12.3.2015 | 2:52 pm
A Bet-Status Update from Fatty: Almost two months ago, I promised to finish something I started. Specifically, I promised the publisher of Ride and Ride 2 that I would write a story for Ride 3.
Basically, I made a bet I would finish my story by a certain time.
And then I didn’t even get it truly started by then.
However, I did eventually finish the story, and I got a couple of writers I really respect (Bob Bringhurst and Paul Guyot) to review it and give me feedback. And they liked it. Or they were sick of me sending it to them so said they liked it, just so I’d let them be.
Either way, I lost my part of the bet and am perfectly happy to have lost it…because it still accomplished its purpose: it motivated me to do some writing outside my comfort zone. Or at least I sorta kinda stepped out of my comfort zone: in the end, I wrote about a place I know, and most of the things that happened in the story have also happened in real life.
But here’s the thing: Keith’s late in finishing up his part of the bet, too. So we both lost. Except now it’s more or less finished, and so I think we can both say we’ve won, and we each need to donate double whatever it is Keith would have paid me for the story (a number neither of us ever actually discussed but I’m going to guess it’s in the dozens of dollars) and donate it to charities.
Let’s call that a win-win-win, then.
The book will be out soon. Count on me making some noise about it when it does.
Three Podcast-Related Questions from Fatty: If you’ve been listening to the FattyCast (iTunes, RSS, Site), thanks. If you haven’t, please do. Regardless, I have a few questions:
- How often should I upload new interview podcasts? Does weekly sound about right?
- I’ve thought it might be kind of fun to read selected chapters from my “Best of” books as podcasts. You know, once a week or so ’til I’ve read all of both the books. Would that be cool? Or just weird?
- I’ve done three podcast interviews now (though I’ve only uploaded one), and they seem to last right around an hour, without my really trying to make them be that length. I don’t really want to make them a lot longer than that, but is an hour too long?
The Race Results Monologues
Scene I
[The Racer is seated at a computer, one hand on a keyboard, one hand holding a credit card.]
“I can enter up to three phone numbers to have real-time notifications sent as text messages to up to three people? Sign me up!“
Scene 2
[The Racer is wearing a cycling kit, helmet still on but unbuckled, straddling a bike. Breathing hard and sweating. A finish-line arch is in the background. Talking on a telephone.]
“Hi Mom!” (Brief pause.) “Yeah, I just finished! I did great, set a new PR!” (Longer pause.) “No, in this context ‘PR’ doesn’t stand for ‘public relations;’ it stands for ‘personal record.’ I don’t really know how public relations could possibly have anything to do with anything here.”
“Anyway, you should have gotten text messages when I started the race and a couple times along the course. Did you see them?” (Pause.) “Really, just the one from the start of the race?” (Pause.) “I’m sorry, Mom, I didn’t want you to worry. I’m fine.” (Pause.) “No, I don’t know why you didn’t get the rest.”
Scene 3
[The Racer is still wearing a race kit but is back at the computer from Scene 1. The Racer looks perplexed.]
“Well, I’m pretty sure the race results were supposed to be updated in real time, but the most current race results I’m finding on the website are from 2012.” (Pause.) “And it looks like they’re a PDF, printed from an Excel spreadsheet.” (Pause.) “And the PDF has weird page breaks that make it literally impossible to tell who got what finish time.
“Maybe someone else has found the results and has posted them on Facebook or something.”
(The Racer clicks the computer mouse, types for a moment, presses Enter, pauses, clicks again.)
[Reads aloud]
“Can anyone find race results?”
“Where are the race results?”
“Is it just me or are the race results nowhere to be found?
“You can find the race results at…and there’s a URL that goes to somewhere that I never would have thought to look.”
(Pause.)
“…And they’re the results from 2011.” (Short Pause.) “But maybe, just maybe the event uses the same timing company as they did four years ago!”
(Typing, clicking ensues for the next seven minutes, punctuated with grunted exclamations of frustration.)
“There it is!”
(The Racer scrolls mouse silently, face anticipatory at first, then increasingly confused, then — eventually — angry.)
“How come I’m not here?” (Pause.) “Maybe I’m just in the wrong category.”
(More typing and clicking.)
“There I am. I guess I’m a pro now?”
Scene 4
[The Racer is now dressed in street clothes, and is sitting at the computer.]
“Hm. Still not on the web site.”
[Lights dim as a jack-o-lantern is lowered behind the racer, then lights come back up.]
“Still not there.”
[Lights dim as the jack-o-lantern goes up and a Christmas tree simultaneously comes down.]
“Oh, there it is. Just in time to link to in my Christmas letter, I guess.”
[A clock lowers, and the hour hand spins around the dial one time.]
“And now the site’s down.”
Scene 5
[The Racer is seated on a couch, apparently watching television. New beard growth, hair loss, and faint age wrinkles shows that some time has elapsed, and that also I have just now decided that The Racer is a male. Again, The Racer is holding a phone.]
“Hi Mom.” (Pause.) “No, it’s February, of course I’m not doing a road bike race today.”
(Long pause.)
“Ah. Well, I’m glad they let you know.”
— fin —
Comments (8)
12.1.2015 | 4:21 pm
A “Giving Tuesday” Note from Fatty: I’m a big fan of Jordan Rapp, Pro Triathalete and good guy in general. And Jordan is a big supporter of World Bicycle Relief. Like me, he does a big annual fundraiser for WBR, called the Rappstar Charity Challenge. He’s working to raise $100,000 for World Bicycle Relief this year (his seventh year in supporting WBR).
And much like a certain beloved award-winning celebrity cycling lifestyle ultrablogger, Jordan has some extremely nice prizes to give to folks who donate.
You’ll find the details in his posts at SlowTwitch.com, but the short version is that you can win entry in an Ironman or half-Ironman. Or a pro athlete experience session in the Specialized Wind Tunnel.
Or a financial analysis from Raymond James. And if you’re one of the first 100 people to donate $147 today, you’ll for sure get a WBR-Rappstart Charity Challenge beanie.
And that would be pretty dang cool.
Best of all, your donations are matched (not just today, but through the whole month). Help Jordan as he makes a big difference in a lot of lives by clicking here to donate today.
If a Guy Called Fatty Starts a Podcast, of COURSE He’s Going to Name It the FattyCast
It was only a matter of time, right?
Only a matter of time until I decided that my writing isn’t punishment enough for you. That I need to make you listen to me talk, practically endlessly. Or at least for about an hour, practically every week.
In other words, I’m happy to announce that as of today, I am launching the FattyCast. My own podcast. And I’ve got to say, I’m really excited about it.
I’m going to explain the what and the why of the FattyCast in just a moment, but first let me give you the how.
First of all, if you’ve got an iPhone or iPod or iPad or iMac or other iThing, you can subscribe by iTunes. Here’s a handy button for you to press so you can just automatically get these chats on a weekly basis:
I’m concerned that this button is too subtle and that you won’t be able to find it. Oh, and I really would appreciate it if you’d leave a review.
Second, you can get to the FattyCast by just going to FattyCast.com, where you can find, listen to, and download my podcasts.
If an RSS feed is more your style, you’ll find the FattyCast at http://fattycast.com/rss.
Third, if you’d rather listen here or download the file for offline listening, I’ll always be including my latest podcast in this here blog. For example, here’s the first one, featuring Mike Dion:
Click to Download MP3
Finally, I’m new to this and have a lot to learn. So please let me know if there are other ways you’d like to be able to get this podcast, or ways I can make it better.
What and Why Is The FattyCast?
The FattyCast is not FatCyclist.com in audio form. See, FatCyclist.com is where I pretty much talk about myself: my stories, my races. Me me me.
The FattyCast is where I’m going to talk with people about cool stuff they do with bikes. Whether they’re making a living with bikes or have done an interesting race on a bike or are funny or inspiring or have a cool experience to relate or whatever.
Basically, whenever I would like to spend an hour listening to someone tell an interesting story about something bike-related, that’s going to be FattyCast. Because I want to share what cool things people are doing.
Episode 1: Mike Dion of Inspired to Ride
The first episode of the FattyCast is an hour-long conversation with Mike Dion, the filmmaker who has recently released Inspired to Ride, an incredible documentary about the inaugural self-supported road race along the Trans-America roadway.
It’s a great movie, telling an incredible story. And I had a fantastic time talking with Mike about what it’s like to be behind the scenes, with two two-person crews, filming a race that spans thousands of miles (hint: they put more than 11,000 miles on a rental car).
Give the podcast a listen, and then learn more about the movie at InspiredToRide.it.
Bonus: If you decide to buy a copy of the movie or anything else on the site, use the code TEAMFATTY to get 15% off the price. Nice!
Comments (13)
11.30.2015 | 12:57 pm
Tomorrow, the lottery opens for the 2016 Leadville 100. At my house, that’s kind of a big deal. I’ll be signing The Hammer and me up for it pretty much the moment it’s possible to sign up.
2016 will be my twentieth LT100 (although it will hopefully be my nineteenth finish). And as you might guess, I’m already thinking about it.
Thinking about how I’ll be fifty years old when I race this year.
Thinking about how I want to do my fastest LT100 at age 50.
Thinking about what I will need to do in order to make that happen, and the kind of help I’m going to need to ask for.
And thinking beyond this year, to…well, to something new.
Doing Something New
While doing this race is anything but new to me, it is new — and intimidating — to most of the people who try it. And that’s awesome. People should do new, scary stuff. Whether it’s racing, or trying mountain biking, or getting in shape when you haven’t been in shape in years, or writing, or drawing, or singing, or…or…anything.
I think it’s awesome to stretch yourself. To do something new.
As Exhibit A in the “Do Something New” sweepstakes, I’d like to present this very cool print by Cole Chlouber, an artist and a friend:
I first became acquainted with this artwork when I saw a photo of it on Facebook, at which point I reached out to Cole and told him I needed a copy (I got #16 of 50) and also said, “Hey, I didn’t even know you’re an artist; I feel stupid for not having known that.”
Cole replied along the lines of, “Until recently, nobody knew.” But now we do. Cole’s putting himself out there. And that’s awesome.
Something New For You
Maybe you’re thinking of putting yourself out there, too. Like, maybe trying to race the LT100. But maybe you’ve got some concerns. Like, is it even possible to get in to this race? And how can you get ready for it, once you’re in?
Well, I can probably help with both of these questions.
First, getting in to this race can be very difficult, if you just try your luck at the lottery. To be honest (but completely unscientific), it seems that about 15% of the people I hear about entering the lottery actually get in. That’s not terrible odds, but not great.
But there are a few surefire ways to get into the Leadville 100. Most people just don’t know about them.
- Camp of Champions: This is perhaps the simplest way to guarantee yourself a slot in the race, and is a pretty good value. For $2000, you get an entry in the race as well as four days of race course recon, with access to LT100 legends Dave Wiens and Rebecca Rusch. David Houston and Dave Thomas have each gotten into the race this way, and they’ve each told me that they were glad they went.
- World Bicycle Relief: I have it on good authority that World Bicycle Relief is going to have charity slots available this year…and that there are some pretty famous people who are going to be a part of it. (And I’m not just talking about me, either.) If you take one of the coveted Team WBR LT100 slots, you’re going to have to do some serious fundraising, but it’ll be worth it.
- Charity Slot: If you want to make this race be about something larger than yourself, you can get a guaranteed slot in the race by raising money (at least $2000) for one of the race’s charities, or for one of your choice.
- CEO Challenge: If you’re a C-level honcho at a company that makes at least $5million a year, you can fork over $2K to get into the race, hobnob with other executives, get VIP treatment, network, get an un-earned spot in the blue corral, and otherwise make me gag.
There are also several qualifier races you can use to get in, which are definitely not surefire, but are a good backup plan if you don’t get into the lottery.
And if all that fails, you can boost your probability of getting into the race the following year by volunteering this year.
Let me know in the comments if you’re planning to try to get into the LT100 this year…and if so, whether you’re going with the lottery or some other strategy for getting in.
Sharing What We Know
In the past nineteen years of racing the LT100, I’ve picked up a few things. Last year, Rebecca Rusch and I did a little webinar series (episode 1, episode 2, episode 3) to help folks get prepared for the race.
They seemed to do a lot of people a lot of good; while in Leadville, dozens of people came up to us, thanking us for putting these on.
So, this year, we’re going to do more of these webinars. But this year, we’re going to start much earlier in the year, while you still have time to train and practice fueling smart. And we’re going to bring on guests. Like, seriously smart and knowledgeable guests who can help you hit your goal, whether it’s to finish in under thirteen hours, twelve hours, or even nine hours.
Stay tuned for more on this.
Something New For Me Too
This year, I plan to be fast at Leadville. Really fast. Sub-8 fast. And that’s a little bit new.
But my truly new thing for 2016 isn’t even about 2016. It’s about 2017. And it’s already started.
For my twentieth finish of the LT100, I’d like to also have it be my first Leadman finish. Which means, yes, that I will need to do the LT100 run the week after I ride the LT100.
I’m going to need to do some training if I want that to happen. And…I’ve already started. Specifically, I’m doing four-mile trail runs.
Yeah, I’ve got a lot of work to do if I’m going to make that happen. But hey…I kinda want to stretch myself a little bit.
Comments (28)
11.23.2015 | 1:32 pm
One of the quieter traditions I have with this blog is that before Thanksgiving each year, I like to write a “thankful” post (2007, 2008, 2009 plus bonus 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014). This year, I think I have more things than ever to be thankful for.
I’d like to tell you about a few.
Strength: I’ve talked (but not much) before about my son and the extraordinary depression he lives with with. This year has seen extraordinary progress for him. He’s gotten a job, and he’s excelled at it. He’s started pharmacy tech school, and he comes home after the weekly test each Friday saying he’s aced another one. He’s told stories about confronting the teacher (politely) with errors she’s made — unthinkable even a year ago.
I have two people I’m thankful for in this case. First, I’m thankful for my son’s strength. This progress hasn’t been easy for him, and I’m proud of each step he takes.
Second, I’m thankful for The Hammer’s strength. Her strength and toughness was key in my son making making these remarkable strides.
When I think about 2015, I think I will always remember it as the “turning a corner year” for my son. And I’m so thankful for the work both my son and wife have done to make this happen.
People I Love: When The Hammer and I tell people about our family — my four kids, her three kids — folks are generally astonished. They would be even more astonished if they understood how great all seven of these kids are doing. The Hammer’s eldest has a great job, a great wife, a great son, and a new house. Her second son is valedictorian at the school he attends and is already getting amazing opportunities. Her youngest is doing great in college and has big plans to do something important in the world. My eldest is working and going to school and has an amazing moral center; he has changed my own thinking on a few things. My twin girls are the kindest, most artistic fourteen-year-olds you could ever meet. My wife is genuinely my best friend. I’m as lucky a person as there could be. I love all these people.
Generosity: I don’t even keep track anymore of how much money Friends of Fatty have donated to causes I care about. I don’t keep track of how much product and prizes good companies have donated to help me with my efforts. It’s just too much. You see so much happen in the news that is so bad that it’s easy to overlook the fact that we are surrounded by good people who want to make the world a good place.
Bikes: I love the incredible improvements we’ve seen in bike hardware during the life of this blog. I love the feeling when I ride, and how I feel after a ride. I love the stories my rides tell me (so I can tell them to you). And I love the different kinds of amazing experiences I still haven’t experienced on bikes; there’s still so much for me to try. I haven’t tried cyclocross. Or bikepacking. Or track racing. Or recumbents. I’ve been in love with bikes for more than twenty years now, and I still am in many ways an absolute beginner.
I’m thankful for all the new experiences still ahead of me, and I’m thankful to you for taking the time to read my stories.
Happy Thanksgiving,
PS: I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for.
PPS: I’ll be taking the rest of this week off to be with my family and to work on my current secret project (which I hope to tell you about sometime soon).
Comments (29)
11.20.2015 | 11:05 am
A Note from Fatty: Today’s 100 Miles of Nowhere race report comes to you from Isaac, a many-times 100 Miles of Nowhere racer.
Another Note from Fatty: If you haven’t sent in your 100 Miles of Nowhere Race Report yet, please do. Send it to fatty@fatcyclist.com, with the subject line “100 Miles of Nowhere Race Report.” Word document format is best for me, with your photographs either just embedded in the Word doc where you want them, or as attachments in the email, or in a Dropbox folder you include a link to.
My 100 Miles of Nowhere was off to an inauspicious start.
Less than 4 miles in (2 miles on pavement on the way to the trail), and I’d already crashed. Hard. I was riding a bike I don’t ride often — my older carbon Giant XTC 26″ hardtail — and I wasn’t comfortable on it yet. It’s got a little longer stem than I like, and a little narrower bars than I prefer.
But really, those are just excuses.
I made a mistake, didn’t keep my weight back like I know I should, and BAM. Over the bars and down I went. Landed flat on my back. Well, it must not have been totally flat, because I now have a giant bruise on the left side of my lower back.
But let’s back up a step.
I was more or less totally unprepared for this 100MoN, much more so than usual. I’ve done it a few times. The first time, I switched off between the local mountain bike loop and an 11-mile section of local paved trail that both go through the same parking lot, meeting up with a few friends along the way, and even riding a lap with my wife (who pulled our daughter in the Burley).
Then, I rode the 100 Miles of Darkness with Nancy, riding our century overnight through beautiful paved trails in central Minnesota. Last year, Nancy and I rode together again, back at the combo mountain / road loop. That time around, I rode 6 different bikes. Maybe it was 5. Honestly, everything’s a little fuzzy about that ride.
Ride or No Ride?
This time around, I thought, I was going to miss out. I’m self employed, and things have been a little slower this year — and a bunch of my clients were way behind on payments when this 100MoN was announced. I figured there was no way I could afford to ride it.
Then an anonymous donor stepped in and offered to pay for my entry. Super cool. Elden emailed me, asking if I was interested. I immediately (like within 5 minutes) emailed back that I was definitely up for it. However, thanks to the wonders of spam filters and such, he never got my message.
I didn’t really think about it much for a couple of weeks, when I followed up. Of course, nothing had changed in the spam world, so he didn’t get that message either. Eventually, I sent him a message on Twitter and finally got through.
Planning: Pffff
By this point, there wasn’t much time for silly things like “planning” and “training” (not that training this late in the season would have made much of a difference). It was just time to go for it.
I’d seen that TrainerRoad was going to have a plan for the 100MoN, but didn’t really want to spend 5 hours indoors. Luckily, the weather has been unseasonably warm here in Minnesota, and I had a good group of friends hitting the mountain bike trail on the day of the ride. Unluckily, my wife was going to be going out with her mom the Friday before the ride and not coming home until Saturday morning.
I was going to be getting a late start.
Asta rolled in at 9:56am, I handed the kids off to her, and took off for the trail. I was already geared up and live less than 2 miles from the trailhead. I rolled in just after 10am, the scheduled ride start, but you know how those things go… If more than one person is riding in a group, it’s probably going to be a few minutes late.
Everyone finished getting ready and we took off down the trail.
Which brings me back to the crash.
I’ve ridden this trail probably a hundred or more times, by myself and with groups of anywhere from 2 to 20. I’ve never seen anyone crash where or how I went down. Up into the air off a bit of a rise, tail (much) higher than it should have been, weight too far forward, and tail over teakettle, down to the ground.
Ow.
I laid there for about 5 seconds — any longer and more people would have seen me — and got up to continue on. Nothing was horribly damaged, though I’ll have a few bruises and scabs for the next couple of weeks. We continued on without further incident. As we finished the lap (a little under 12 miles total), I asked who was up for another.
Crickets.
Fine, I’ll Do It Myself Then
Well, I hadn’t *really* expected to ride with anyone the whole day, so I took what I could get, said goodbye, and rode off to do another lap. This time, the ride went without incident until I got into the last bit of the beginner section (which, because of the way I was putting together my loop, was at the very end of the lap).
As I went around a corner, my front tire hooked on a root, stuck, and WHAM. Over the bars I went. Again.
I think I’ve crashed 4 or 5 times this season, and 2 of them were today. Luckily, no one was around, so I could lay on the ground, tangled up with my bike, for a little longer before I had to get up and keep going. I finished the lap out just as my Garmin beeped that it was running low on battery.
Most sane people would suggest that this might be a good time to go home.
I am not a sane person, or so I’ve been told, anyway.
As I went out for my third lap, I wondered what would go wrong this time. As it turned out, nothing. Nothing at all. I completed my third lap without any incident other than the GPS dying on me. I got to the trailhead and turned for home. Of course, if you’re doing the math, 3 laps at 12 miles apiece, plus about 2 miles each direction to and from the trail, and we’re only at 40 miles. I still had some work to do.
Luckily, my trainer was set up. Also luckily, my kids and I have been watching Star Wars (it’s their first time at [almost] 6 and 2). I fired up TrainerRoad, set up the movie, and got onto the bike.
After 40 miles on the mountain bike and 2 crashes, I figured I had about 3 hours in front of me. At least, that’s how my math worked out — I’d done 40% of the miles, so I had 60% left to go. 60% of 5 hours is 3. Yay math, I guess.
I had, however, also figured out what the 100MMMoN would be — the 100 Maybe Metric Miles of Nowhere (Yes, kilometers are now known as Metric Miles. Take that, everywhere that isn’t the US, Liberia, and Burma.)
About 40 minutes in, I came to a somewhat disheartening conclusion: I just didn’t have another 2:20 in me. In somewhat of a letdown, I decided to make it a metric. After another 29 minutes (yay, math), I threw in the figurative towel, put on some clean clothes, and sat down with the kids in my wonderful, fluffy, nearly-impossible-to-exit chair to finish the movie as the winner of the 100 Metric Miles of Nowhere Indoor / Outdoor Duathalllloooonnnnng.
I realize now that I should have gone and gotten the Tylenol first. Ah well. If anyone needs me, I’ll probably still be here.
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