Yesterday, I wrote a whiney little post about how I needed a new carrot – something to keep me focused and give me a short-term reason to lose weight. I got lots of good advice. Steve Medcroft, though, had one word for me:
Cyclocross.
About five years ago, I tried a couple of cyclocross races, using my mountain bike. Now, racing a muddy, short course while occasionally jumping off your bike and hurdling a barrier at your absolute maximum heart rate for 45 minutes doesn’t sound like fun. It doesn’t look like fun. But it was a lot of fun.
So today I did the following:
I talked with a coworker, Anne, whose husband (Rich) is heavily involved with Seattle cyclocross. He, in turn, sent me a bunch of links and getting-started advice for cyclocross racing in Seattle.
Then I called my local bike shop; it turns out that one of the people who works there — Mal — races cyclocross. She had tons of useful info and said she’d be happy to help me pick out a good bike and would bring in her own cyclocross bike tomorrow to show me what she races herself (sure, it’s her job to help, but I could hear that she had the zeal of the true believer — she loved the idea of getting fresh meat on a cyclocross bike).
Then I called Racer and asked him what he recommends. He says it’d be cool to support a local manufacturer, and that he’s ridden and liked Redline.
Then I called my wife and told her that my annual bonus would be in my next paycheck…could I use it to by a ‘cross bike? She said yes.
Suddenly, I’m all twitchy and giddy: New bike! Mud! Hopping like a goofball over little hurdles! How could I not be excited?
Between the cyclocross bike, the track bike, and the Matt Chester fixed gear utility bike (along with the Fisher Paragon and Ibis Ti Road I already have), 2005-2006 may well be my most bikeful year ever.
Goonster recommended I try a randonneuring event, and I admit I’m intrigued — I like self-supported endurance riding, though to this point most of my real endurance rides have been on mountain bikes. But the name "randonneur" freaks me out. I imagine myself showing up at the ride and getting laughed at when everyone discovers I have no idea how to pronounce "randonneuring." Or "brevet." And while I’m OK with the idea of no aid stations, having to use a map to find my way around the course scares me. I’m more easily confused and lost than just about anyone I know. I imaginge the following conversation as typical:
Me: "Do we turn left or right here?"
Seasoned Randonneur: "Look at your map."
Me: "I am looking at my map. Do we turn left or right here?"
Seasoned Randonneur: "You’re not very self-reliant, are you? You know, self-reliance is the mark of a good randonneur."
Me: "That does it. I’m getting out my GPS."
Seasoned Randonneur: "No, GPS technology is specifically not allowed in the Randonneur by-laws."
Me: (Starts to cry)
Seasoned Randonneur: "OK, quit blubbering. I’ll tell you which way to turn, on one condition."
Me: "OK. Name it."
Seasoned Randonneur: "Show me that you can correctly pronounce ‘randonneur,’ preferably with a French accent."
Me: "Randy newer."
Seasoned Randonneur: "Stupid American."
Me: (Starts to cry)
This morning,I got all ready to do my daily weigh-in. I got naked, took off my watch and wedding ring, spat in the sink three times, and made sure I had no lint in my belly button.
But then I didn’t weigh myself.
I just couldn’t. I know that with the pre-race taper, as well as (much more importantly) the post-race hogfest, I’m bound to have gained some weight. I know my body well enough to make a guess: I bet I weigh 170 pounds. But I just couldn’t stand the thought of looking at the numbers and knowing for sure.
With the Leadville 100 over ’til next year and no important riding events/races on the horizon, my "carrot" – an important reason, fixed in time, for me to lose weight – is gone. And without the carrot, setting up the "sticks" (negative consequences for my failing to meet my goals) like the daily weigh-in and the Fat Cyclist Sweepstakes have lost their appeal.
In short, I need a new carrot. Maybe a 24 hour MTB race. Maybe an epic road ride or race that I’ve never heard of before – one with lots of climbing. Something I can look forward to, and have a reason to train for.
I’m open to suggestions. And since I’ve blown my biking travel budget for the foreseeable future, having it be located in the NorthWest is a must.
This raises the larger issue: Do I have a prayer of ever reaching a point where I don’t have to combat my eating inclinations in order to ride the way I want to be able to? I mean, suppose I manage to get back to 150 pounds – yay for me! – and then also manage to finish under nine hours at Leadville next year. What happens next? Well, unless I find something new and exciting to give me a reason to stay skinny, I wager that I’d gain about 7 pounds the next month, 5 the following, and be back into the 180s by Thanksgiving.
Wow, I’ve just succeeded in totally bumming myself out.
Today’s weight: OK, I promise. Tomorrow I’ll weigh myself, and I kick off the Fat Cyclist Sweepstakes again. I’ll find a new carrot soon.
Nine times. I have raced the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race nine times. Why do I keep going back?
Well, this time the main reason was to have fun and show that I can do better than my 2004 time (10:57, I think). Here’s what my day was like.
Look Down, Stupid.
I love seeing how bundled up some racers get for the start of this race. Shorts, tights, shoe covers, jersey, second long sleeve jersey, jacket, ear warmers. I, on the other hand, wore shorts, my Racers Cycle Service short sleeve jersey (which, alas, fits about fifteen pounds too snugly. Nothing says, "I won’t be killing anyone in the climbs today" like a red, white, and orange bullseye stretched across your belly, showing exactly what you’ve got, spare-tire-wise), and arm warmers. I was plenty warm. Fat has its uses, I guess.
From what I hear, there were at least two nasty crashes within the first two miles of the race – on downhill pavement, yet. One of those crashes was from a pair of riders tangling handlebars, another was from someone dropping his glasses and stopping to retrieve them, unaware that this might pose a problem to the 200 racers immediately behind him.
The first climb is up St. Kevins, a moderate hill compared to what we had in front of us. Initially I felt good, and was easily staying with the group around me. Then my legs started hurting. I tried shifting to my granny gear. No good, I was already there. I was suffering on the first climb. How could that be?
By the time I was two-thirds of the way I was up the hill, I knew I was in big trouble for the race: redlined in my granny on the first climb. How could I possibly finish this race if I was already blown?
Then I looked down. I was in my middle ring.
Oops.
A shift to my little ring up front and about halfway down the cassette in back brought immediate relief – as much mental as physical. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: the Fat Cyclist has plenty of fat on his body and in his head.
I Do Not Interview Everyone
While riding, I was talking with people for a Cyclingnews article. I’m not going to talk much about these chats – that’s a different story. I will say, though, that people were very cool about talking to me, slowing down a bit with me so we’d have enough breath to talk for a minute. There were a few people, however, I intentionally did not interview, for various reasons.
I Make an Empty Offer of Assistance
A couple of years ago, I got nasty chainsuck on this race, when I shifted under torque because I had come across an unexpected, steep uphill. It took me five minutes to get the chain worked free, and the whole time I was wishing somebody who was better with fixing bikes than I am (practically anybody) would help me.
In last Saturday’s race, I came across a guy in the exact same spot, with the exact same problem. So I asked if he needed help, fully knowing that I was setting myself up to demonstrate how inept I am with fixing bikes. He said "No, I’ve just got to work it free," and thus saved me from embarrassment. Thanks, anonymous "I can fix it myself" guy.
I am Strong in the Flats, Weak in Forecasting
As I rode the relatively flat 15 mile stretch between the first and second aid station, I noticed something: I was passing people. This has never happened to me. I guess all the road bike riding on the rolling roads of King County was good for something.
As I rode by people, looking for a group to form a train with, people would engage in the standard Leadville conversation:
Them: "You done this race before?"
Me: "Yup. Ninth time."
Them: "Are we on track for a 9:30?"
Me: "No way. Try 10:30."
Them: "&*%#!"
The thing is, they very well may have been on track for a 9:30. Maybe even better. I just wasn’t equipped to tell them, because I tend to race hot at the beginning, then blow up into smithereens for the second half of the race. Yes, I’m aware it’s not a winning strategy, and I was actually trying to correct it this time. Still, I wonder how many people I completely demoralized that day. Sorry, demoralized people!
I Vow to Make Bob Wrong
Bob, a riding buddy, posted a comment in my blog late last week, predicting I would finish in 10:12. So when I crossed the turnaround point at Columbine Mine — famous for being a halfway point not just in distance but in actual time — at 5:06, I was thunderstruck. It looked like Bob might be right, down to the minute. I simply couldn’t allow this. I shifted my plan from being "finish whenever" to "finish in under ten hours."
It was time to see if playing it cool for the first half of the race had left me with some power I could use in the second half.
Serena and I Have an Argument
Mark and Serena are the proud holders of what I call "The Warner Dynasty" – they have won (including Saturday) the Tandem division of the Leadville 100 four times straight. And coming down the rocky, nasty part of Columbine mine, I was apparently putting the dynasty in jeapordy. They were right on my tail, and I was downhilling too slow; the second-place tandem was hot on their tail. Serena started yelling at me: "Ease up on the brakes, Fatty!" (My friends call me Fatty. No, just kidding. Please don’t call me Fatty.) And then: "You’re losing the race for us, Fatty!"
But there was no way I could yield – we were on doubletrack, and the other track was chockablock with cyclists hiking up to the top. And, strictly speaking, it wasn’t me holding them up. I was behind four other cyclists. Still, I yelled, "Shaddup, Serena!"
Mark, Serena’s domestique – I mean husband – sounded dumbfounded. "Did you just tell Serena to shut up?"
"Yes!"
Amazingly, that ended the discussion. As soon as they found an opening, Mark and Serena flew by, protecting their dynasty for another year, and finishing five minutes ahead of me. On a tandem…a fully rigid tandem, that is. On technical downhill. Clearly, downhilling is not my strength.
Telling Serena to shut up, however, may have been the bravest thing I have ever done (she could easily take me in a fight).
When is Encouragement Just Mean?
One of the things I love about the Leadville 100 is the encouragement riders shout to each other on Columbine Mine. The people plodding up shout encouragement to those flying down. Racers on their way down cheer to those struggling on their way up: "You’re almost there! Looking strong! Looking good!"
So here’s an interesting hypothetical question: You’ve just about completed the descent from Columbine Mine when you see someone just starting to push his bike up the eight miles to the turnaround — walking, ashen-faced, in what should be a middle-ring part of the climb, at a rate that will surely see him swept from the field before day’s end. Do you cheer him on, or do you explain the reality of the situation?
I yelled, "You can make it! Get to the top!" I figured he’s done the math. If he’s decided to keep going anyway, that’s worth cheering for. I know I sure don’t want everyone telling me the reality of my racing situation ("Uh, dude? You’re fat and middle-aged. Shouldn’t you be at home watching Larry King or something?").
Best. Breeze. Ever.
On paper, miles 60-75 of the Leadville 100 look pretty tame. It’s a rolling section, a nice little break between the massive Columbine Mine climb and the brutally steep Powerline climb. But it’s this flat section that I dread every year. There’s always a mean headwind. And I’m always out of juice.
Except this year.
This year, there was a healthy tailwind instead of the rain and headwind I had anticipated (although I’m told it did in fact rain and hail on Columbine Mine about a half hour after I got down, soaking and freezing the hundreds of people still up there). And it turns out that by reining myself in for the first half of the race, I felt great for the second half. I met up with a guy named Chris and we talked and worked together almost the entire 15 miles. It went by in what felt like a flash.
Bugaboo vanquished. At least for now.
Big Finish
One of the things that really defines the Leadville 100 is that two of its nastiest climbs are saved for the final 25 miles. The Powerline climb is so steep and loose that you’ve got to march almost a mile of its 3.3 mile distance (I had measured on the way in, to help ward off the false hope the many false summits bring). And then there’s St. Kevins, which is on pavement, but it just feels like the race organizers were being mean-spirited to put such a grind just 12 miles from the finish. And of course, there’s the boulevard, a short but evil climb just 2.5 miles from the finish.
I say all this because it serves my vanity. I believe not a single person passed me in that final 25 miles, at least not without me passing them back. I, on the other hand, passed lots. I rode sections people walked. I middle-ringed where people grannied. I, in short, ruled. I thought of the much leaner people looking in consternation at the fat guy passing them in the climbs, and my heart sang.
In fact, for the second half of the race, I did pretty close to a nine-hour pace. I did all this simply to defy Bob. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Bob entirely failed to care.
At the finish line, I raised both hands in triumph, as if I had won, instead of placing 162nd of 471 finishers (not sure how many starters there were, but 750 were registered to race; I’d guess 600 actually made it to the starting line). This was a bad idea, because I was addle-brained and barely able to balance with my hands on the handlebars. I swerved dangerously, causing an audible gasp from the finish line crowd. I – barely — managed to grab my handlebars, straighten my bike and cross the finish line – my dignity nearly intact. 9:41. Four minutes faster than my goal. Huzzah.
If I had been in good shape (spent time working on climbing), and if I weighed less, this could have been the year I got that sub-9. The course and weather were perfect for it. Next year, I tell you. Next year the sub-9 is mine. For now, I’ll kick myself. Just a little bit.
My Stomach Defies Physics
When the race is over, the hunger begins. In the 24 hours following the race, I ate the following:
And the hunger hasn’t subsided yet. Maybe it never will.
Today’s Weight: I dare not step on a scale. I will begin the daily weigh-in again tomorrow.
Bonus Fat Cyclist Food Plan for Endurance Athletes
I’ve genuinely lost count of how many epic rides and endurance races I’ve done in the eleven or so years I’ve been riding. Throughout all that time, I’ve experimented with different sports drinks, energy bars, powders and pills. All with two simple aims:
This year, I’ve finally done it. And – ironically, I suppose – the answer is a very simple mix of foods:
So, would I encourage you to adopt my eating strategy on endurance rides? No way. Almost certainly, there’s something in my plan that wouldn’t work for you. But maybe there’s something here that will work for you, too. And in any case, now you know how to eat like a Fat Cyclist. Lucky you.
I raced the Leadville 100 today. A few factoids from my day:
Today’s weight: Right after the race, I probably weighed around 150. After a big ol’ dinner, I’m confident I’m back to being the fat cyclist. Considering how much I ate, maybe fatter than ever before.
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