beautifulbike

Heading in doors

Scott — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:52:40 +0000

With the day time highs in the teens and nights sub zero our training is heading indoors. Boring, but effective.

Updating Via iphone

Scott — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:53:39 +0000

We have linked our iPhones to the wordpress app and can provide frequent updates. Planning an endurance race? Looking for bicycle adventure in the high country? Stay tuned for some exciting news in January.

Leadville: Eating at altitude

Scott — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:23:55 +0000

In the last segment we gave some tips on hydrating prior to your adventure. Yet, man does not survive above 10,000ft on drink alone. You need some fuel for that engine.
Because altitude can effect you a different way from day to day it’s difficult to plan for 5-10 hours of food while in the saddle. Often times if your are racing in a supported event you will be fortunate enough to have a smorgasbord of choices at the support stations. However, you can ensure you’re properly fueled by preparing a day or two before.
Contrary to popular opinion loading up on carbohydrates is not the ideal diet the day before. I have found that a regular breakfast and lunch followed by a protein and some carbohydrates in your dinner is ideal. Stay away from greasy food unless you’d like to see it again the next day. Don’t worry too much about what you eat just make sure you’re eating.
The morning of your race you may have nerves keeping you from sitting at the breakfast table. Make sure you eat, but, don’t worry about consuming a large volume of food. I find oatmeal with raisins and bananas is easy on the stomach and provide some sustainable energy for the first part of your day.
Once you hit the trail you may notice that once again nerves and now altitude and output are effecting your appetite. It’s critical that you eat small amounts frequently. This is where gels come in handy. They digest well for most and provide quick energy. If you are out for more than a few hours you need to consider something more substantial. Peanut butter and jelly, or honey, sandwiches will provide the carbohydrates and protein you need to keep your engine running. Regardless of your appetite you need to consume something substantive after a few hours at altitude. Gels and bars will not sustain you through 4 or 5 hours of hard riding.
So before you head out for your Leadville or other high altitude adventure keep in mind that you don’t need a complicated nutrition program. Eat what you like, keep it healthy, and relax. It’s not your job, right?

Leadville: Preperation for Altitude

Scott — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:16:53 +0000

The Leadville Silver Rush 50 is less than a month away now. This is the time to really test fitness. High mileage days on the dirt are important. Figuring out your system on the bike, i.e. hydration pack or water bottles, 1 or 2 tubes, pump or C02. The goal is to simplify your kit that you will have on board during the race.
Racing at altitude presents some obvious challenges. Unfortunately the body reacts differently regardless of preparation, however, there are some things you can do to help your body best manage the altitude.
Hydrate a lot. One of the misconceptions is that you should hydrate heavily the day of your race. In reality you should begin hydrating one to two days before the event. Utilize a drink such as Powerbar Endurance or Hammer Heed to load your body with electrolytes. Two servings of electrolyte drink incorporated into your daily hydrating program will ensure that your body is prepared for the day of the event.
The morning of your race you should consume one serving of electrolyte drink and then plan to drink around 20oz of drink per hour during the race. However, the altitude often has an effect on appetite so if you are unable to maintain your fluid intake rest assured that your preparation prior to the event will help sustain you.
More to follow on eating and cardio preparation.

Laramie Enduro

Scott — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:10:59 +0000

Spent the weekend pre-Riding the Laramie course. It was a great time. 37 miles on Saturday and 25 on Sunday. The total course is 72 miles, but, the water crossings were overflowing so Sunday had reduced mileage.
The Laramie Enduro is August 1st and that leaves little time to prepare physically. I’ve spent the last few months increasing mileage both daily and weekly. Training specifically for the amount of climbing has been critical. In addition I’ve thrown in a race to gauge my progress and ready my body for tempo and endurance demands.
Training, working, and managing family time can leave you with little energy and start to wear your body down. It’s especially important to take in healthy calories and get the right amount of sleep. Listen to your body. Push hard on training days and rest on rest days. If you feel your getting sick then take a day off and rest.
Two years ago I joined a training program that was affordable, but, didn’t account for my wavering work schedule and work loads. I was preparing for the Leadville 50 Silver Rush race. With 12k of climbing and altitudes of 10 to 13 thousand feet it is a demanding race. Throughout my training I battled with illness and fatigue. Forcing myself to stick to the plan. It wasn’t fun to ride my bike and ultimately the training wasn’t effective and my race performance was weak.
Make sure riding your bike stays fun! The time to push is when you feel great. If you only have 1 hour then push some hard intervals. If you have a whole weekend day and feel great then add the miles. Staying disciplined is important, but, if your like me your not going to win and endurance events. You’re there to survive!
Go Ride.

Ergon GP1

Scott — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:05:02 +0000

After riding the Ergo GP1 for over a year I can say that it has made a significant difference in my comfort on the bike. I have used the grips in two 50 mile races and multiple rides over 4 hours and the level of fatigue in my neck has decreased considerably. Traditionalists or “freeride” folks complain that the grip is awkward, but, like any new product you need some adjustment time. Keep in mind there were folks who would “never ride a full suspension bike”. Now it’s virtually the standard.
The fit is different. Your hand doesn’t fully wrap the bar, but, I find that to give me greater leverage on technical terrain. The only time the grip is not perfect is descending fast rocky terrain. Otherwise it’s perfect!
You will use different muscles than your standard grips and so you might find that your forearms fatigue a bit, again, you’ll adjust quickly. Without a doubt these are one of the simplest ways to improve comfort on your bike. Especially for endurance mountain bikers. Now go ride!

Serfas Krest 29er Tire

Scott — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:54:27 +0000

I’ve been riding the Serfas Krest 29″ tire on my Niner Jet and I am really surprised by the performance of this $25 tire. The tire has amazing traction in all conditions. I’ve had it out in all kinds of spring weather. Loose loam with baby heads. Chattered steep single track and tightly packed rolling single track. In all conditions these tires have performed extremely well. On the mile long grind up the back of my local trail the traction on the steep loose climb rivals any tire I’ve ridden over the past few years. These tires have Serfas FPS (flat protection system) and a steel bead. So they are fairly heavy. On a 29″ rim that can make climbing a bit of a challenge, but, it sure makes you stronger. These are great tires for someone looking for versatility at an incredible price. Not suggested for race day.

Front Range 50 Race

Scott — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:52:25 +0000

Just got done previewing the Front Range 50 race course. Looks to be lot’s of fun. Tight single track, a few short climbs, and relatively low altitude. The only other long distance race I’ve done is the Leadville Silver Rush 50. It’s quite a bit higher and a much tougher profile. The Silver Rush stays above 12k feet most of the race with lot’s of bike pushing, at least for a slob like me, and rough terrain. It will be great to test my abilities on an “easier” course. Stay tuned.
Coming soon, updates on 18 hours of Fruita, Leadville Silver Rush training, and Monarch Crest trip for 2009.

Night Riding

Scott — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:58:06 +0000

Saturday night I headed out with the local boys for a night ride. After 10 hours of work at the local beverage house I was tired, but, my wife is awesome and she pushes me out the door when I complain and whine that I’m too tired. When I left the house it was fourty two degrees. When I arrived at Bob’s house it was thirty nine degrees.

We piled on the clothing and tried to empty the tap on Bob’s PBR keg from the prior weekends Halloween Fest.

A ride that I’ll normally knock out in 50 minutes was at 2hrs at the mid point. I had to work the next day so I took off ‘early’. But, it was one of the best rides I’ve had in a long time. We stopped and looked at the lights in the cities below and were in awe that we live in a place with single track out the door with the view we witnessed that evening.

Although a secular group, excluding yours truly, we all fealt blessed to be in that moment. Find a moment to ride today or tonight. Whether it’s twenty minutes or two hours.

The essentials:

Knee warmers: Specialized makes some of the best I’ve worn.

Light: I ride the Dinotte 400, my brother in law rides the Light in Motion Stella, and everyone else rides Nite Rider tri-Newt. All of them work great. Find the best deal on any of these and buy it. Chainlove.com has great deals on the Light in Motion from time to time.

A Knife: not really, but on of the ‘team members’ was sporting a spyderco on his CamelBak. We gave him lot’s of SH**, but, he’s probably the only one that had a chance if a cougar got us.

Ride!

Swobo SS Jersey

Scott — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:37:26 +0000

Swobo SS jersey!

I rode in beautiful fall weather today! It was sixty degrees with a slight breeze. I’ve been riding in the Swobo SS jersey for the past few days and there are many details to love about this jersey. It’s one of the best fitting jersey’s I have ever owned. Even my wife commented that it looked good when I put it on. Most of the time she thinks I look like a scarecrow in spandex. The SS jersey is high quality Merino wool with enough synthetic nylon to create stretch and elasticity that gives a snug but ‘not too tight’ fit.

And my favorite thing about the jersey so far? It doesn’t smell like a locker room after one ride. This is a feature my wife loves. Our closet gets pretty ripe when I’m riding more than two days a week. And that’s most weeks.

Ride more, work less!