Ring the Peak Race 2012 Photos

October 7th, 2012

Ring the Peak Race 2012

Ring the Peak started and ended frosty with icy drizzle as we started. It was chilly but pretty nice in between with even some blue skies and sun. I had asthma issues the second half and had to keep stopping to warm my fingers from Elk Park down to Pipeline. I had frost on my eyelashes and my bottle froze on the decent. It wasn’t as cold from Pipeline down but still plenty cold. I was 1:25 faster than last year with 10:50. I was still slow but headed in the right direction.

Here’s a few photos until I get a chance to write up more on the race.

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Palmer Park Pro Cycling Classic

September 21st, 2012

Palmer Park Sand Creek Series Race

The next few weekends are busy with local mountain bike racing as we transition from summer into fall. This Sunday is the Pro Cycling Classic in Palmer Park. It was originally scheduled for July 1st but had to be rescheduled because of park closures due to the Waldo Canyon Fire. Pre-registration through Pre-Race.com ends tonight, September 21st. There is also race day registration for an extra fee.

Race distances will be typical cross-country lengths. If I’m reading the course map right, it uses a similar course to the 2 Sand Creek Series races this summer but in reverse. I really like riding and racing in Palmer Park there but think I’ll ride up the Pikes Peak Highway that day instead.

There will be a pizza lunch and the number of pizzas ordered will be based on the pre-registration numbers so Andy would like everyone to pre-register. Donations collected for the pizza lunch will go to Kids on Bikes so take some cash. There will be a kids fun race at 12:15 that is free.

Go to SandCreekSports.com for all the Pro Cycling Classic details.

Next weekend, September 29 & 30, is 24 Hour National Mountain Bike Championships also in Palmer Park. Registration for the 24 Hours of Colorado Springs ends this Sunday.

Then coming up on October 6th is the Ring the Peaks Race. This race is a tough 70ish mile ride around Pikes Peak on Ring the Peak Trail. There’s no entry fee and no support.

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Red Rocks, Section 16 and White Acres Trails

September 11th, 2012

Red Rocks Open Space

The next Master Plan meeting for Red Rocks Open Space, Section 16 and White Acres is tonight at 6:30. It is being held at the Westside Community Center, 1628 W. Bijou St. The focus of tonight’s meeting is trails.

Info on trails in the areas and other information on the Master Plan process is posted on the Colorado Springs website. The schedule of future meetings for those open spaces is also posted there.

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Leadville 100 Video 2012

August 19th, 2012

[purehtml id=1]

Last weekend I lined up for my 9th Leadville 100. It was my slowest of 6 finishes with a time of 11:32.

2 of the last 3 years I started the race sick and dropped out part way through. The other year I had an asthma attack and also didn’t finish so I was happy to get a finish even if it was slow.

Race Day does a cool thing of creating a video from clips at the various check points. We have a timing chip on our bikes so they know when we went past. The video of me is above. Search for other riders here.

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Last Minute Leadville 100 Advice

August 10th, 2012

Leadville 100 Start

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly time for another Leadville 100 mountain bike race. A couple years ago someone emailed me off list for tips on making the 12 hour time cut-off for a heavier rider. He was 195 lbs. Most of the tips apply no matter your weight so I thought I’d re-post them here in case they’ll help someone. They’re really just
random tidbits.

I’ve dropped some weight this year but I’m currently over 40 pounds heavier than the year I rode 8:18. I’ll be much slower than that but I hope to break my streak of not finishing the last 3 years. I think I’m in about 11 hour finishing shape. Hopefully I don’t get food poisoning, have asthma issues or get a cold this year. Those are the things that derailed me that last 3 years.

—————————————————————————–

Random Leadville 100 Race Day Advice

One year I was 190 and finished in 9:02 after a couple mechanicals cost me close to 10 minutes. Weight is big factor on the Leadville 100 course but if you have a good engine and ride smart, you can still do well.

Make sure you don’t go out too hard but still keep moving and a good pace. You’ll most likely get caught in a traffic jam on St. Kevins. Don’t panic. I see way too many guys try passing and wasting a huge amount of energy. In a mile or less you’ll be able to easily pass.

Don’t waste time at aid stations. If you have somebody crewing for you, you should be stopped 5 minutes or less over the whole race. Even without a crew, I think stopped time should be 10 minutes or less. Somebody missed the time cut-off by a few minutes last year but said they didn’t know how they could have done it faster. They went on to say they only spent a total of 30 minutes at the aid stations.

Most of the time if you’re hurting you’ll actually recover better if you keep moving but go to a couple easier gears. That way the blood keeps moving and flushing the muscles. If you’re on a climb when that happens and you don’t have any more gears, get off and walk. If you really feel you need a break, don’t stop more than 30 seconds.

If you can’t keep turning the pedals smoothly on a climb, you’ll probably be almost as fast walking and will use slightly different muscles. If you have the descending skills, you can make up a bunch of time on the descents. For us that are heavier, that’s a time to recover some of the hard work on the climbs.

Try getting in a group on the pavement section near the fish hatchery and even on the Pipeline. As a bigger rider, you probably have more power than the skinny guys so you’ll tend to want to ride faster. It’s alright to take a little more than your share of pulls but also take advantage of the group and drop to the back and do some recovering.

Stick to what you’re used to eating during training rides. There’s lots of yummy looking junk at the aid stations but hold off and treat yourself to something yummy after finishing. For a race of this length, you’re best off sticking to all liquids for fuel. If you didn’t train that way, don’t go totally liquid during the race but try to do more liquid than solids. The solids slow your digestion and altitude also tends to slow digestion. I have raced 24 hour solo events on liquids only and it’s worked better than when
I ate some solids.

The race is long and you’ll probably need more electrolytes than are in your drinks. Even if it isn’t super hot, the dryness and the intense sunlight at altitude make me need more endurolytes than I normally do. I like the Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition but NUUN seems to work well too.

Good luck and if you see me say Hi!

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Silver Rush 50 2012 Start Photos

July 19th, 2012

Silver Rush 2012 Sprint to Top of Ski Hill Winner

Although the Silver Rush 50 is a great race for preparing for Leadville 100, I skipped it this year. I was up in Leadville to pre-ride the Leadville 100 course so I stopped and watched the start of the Silver Rush 50. Here are a few of the photos I took and I have more Silver Rush 50 start photos here.

The photo above is of the first racer up the ski hill getting a gold coin from Ken Clouber. The gold coin that qualify for the Leadville 100. This guy gave it his all coming up the hill so he must really want to race the Leadville 100.

Training in Leadville July 14 & 15

July 13th, 2012

Top of Columbing During Leadville 100 Training

I’m going to be training on the Leadville 100 course this weekend. Here’s my training plans for this weekend.

On Saturday I’ll watch the Silver Rush 50 start and then drive down to the Twin Lakes aid station. If the Silver Rush starts on time, that should have me leaving from Twin Lakes soon after 9:30. I’ll ride up to the top of Columbine and back. Back at the vehicle at Twin Lakes, I’ll refill bottles and then ride to Fish Hatchery and back to Twin Lakes.

Sunday I’ll ride from Lifetime Fitness at 9:00 as that’s when Art normally leads a ride. He may be helping out with the Silver Rush run. If there isn’t a group doing something else, I’ll ride the first part of the course to Fish Hatchery. If I’m feeling good, I’ll ride back to the finish on the course but if not I’ll just short cut back into town on the pavement.

I’m still 45 lbs heavy so I don’t go up hill fast but still can go down fast. I have decent fitness so think I should be about 11 hours on race day. In any case, I’m still a long ways from my 8:18 in 2003.

If you’re up in Leadville this weekend or want to catch dinner Saturday evening, contact me.

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Gravel Grinding Across the Prairie

April 6th, 2012

Typical AntiEpic Gravel Grinder Scenery

Back in January it seemed like a good idea. Having a bike race goal would help me focus on training. April 7th was a long ways off and I’ve have time. Now April 7th is almost here and my fitness is lacking.

Sure I’m in week 6 of the Progressive Power class at Carmichael Training Systems. I can tell doing hard interval workouts has made me stronger. I did a 84 mile ride last week. I was slow but I could have ridden longer. I’m in the best shape I’ve been this time of year in a while but still not where I need to be.

In spite of not feeling ready, I plan to roll out on the AntiEpic Gravel Grinder. Fortunately it’s across rolling prairies instead of long, steep mountain climbs. The part that will be tough is it’s 150 miles of gravel. That used to be no big deal for me but I haven’t ridden that far since my RAAM attempt in 2006.

In any case it’ll be a day of bike riding on what’s forecast to be a decent spring day. I’m sure I’ll enjoy some of the day and other times I’ll be suffering.

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Leadville 100 Training Camps Including Race Entry

February 13th, 2012

Leadville 100 Start

Today the Leadville Race Series opened registration to the 2012 Camp of Champions! The Camp of Champions will feature Six-time LT 100 Champion Dave Wiens, Two-time LT100 Champion Bryson Perry and the 2007 Ladies Champion Gretchen Reeves. Camp participants will ride, dine, and socialize with three of Leadville’s finest champions in addition to a host of experienced Leadville Trail 100 Buckle wearing guides.

The camp will be July 5-8, 2012 and all of the Leadville 100 course will be ridden. There are 50 spots available that include race entry and the cost is $2,000. There are an additional 25 spots available for $1,000 without race entry. You must call to register. Get all the information on the Leadville Race Series site.

I’m a bit surprised that they opened camp registration today since the race entry lottery winners won’t be notified until later this week. I have my fingers crossed that I’ll get picked in the lottery again. After DNFing that last 3 years, I’m even more motivated now to get back and get my 6th finish.

Carmichael Training Systems also opened registration for their training camps today that include race entry. The CTS camp spots though are given out through a lottery. The deadline for the CTS camp lottery is February 29, 2012 so those that entered the Leadville 100 lottery can wait until they get notified whether they’re in or not.

CTS will have 3 camps that are 2 days each and cost $1500 including race entry. It’s $1225 for those that get an entry through the lottery and those spots will be first come first serve instead of by lottery. If money isn’t a factor, you can get top notch coaching and a private camp for $12,424 (elevation at the summit of the Columbine Climb).

Get all the details on the CTS camps here.

Related Links

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 

Original Growler Registration Opens

February 1st, 2012

Original Growler Logo

Registration for popular Original Growler opens this evening at 9 PM MST. Since many people that wanted to race last year didn’t get in before it filled up, they’re making some changes this year.

Instead of having the Growler and the Half Growler on the same day, they’re having them different days. The 32 mile Half Growler will be on Saturday May 26th and the 64 mile full Growler will be on May 27th.

The first 100 entries for each race will be up for grabs tonight. The next 100 entries will open on Saturday, February 18th at 7 AM. The remainder of the entries will be available Sunday, March 4th at 9 PM.

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots
Price: $219.95
 
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Salomon X Alp Pro GTX Hiking Boots
Regular Price: $280.00
$209.95 on sale
 
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Asolo TPS 520 GV Evo Hiking Boots
Price: $268.44
 


Email: web@ultrarob.com

Business Seal       Privacy Seal