The Filthy 50 | Tandem Style

Trenton started The Filthy 50 as a 50-mile gravel race in Stewartville back in 2013, I started riding The Filthy 50 in 2016 and haven't missed it since. I fell in love with the course and the community this race attracted. In 2019, the race moved from Stewartville to Lanesboro and the course became even more amazing than the origianal course. I've wanted to introduce Lisa to this ride for many years, and 2021 was the year!  

(Photo by Antony Robinson)

2021 is our 30th anniversary and we decided to give each other a bycycle built for two. We worked with Steve at Twin Cities Tandems to place an order for our Co Motion Java in February, and made plans to ride it on The Filthy 50 ... thinking we would have months to train and get used the bike. But the pandemic-supply issues delayed the bike's delivery until the end of August, then we lost a couple weeks waiting on stoker bars that would work for Lisa and wanted a bike fitting with Paulie at GO Physio. 

Paulie measuring up the Java

We only had 90 miles on this bike when we toed the start line in Lanesboro ... and we had never taken the bike on gravel roads. All that and Lisa was starting her first gravel race. I was feeling nervous and excited as we waited for the start. 

The massive roll-out  (Markman Outdoor Photography) 

We all heard the starting gun, the mayor firing his riffle, but it seem to take forever to get rolling with the big crowd of riders in front of us. We rolled out near the back of the starting group, I think this was the largest group of riders I've started with. The Almanzo 100 is the only other race I can think of with a starting crowd this large. With our limited time on this bike, I didn't have a ton of confidence in my bike handling and I was very cautions in the huge crowd. 

I know the Lanesboro Filthy 50 course, but only from riding it once in 2019. The course is nearly all un-paved, including gravel roads, MMRs, and Amish buggy roads.

From the Lanesboro start, you're working your way up a 5-mile long climb. We paced our effort going up this climb, plus, there was really no room for a tandem to pass, so we slowly rolled up that first big climb. 

From 2019, I remember the first descent was fast including a narrow buggy road with a couple concrete spillways for creeks. These spillways are basically two concrete slabs forming a V to allow the creek to flow over the road without washing away the road. In 2019, riders came to a near stop to cross the spillways and I was warning Lisa on the descent that we need to be prepared. However, 100 yards before the second spillway, there was a large crown of riders warning of a bad wreck up the road. We walked over the spillway and past the wreck with shock at the terrible injuries to the rider. For the thousands of miles I've logged on gravel rides/races, this was the worst injury I've ever seen. There was a large number of people helping the injured rider and we didn't have any skills to offer that would have helped. After we walked by we took some time up the road to gather ourselves, talking with other riders all feeling very shaken. Taking a deep breath, we remounted and got back to riding, but our hearts stayed with the injured rider and all the folks assisting them. 

We were both challenged to be comfortable on the saddle. I went in knowing that tandems are uniquely challenging to get the saddle set just right. Our limited training ride left us finding out that we still need to make more tweaks to the saddle placement. We ended up stopping once or twice every hour to get off the bike and get some relief. 

One of the Amish buggies we shared the roads with

The hills continue to roll throughout the course and some very steep ramps that had us using every gear on the drivetrain. This course was more hilly than I remembered, it's never really flat. Some of these climbs really kick, ramping up to 15% or more. And tandems are far from the easiest bike for climbs, keeping us working hard getting over all of the hills. 

The route and profile with 4,000 ft of climbing

I was looking forward to the mid-ride oasis, I rode past it in 2019 and heard the best things about it from other riders. At mile 26 we pulled in to the Grub Hill Oasis with ice cold Coke and Amish raspberry pastries (SO GOOD). 

Rolling out from the Grub Hill Oasis (Photo by Laura Wiles) 

It felt good to have half the ride behind us plus the winds would now be at our back. Our on-ride learning helped us ride faster with more confidence on the second half of the course. But we continued to need breaks off our saddles. 

A few miles from the finish, we found David Markman with his camera and a toilet in the middle of an intersection. It was "Catch the Crapper" ... an alterative take on "Chase the Chaise". I knew this photo opp would be on the course and planned with Lisa on our pose, here's the Christmas card picture: 

Lisa: "HURRY UP!! It's a RACE!"
Chris: "I know ... I KNOW! I'm going as fast as I can!!"

Here's the 2021 Catch the Crapper gallery, scroll through the gallery for some good toilet humor ... also check out the 2018 Catch the Crapper gallery for a truly filthy crapper! Footnote: it took me a minute to figure out the puddle on a sunny day ... it was melt water from the toilet tank full of ice and beer and there's a bag with Baby Ruth candy bars in the bowl. They thought of everything!

We had our one-and-only mechanical on the last climb, I shifted to the small chainring and the chain got sucked into the frame. It didn't take long to straighten it all out and we made our way back into Lanesboro for the finish. We were greeted by Trenton with our finishers' pint glasses and tokens for a Filthy Pale Ale at Sylvan Brewing's tap room just a block from the finish line. 

Finish line smiles (Photo by Laura Wiles) 

At the after party, there was a lot of the normal chat with friends old and new, but everybody was also talking about the injured rider and their status. We learned that this person had been airlifted to Mayo, and later found out that they were stable and alert. We send our very best for a speedy recovery. 

After the finish, I was thrilled that we got interviewed by Nick, he's working on a new documentary film focusing on The DAMn and The Filthy 50. Nick created "Delta of Spirt", a film that that has been screened at six film festivals, most recently Tous en Selle in Paris! 

The Filthy 50 was a big day and a wonderful adventure! We had great autumn weather, wonderful encouragement from the crowds of riders on the road, outstanding race organizer and volunteers, as well as the welcoming community of Lanesboro. We ended the day 3rd place of four tandem teams (fastest co-ed tandem team), with a time of 4:53. That put us at 448th place of the 554 riders that finished the 50 mile route. For the three routes (25, 50 & 100 miles), there were 1,000 riders registered, 853 riders that checked, and there were 112 riders that DNF'd. 

I'm so fortunate to have somebody in my life that's willing to step up for an adventure in the unknown! I'm grateful to Lisa for trusting me to captain the tandem and navigating the route ... even when my idea of "rolling roads" might be "vicious hills" to most people. I look forward to many more adventures with this bike!

Our custom painted Co Motion Java

The Final DAMn - August 14, 2021

 

The Final Day Across Minnesota

Photo Credit: Markman Outdoor Photography

The DAMn (Day Across Minnesota) first became a race in 2017. I was interested in riding this first year, but I was honestly scared that I had what it takes for this epic challenge and I didn't sign up. After seeing the 2017 DAMn ride reports, I committed myself to training and gearing up for the adventure, and I was rewarded with a successful 2018 DAMn. After the 2018 DAMn, I felt no need for another DAMn ... but a few months later, the 2019 DAMn was announced and I signed up again and was able to became a DAMn Champion a second time. I signed up for the 2020 DAMn, but the pandemic forced me to take a rain-check which rolled into 2021 ... The Final DAMn. 

For some perspective on completing The DAMn, during the open ceremony video, Erik shared these stats: 409 riders have become DAMn champions from 2017 through 2020; 329 of them have completed the DAMn one time; 60 have done it twice; 15 riders have complete three; and 5 have finished every DAMn year! 

UPDATE 

Statistics through the 2021 ride: 1,685 riders have attempted The DAMn and 744 become DAMn Champions! As reported in The Last DAMn, a documentary about the ride by Checkpoint Zero Films

Fatbiking the DAMn

When the 2021 DAMn was announced, I posed the question: do I ride my gravel bike and go for my fastest time; or ride my Pugsley to go for the fastest fatbike ... Trenton (The DAMn creator) encouraged me to go fat, and that's all it took! 

The DAMn has challenged me to push myself into the unknown. Having completed the ride twice on a typical gravel bike (Breezer Radar Pro), riding a fatbike brought me back into the unknown. My longest day with the Pugsley was 140 miles, and that was a rough day that left me crushed. I've spent countless hours over the last 8 months getting the Pugsley and my body ready for this challenge. 

My drop-bar Pugsley (AKA The War Rig) was created in 2016 with the help of Kyle when he worked at The Alt. This bike is a 2015 Surly Pugsley that's mostly stock, with Salsa Woodchipper handlebars, Gevenalle GX shifters, and Fat B Nimble tires (riding with tubes - the Marge Lite rims are not tubeless compatible). Over the last few years the crew at Tonka Cycle & Ski have been taking care of this beast. In preparation for the 2021 DAMn, Tyler at Tonka got the Pug ready with a mostly new drivetrain and other tweaks and adjustments.  

Pugsley's Patronus: The War Rig

In addition to the work Tonka did on the bike. I met with Paulie at GO PHYSIO for an body analysis and bike fit. We focused on dialing in the Pugsley for comfort and efficiency for the long day. Also, Paulie has a custom bike trainer in his studio that will fit a fatbike tire, which is really cool! 

My Loaded Pugsley Ready for The DAMn

In the months leading up to the race, I did many training rides, focused on building endurance. This included racing the Freedhem 76 and winning as the fastest fatbike; this result was very encouraging. Additionally, two weeks before The DAMn, I invited some DAMn friends (Rene, Dan, Arik & Robb) for a night training ride. We met up at midnight to ride the Luce Line from Plymouth to Hutchinson and back (3 of us started in Hopkins for some bonus miles). It was a very basic course, with little challenges in route or climbs, but great test of lighting and ways to stay awake/alert all night.

The DAMn COVID

For the first three years of The DAMn, there were three assigned check points on the course: mile 60; mile 120; and mile 186. These were the only places your support crew could meet you for fresh water, food, bike maintenance, etc. In 2020, this changed in reaction to COVID-19 and restrictions on group sizes, and the organizers allowed riders and crews to pick their three support stops along the route. 

I worked with Lisa to pick general locations and gave her final say on the exact place to meet. I picked Morton at mile 86; Henderson at mile 151; and Cannon Falls at mile 214 (this became Spring Garden/White Rock at mile 222).

The DAMn Route with Past and 2021 Check Points

Additionally, this change required releasing the whole route in advance of the race. On the first three years of The DAMn, riders would navigate with cue sheets, and you'd only get enough cue sheets to get you to the next check point. I was so happy that 2021 riders were officially allowed to use a GPS device with the route, that really helps to avoid wasting time and energy with missed turns.  

The DAMn Eve

It won't be The DAMn eve without a last minute panic. On a short ride with Lisa Friday morning, my rear brake started making an awful noise. I went straight to Tonka Cycle & Ski and Brett got Pugsley right on the stand, confirmed that retaining spring broke ... And the pads were shot. I am so happy this happened at home and not in Gary (or on the way to Hager City)! Also so grateful for the outstanding support from Tonka!

I spent most of the afternoon packing the car with all our gear, food, and supplies. We decided to drop off our three dogs for boarding as we left town, so I needed enough space for the dogs and their gear too. 

The car reminded me of a Looney Tunes cartoon from childhood - ready to explode when you opened the trunk! 

Gary to Morton 

We arrived in Gary with a little daylight left to allow us time to set up my bike and create space in the back of the car for Lisa's sleeping bag. We also had time to catch up with so many friends around the Buffalo Ridge resort. 

As it approached midnight, riders started to gather for the start. As I was talking with Birchwood teammate Nick, last year's top finisher (Chase) rolled up and down the street with a bike that look more like a pro time-trail bike than a gravel bike, and his wheels made the most intimidating noise rolling over the fresh chipseal on the street. Chase and I were clearly going to have a very different rides! 

Chris and Nick Ready to Start The DAMn

The roll out is always fun with the fireworks signaling the start of the race and a short neutral roll out on the paved highway, then we make a right turn on to the first narrow gravel road. The pace is always fast with lots of pent-up energy. The early roads were soft, it felt like beach sand under your tires, they were some of the worst gravel roads I can remember riding (2017 Westside Dirty Benjamin is the only other one that comes to mind). 

Pacelines were forming, I got into a group of 30 to 40 riders. We were fast, averaging 19 mph, but it was stressful in the dark with the loose gravel causing riders to lose control. Add to that the cloud of dust and constant peppering with small gravel kicked up by tires. I went to the front for a long pull to avoid the dust and not worry about somebody wrecking in front of me. I know the riders behind appreciated it, so it was a win-win, but there's was only so long I could keep up that kinda effort. When I fell off the front, I tried riding in the line for a couple minutes and hated it. I made the excuse that I needed a pee-stop (and I kinda did). After that I rode solo or with smaller groups. 

The long line of riders leaving Gary - Photo Credit: Markman Outdoor Photography

I was very happy to have my fatbike to ride these soft sandy roads. I would have had a difficult time handling a normal gravel bike in these conditions, slowing me down and stressing me out. 

It was a cold night, my Garmin was reporting 46℉ over night, and not just a little dip, but from 1:45 to 7:30 AM! I've checked with other riders and their devices were recording the same temps. 

Through most of the night, I wasn't able to get at my bottles or food with the fast pace and the loose conditions. It was good to roll into my first support stop around 5:30 in Morton to get a couple ham & cheese buns. It took longer to get out of Morton than I'd hoped and I started getting the shivers - it's a good thing I kept my vest on! 

My Cheering Section at the First Support Stop in Morton

Morton to Henderson 

These were fast and uneventful miles, the cool morning helped keep the legs feeling fresh. Road conditions improved, making it easy to grab food and bottles. 

Shortly after sunrise, I got into a good group that was a core of two single-speed riders, one with a standard gravel bike, and me with Pugsley. This group would grow and shrink over the miles, but this core group of four of us worked together for more miles that I can count. We were keeping our average pace around 16 mph, and that felt GREAT ... sadly, I knew that pace couldn't last. Our core group started to splinter a little after the classic check point 2 (mile 120) as we all had different locations for our support stops. 

The group that made the morning miles roll by fast

I was planning a longer break in Henderson (mile 151) to get some whole food, lube the chain, reload on-bike supplies. It went smooth and was a great way to refresh and recover energy for the hard miles ahead with rolling road and the heat from the midday sun. I was happy and shocked to leave Henderson just after 11:00, well ahead of my personal record pace. 

Rolling into Henderson for a break

150 Miles of Gravel Dust

Henderson to White Rock

Leaving Henderson, you cross the river and immediately go into a rough single-track trail. The single-track started with sandboxes and down trees that required dismounting and to lift the bike over them ... oof that fully loaded Pugsley is HEAVY! In the single-track section, I passed Nick getting footage for the documentary ... I'm excited to see what he's doing with this year's ride! I was one of a small number of riders able to ride most of this trail, the Pugsley's tires gave plenty of float over the sand and rough trail conditions.

The next rapid-fire challenge coming out of Henderson is my least favorite climb on this course, it's just kicks up to 8% to 9% and stays there for so long. 

Around mile 155, I saw another fatbike, this was on the only other fatbiker I saw all day. We rode together for many miles, talking about bikes and other races. After a while, one of the riders I worked with in the morning caught up to us. I grabbed his wheel and the three of us worked together for a while; I looked back after a pull on the front to see the other fatbike had fallen off. Then the other rider got to his support stop ... and I had some long, lonely solo miles. 

It felt like there were no other riders around me. I was starting to suffer the heat load of the sun and the many miles. My pace was slowing mile-by-mile, slowing to 10 to 12 mph. Rolling across Hwy 52 south of Cannon Falls, I knew another infamous climb was just around the corner. This one isn't that bad, but with the heat and hurting legs ... it fells very mean. 

The lonely dusty hot road - Photo Credit: TMB Images

Dan (Birchwood teammate that joined my night training ride) caught up to me, it was nice to talk with a familiar face for a few miles. He made a support stop at a friends farm, right at the bottom of another climb. I think if I'd joined him at that stop, it'd been the end of my DAMn ... I was just so tired and looking at that climb as the first thing after you get started again, I knew I needed to keep moving. 

Lisa had a hard time finding a place to meet me in Cannon Falls and moved 8 miles further east than we had planned. It was a terrible thing and a great thing all at the same time. I had 222 miles behind me as I rolled into the stop planning to be quick, dropping off the CamelBak and exchanging water bottles; but I collapsed into a chair after damned near falling off my bike. I was in a deep hole with heat exhaustion, I was light headed and nearly passed out. Lisa was quick with wet towels and cold drinks. There was a moment when I wasn't sure I'd be able to get back on the bike, but Lisa nursed me back to healthy. It was 5:30, and I'd spent 35 minutes in the shade of our SUV recovering, before I was able to remount the Pugsley. 

Rolling into Check Point 3 in rough condition

White Rock to Hager City 

Riding out of my check point 3, I was refreshed and riding lighter/cooler without the CamelBak and sunsleeves/legs, plus the temps were starting to slide back down. 

The last support stop being further up the road than I planned had the benefit of shortening the last leg for the ride. I had 20 miles to get to the finish, in my mind, I'm thinking this is just a lunch ride, I do 20 miles nearly every day, no big deal! It also helps that this miles are mostly down hill. I was watching my Garmin's ETA for the finish, it was holding around 6:40, 20 minutes ahead of my personal record. 

It was odd that I thought I was totally alone on the road for many miles after Cannon Falls, I rode with a many riders on the last miles into Red Wing, including some familiar faces. 

Riding into Red Wing is a nice break with mostly easy descents allow you to cover the miles with little effort. Also, you get into tree covered roads, helping the body continue to recover from the afternoon's heat. 

I made my only route error in Red Wing, I was enjoying the sights and missed that we turned a couple blocks earlier that in years past. The new/earlier turn routed us onto the new river bridge, opened in 2020. The new bridge includes a protected bike/ped crossing ... SO NICE! 

As I crossed the river bridge, my Garmin battery gave up and it shut down. Annoying, but I could see the finish line from here and didn't need it to guide me any more. 

Finish Line

When I posed the question: should I ride for my personal best time or go for fastest fatbike? I thought I was asking and either-or question, I didn't expect 'all of the above' was an option ... But I finished as the fastest fatbike and took 16 minutes of my best DAMn time. When Trenton gave me a finish line hug, he informed me that I was the first fatbike, adding that that's my thing now. I guess I'm gonna have to claim it, I am fast fatbike-gravel rider. 

The DAMn Champion

The finish line moved since I last rode in 2019, now a short distance further and in a shady park-like area. It felt so nice to be in a cool shady space, cheering for riders in as they arrived. This year was the first time I felt like I could enjoy a finish line beer! And a bonus, somebody had a bunch a pizza he could eat and gave me a few pieces ... that was a little heaven, beer and pizza in a shady chair! The finish area was a great place to share stories with friends I've known for years, and some I'd just met. 

The Shady Finish Line

Nick was filming lots of footage at the finish line, at one point I looked back to see he has his camera behind my calf tattoo filming a big group coming in to the finish. I hope that make his documentary! 

My DAMn tattoo

It was awe-inspiring to watch riders get back on their bikes and start the return trip to Gary, SD chasing the unimaginable Double DAMn. 

 

I have so many mixed emotions about the Final DAMn. I'm so grateful for the opportunities to challenge myself on this ride three times. I'm feeling sad that there won't be another DAMn, on the other hand, I feel a need to move on to other races and challenges. The DAMn demands so much time and energy, it becomes that one pinnacle ride for my year, I can't fit more than one ride of this scale into my year. I'm hopeful that Trenton will bring a new challenge to us gravel nuts. I'm also happy to know that I'll continue to see my gravel family at upcoming gravel bike events... and that's what I love most about these rides, these stone-cold crazies that are the family of gravel! 

Statistics 

I was 79th place of 231 finishers with an official time was 18:42:49. For reference, the fastest fatbike in 2017 was Bal Singh at 17:26; in 2018 Bal finished in 19:30; in 2019 Jake Cohen finished in 19:22

In the Final DAMn, 563 racers signed up, 393 made it to the starting line, 231 became DAMn Champions by crossing the Hager City, Wisconsin finish line 242 miles later, and then there are the incredible 11 who became Double DAMn Champions by crossing the Gary, South Dakota finish line 495 miles later! Link to full results. 

Thank you for the support: 

• To start with, I'd like to thank everyone I will forget ... 'cause I'm bad like that
• Trenton, Erik, Joel, and countless others that created, organized, hosted, and made this DAMn ride a reality. 
• I was humbled be the number of folks on bikes and along the road that cheered me on by name! I recognized many of you ... but there were too many that I couldn't figure out, sorry! 
• Having the course public brought something totally new and enjoyable: FANS! There were support crews and farms along nearly the whole route cheering riders on, it truly lifted my spirits. Thank you!
• Thank you to Paulie at GO PHYSIO for the great bike fit, I was as comfortable and efficient as possible for a 242-mile day on a Pugsley. 
• Tonka Cycle & Ski: Tyler and Brett both helped me have the Pugsley ready its longest day ever. 
• TMB Images and Markman Outdoor Photography for capturing the good, the bad, and the ugly that is The DAMn
• Saving the most important for last: I have to say THANK YOU again and again to my best friend, Lisa! For the third time, she drove back-and-forth across the state, through the dark & cold night, the blazing heat of the day, and going without sleep for 40+ hours to chase my DAMn ride. There are riders that complete this ride without support; however, my success has always been a team effort with Lisa play a critical role supporting my training leading up to the race, the long day on the course, and the post-race recovery. She's my DAMn Champion!! 

Lisa & Chris in Gary

Fuel, food & hydration:

• Clif Bars - I love the coffee variety
• Jelly Belly Sports Beans
• Stinger Waffles 
• Skratch Labs gummies
• Skratch Labs drink mix
• Nuun electrolyte tabs 
• Ham & cheddar sliders
• Bananas
• Starbucks Doubleshots
• Coke 
• Salt Sticks - electrolyte chewables 

Kit: 

• Podiumwear Gold bibs & jersey; plus lightweight vest for the cold night 
• Pearl Izumi sun sleeves and sun legs: I've used them for many year, but this year I was struggle to stay cool enough and removed them for the last 20 miles to get better air flow across my skin. 
• Sun Buff 
• Tifosi photochromatic glasses with readers

Electronics reports:

• Garmin Edge 1030: It was in battery save mode through the dark of night, and I turned off battery save during the light of day. Unlike past years, I was following a route, and that drains the battery faster. I was a few miles out of Red Wing and got a warning the 1030 was low on battery, but it had 11% to get me a few more miles. But the 1030 shut down on the bridge, with less than a mile to go. I was frustrated since there was still 7% battery showing. I used my Forerunner to capture the short distance to the finish line. 
• Moto G Power (2021) phone: It stayed in my jersey pocket all day with no issues.
• Garmin Varia (radar & rear light): I picked it up in Henderson and it was great for the miles from Henderson into Red Wing when I was tired, giving me notifications about overtaking cars. 
• Serfas Thunderbolt 2.0 tail light: it was on strobe setting and lasted nearly the full day.
• Knog Mob the Face rear light: it was on the seat post was on solid at the start, lasted a couple hours, I changed to the Thunderbolt. 
• Knog Mob the Face front light: it was mounted to my POC helmet to see my feedbags in the night. 
• NiteRider 700 & 750: They did great. I had one of these NiteRiders on all ride, trading out lights in the early morning hours. The NiteRider mount was on my fork with an Origin8 Eyelet Stub, freeing up space on the handle bars.
• Skullcandy Method wireless earbuds: these were great to contact Lisa with updates and support stop details. 
• GoPro Hero 8: It kept crashing all ride, I'd have to remove the battery door, pull out the battery for a moment, and restart it. SUPER annoying. 

Thank you to Birchwood Racing Team and sponsors: 

• Birchwood Café 
• Grand Performance 
• Tria Orthopedic Center 
• The Fix Studio 
• Lakes & Legends Brewing 
• Mettle Velo 
• 1UP 
• Prana Kombucha 
• HED Wheels 

I'll see you further on down the road

Freedhem 76

 The Freedhem 76 - The Fastest Fatbike

I've gotta start at the end ... my first podium photo, top step and all! 

Photo Credit Markman Outdoor Photography

OK, a little correction to the first sentence, I was the top step of the 2019 Filthy 50 podium as the fastest fatbike ... but it was so cold, there were no other riders available for the picture. 

The Freedhem 76 starts/ends in the tiny town of Freedhem with one general store and a handful of houses located in central Minnesota. Freedhem was named by the Swedish settlers, Freedhem translates to "peaceful home".

The Freedhem 76 is the brain-child of Donald Griggs - this is his "one-man-show" with wonderful community support and volunteers. We've shared many miles together on other gravel riders and he had invited me to the Freedhem 76 over the last few years and 2021 was the year when the stars finally aligned.

The race is an 80-mile course that's mostly gravel with some MMR (minimal maintenance road) and a couple ATV trails. I brought my drop-bar Pugsley to race, I'm training to ride the Pug on The DAMn in August and need to get all the training miles I can get to be successful on that DAMn ride! I'm riding a 2015 Pugsley that's mostly stock, with Salsa Woodchipper handlebars, Gevenalle GX shifters, and Fat

B Nimble tires. 

As we gathered at the start line in front of the Freedhem general store, I saw so many good friends, it was good to be back to 'normal' gravel rides as this pandemic eases. 

Start line selfie

The first 2 miles are a neutral rollout with race Donald leading us out on the paved road. That first couple miles was interesting for me, my Garmin flaked out and said that I'd finished the route while we rolled out. So I was heads-down for a while getting the route reloaded. When I finally got the Garmin sorted out, I realized there as a gap forming and I wanted to be closer to the lead group. I picked up my pace and rode the gravel shoulder to get around some riders and up to the back of the lead group, I think the Fat B Nimble tires on the gravel shoulder freaked out some of the riders as I passed. As soon as the route turned right on to gravel roads, Donald pulled off and the race was on! 

It didn't take long for another gap to form separating the lead group from a small chase group. I put in another big effort to bridge to the lead group of 30-40 riders. I was slowing closing the gap, pushing my Pugsley at 20+ mph. But after 3-4 miles of this effort, I was no longer closing the gap on the lead group, and a look over my shoulder to find nobody behind me. At mile 9, I started wondering if I was going to ride the next 70 miles solo. 

A few miles after I eased off the pace, a small chase group caught me. It was 4 riders with fatbikes, and 2 riders on gravel bikes. Funny enough, I recognized 3 of the bikes in this group, I'd followed their car on the drive up. This group worked together for many miles, everybody take pulls on the front. I wasn't paying attention when we lost 3 of the riders on fatbikes. One of the gravel bike riders pulled ahead of us. The three of us remaining became my main group for the day; it was Bryan (with a fatbike), Scott (with a gravel bike), and me. I got to know Scott earlier this spring when he hosted a fun gravel ride around his area near Annandale; and Bryan is Scott's friend too.

Getting close to the first ATV trail
Photo Credit Markman Outdoor Photography

Around mile 25 I was dropped by Scott and Bryan, spending a few more miles solo. At mile 30, I entered the first ATV trail that was peppered of large gravel & rocks and many massive puddles. Thanks to my fat tires, I was able to ride this 4 mile ATV trail with ease, passing many riders along the way ... including one rider walking his bike out after a wreck that likely broke some bones - he was OK walking himself out and had a ride coming to get him at the ATV trail exit. 

Great rest area hosted by local volunteers ... with BACON!! 

I caught up with Scott and Bryan coming out of the first ATV section (mile 34), we continued to work together for many miles including a break to enjoying the bacon at the aid station around mile 40 and we cooled off with some spotty heavy rain over the miles after the rest stop. 

Around mile 65, we all agreed to drop the pace, we were all feeling the fatigue. A couple miles later, we took a right turn into the sandy ATV trail. I ended up leaving Bryan with Scott in this sand trap; Scott was struggling to ride the soft sand with standard gravel tires. My Fat B Nimble tires ate up the sand sections without any stress ... I had somebody call me a cheater in the sand trap as I rolled through while they walked, but they admitted I did have to mash those massive tires for 80 miles just to be able to ride 1 mile of sand ... LOL!

In the sand traps, I passed my friend Dana, but didn't recognize him at the moment. He caught up with me when we got back on the gravel roads and we worked together for about 5 miles. Dana asked me if I was the lead fatbike, I said that I thought there must be one or two in the lead group. Dana let me know that he'd been in the lead group and hadn't seen a fatbike up there. I was excited to hear this, it helped me continue to push hard to the finish. Dana started cramping up and he let me ride ahead, so I rode the last 5 miles to the finish solo. 

Finish line smile
Photo Credit Markman Outdoor Photography

I was greeted by Donald at the finish line and instructed to get my prize: Panaracer GravelKing SK tires (they won't fit the Pugsley - LOL! - but I have a bike that will be great with these tires) and a mason jar of gravel as a trophy! 

A really nice touch at the finish line was volunteers walking around with platters of fresh watermelon - that was a great treat after a long ride! Plus there was a wonderful after party for everyone to enjoy some shady, music, tasty food options, and cold beers. 

The results for the men's fatbikers: 

1. Chris “Fat B Nimble” Nelson - 4:56:56
2. Bryan “ Big Ring” Truckenmiller - 5:05:15
3. Michael Sullivan - 5:12:06
4. Nicholas “G-Money” Garbis - 5:36:17
5. Danny Kopren - 6:18:43
6. Steve Meyer 7:00:33 (tie 6th)
7. Greg Atkinson - 7:00:33 (tie 6th)

Overall, I was 38th of 114 riders on the long course.

Swag, prizes & trophy! 

YouTube link captured with my GoPro Hero 8.

2021 Spring Valley 100 (Almanzo 100 course): The Blast Furnace!

Greg and me feeling overly confident at the start line

The forecast for the Spring Valley 100 was for temps in upper 90s F and it was stressful planning to drive 2 hours to race in these conditions. I know the course, having ridden the Almanzo 100 three times, and I'd made a plan if I need to bail. My escape plan was to ride CR 16 back to Spring Valley - the course crosses CR 16 many times, and it allows a direct path back to the finish line.

The field of racers was the smallest I've seen in Spring Valley. The Almanzo 100 could attract a crowd of 1,000 riders to the start line, this year was roughly 100 riders - the heat likely caused many wiser riders to skip the 2021 race.

The race organizers were great getting volunteers to host four aid stations on the course. Rider's could get water, other drinks, and food at the stops.

The roll out felt good, we all knew the forecast, but hoped against hope that it won't be that bad.   

I was with two other riders at the first aid station (not sure what mile this was). We took bottles and bananas as we biked through.

I was a little mad that I rode through the second aid station at Preston (mile 39), I left the riders I'd been working with and then I needed to stop just a few miles up the road. Around mile 50, my CamelBak was nearly empty and my two bottles were empty. I stopped to get the frozen bottles of of the cooler in my saddle bag, they were still frozen nearly solid, it was difficult to get the water out ... But the heat thawed them out quickly.

The third aid station was at Forestville (mile 67). I'd planned to stop here, there's a water hydrant, bathrooms, shade, and the best volunteers with food and drink. I spent a lot of time at the water hydrant, filling bottles, CamelBak, drinking, and dousing myself in cold well water. After a long break (30 minutes), I felt ready to get back on the bike. But the first thing you get out of Forestville is a paved climb in the sun ... And within a mile or two, I was feeling just as wrecked as when I rode into Forestville.

The 10 miles from Forestville to Cherry Grove were brutal. I was struggle to keep my place at 10 mph, my stomach wouldn't take food, I was just drinking all all my hydration options.

At Cherry Grove, there were wonderful volunteers with ice cold water in a shady patch ... next to the local cemetery. I laid in the shade with two riders, drinking the cold water, feeling as bad (or worse than) as when I arrived at Forestville. I told the riders about my escape plan, I was going to follow the course until I got to CR 16 and following it back to Spring Valley. They agreed that this was a good plan.

We still got to ride MMR (Minimal Maintenance Road) to the water crossings at mile 81 ... sadly, the creek was dry. And for a bonus, there's another climb after the "water crossing". After the climb out of the creek bed, I started falling behind the other two and I couldn't share that I found a shortcut to get to CR 16. So, I ended up riding the last 6-8 miles solo, fighting the winds and heat to get back to Spring Valley. I still needed to stop in shade to try to recover from the heat. I cut off about 10 miles of the course including the infamous Oriole hill.

I needed extended time at the finish area to cool off and get fluids before I was ready to make the drive home. I stripped off everything except my bibs and base layer. The finishing area was a mess of riders laying in the shade, slowly cooling off and hydrating. Riders were coming in form every direction, all looking totally spent. The wonderful thing about the gravel community, as riders would come in totally wrecked, somebody that had more time to recover would bring them an ice cold bottle of water and make sure they had what they needed to recover. The gravel community is the best!
 

The dusty drop-bar Pugsley at the end of the day with most of my gear

GoPro edit on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/1mAlt33ERQU

I was feeling good by Monday, but the day after the Spring Valley 100 was a tougher than the average recovery day. I can't think a good reason to do a ride like this in these conditions ever again ... It's just too hard on me. I'll keep it to the cold, rainy, snowy ... bike events

The hydration story: I spent Friday focused on electrolytes and hydration, avoiding coffee and alcohol. During the ride, I emptied my 3l CamelBak Lobo twice - it keep icy cold until roughly mile 50, that's when I'd drank all the water and it still had ice in. I drank 6 large bottles of water with Nuun, I had two frozen in a small cooler in my saddle bag, they were still mostly ice at mile 50 when I got them out. I don't know how much I drank at the hydrant in Forestville, plus a couple bottles of Gatorade. There were two more bottle of icy water at Cherry Grove. I didn't really count the amount I drank at the finish line. Driving home, I had Coke and more water. At home, I had tons of water and coconut water ... and didn't have any beer (that says a lot!).

vEversting, ER & IVs ... OH MY

Ride Report: vEveresting on Zwift & Coming Up Short 

Lisa introduced me to Zwift 5 years ago, it's a great way to ride a bike on an indoor trainer and not get bored. For those that don't know Zwift, it's like a video game with your bike as the game control. There are many worlds and courses, some of the courses are based on real world routes and some are totally made up. 

I use a Wahoo Kickr on Zwift, this is a trainer that has a power meter that controls resistance, this means that the trainer will make it harder when climbing, making you shift down gears just like the real world. 

The vEversting set up with all the hydration & food close at hand

Everesting is riding the same hill over-and-over until you reach the height of Mount Everest - 29,029 ft. With the popularity of Zwift, the concept of "virtual Everesting" (vEversting) became a thing. I got the idea that vEversting would be a good idea thanks to Zwift, Zwift encourages riders with badges for achieving challenges and the vEversting badge is one of the very last achievements I have left on Zwift. 

vEversting has a lot of advantages over riding in the real world: easy access to food, water, and plumbing; no safety issues with traffic on public roads; and because your Zwift avatar can descend without you, you can get off the bike while your aviator keeps going. During the descents, I'd use the toilet, fill water bottles, and I was changing into fresh bibs every other climb. 

Here's what the route looks like - the gray saw tooth at the bottom is the elevation

For vEveresting, there are a number of climbs available in Zwift, I pick the iconic Alpe du Zwift - the game version of the real-world Alpe d'Huez. This is 3,398 ft per climb over 7.59 mile for an average grade of 8.5%. A rider needs to climb Alpe du Zwift 8.5 times to complete the vEversting challenge. 

I picked a Friday to take on this challenge to have the weekend to recover. I got started a little before 7:00 AM, expecting to be at this until 8:00 or 9:00 PM. I know I can climb Alpe du Zwift in under an hour, but I can't sustain that effort all day, so I was planning 90-120 minutes per climb. I was feeling strong and didn't pace myself well, I was finishing the climb a few times in 75 to 85 minutes ... at the moment that felt good, but I'm sure was part of the ultimate need to abandon. 

I was feeling OK, but I knew it was time to stop. I finished 7 of the 8.5 climbs of Alpe du Zwift, for a total of 23,907 ft, 111 miles, and just under 12 hours of riding. 

After a shower and trying to recover on the couch, I couldn't get myself to eat and barely drink. I was feeling rough, but thought a good night's sleep would sort things out. 

At 2:00 AM, I had a violent vomit session, it was like it was coming from the depths of hell. I was able to go back to sleep again. But in the morning, I couldn't stop the shakes and my body went on rapid swings from feeling too hot to freezing. I still couldn't eat or drink much, Lisa brought some broth that went down, very slowly, but that was all I could get down. I realized I wasn't going to recover without medical help. 

Lisa drove me over to the local urgent care that had no wait (thank God!). I was really foggy at urgent care, I recall getting a blood draw and an IV. The part that I remember most clearly was the COVID test (my first of the pandemic). That damned swab tickling my brain set off my already queasy gut and another vicious bout of puking ... again it was coming up from the depths of hell. 

Getting the first IV at urgent care

The urgent care found my sodium level was in the low 120s - should be 135 to 145. They recommended moving to a hospital and likely spend the night there. 

This lead to another sub-story about the urgent care doctor and the ambulance EMT crew getting into an argument about transportation. I really was too sick to give a shit about their pissing-match and just wanted to get the hospital. The ambulance crew saw no reason to charge us for the ride, I was stable enough. They drove us around the building to our car and Lisa drove me to North Memorial. That was both Lisa's and my first ride in an ambulance.

By the time I got to the ER, I was feeling OK, walking in as Lisa parked the car. When Lisa was coming in to find me, she overheard the staff referring to this as a "... some crazy guy had a Peloton incident ..."  LMAO! 

After a couple hours in the ER and another IV bag, a tech came to move me to a room for the night (my first hospital admission), the tech had a hard time maneuvering the wheelchair, so I got up to make it easier to get the wheel chair around the door. I think we can say I was feeling my normal self at this point. 

It was a very boring night in the hospital with COVID protocols keeping visitors out, I had a couple meals, watch a few bad movies, and got up every hour to pee (so much hydration!). From the urgent care, to the ER, to the overnight room, I got 4 bags of IV (and started a 5th). 

Leaving North Memorial, there were no restrictions on food and activities. I got home Sunday morning for a pizza lunch and got to work cleaning house then a long walk with the dogs. I was feeling better than normal after a major ride, no sore muscles! 

I'll be back for vEversting, but smarter. Biggest changes include better tracking of hydration needs prior to the ride and during the ride; better conditioning for the heat (plus a new fan); and whole food breaks through out the effort. 

UPDATE: December 3, 2021 Covid long haul researchers last year sequenced the novel coronavirus and found that part of its genetic code “mimics” a protein that helps regulate salt and fluid balance in the human body. Covid long haulers are ending up in the hospital with hyponatremia more often post Covid. 

In April 2020, I likely suffered Covid before testing was widely available and I did not need any medical care so I don't know for sure it was Covid. However, the months following I experienced long haul symptoms without knowing what was happening. I was fatigue and achy without reason and had the worst brain fog. By October-November 2020, I felt the long haul symptoms had passed ... But this new research indicates long haul could still be affecting my body.