The Day Across Minnesota - August 3, 2019
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| The long and lonely road ahead |
Leading up to The DAMn
Looking back at the days following the 2018
DAMn, I was not interested in another Day Across Minnesota. The ride took so much out of me, and I was OK with one successful DAMn. Lisa immediately started talking about the next DAMn, I wasn't that interested. Over the next few weeks and months, I started remember all the amazing things from my Day Across Minnesota and my interest in another DAMn grew. By the time I saw the information about the 2019 DAMn, I was all in for another adventure!
As we got close to the 2019 DAMn, I had a number for friends old and new contact me with questions about The DAMn. Days before The DAMn, Lisa and I invited a group of experienced and new DAMn riders and support crews to meet us at LTD Brewing in Hopkins. We enjoyed conversations and lots of questions about the logistics of this massive ride. This meeting really got me excited for another DAMn!
The day of the DAMn
This year started smooth, we planned ahead, took Friday off work so we could get to Gary, SD early. We had all our gear and supplies laid out days in advance. Our one guest on this year's ride, Matt, was early for our noon departure. The one hitch, was the new hitch we had installed just days before ... it needed an adapter for our bike rack. A quick trip to a nearby U-Haul and few dollars and we had the bike rack loaded and we were ready. One last stop at Nachos in Downtown Hopkins for lunch and we were off for Gary.
The drive was smooth and easy. We arrived at
Buffalo Ridge with time to grab a snack and settle in the for the early riders meeting. At the riders' meeting we were treated to an original song about our DAMn journey and a preview of the documentary made about the 2018 DAMn and 2018 Filthy 50. I was super excited to have my GoPro footage included in this movie and can't wait to see the finished release!
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| Race organizer and all-round awesome person - Trenton - hosting the riders' meeting |
Matt, Lisa, and I had hours of down time. We rode around Gary, took some pictures, enjoyed build-your-own-burger bar at Buffalo Ridge's Rock Room, and spent some time trying to rest by the car. Despite our best efforts, none of us got any sleep, but we enjoyed the parade of locals in their golf carts and got to know the history of Gary, SD.
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| Chris & Lisa selfie in Gary, SD |
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| Resting, but no sleeping in the afternoon before The DAMn |
As the sun was setting, we started getting ready, putting on kits, getting bags packed and mounted, making sure lights and tech was ready to ride.
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| Loaded rigs outside the 11:00 riders' meeting |
The start to check point 1
As midnight approached, riders start to buzz, the butterflies start up in my gut as everyone was making their way to the start-line. Keeth, Nick, and I were casually talking at the start line when the fireworks signaled the start of the 2019 DAMn.
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Lined up and waiting for the fireworks!
Left to right: Keeth, Nick, and Chris |
The first 20 miles are intense, riding at 18-20 mph on dark minimal maintenance roads shoulder-to-shoulder, wheel-to-wheel with riders you don't know. It's nearly all downhill from SD, making it easy to go fast.
At mile 20, the group in front of me missed a turn. I wasn't able to help with the route, my glasses with bifocals were too dirty to read the cue sheets. I don't know how these riders miss a turn this early with the large number of red taillights up the road. The rider next to me had called out the miss, but I was a little dismissive, trusting the dozens of riders in front of us. Thankfully, the group up the road realized the error quickly and turned back to the correct route. This added about .5 miles to my DAMn ride.
After the missed turn, I caught up with a couple friends in the dark of night. Kate and I said a friendly hello, then caught up to Kyle who let me know that he'd wrecked in a turn early on. After the race, I was excited for both of them when I heard that they finished their first DAMn. Both had their challenges, Kate's made two precious DAMn attempts and wasn't able to reach WI; and this is Kyle's first DAMn, he rode unsupported, plus taking a wreck in the first hour of a very long day.
Mile 25 was a flooded minimal maintenance road - I'm typically the kinda rider the stays on the bike and rides that shit ... however, I didn't want to get my drive-train full of sandy water with 215 miles left to ride, so I shouldered my heavily loaded bike to walk the 1/4-mile of dark water. Another rider carrying his bike said "I can't wait to talk about this" - that got us all laughing! The group I was walking with would move to the sides of the 'road' to let the brave few riders pedal through the flooded road. I could feel the sand getting into my shoes and was very happy that the sand wasn't in my drive-train!!
About 55 miles into the night, my Garmin was beeping loudly, I couldn't read the display, and had no idea what was going on. I finally cleaned my lenses enough I could read that the Garmin was losing satellite signal. As a result, it was losing miles too, so my cue sheets didn't match my Garmin. This left me playing calculator in my brain for most of the rest of the day.
I found a good group to work with, they were riding strong and keeping a good pace. Justin caught up to the group too, it was nice to see his friendly face in the dark night. As a group, we kept our heads down and moved quickly into check point 1.
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| Check point 1 challenge: find your support crew in this line of dark cars in a corn field! |
Check Point 1 to Check Point 2
As I rolled out of check point 1, I didn't find a group to ride with. I ended up riding solo for many miles before connecting with Justin again. The two of us rode together for many miles, talking about anything and everything to pass the dark miles. somewhere around mile 95, after the minimal maintenance road climb out of the valley, I ended up riding away from Justin. I really appreciate his company through the darkness before dawn, the conversation helped me keep my focus when on every other day of the year, I'd be sound asleep in a comfy bed.
Once the sun was up, it was easier to stay alert and focused. Miles and cues sheets went by quickly.
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| The best DAMn sunrise! |
Check point 2 to check point 3
Check point 2 included coffee drinks, Italian pasta salad, sour dough breed, and Advil for my knee.
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| Check point 2 (mile 120) - reload bike supplies, food, drink, chain lube, refreshing the chamois cream ... and still smiling! |
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| Check point 2 - change water bottles. I've been drinking from these for the last 120 miles?!? |
Rolling out of check point 2, I was solo again. I'd work with a group when I could find one, but most of the day was just me, riding with my thoughts and occasional music in my earbud.
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| Talking with my GoPro |
The knee issue was really concerning, since the course gets hilly in the last 60 miles. I was doing my best to keep a high cadence and favor the left knee.
Then there was this terrible squeak coming from the front hub. I didn't notice anything 'wrong' with the bike, but that noise was irritating. Another rider suggested jetting some water from my bottle on it, this did help a little.
Rolling into the only town on course, I checked my water levels and food supplies and decided to roll straight through Henderson. I didn't want the extra time of a stop if I didn't need something.
It's kinda funny that the sun you are so excited to see at 6:00 AM, it becomes something you curse in the afternoon. There is no shade from the sun and the temps are climbing up to 90F and more. The heat of the afternoon is draining the energy your body as your mind wills your tired legs to roll forward.
Rolling the last 20 miles checkpoint 3, I caught up to Birchwood teammate Nick (& he was was part of our pre-race meeting at LTD). He was showing the miles and heat of the afternoon. We rode together for a few miles, but I ended up leaving him behind because of my need to get into check point 3. I was struggling with the heat, I needed to find some shade and cool off.
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| Check point 3 reality check ... Am I seeing a giant rainbow unicorn?!?! |
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| "Cooling off" at check point 3 - hard to find a smile at this point |
Lisa made an ice stuffed stocking to put down the back of my jersey - this felt so good! I drank as much as I could, my hydration on the bike was all very warm and hard to take. Drinking anything that was less then 90F was good!
Additionally, I'd been struggling with a blocked up gut, we don't need to get too detailed here, but let's just say that I need to keep eating fuel, but it just sat in my gut like a lead brick. There were a few times I wasn't sure if it was a burp or barf. No fun!
Check point 3 to the finish
The miles from check point 3 to the finish were very lonely and seemed to take forever. I was losing focus, and at mile 207 I missed a turn and went down a long steep descent. I kept looking for the next right turn on 42nd, but there was nothing but driveways. I get to the bottom of the hill to see no tire tracks in the gravel... SHIT! I need to go back up that hill! My knee was really on fire since I'd just finished a climb before missing the turn. So I walked the only hill of the day to give my knee a break and give me more time to swear at myself. The ironic bonus of these "bonus miles", the additional distance got my Garmin was back within .1 mile of the cues sheets for the first time in 187 miles!!
Getting back into a groove and working hard to keep my focus, I looked down at the cue sheets and the clock on my Garmin, I had about 45 minutes to make my 7:00 PM finish goal. I found myself on smooth paved roads and I was motivated to pick up the speed.
The final "minimal maintenance road" rolling down into Red Wing is some of the best gravel of the day, but it also offers one last climb to make you suffer just a little more. I was very dialed into my Garmin map and mileage as I navigated the roads Red Wing. The bridge across the Mississippi was stressful but nothing like last year. I rounded into the construction zone and loved seeing the DAMn signs pointing me to the finish line.
At the finish, I was greeted by Trenton with a warm hug and a cold glass of water served in my DAMn Champion pint glass. I was offered a beer, but to tell you how spent I was ... I had no interest in beer!
I was totally drained at the finish, my body and mind were totally spent. But my spirit was full with the amazing experience and challenge of a day like no other! I am so grateful to have the health and wonderful support of friends and strangers to get me through this DAMn ride!
"You made it across Minnesota
the beast of your heart can rest
while your spirit stands to show the dirt!"
#benweavermusic
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| The finish! Harbor Bar in Hager City, WI |
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| The best cold water EVER!! |
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| After catching my breath and talking with some fellow riders, I was ready to pose with the DAMn Champions banner! |
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| Lisa with good friend and great person, Matt |
DAMn wrap up
After 245 miles (including bonus miles), I finished with a time of 18:59 with 57th place of 300 racers who signed up, to the 237 who were able to toe the line, and to the 117 of them who became DAMn Champions.
For reference, here are the
2019 DAMn results. In 2018 I finished 84th place with a time of 20:45 - I'm pleased with the improvement over last year and making my goal of hitting the finish before 7:00 PM.
I have to thank my most important supporter in The DAMn and in life - Lisa. Lisa is a key person in my successful Day Across Minnesota. She was so energized from the 2018 DAMn and started planning to improve her support for 2019 DAMn riders in the days following the 2018 ride; and she definitely up'd her support game too! This year, Lisa supported two riders, me and Matt - Matt is a good friend and he recently completed the
Tour Divide route. During our ride, Lisa had tracking information for both of us and knew when we'd arrive at the check points. She met me with food, water, support, and care at each check point. Thank you for all you did to support me on this epic adventure!
This ride is Trenton's brainchild and The DAMn couldn't happen without Trenton, his family & friends, and long list of supporters, sponsors, and volunteers. I can't image the hours Trenton and team puts into this day, and the amount of coffee it takes to stay awake through this epic Day Across Minnesota. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to test ourselves against this crazy DAMn ride!
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| DAMn swag: T-shirt, sticker, buff, and Ben Weaver's poetry and art only available to riders as they completed The DAMn |
Lisa and I were happy to know that all the riders and support crews we meet with prior to The DAMn were able to complete this massive ride!
As I write this post, a week after The DAMn, the knee pain is gone. The issue seems to be related to saddle position. I'd replaced my saddle a couple weeks before the race without spending the time to dial in the height and fore-aft adjustments. Since The DAMn, I've made some adjustments to my saddle position and in a short time notices an improvement in my knee comfort.
Links to:
Electronics reports:
- Garmin 1030 in 'battery save' mode was great all day long - except losing GPS signal in the middle of the night. Over the last 15-20 miles, I took it out of battery save mode to keep a closer eye on the turns and avoid any bonus miles. There were no issues with the battery life.
- Moto Z with TUM battery mod was nearly dead at the finish. I didn't leave Gary with a full charge, and I was using music when I was riding alone.
- Serfas Thunderbolt 2.0 tail light was on strobe setting lasted nearly the full day, I changed over to a Knog for the last 20-30 miles
- Knog Mob the Face rear light was on the seat post and gave me a rear light for the last miles.
- Knog Mob the Face front light was mounted to my POC helmet and was great for reading the cue sheets in the dark (photo below).
- NiteRider 700 & 750 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 (photo below).
- Skullcandy Method wireless earbuds were great to contact Lisa with updates. The batteries were dying on the last 20 miles into Red Wing. I'd been listening to a lot of music since I was riding most of the miles alone.
- GoPro Sessions was good all day. I was attentive at managing run time and plugged into battery charging block halfway through the ride.
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| Knog front light and POC helmet set up to read cue sheets in the dark |
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| NiteRider front light with Origin8 Eyelet Stub mount |
Here are some of the products and people that helped me successfully complete The DAMn:
- Tyler and the crew at Tonka Cycle helped with a number of repairs and upgrades on the Breezer Radar Pro, helping me get across the state without mechanical issues.
- Camelbak Lobo (100 oz) - this was critical to my successful hydration on all day.
- Ortlieb Ultimate 6 S Plus Handlebar Bag - it was a great way to organize cue sheets as well as store food and back up battery.
- New to me in 2019 - Club Pilates in Minnetonka. Not cycling specific, but I must say the core strength and cross training did a ton to help me on this ride!
Here is some of the fuel that kept me going for 240 miles:
- Starbucks Frappuccino & Double-Shots
- Coke
- Nuun mix and tablets
- Jelly Belly Sports Beans
- Honey Stingers waffles
- ProBar Bolt
- Lisa's Italian pasta salad
- Lisa's sour dough bread
- Salted Nut Rolls
- Salty kettle chips
See you at The DAMn 2020? I hope so!
