be in Atlanta sometime in March for some business. I’d like to hit some of the GA trails on the way back to NC. If I give some solid date mid February I’d love to meet up with some of you for a ride. Curious about Blankets Creek or some of the others you guys (gals) post on Singletracks. I am self employed so very flexible.
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"MTI" wrote
Oh yea and I am going to be in Atlanta sometime in March for some business. I’d like to hit some of the GA trails on the way back to NC. If I give some solid date mid February I’d love to meet up with some of you for a ride. Curious about Blankets Creek or some of the others you guys (gals) post on Singletracks. I am self employed so very flexible.
Where in NC are you heading back to? There are many better trails than Blankets up in the mountains of North GA… just depends which route you’re taking. Nice job on the ride BTW.
My last two short road rides:
http://app.strava.com/activities/37753636
http://app.strava.com/activities/37916272Long gravel ride coming up on Sunday!
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Gregg I normally go thru Clayton Ga if you are familiar with that but I can cut up thru Helen thru Hiawasee to Hwy 64. I don’t think I would want to drive west of 575 so really anything east of Woodstock Canton is doable then I could just take 64 thru Blairsville
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"MTI" wrote
Gregg I normally go thru Clayton Ga if you are familiar with that but I can cut up thru Helen thru Hiawasee to Hwy 64. I don’t think I would want to drive west of 575 so really anything east of Woodstock Canton is doable then I could just take 64 thru Blairsville
Right on, there are a LOT of great trails that fit that description! Of course, if you normally go through Clayton, there are a couple trails over there but IMO, they aren’t all that great.
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … -loop.htmlIf you were to head straight up 575, that’d take you through Ellijay, and there are many awesome rides in Ellijay! Gilmer county is the "mountain bike capital of Georgia," and even though I don’t think anyone took a vote on it, 😀 they deserve it. Just a couple of the best in Ellijay (and also, in Georgia):
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … lijay.html
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … trail.htmlIf you were to head up 400 you could come straight through the Dahlonega area where I live and ride. The riding here isn’t quite as good as Ellijay TBH, but it’s definitely not too shabby:
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … ntain.htmlAlso, north of both Ellijay and Dahlonega is Blue Ridge and the Aska Trail System. There are a few nice trails there, but you can probably ride everything there pretty easily in one long ride:
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … y-gap.html
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … ridge.html
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … -loop.htmlHope this helps!
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Cool man thanks!
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No prob!
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Slow week due to rain. This is all on Gravel Fire Roads.
Count: 2 Activities
Distance: 45.35 mi
Time: 4:32:05 h:m:s
Avg Speed: 10.0 mph
Elevation Gain: 4,715 ftI did lose 3 pounds so 7 to go. I did work on streangth training more than usual due to rain. I will check back next week.
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3.something hours on Saturday, 52 skinny tire miles.
10 mile ride to get to the ride, 30 mile fast group road ride (first time riding in a big group on the road….not sure I like it), then 12 mile ride to get home.3.3 hours on Sunday, 32 MTB miles. Fun times
10hrs and 20mins on the bike last week. I’ll take that.
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"dgaddis" wrote
3.something hours on Saturday, 52 skinny tire miles.
10 mile ride to get to the ride, 30 mile fast group road ride (first time riding in a big group on the road….not sure I like it), then 12 mile ride to get home.3.3 hours on Sunday, 32 MTB miles. Fun times
10hrs and 20mins on the bike last week. I’ll take that.
Very nice!
Did my long ride for the week today:
40 gravel road miles. 3 hrs 54 min of moving time. 4,940 feet of climbing:
http://app.strava.com/activities/38178280 -
I am lookin to use Strava instead of Garmin Connect as that is what most of you people are doing so I assume it is better. I have not had a lot of time to play around with it yet. Also if this Strava link works can someone let me know. It works on my computer but I am signed into Strava and I just want to make sure I am doing this thing right.
http://app.strava.com/activities/38098096
Thanks
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"MTI" wrote
I am lookin to use Strava instead of Garmin Connect as that is what most of you people are doing so I assume it is better. I have not had a lot of time to play around with it yet. Also if this Strava link works can someone let me know. It works on my computer but I am signed into Strava and I just want to make sure I am doing this thing right.
http://app.strava.com/activities/38098096
Thanks
Looks good to me. Welcome to Strava!
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What a miserable string of training UNLUCK. First all of the rain than that lead to more work…which is generally good but I have been going non stop since all of the flooding. I have my own business maintaining vacation homes and all of this has put my riding on the back burner.
That brings me to today. I go to Tsali with the intent of making it my long ride of 35 to 40 miles. Trails were relatively dry but patchy ice spots. Than 6 miles in ice sheets, hemlock branches down everywhere and one ended up between my front derailler and chain resulting in the dreaded chain suck wich really sucked. I had to take the chain off and spent 25 minutes looking for the link in the muddy water which thank God I finally found. The chain twisted up bad and it made a crappy 6 miles to the trailhead. LBS quick fix and better luck tomorrow. This ride will look aweful on Strava that is for sure!
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"MTI" wrote
What a miserable string of training UNLUCK. First all of the rain than that lead to more work…which is generally good but I have been going non stop since all of the flooding. I have my own business maintaining vacation homes and all of this has put my riding on the back burner.
That brings me to today. I go to Tsali with the intent of making it my long ride of 35 to 40 miles. Trails were relatively dry but patchy ice spots. Than 6 miles in ice sheets, hemlock branches down everywhere and one ended up between my front derailler and chain resulting in the dreaded chain suck wich really sucked. I had to take the chain off and spent 25 minutes looking for the link in the muddy water which thank God I finally found. The chain twisted up bad and it made a crappy 6 miles to the trailhead. LBS quick fix and better luck tomorrow. This ride will look aweful on Strava that is for sure!
Dang dude that does sound miserable! Weather has been cold here… dry this week, but supposed to get enough rain/snow Friday to make the singletrack unrideable on Saturday. Ah well…
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I am just going to stick with Fire Road to get in my miles for the next month or so. We are supposed to get snow and ice on Friday as well. I have been working on some streangth training so really it is not all bad I am still excercising just being a baby and whining about it…which is unlike me…see below.
I just want to say to you guys/gals that struggle with weight loss I kind of get a feeling about what you are going thru…at least in changing your diet. My goal was to loose 10 pounds in about 6 weeks and I already lost 5 in about 10 days. I loss weight fairly easily but the cravings that I have for the old food I used to eat is just about killing me. I guess that junk food is like an addiction. I am really in a bad mood all day (as evidenced in my above post) and just tired and even getting headaches just craving my old diet. I am eating enough and healthy but just the change is a killer. Hopefully this will pass sooner than later. If anyone has experienced this how long does this take to get over? I am annoying to be around myself 😬
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Got my long ride in for the week! All on the MTB (and lots of singletrack), 42.8 miles, 5,420 feet of climbing, and 5 hrs 5 min of moving time. It was a tough ride but it was good!
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Nice ride Gregg! I’m jealous as we are still frozen in WNC. I could not even ride on the roads by my house so I went to HWY 64 knowing they had the road treated prior to the ice. Mostly the ride is 4.5 miles up with 1,700 ft elevation gain and then down. I stayed on the shoulder which is gravel most of the way up and even with the snow and ice it was ok, but going down the sun had not hit that side of the road yet. It was two dangerous on the shoulder so I stayed on the road most of the way down. A good workout but I have yet to get a single ride in longer than 24 miles in January. Hopefully Tuesday will pan out for my long ride.
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Dang, sorry to hear that man. I hope tuesday is better!
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Felt pretty terrible the last week or so. Even cut a ride short last week. Had a good ride Sunday of 14ish miles, felt good but did not want to over do it. Will head out for my Tuesday after work ride. Most likely two, maybe three loops at FATS. The 70+ day is just to good to waste.
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I agree never waste a 70+ day. It was about 55 up in WNC. Thunderstorms rolled in on mile 30 of my ride but I mangaed to get 40 miles in and I am happy about that!
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"MTI" wrote
I agree never waste a 70+ day. It was about 55 up in WNC. Thunderstorms rolled in on mile 30 of my ride but I mangaed to get 40 miles in and I am happy about that!
Nice job!
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Only regret I had was I did not bring my light. Managed two loops, wanted to do a third but felt I might not finish it in time.
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On my 40 mile ride I stopped at mile 24 to snack for about 8 minutes and 3 more min for the remainder. Is there any rule if thumb or suggestions on how long to rest and at what intervals?
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Weather lately has been killing my riding. Started snowing during my ride yesterday, and while it was fun to ride in the snow for a while, I only ended up getting 18 miles in.
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No riding this weekend. First time in a long time. Just was not feeling well. To add insult to not feeling well I had to see pics of Goo and dgaddis riding in the snow just a few hours north of me 😢
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Yea between constant rain now 6 inches of snow turning to ice it looks like my next ride will be either Tue or Wed and I won’t have time to make them more than 20 miles. Then Thursday and Friday more rain. I am getting in lots of streanght training so that is a plus and hitting the trainer.
I found out today I am getting a new bike! I am a 26 inch wheel hardtail fanatic and my LBS is going to order me a Kona Kula Scandium Frame and build it up from there. I am psyched so the weather is not really getting me down. 😃 Can’t wait to post a picture. Early birthday present!
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"brianW" wrote
No riding this weekend. First time in a long time. Just was not feeling well. To add insult to not feeling well I had to see pics of Goo and dgaddis riding in the snow just a few hours north of me 😢
Didn’t do a lot of miles but it was fun!
"MTI" wroteI found out today I am getting a new bike! I am a 26 inch wheel hardtail fanatic and my LBS is going to order me a Kona Kula Scandium Frame and build it up from there. I am psyched so the weather is not really getting me down. 😃 Can’t wait to post a picture. Early birthday present!
Congrats man!! Can’t wait to see some photos!
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The good news is the snow and ice are about gone. The bad news is heavy rain forecast for next 4 of 5 days. Nine days since I have been on the bike due to weather. Not good.
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"MTI" wrote
The good news is the snow and ice are about gone. The bad news is heavy rain forecast for next 4 of 5 days. Nine days since I have been on the bike due to weather. Not good.
I’ve been dealing with bad weather, but mainly issues of a different kind. I’ve been experiencing a lot of lower back pain on the bike lately, and it’s really been messing with my training and my head. I don’t want to push too hard and risk getting seriously injured. Only ended up riding about 18 miles last saturday and have a 5.5 hr ride planned for this saturday… hopefully it doesn’t hurt too bad and hopefully I don’t end up messing myself up.
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i just found that the ballpark near my house has a decent size paved path around it, probably a mile or so loop and is bike friendly. looks like the road bike will be getting some use after all this wonderful rain we have been having down here.
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Got my long ride in for the week! 77 miles and 8,000 feet of climbing: http://app.strava.com/activities/40318406
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Great job Gregg I hope your back is feeling OK I was looking forward to meeting you at the Cohutta so hopefully you will still be able to ride it.
Was this last ride on the MTB or road? I am bikeless until Tuesday when my new bike comes in. LBS is expecting the frame to come in on Monday and he will build it up from there. I am having an American Classic wheelset put on. They are 3.1 pounds lighter than my DT Swiss 455 wheelset. I think that will put my bike between 22 and 23 pounds so I am psyched. I have a lot of catching up to do with 2 weeks off but I plan on at least a 60 mile long ride this weekend before the 100 mile Strava challenge.
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"MTI" wrote
Great job Gregg I hope your back is feeling OK I was looking forward to meeting you at the Cohutta so hopefully you will still be able to ride it.
Was this last ride on the MTB or road? I am bikeless until Tuesday when my new bike comes in. LBS is expecting the frame to come in on Monday and he will build it up from there. I am having an American Classic wheelset put on. They are 3.1 pounds lighter than my DT Swiss 455 wheelset. I think that will put my bike between 22 and 23 pounds so I am psyched. I have a lot of catching up to do with 2 weeks off but I plan on at least a 60 mile long ride this weekend before the 100 mile Strava challenge.
Nice, sounds like a great build!
Yeah, that was a road ride today. My back actually felt a lot better. Not 100%, but it was a big improvement. I’ve been tweaking my fit and doing a lot of stretching and core exercises, and also getting a professional bike fit in about two weeks. After a slow week last week of resting, hopefully I’ll be back at it from now till race time!
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Come hell, astroid collision, snow, rain or wind I am going riding tomorrow. I am going to probably do 50 miles. I was going to do 70 but I am thinking of the 100 mile Strava challenge next weekend so I will stay at 50 and maybe a few 20 mile days next week prior to the 100 mile day. I will do mine mostly off road. I was thinking at least 25 miles was going to be on pavement but I have it cut down to about 12 pavement and 88 gravel road. No singletrack unfortunately as I don’t think the trails will be in riding condition at Tsali or Jackrabbit which is where I would ride the Singletrack. It has been 14 days since I have been on a ride due to the weather and I will be doing it on my new bike so it will be interesting. Look for my Strava tomorrow night!
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I had my…well what was supposed to be long ride but it turned out I only did 35 miles. Being off of the bike for 16 due to the weather did not help. This was also my first ride on my new Kona which just rides great. The geometry is much different from my Rockhopper and I did not realize the differece that it would have in peddling. It was actually much easier since the bike is a great fit but I think I will need many more miles for my muscles to adjust. My calves cramped up like hell then my hamstrgs so I could not peddle properly and my quads were doing all the work. I was really concerned of all of the pressure I was putting on my knees so I decided not to risk an injury.
Lesson learned…I need to stretch everyday I am not very flexible. I should have been stretching all the time I was off my bike. The most pain I felt was in my upper back. I am rather broad at my shoulders for my height and I had a wider handlebar put on as I realized mine was not the proper size. I have much better control and actually seem to be able to breath easier since my chest is not so constricted but my upper back will have to get used to the different grip width. Overall I planned on a slower ride to get a feel for the bike but I am very disappointed that I did not ride further. I am hoping the Singletrack in the area drys up these forest road are getting bland! Then I can do the 100 miles next weekend at Tsali that would be sweet!
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"MTI" wrote
I had my…well what was supposed to be long ride but it turned out I only did 35 miles. Being off of the bike for 16 due to the weather did not help. This was also my first ride on my new Kona which just rides great. The geometry is much different from my Rockhopper and I did not realize the differece that it would have in peddling. It was actually much easier since the bike is a great fit but I think I will need many more miles for my muscles to adjust. My calves cramped up like hell then my hamstrgs so I could not peddle properly and my quads were doing all the work. I was really concerned of all of the pressure I was putting on my knees so I decided not to risk an injury.
Lesson learned…I need to stretch everyday I am not very flexible. I should have been stretching all the time I was off my bike. The most pain I felt was in my upper back. I am rather broad at my shoulders for my height and I had a wider handlebar put on as I realized mine was not the proper size. I have much better control and actually seem to be able to breath easier since my chest is not so constricted but my upper back will have to get used to the different grip width. Overall I planned on a slower ride to get a feel for the bike but I am very disappointed that I did not ride further. I am hoping the Singletrack in the area drys up these forest road are getting bland! Then I can do the 100 miles next weekend at Tsali that would be sweet!
Congrats on the new bike, glad to hear it rode well!
If 35 was tough for you this weekend, I’d say it’d probably be best not to go too crazy next weekend.
For me personally, I’m going to try for 100 next weekend on the road bike, but mountain bike miles are about 2x as difficult as road miles. (Of course, it depends on the trail and on the road…)
My 100 mile MTB ride is going to wait until April 😀
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Weather permitting I am going to go for it. My lungs felt fine and I am just going to do lots of shorter rides this week and STRETCH I think my overall problem was my flexibility. We shall see though.
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"MTI" wrote
Weather permitting I am going to go for it. My lungs felt fine and I am just going to do lots of shorter rides this week and STRETCH I think my overall problem was my flexibility. We shall see though.
Cool keep us posted! And good luck!!
On a personal note, I have a long MTB ride planned for tomorrow. Not sure how gravel road and trail conditions will be yet… we shall see…
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I am backing out of the Strava 100 miles next weekend. It is snow/ice mix now and expecting to get worse and I only live at 2350 feet. My normal fire road rides are at 3000+ elevation so they will take a while to melt. Singletrack will be no good and I am not riding on the roads when the temps are below 35 so I’ll focus on other things. Bummer but that is the way the weather falls. I just got an email from the Cohutta and they are having trouble working on the course due to the weather as well so we are all in the same boat.
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"MTI" wrote
I am backing out of the Strava 100 miles next weekend. It is snow/ice mix now and expecting to get worse and I only live at 2350 feet. My normal fire road rides are at 3000+ elevation so they will take a while to melt. Singletrack will be no good and I am not riding on the roads when the temps are below 35 so I’ll focus on other things. Bummer but that is the way the weather falls. I just got an email from the Cohutta and they are having trouble working on the course due to the weather as well so we are all in the same boat.
Dang dude, sad to see you bail but that sounds like some sucky weather. If you want you could come to Georgia and ride with me next weekend.
In other news, I did the longest MTB ride of my life yesterday: http://app.strava.com/activities/41000637
Officially broke 50 miles, did 7,213 feet of climbing, moving time of 5:39. It was a tough one, but it was good!
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I saw that ride Gregg congrats that is just awesome. I’d love to come to GA but no can do! There is still a chance I may try it but I don’t have enough miles in this year. Right now in WNC we have about 2 inches of snow on the ground an I can’t possibly see any gravel roads or singletrack being ready to ride until Tuesday…and it is supposed to rain on Tuesday so scratch that. I’ll just get on the trainer that is all. Best of luck on your ride next week.
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Best of luck on your ride next week.
Thanks man, you too!
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
Dang dude, sad to see you bail but that sounds like some sucky weather. If you want you could come to Georgia and ride with me next weekend.
In other news, I did the longest MTB ride of my life yesterday: http://app.strava.com/activities/41000637
Officially broke 50 miles, did 7,213 feet of climbing, moving time of 5:39. It was a tough one, but it was good!
Congrats Greg! Truly impressive
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"nickrm" wrote
[quote="mtbgreg1":2bfxzvgi]
Dang dude, sad to see you bail but that sounds like some sucky weather. If you want you could come to Georgia and ride with me next weekend.In other news, I did the longest MTB ride of my life yesterday: http://app.strava.com/activities/41000637
Officially broke 50 miles, did 7,213 feet of climbing, moving time of 5:39. It was a tough one, but it was good!
Congrats Greg! Truly impressive[/quote:2bfxzvgi]
Thanks man! 😀
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"MTI" wrote
On my 40 mile ride I stopped at mile 24 to snack for about 8 minutes and 3 more min for the remainder. Is there any rule if thumb or suggestions on how long to rest and at what intervals?
I try not to stop. If I stop, not only am I no longer moving towards the finish, but I start cooling off and stiffening up, so when I do get going again, I don’t feel as good and it takes a little while to get warmed back up.
Eat on the bike if you can, even if it means going slow. Long gravel climbs are awesome places to get some calories down while still moving. Or, walk and eat. But keep moving forward.
Plus, stops of only a few minutes here and there add up quickly, for a long race they can easily cost you 20+minutes. It’s worse at a race, because you wont be the only one stopped at the aid/SAG station, so it’s easy to get distracted or caught up in a conversation and end up standing around for a long time without even realizing it.
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When it comes to fitness, “maintaining” is the flat spot between improvement and deterioration.
Been slack lately, haven’t been commuting much at all. It shows. Did a 6hr race this weekend and sucked it up. Actually, I felt awesome the first three laps (and looking back at the results now, I see I was in 3rd out of 9 in the solo sport class at the end of my 3rd lap) but halfway through the 4th my legs started cramping like crazy. After I finished lap 4 I decided I was done, only 4hrs into the race. Bike issues were part of the problem (my geared bike needs a new chain and cassette…) but fitness and motivation were part of the problem too.
But, it was a great motivator to get back at it and keep working. I’m riding to work tomorrow, even though there’s an 80% chance of rain, and it’s gonna be cold. Time to man up.
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Dustin,
I agree with stopping and resting it does me more harm than good I tighten up so fast thanks for the advice.. I am really working on stretching (properly) at home and it has helped. I have never been very flexible. Due to this weather I did not ride for 16 days and I mean I tried but work, snow, rain, ice and very cold temps made it almost impossible. I shot for a 50 mile ride on day 17 and stopped at 35 it was just miserable plus I was on a new bike with a completly different geometry. I decided to take several shorter rides between 10 and 15 miles to get the feel for my new bike and ease back into it and now I feel like I did three weeks ago. I am going to shoot for my 50 mile ride on Thursday and will try not to stop or at least limit myself to refill camelbak. Are you doing the Cohutta Dgaddis? -
Taking a minute or two here or there to get off the bike, stand up, and give my back a rest really helps. Lately I’ve been dealing with some back issues, and I’ve been finding that I take a minute or two every now and then to stand or walk for a little it keeps things from getting too tight.
But in general, my back has been doing a lot better lately.
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"MTI" wrote
Are you doing the Cohutta Dgaddis?
No Cohutta for me. But I’ll be back at the Fools Gold 50 this year hopefully, and I’m seriously considering ORAMM as well.
Found my heart rate monitor last night. Gonna start wearing it some again…
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Agreed! That is some serious climbing along with the distance! Can you follow people on Strava? I use it occasionally. It would good motivation to see what some of you crazies are riding!
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"gar29" wrote
Agreed! That is some serious climbing along with the distance! Can you follow people on Strava? I use it occasionally. It would good motivation to see what some of you crazies are riding!
Yup, just click the follow button on the person’s profile!
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I finally got in my long ride! Third longest MTB ride ever behind a 75 mile run in early May last year and a 60 mile run prior to that. Actually I have done a few 50 mile rides. This one’s lack of elevation is due to on all the forest service roads above 3300 feet I hit snow and ice and 26"x2.1 WTB Weirwolf Tires didn’t cut it! I was able to go thru an inch of crunchy snow and actully made it up one road about 1.5 miles but as the snow got deeper the bike just stopped (I tipped over). Going down was slow going and I had to pedal as gravity and snow did not mix.
My ride started at 17 degrees and ended up in the 60’s so again so much ice and snow in the morning slowed me down but that was actually a good thing since I had to work extra hard to pedal it was like going up the mountains I enjoy to climb. I also only took 13 minutes of down time. I had a slight mechanical. Ice preventing rear derailler to shift!
On the long climbs I had to head to the highway but stayed on the gravel shoulder. Over the 50 miles I probably had less that 3 miles of pavement. How long do you guys wait in between long rides. My next one will be at least 60 miles and hopefully 8,000 ft elevation gain. I was thinking maybe two weeks for the next long ride does that seem to long?
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"MTI" wrote
I finally got in my long ride! Third longest MTB ride ever behind a 75 mile run in early May last year and a 60 mile run prior to that. Actually I have done a few 50 mile rides. This one’s lack of elevation is due to on all the forest service roads above 3300 feet I hit snow and ice and 26"x2.1 WTB Weirwolf Tires didn’t cut it! I was able to go thru an inch of crunchy snow and actully made it up one road about 1.5 miles but as the snow got deeper the bike just stopped (I tipped over). Going down was slow going and I had to pedal as gravity and snow did not mix.
My ride started at 17 degrees and ended up in the 60’s so again so much ice and snow in the morning slowed me down but that was actually a good thing since I had to work extra hard to pedal it was like going up the mountains I enjoy to climb. I also only took 13 minutes of down time. I had a slight mechanical. Ice preventing rear derailler to shift!
On the long climbs I had to head to the highway but stayed on the gravel shoulder. Over the 50 miles I probably had less that 3 miles of pavement. How long do you guys wait in between long rides. My next one will be at least 60 miles and hopefully 8,000 ft elevation gain. I was thinking maybe two weeks for the next long ride does that seem to long?
Nice, that’s a legit ride man! Congrats!
I’ve been doing one long ride every week, but have been building up the distance by about 10% each week.
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With wet trails and rain I have not been riding much at all. Once or twice a week. Most of that been rides around 10 miles on old school trails. Have been getting a few runs, again not on the trail, each week also. Hoping the weather changes soon.
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"brianW" wrote
Hoping the weather changes soon.
Me too
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"MTI" wrote
How long do you guys wait in between long rides. My next one will be at least 60 miles and hopefully 8,000 ft elevation gain. I was thinking maybe two weeks for the next long ride does that seem to long?
That’s all up to you. Rest up after a big ride, and when you feel like doing it again, go for it. Two weeks does sound like more time than is necessary though. Three or four days of good quality rest is probably enough.
Something I’ve done a little of that really seems to help build fitness: do several medium length rides back to back. Like three days in a row with about 2.5 or 3hrs of saddle time each day.
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So I took a big step today in my endurance training: I got a professional fit on my road bike by 55nine Performance. What an incredible learning experience! I’m going to get a MTB fit too once I figure out which bike I’m riding on race day.
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Cool on the fit! Keep us up to date if you notice a difference.
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"MTI" wrote
Cool on the fit! Keep us up to date if you notice a difference.
Will do! The science behind what he did and why he did it was amazing. Also, got some serious coaching on pedal stroke and body position… going to take some practice to make it second nature, though.
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I see a future blog post….
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"dgaddis" wrote
I see a future blog post….
Yeah, I want to write one up… I’ll need to do a detailed interview with Eddie, though. I don’t claim to understand it all yet 😀
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I officially completed my first century on Saturday. It was on a road bike, but 101 miles, 7.5 hours of riding, and over 10,000 feet of climbing still wasn’t easy: http://app.strava.com/activities/42002371
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Gregg,
Awesome job on that ride! There was no way I was going to fit an all day MTB 100 mile ride in. Daylight savings time coming up! I had to take care of one of my cusomers vacation homes yesterday and took a 3.5 hour ride when I got sick of working. It is a road…if you call it that. Actually it is so overgrown it is more like 4 inch singletrack the last 4 miles to the top. Thorns tore up my legs but I was hell bent on getting to the end. Very remote area. I saw a bear and bobcat along with lots of Turkey and deer. Did not tell my wife about the bear she would freak out cause there is no cell phone service and dumb of me I did not tell anyone where I was going. As far as miles and average speed it does not look like much on paper but I tell you there was a 6 mile stretch that was like riding in Pisgah. Rocky and gnarley. I also hiked a bike over a small rock/landslide. Trees down so I got to test out my new ride bunny hopping and man does it hop. Also once again, mud and ice up high on the mountain. It was probably one of the funnest rides I took in a long time. Once again Gregg awesome job on the 100. I am going to shoot for 60 miles at Tsali on Saturday IF the trails are dry and it is not raining or snowing. I don’t mind the cold. After yesterday’s ride I realized how much I missed the singletrack.
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Thanks man!
Nice, sounds like you had a great ride as well. It’s all about having fun!
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I only rode 50 miles this past week including a fun 11 miles at Jackrabbit today. I thought the trails would be dry but lots of peanut butter mud so I cut it off at 11 miles out of respect for the trails. Winter weather coming in Tue and Wed but Thur thru Sunday are forcast in the 60’s! I will plan on my 60 mile long ride Saturday and can not wait. I bought a book on how to stretch properly as I have never been flexible and thought it would help my neck. Wouldn’t you know it I hurt my back stretching. 😆 Was not laughing at the time 😢 Three days of misery i swear I better never have back problems when I get older. In any case I am at about 90% and realized time is ticking away till April 27. I am looking forward to Daylight Savings Time. It may only be an hour but it will make a huge difference in miles in the saddle.
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I too am looking forward to the warm weather this weekend!
For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, check out my blog post about training for the Cohutta 100: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-ev … ning-aids/
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My long ride for the week was at 47 miles and 5,100 feet elevation gain. My goal today was either 50 miles or 5,000 feet. I was going to go the additional 3 miles to make it look better but just ran out of time 😠 . Awesome ride overall. There was still snow and ice over 3,500 feet on the north sides of the mountains which was surprising and a bit frusterating. I had to hike a bike several sections as there was just no way due to 12% grades and the ice. I had 5 miles over 4,000 feet so I had to deal with quite a bit in that stretch. Also the gravel was very soggy which made peddaling difficult but good practice!
I also today for the first time in a long while dealt with my vertigo and balance disorder that unfortunately is a byproduct of my hearing loss but to be honest since it was all gravel road and no singletrack (still to wet up here in WNC) it did not matter too much except on the snow and ice. I am glad it happened in case I have to deal with it on race day!
I stopped a total of 23 minutes to refil my camelbak and gatorage (water bottle) on two passes of my car at miles 27 and 38. I also stopped several times on the trail for a few minutes to stretch. Really bad idea as I think that hurt more than help as the muscles tightened up.
My stem was changed from an 80mm to a 60mm and that took care of the lower back pain and neck pain. I have also been stretching a lot at home so that may have played in part but it was nice not to deal with those pain issues. I think I liked the way I climbed better with the 80mm but I am sure I will get used to it. I can manueuver better with the shorter stem. Overall my legs and lungs were good but I know I still have a long way to go. With this weeks weather coming up and an extra hours I am shooting for lots of miles this week. Hopefully the rain will hold off Monday and the trails will be all dried out. My goal 60 miles next weekend and lots of shorter rides in between!
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Awesome ride man, that sounds legit! I logged 63 miles (about 90% of that on singletrack), 5,000 feet of climbing, in about 7 hours and 15 minutes of moving time: http://app.strava.com/activities/43802449
Again, this is officially the longest mountain bike ride of my life! Setting new personal records every week 😀
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I am jealous of all of your Singletrack. Things are really supposed to dry up after Monday up here so I will be nailing Tsali quite a bit. I am going to shoot for 60 miles on Saturday or Sunday weather permitting. I would rather do Sunday as the Right and Left loops are opened on Sunday but the other two loops will suffice if Sunday does not work out.
Does anybody know of anyone who has the Strava for last years Cohutta. I saw the elevation profile in a PDF format but I would like to do some more interactive stuff with it. And what is the gravel road to singletrack ratio at the Cohutta (ex. 50%/50%). Jeff maybe you can help out with the. Thanks in advance.
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My goal was 60 miles or 6,000 feet elevation. I hit 6,100+ at mile 49. I wanted to do an additional 10 miles but I used that Gu Gel for the first time. Well I felt an initial energy surge but just sat in my stomach and at mile 40 I just wanted to Yak (but I didn’t) and contined on. Is that gel something the body needs to get used to or what? I think I’ll stick with my Clif bars for now. Any energy suggestions would be appreciated. I know there is some stuff on the site but what are you guys using now. I hydrate with my Camelbak (small 2 liter) and a water bottle of Gatoraid which works great for me on the hydration front.
I only stopped 19 minutes today and that was due to the Gu cramps and refilling water. Ride felt good overall. I am going to start killing the singletrack now that they should start drying out. These forest roads and long steep climbs are begining to get boring.
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Interesting. I switched from Cliff bars to gel for the same reason! Bars have always killed me. Maybe it is personal physiology?
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This weather sucks. Period. Total was going to be my long ride but I am only about to do 25 miles in the rain. Monday will be below freezing with flurries but I am going to have to do it as my long ride as we are expecting accumulation Tue and Wed. Than vacation off my bike until the day after Easter. My faith in groundhog Phil is lost!
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"MTI" wrote
This weather sucks. Period. Total was going to be my long ride but I am only about to do 25 miles in the rain. Monday will be below freezing with flurries but I am going to have to do it as my long ride as we are expecting accumulation Tue and Wed. Than vacation off my bike until the day after Easter. My faith in groundhog Phil is lost!
Spring in AZ, 70-90 temps. Come on down, I know the trails.
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My training has been on hold all week due to a nasty cold. My last ride was 50 miles a week ago today… and I’ve been sick since then. I’m FINALLY starting to feel a bit better, so I’m hoping I can get back on the bike and catch back up next week.
Thankfully, our temps will be a little bit warmer early this coming week than they will up by you MTI, but not much: highs of about 44-45 Monday and Tuesday.
And it’s looking like it might rain all next weekend too… man, just can’t get a break!
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Hope you feel better Gregg.
I did get a Singletrack run at Tsali but it was an average temp of 32 on the very windy day and it was just miserable but dry. I was not about to give up a singletrack opportunity it has been so long. I had to go back to the gravel road yesterday. I needed a leg burner. Hopefully I will get my long ride in early next week before I take off to the flatlands of NC for a week.
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Had my long ride today. 70.6 miles but only 8,100 feet elevation gain. I only stopped for 17 minutes in the ride to fill up water, gatorade and snack. I think I am finally getting this nutrition thing on the trail down. I was surprised how good I felt afterward. No real aches and pains so that was possitive. My Garmin would not hook up to the satellites it took an hour so my ride was delayed and I finally took off without the satellites and about 5 miles into the ride it started working so the ride was closer to 75 miles (Wow that is a run on sentance). 😆
I hope this is the last gravel road grinder and I can hit the singletrack. Even if it rains the weather is warm enough to dry up the trails within a day.
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Update on my Cohutta 100 training:
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-tr … eks-to-go/Last two long rides on Strava:
http://app.strava.com/activities/46566773
http://app.strava.com/activities/47571630 -
So I decided to do my first official MTB event, Opus Spring 8 Hour Relay which is on May 11th. I have 1 month to get myself ready and hopefully not let my team down. I will be competing in the 4 person Open – combined age 120 – 159 category. The weather here has been raining and cold for the last 4 days so riding outside has been out of the question. So I decided to do the next best thing and set my road bike up on the trainer. If any of you have not ridden a bike on a trainer before, be warned it is very mind numbing. On the other hand the good thing about a trainer is that you do not stop pedaling the whole time so you can get a good workout in a short period of time.
My fitness level at this point is…….. not so good! I really don’t have a game plan atm other then trying to get as many base KM under my belt as I can, be it road riding or out hitting trails on the MTB. The course is 10km in length and we are hoping to do 4 laps each for a total of 16 laps in the 8 hours, we’ve set the bar pretty high so we will see how we do. If you guys have any training suggests or race day tidbits feel free to fill me in.
I’ll try to keep this updated leading up to the event and of course a full report from race day.
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"slipfinger" wrote
So I decided to do my first official MTB event, Opus Spring 8 Hour Relay which is on May 11th. I have 1 month to get myself ready and hopefully not let my team down. I will be competing in the 4 person Open – combined age 120 – 159 category. The weather here has been raining and cold for the last 4 days so riding outside has been out of the question. So I decided to do the next best thing and set my road bike up on the trainer. If any of you have not ridden a bike on a trainer before, be warned it is very mind numbing. On the other hand the good thing about a trainer is that you do not stop pedaling the whole time so you can get a good workout in a short period of time.
My fitness level at this point is…….. not so good! I really don’t have a game plan atm other then trying to get as many base KM under my belt as I can, be it road riding or out hitting trails on the MTB. The course is 10km in length and we are hoping to do 4 laps each for a total of 16 laps in the 8 hours, we’ve set the bar pretty high so we will see how we do. If you guys have any training suggests or race day tidbits feel free to fill me in.
I’ll try to keep this updated leading up to the event and of course a full report from race day.
Check out this blog post (as well as the comments) for some tips on the relay-format endurance race: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/uncate … bike-race/
And you’re only planning on doing 40 km (25 miles) total per person? You can work up to that distance easily. The key will be doing it quickly on race day.
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Thanks for the link Greg, some good info in there.
"mtbgreg1" wroteAnd you’re only planning on doing 40 km (25 miles) total per person? You can work up to that distance easily. The key will be doing it quickly on race day.
Yes only 40km per person over the 8hrs which in itself seems laughable when you say it out loud. I know I can do it and plan on doing it. Last summer I was doing 40km + on my road bike almost everyday plus a longer ride on the weekend. I’m just worried because it is early in the season and I’ve not even had the road bike outside for a ride yet to build base miles. I’ve been out on the trails a dozen or so time and suffered pretty bad LOL its been a long winter. The main reason I’m doing this event is to force myself to start training again and get in better shape for the rest of the season, plus it should be a blast!
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plus it should be a blast!
Yeah man, you guys will have a fun time!
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Actual ride was on a Friday this weekend, and on the road bike due to some heavy rain the night before. 102.4 miles, 5,287 feet of climbing. http://app.strava.com/activities/48470212
Hadn’t ridden most of these roads before and hit some dead ends, but it was fun!
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I called this ride Murphy’s Law because so much went wrong. Little stuff like me forgetting water to fill up the small Camelbak. I did have a gallon of Gatoraid so that was OK and I was able to stop at some of my customers vacation homes and fill up but it was a pain in the @#$!
Weather forecast was 72 and partly sunny. In reality it was a wind storm the entire 80 miles and I hit rain, hail, sleet, and some snow up high AFTER I dropped my winter gloves for my fingerless.
The real problem was at mile 30 I hit a jagged rock. I did not blow my sidewall but there was damage to my rear tire. Thank God I planned on this being a dry run for the race and taped a tube to my seatpost and brought my gorilla tape and 3 Co2’s. Stan’s would not work I was sure. If the race were a month away I would have just stopped riding due to the tire but with 13 days I want sufficiant recovery time and did not plan on a full day of riding this week. I already feel like I am 3 or 4 weeks behind in training with only 680 miles this year.
I made it work which is suprising because my bike mechanic skills are one step below my technical riding skills which are like really bad. I did have to slow down significantly on the downhills. It held well until mile 58 and I used my 2nd Co2. Mile 58 thru 71 went well except that is when the weather kicked in really bad. It actually dropped to 32 degrees and my fingers were just numb. That streatch was a great practice for the steep climb in the race at mile 60. FYI gorilla tape is like almost bombproof…certainly waterproof.
By the time I used my 3rd and last Co2, I was within 5 miles of my truck. I was hell bent on getting to 80 miles. As you can see on Strava I hit 79.6. Murphy’s Law! The tire got so low that I got a pinch flat and I am quite sure American Classic would not cover riding on the rims on their warranty.
I did hit over 12,000 feet of elevation which was my goal. I fully admit I was pissed when all of this happened but now I am somewhat glad because I had to fight through it all which you never know may happen on race day. My big fear is not that I can’t finish I know I can, but having a mechanical that throws me out of the race so I know I will stock overkill on repair stuff.
I only stopped for 29 minutes which were of course mostly for repairs and not rest which kind of sucked. 😈
Last post until I post the Strava for the race. Thanks to all for advice and encouragment and best to all that are riding in it.
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Wow that sounds like a brutal ride! I had a several hiccups in my road ride on Friday, but nothing that bad!
Hope the taper for the race goes well!
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Those of you with big races on the calendar: Don’t forget to make sure your bike is tuned up and ready to a week or so before the race. Get it checked over, ride a little to break in anything new (like shift cables).
I haven’t been riding to work much lately. Rain, fog, work itself, and after work errands have all kept me in the car a lot more than I wanted. Have logged some decent rides here and there, and should continue for the next few weeks.
70 miles on the road bike two weekends ago, 47 on the SS MTB last weekend, ~65 miles on the MTB planned for this coming weekend, and a 6hr race the weekend afterwards.
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I completed my first MTB event today. The event was a 12.5km loop in a TT for format, I was the first rider out the gate for my age cat. 40 to 49 male. The course had some very technical rocky sections that I had no choose but to walk. Over all I felt good about my ride, I would have loved to gone a little faster but that will come as I ride more.
The thing I was most proud of today was my 11 year rode the same course before use, took him 1h 58min but he crossed the finish line with a big smile. We both came last in our cat (yes that means I got passed by everyone) but I was just happy to spend the morning out on the trails with my son.
They have this same event in the fall and I look forward to going and see how much better my time will be. -
"slipfinger" wrote
I completed my first MTB event today. The event was a 12.5km loop in a TT for format, I was the first rider out the gate for my age cat. 40 to 49 male. The course had some very technical rocky sections that I had no choose but to walk. Over all I felt good about my ride, I would have loved to gone a little faster but that will come as I ride more.
The thing I was most proud of today was my 11 year rode the same course before use, took him 1h 58min but he crossed the finish line with a big smile. We both came last in our cat (yes that means I got passed by everyone) but I was just happy to spend the morning out on the trails with my son.
They have this same event in the fall and I look forward to going and see how much better my time will be.Nice job man, having fun is what it’s all about. Race enough, and you will eventually come in last haha.
I did about 65 very flat miles on the single speed today. No cramps or major issues, but I was tired for sure when we finished haha. There’s talk of a 100 miler…….
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"slipfinger" wrote
We both came last in our cat (yes that means I got passed by everyone) but I was just happy to spend the morning out on the trails with my son.
I never check, but if I’ve not come in last in every race I’ve entered, I’d be very surprised. I go to ride with my brother and even if you’re not competitively oriented, like myself, it’s still very exciting to have all the younger and faster guys whizzing by you 😀
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="slipfinger":djsvjxaw]I completed my first MTB event today. The event was a 12.5km loop in a TT for format, I was the first rider out the gate for my age cat. 40 to 49 male. The course had some very technical rocky sections that I had no choose but to walk. Over all I felt good about my ride, I would have loved to gone a little faster but that will come as I ride more.
The thing I was most proud of today was my 11 year rode the same course before use, took him 1h 58min but he crossed the finish line with a big smile. We both came last in our cat (yes that means I got passed by everyone) but I was just happy to spend the morning out on the trails with my son.
They have this same event in the fall and I look forward to going and see how much better my time will be.Nice job man, having fun is what it’s all about. Race enough, and you will eventually come in last haha.
I did about 65 very flat miles on the single speed today. No cramps or major issues, but I was tired for sure when we finished haha. There’s talk of a 100 miler…….
http://app.strava.com/activities/49957221[/quote:djsvjxaw]
When are you thinking of doing the 100 miler?
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"mtbgreg1" wrote
When are you thinking of doing the 100 miler?
I don’t know, just talking about routes right now. I’ll let you know though
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="mtbgreg1":os6vnaii]
When are you thinking of doing the 100 miler?I don’t know, just talking about routes right now. I’ll let you know though[/quote:os6vnaii]
Sweet. If you include FATS in the route, specifically Big Rock and Tower, I’d REALLY be interested.
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Last taper ride for the Cohutta 100 was this weekend! I wanted to ride mtb, but hit the road because of a lot of rain thurs and fri. Ended up with about 63 miles, 7,000 feet of climbing, and 4 hours 20 minutes of moving time: http://app.strava.com/activities/49760891
Race is next weekend! Bring it on!
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I did not get a decent taper ride just 32 miles of Singletrack at a nice moderate pace. It was all about enjoying this great spring weather. Forcast as of now for the Cohutta…T-Storms 60 degrees. Better than snow/ice and 20!
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"MTI" wrote
Forcast as of now for the Cohutta…T-Storms 60 degrees. Better than snow/ice and 20!
Yeah, but that’s still frustrating! Train for four months, and then race day is going to be pouring rain. Awesome…
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"MTI" wrote
Forcast as of now for the Cohutta…T-Storms 60 degrees. Better than snow/ice and 20!
The good news is, the forecast down in Ellijay is 70 degrees for Saturday. So once you get down there it’ll be warmer. 😀 The rain is another story, at least it looks like it’ll just be scattered and less than 1/2 inch.
Good luck to everyone racing Saturday!
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"slipfinger" wrote
I completed my first MTB event today. The event was a 12.5km loop in a TT for format, I was the first rider out the gate for my age cat. 40 to 49 male. The course had some very technical rocky sections that I had no choose but to walk. Over all I felt good about my ride, I would have loved to gone a little faster but that will come as I ride more.
The thing I was most proud of today was my 11 year rode the same course before use, took him 1h 58min but he crossed the finish line with a big smile. We both came last in our cat (yes that means I got passed by everyone) but I was just happy to spend the morning out on the trails with my son.
They have this same event in the fall and I look forward to going and see how much better my time will be.Great job! It doesn’t matter where you came in, it is the fun of riding the event! It is so different riding a trail on a weekend, and then riding the same trail during a race! Glad you took your kid out! That is something he will remember for the rest of his life!
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"gar29" wrote
Great job! It doesn’t matter where you came in, it is the fun of riding the event! It is so different riding a trail on a weekend, and then riding the same trail during a race! Glad you took your kid out! That is something he will remember for the rest of his life!
Thanks, it’s amazing how fast your heart can beat for the first KM. My little guy loved it and can’t wait to go to the race they have in the fall.
Here’s the little guy starting out, he has no clue what he is in for for the next 13.5km LOL
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"jeff" wrote
[quote="MTI":1tcvxuy4]Forcast as of now for the Cohutta…T-Storms 60 degrees. Better than snow/ice and 20!
The good news is, the forecast down in Ellijay is 70 degrees for Saturday. So once you get down there it’ll be warmer. 😀 The rain is another story, at least it looks like it’ll just be scattered and less than 1/2 inch.
Good luck to everyone racing Saturday![/quote:1tcvxuy4]
Haha thanks!
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Off to the Cohutta! Rain over 50% chance for the entire ride although it looks like less than 1/2 an inch. The way I look at it is that has been the training weather and my last 80 mile ride was rain and I did fine. I am just a bit worried about the mud. My WTB Weirwolf Tires don’t like it. 😠 Best of luck to all riding the race!
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Yep, good luck to the Cohutta racers!! Hopefully the rain wont be too bad.
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Well my race certainly did not go as I planned and trained. I met up with Scwimm at Tanasi on Friday on probably the nicest riding day of the year and I felt great. My legs and lungs felt great and the trails were dry and perfect. While we were riding Schwim was giving me advice to watch that root, be careful on that turn and all was good. Hey man thanks again for the ride! I won’t lie I was worried about the rain coming and there was no doubt it was coming. I have said it before I am no good in the mud.
I woke up Saturday morning and it was pouring in Murphy. I wasn’t feeling the best. I was somewhat tired but no aches and pains just a bit stuffed up.
Upon arriving at Oconee the rain slowed down a bit at the starting line. I met Gregg said hi and off we went. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I hit the mud. My head was spinning and I can’t say I was not pissed but that is the sport. It probably took me an hour longer. I did have a hard crash on Quartz Alternate. I said to myself "step it up" and on a downhill I went down hard. Slid on the mud but there were no rocks or roots so no injury. A few twists of my headset and I aligned my wheels and bars.
Off of the Singletrack and out of the mud I was so happy to see gravel. I cleaned off my deraillers and brakes at aid #1. I was moving OK on the gravel but I could not generate the power that I was able to in my practice rides the legs were not working it just was not happening. Honestly most of the Cohutta Death March was not much different from my training rides except the climbs were a bit longer.
I was passing people on the trail with mechanicals…broken chains, chain suck, ripped off deraillerslots of brake issues. I gave one guy my stans praying I would not need it as I was only 35 miles into the race. He looks so sad about "his race being over". He was a really strong rider as he passed me about 3 miles later flying up the hill. Later on I passed him with another flat. I gave him my gorilla tape but I did not see him again.
I got to the top of the climb about to go down the hill toward Aid Station 5/6 and my rear shifter stopped working. I was like "sh$t" trying to stay possitive. I turned the adjust knob hoping for the best and I could not believe it but it took care of the problem. I knew I was way behind in time but still my legs and lungs felt good but I could not generate the power I needed. I went down the longest hill I have ever gone down and my brakes did not sound good but were still working OK. I got to Aid 5 and was told I would be pushing it for the cut off at 3/7. I went to get my bracelet to prove I made it to the farthest point but by than I knew I had a slight fever and I was getting chills. The rain was slight and the temp was dropping and I called it. Arrghhh!
I am not sorry for giving it a shot. I lost 16 pounds since Jan 5 when i started trainng. Got lots of tips from you guys and it’s been fun! Maybe next year…if it rains however…I will stay home! I’ll post my Strava later this afternoon.
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Dang, sorry to hear you had a crappy time as well, Matt. I was hoping at least one of us would finish!
I dropped out at mile 61, at Mulberry Gap: http://app.strava.com/activities/51006774
Like you said, this race was just miserable. The mud, the cold, the wet… it was extremely draining. After coming down potato patch and knowing what it was going to feel like, I couldn’t make myself go up it. I stopped in the middle of the road and had a mini breakdown, trying to force myself to keep going but having absolutely no resolve to make it happen. While it was frustrating to quit at that point, I was pretty sure that if I had kept going I would have quit in about 10-20 miles, or probably sooner, probably halfway up potato patch.
Best decision of the race: stopping at Mulberry Gap. I rolled in, gave my wife a call to get her to come pick me up, and the awesome people at Mulberry gave me some clothes from the lost and found and a towel and let me take a hot shower! Man, that was blissful! One of the riders staying at the camp hooked me up with a cold beer, and I got to use the hose to wash the nast off my bike. Pretty much the best place to DNF ever 😀 Thanks Mulberry!
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I spoke with an official and was told there were more DNF than any other Cohutta. Apparently they let the aid stations know in advance there would be problems and weren’t the aid stations just awesome! I spoke with a guy that did finish and he said that the combo of mud/rain/cold made this the most difficult Ultra-Endurance he ever competed in…and he goes around the country. The way he put it he felt like this weather made it feel like 2 miles for every 1 mile in dry weather.
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"MTI" wrote
I spoke with an official and was told there were more DNF than any other Cohutta. Apparently they let the aid stations know in advance there would be problems and weren’t the aid stations just awesome! I spoke with a guy that did finish and he said that the combo of mud/rain/cold made this the most difficult Ultra-Endurance he ever competed in…and he goes around the country. The way he put it he felt like this weather made it feel like 2 miles for every 1 mile in dry weather.
If that’s the case, then we each did well over 100 😄 I’m interested to see if they include the DNFs in the results spreadsheet… it will be interesting to see how many there were.
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Wow guys, I’m so sorry that the weather refused to cooperate even the tiniest bit for you. Rest assured, you still made it farther than 98% of us could have. You guys did awesome!
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Schwim it was great meeting you. Thanks for the tour of Tanasi. The trails did not look remotley similar to what they did on Friday with all the mud. Keep in touch and we will ride!
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I had such a great time, man. Sorry you had to wait for me at the top of all the hills 😀 I look forward to getting to ride with you again sometime!
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Man, so disappointing to train so hard and then to hit those conditions.
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So final results are posted: http://trailheadoutdoors.squarespace.co … esults.pdf
138 people finished the 100, of a sold-out race of 275. That means 137 people either didn’t show or didn’t finish.The winner, Christian Tanguy, finished almost an hour slower than he did last year. (Last year finishing in a time of 7:05 and this year about 8 hours exactly.)
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Sounds like you guys had a crazy day! Just think of it this way–at the time it sucked, but it will make a great story for the future!
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Gregg I was going to post the same info. That is really incredible…makes me feel better too 😆 Signing off the Endurance Training Forum for the last time…until next one. I will give it a shot again next year. I am also sometime this year going to do the Cohutta Death March if you want to join. I think it is a GPX file or we have at least most of it on our GPS already I guess just follow the line back.
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Well, my goal all along wasn’t to do the Cohutta… it was to do a dirty century. I just thought that doing a race with sag stations and other people would be easier. Maybe if the weather had been different it would have, but clearly I was wrong.
Anyhow, on Wednesday I got out and knocked out a dirty century all on my own.
The app said 100.8 miles before I clicked "save," but only 99.0 afterwards. I’m counting it as a 100, and counting this goal as accomplished!
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Wow man, way to go! I have to tell you though that I never want to be attached to my bike for 100 miles 😀
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"schwim" wrote
Wow man, way to go! I have to tell you though that I never want to be attached to my bike for 100 miles 😀
Thanks man!
Haha, not sure if I ever want to be again 😆 It was painful… still is two days later, actually.
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Nice job Greg! I can see a century on my road bike, but a dirty century has to be WAY tougher!
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"gar29" wrote
Nice job Greg! I can see a century on my road bike, but a dirty century has to be WAY tougher!
Thanks man!
I did a couple centuries on the road bike in training, and doing one on dirt is a whole ‘nuther level!
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Congrats Gregg!
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"MTI" wrote
Congrats Gregg!
Thanks Matt!
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Full-blown Cohutta 100 race report: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-ev … a-100-dnf/
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Full-length write up on my dirty century: http://www.singletracks.com/blog/uncate … edemption/
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Great write up Gregg.
An unintended consequence of all that riding both during the Cohutta and the winter weather training that went into it. 734 miles on my Kona most of which in the mud/rain/snow/ice you remember the winter we had. I finally had time to get it to my LBS in Bryson City and told Andy I can’t tune in the shifting in the rear. It turns out I wore out my SLX cassette along of course with the chain all for a race with the dreaded three letters DNF.
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"MTI" wrote
Great write up Gregg.
An unintended consequence of all that riding both during the Cohutta and the winter weather training that went into it. 734 miles on my Kona most of which in the mud/rain/snow/ice you remember the winter we had. I finally had time to get it to my LBS in Bryson City and told Andy I can’t tune in the shifting in the rear. It turns out I wore out my SLX cassette along of course with the chain all for a race with the dreaded three letters DNF.
I believe it. That’s a lot of miles you piled on!!
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