Re-fueling during an overnight ride, May 5, 2012
(Photo credit: Kate Morlock)
(Photo credit: Kate Morlock)
Q: Now, what is it that you are doing this time?
Well, after all these years, I
still have the Ultra Cycling bug and am very motivated to continue to train and
race. But with contributing factors such
as past injuries (hand), the strain on the crew and myself, it might not be a
smart idea to do another cross country race like Race Across America (RAAM). The Race Across the West (RAW), starting June 13, 2012, is the perfect
solution. Here is why: it covers
arguably the best, most scenic part of the country (Oceanside,
CA to Durango,
CO). It is only 860 miles (compared to the 3,000
mile RAAM). We start on a Wednesday and,
based on my 2010 RAAM time splits, I should be in Durango late Friday night. A very manageable time frame for both crew
and racer.
Q: Is the training for RAW different from RAAM?
After consulting with my long
time Ultra Cycling Coach John Hughes, we came up with a regimen that closely
mirrors the training plan that I used for RAAM.
The only difference is the “long” rides leading up to the race are a bit
shorter. For example, for RAAM I did two
24 hour rides, with a few other 300 mile rides in mid-May. This time I only needed to do one 18-20 hour
ride, plus several 200 mile rides. The
staple 100, 150, 200 mile rides all through the winter leading up to the race
were identical. The tempo and intensity
rides were also exactly the same. It is
still a lot of work, but I really notice it paying off in my training.
Q: How is training going? When did you start?
I started training back in
October 2011 and it is going great.
During my night ride this past weekend, my wife Kate, who was following
me in a support vehicle, commented that she has never seen me ride so
strong. She attributes this to the yoga
classes that we take together and the fast tempo group rides that I take part
in on Saturday mornings. Kate and I were
talking on the ride and we realized that I have been racing bicycles for 25
years now. I feel like the miles in my
“bank” have really paid big dividends this time around. No injuries, aches and/or pains to report
(“knock on wood”!). Usually by now in
the training cycle I would have some sort of overuse injuries and/or tendonitis
to complain about.
Q: What distance is your longest training ride?
300 miles will be my longest
training ride this time around preparing for RAW. This takes approximately 16-18 hours of
continuous effort.
Q: You’ve ridden the RAW course multiple times, most recently
during your successful 2010 RAAM. Does knowing the route give you any kind of
advantage?
Great question. This is a double edged sword. I am definitely a “home field advantage” kind
of guy. People marvel at how I can ride
the same 3-5 training courses year after year.
I definitely like that “homey” feeling of knowing where I am and what to
expect up ahead. However, this can also
work against you. For example, if you
know the course you may dread or fixate on a big climb that is coming up. I have been thinking about Day 2 of the race
for a long time now. I know that portion
of the course all too well. After a
relative fast and flat first night of the race, going from Brawley, CA to the
CA/AZ border, you start climbing the dreaded and famous Yarnell Grade right
outside of Congress, AZ. This is a 9
mile ascent and it is only the beginning of the climbing for the day. From there you go up to Prescott,
Cottonwood, and finally Flagstaff,
AZ. You finally get some relief as you roll down
towards UT and Monument
Valley. If I was a rookie, I would go into Day 2 like
any other day so sometimes knowledge (of the course) can be a bit of a personal
mind game. It can also give you an
advantage knowing when to make a push on a particular section and when you can
ease up some. I heard a rumor that the
race organizers were contemplating changing up the course through AZ this
year. Initially I was excited because I
wanted to be surprised regarding what was up ahead out there. In the end they left things alone, at least
for another year.
Q: How long did it take you to reach Durango in RAAM 2010? Do you plan to go
faster for RAW?
In 2010, I left the start of
RAAM in Oceanside, CA at 12:00 pm local time (or 3:00 pm EST
race time) on a Wednesday. I arrived in
Durango 2+
days later on Friday night (I believe that I checked into the Durango Time
Station at 10:30pm race time). I will
hopefully be faster arriving in Durango this
year knowing that I don’t have to ride the additional 2,100 miles to Annapolis, MD. In RAAM 2010 I slept the 2nd night
for a total stop time of about 3 hours.
With this year’s RAW, I will take a power nap, but it should not take 3
hours. Headwinds/tailwinds also play
into the equation. In RAAM 2010 we had a
nice tailwind that first afternoon and I completed 437 miles the first 24
hours. This will be hard to match as conditions were pretty good that year (in
the beginning at least). Every year is
new and different and each race offers a whole new host of challenges, but I am
planning to get to Durango faster this
year. Durango
is a great place so the carrot is to get there quickly so we can enjoy the
town.
Q: Relative to RAAM, RAW is a pretty short race. But it’s still
860 miles over 2-3 days. What’s your thinking on sleep?
Funny, the other day I was
looking at the time splits from last year’s RAW and they looked incredibly
fast. I actually contacted one of last year’s
competitors for comment on his sleep schedule.
To me, it looked like the top guys did not sleep due to their fast time
splits. Apparently two attempts were
made to stop and sleep but both were unsuccessful. Several distractions can play into this sleep
game: road noise, rider may be overtired and cannot fall asleep, fear of being
passed by another racer while stopped, etc. It is hard to believe but a quick
shower, massage, and power nap can be enough to get you going again. In my opinion 860 miles is a bit too far to
go without sleep, so at the very least I will try and stop for an hour or
two. Hopefully this will be enough to
get me to the finish.
Q: What does the crew support look like? Same number of crew
members and vehicles as RAAM?
Crew is locked in and ready to
go. I will take 8 total crew members and
2 minivans on this race compared to 13 crew, 2 minivans and a motorhome for
RAAM. Three crew on day shift, 3 on
night shift, and 2 in the shuttle van.
Due to the time commitment, it can be difficult getting 12-13 people on
board for RAAM. However, with RAW I actually had to turn people away this
time. This was not an easy task because
my crew members have been so good and supportive for so many years that I
wanted to take everyone along again.
With a shorter race you simply do not need that many people. I told those who are not coming along this
time will get “dibs” on the next one. It
is such a great comfort knowing that you have an experienced crew behind
you. The average person has no idea what
goes into these races and having the right personnel in place is key. RAAM legend Pete Penseyres once said “that
your crew cannot win RAAM for you, but they sure could lose it for you.” Very true!
Q: Did you recover fully from the nerve damage in your hand from
RAAM 2010?
I would put my hand recovery
at 98%. I feel like that there is still
a little weakness in my hand. This could
be the fact that it is my non-dominant hand and therefore, will never be as
strong as my left hand. However, between
surgery, rehab, and constant hand strengthening exercises it feels great (and
strong). I was very determined to get my
hand strength and feeling back after my last RAAM. To this day, I perform daily strength and
nerve glide exercises. It was very scary
because, following the race, I was unable to tie my shoes, button my shirt, or
even squeeze a toothpaste tube. Never
mind racing again, I was worried that I was going to be slightly handicapped
for the rest of my life. This is why
these shorter races are a better choice for me now. I would be too nervous to risk my health by
doing another RAAM. My hand has
responded very well during training and I do not anticipate any problems
following this year’s RAW.
Q: How can people follow your training and race progress?
A: This blog, on our Facebook page and my web site.
A: This blog, on our Facebook page and my web site.
