2007 May | UltraRob's Adventures

Why You Should Always Strap Your Wheels on a Roof Rack

May 28th, 2007

You should always strap your wheels when you but your bike on a roof rack. Depending on what brand and style of bike mount you have, you generally either take the front wheel off and attache the fork or you leave the front wheel on and an arm attaches to your bike frame. Then there are straps to fasten your rear wheel or both wheels depending on the style.

You may think it’s too much bother to fasten the wheel straps. I always try to make sure they’re strapped. On our drive to Grand Junction to ride the Kokopelli Trail, I was reminded of why I do. I was cruising along on I-70 just west of Avon going about 80 mph. I heard a thunk on the roof. It’s never a sound you want to hear with bikes on the roof.

I quickly got off on the shoulder and stopped. I got out and Kent’s bike was leaning over about 60 degrees. Kent likes to jump off big drops and ride technical stuff. I’m not sure I’d quite call his bike a freeride bike but it’s closer to that than a XC race bike. It was a bit of a stretch to get the arm on my Thule Big Mouth mount to attach to his downtube. The jaw didn’t close as far as it does on my bike but I didn’t think more about it.

What I didn’t know was the bolt that holds the tray to the part that attaches to the front bar had come loose. It’s probably been 3-4 years since I put it together. The wind pressure from driving had caused the tray and bike to slide back so the jaw no longer reached the frame. Even though the jaw wasn’t totally shut when I had put it on I couldn’t see how the bike could fall over. I also never thought it would slide back and out of the jaw. If it wasn’t for the wheel straps, Kent’s bike would have been bouncing down I-70 at 80 mph.

I used to fork mount my Tommasini road bike. A few years ago, I had the fork come out of the mount a little farther west on I-70. It actually came out twice before I got the Big Mouth. The problem was the fork dropouts are chromed with no “lawyer tab”. No matter how tight I tightened the fork mount, the fork would slower work its way out. Both times it happened to my Tommasini, the rear wheel strap kept the bike on the roof instead of falling on the highway.

Hi Tec Penrith Mid Jr. WP Hiking Boots

Price: $38.73

Adidas AX2 Mid GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $135.00

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $219.95

Tags: cycling, mountain biking
Posted in Bike, Mountain Bike | No Comments »

Sick for Riding the Kokopelli Trail

May 28th, 2007

As I mentioned in my last post, I was excited about going to ride the Kokopelli Trail in 3 days. I was also nervous. There were 2 reasons I was nervous. The 2 reasons were I’ve hardly been riding since the Race Across America last year and only a couple rides were mountain bike rides. Unfortunately I ended up with a 3rd reason to be worried about riding 142+ miles in 3 days. If I had been riding normally for the last few months, I would’ve just considered it a nice 3 days of riding.

Actually the 3rd thing was something that I at least had thought could be a problem. The week before Cassidy had been in the hospital for 5 days with a nasty stomach virus. We were pretty sure Danielle had it first but only had a high fever and complained about her stomach. I figured if I was getting to get it I would have already gotten it but there seems to be a bunch of similar stuff going around. With all the time Julie spent at the hospital, she ended up with a bad cough.

Tuesday morning I woke up with a scratchy throat. I started taking large amounts of Vitamin C and Zinc. By the end of the day, I definitely felt I had a bit of a cold but it was more of an annoyance than really sick. Wednesday I felt about the same as I had late on Tuesday. I left work early and we headed to Grand Junction.

We were happy to be headed out of town to somewhere hopefully warm and dry. It was pouring down rain and only 37 degrees on the north end of town. On Monument Hill it was snowing hard enough for the trees to be white. Around the Eisenhower Tunnel the road was slushy. The east side of Vail pass had enough slush to require careful driving. Once we got past Vail, the roads were dry and the clouds were clearing.

As I was driving, I started getting chills and aches. We got to my aunt and uncle’s in Grand Junction around midnight and crashed. I figured I’d see how I felt in the morning and hopefully be able to ride.

In the morning the chills and aches were pretty much gone but my arms felt weak carrying the bags out to the car. A gland in my neck was swollen and painful. Normally I would have decided it wasn’t good to ride but I really wanted to ride the Kokopelli Trail all the way from Fruita to Moab. I figured I’d at least start riding since there were a few spots to bail.

Technorati Tags: Fruita | Kokopelli Trail | Moab | mountain biking

Tags: Fruita, Kokopelli Trail, Moab, mountain biking
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Kokopelli Trail Race

May 23rd, 2007

Picture posted by ssperl on Mtbr.com

The Kokopelli Trail Race sort of happend last weekend. The BLM had e-mailed Mike Curiak and then Adam Lisonbee saying that a permit was needed even though there was no registration. They contact Adam because he proposed the date on Mtbr.com. The BLM showed up at 11 o’clock Friday night and after a lot of discussion fined Adam $275 for not having a permit. About 50 other riders had shown up and pitched in to cover the fine.

As the discussions were taking place some of the riders started out. Since it’s pretty much self timed and not really organized, it shouldn’t have affected the finish. Dave Wiens hammered the 142 miles in 12 hours and 45 minutes. There are several great pictures posted of the Kokopelli trail posted at Mtbr.com. The Denver Post also did an article on the race. The Kokopelli Trail Race is something I’m interested in doing so I’ll have to see how the permit issue shakes out.

The pictures have me all excited for my ride of the Kokopelli Trail over 3 days starting tomorrow. I’m also nervous since I really haven’t done any serious mountain biking in the last year. In fact I just took of my rigid fork this week that I had put on before Race Across America last year since I had my mountain bike in case I needed lower gearing on the climbs or something happened to my 2 road bikes.

Technorati Tags: mountain biking | Kokopelli Trail Race

Tags: Dave Wiens, Kokopelli Trail Race, mountain biking
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

May Century Ride

May 22nd, 2007

On Sunday I got out for my May century for the UMCA Year Rounder. I left around noon and rode up to Palmer Lake. I had planned on heading across the north edge of Black Forest and dropping down Elbert Road to US 24. Thunderstorms had built along the Palmer Divide and that’s not a good place to be during a thunderstorm. I decided it would be better to drop lower and go to Sedalia. I got rained on a little but not much. It was very green along 105 with all the rain we’ve been having.

I got in 102.2 miles with 6 hours and 33 minutes of riding which gave me an average speed of 15.6 mph. I did 4065 feet of climbing.

Technorati Tags: cycling | century ride | UMCA Year Rounder

Tags: century ride, cycling, UMCA Year Rounder
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Shaving Legs, Manitou Incline Directions And Food

May 20th, 2007

The last couple weeks the top 3 things that have brought people to this blog have been people wanting to know why cyclists shave their legs, directions to the Manitou Incline and endurance food.

I’m sure the reason I’m getting visits for why cyclists shave their legs is because my recent post about leg shaving.

I’ve written a few times about doing the Manitou Incline but I’ve never written how to get there. It’s a 2,000 vertical foot scar running straight down Mount Manitou. I must live 6-7 miles away even by the way the bird flies and I can see it from my house. Just drive west until you’re at the bottom of it. The important thing is to not park in the Pikes Peak Cog Railway’s parking lots or their spaces on Ruxton. Either park in the Barr Trail parking lot or down Ruxton by the Iron Springs Chateau Melodrama. The Barr parking lot is full a lot of the time. In the summer you have generally have to be there before 6 AM to find a parking spot.

You can either start up the Incline on a trail out of the Barr parking lot that is at the opposite end from Barr Trail or the bottom of the Incline by cutting through one of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway parking lots. I doubt they like people doing that. At a 40 minute pace, the point the trail from the Barr parking lot joins the Incline is about 4 minutes from the bottom of the Incline. The middle part of the Manitou Incline is owned by the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and you are trespassing if you do it.

For how to eat for endurance sports, take a look at my post on how I use Hammer Nutrition products. I also have a post on what I did for nutrition during my 2006 solo Race Across America attempt. You can get 15% off your first order by using my customer number 10704. Even though I believe Hammer has the best fueling products and supplements on the market always race with what you trained with. Their products are different than the sugary sports drinks out there and can take a while to dial in if your used to the other stuff.

Hi Tec Penrith Mid Jr. WP Hiking Boots

Price: $38.73

Adidas AX2 Mid GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $135.00

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $219.95

Tags: Hammer Nutrition, Manitou Incline, sports nutrition
Posted in Bike, Hike, Nutrition | No Comments »

Kokopelli Trail Race Starts in a Couple Hours

May 18th, 2007

The Kokopelli Trail Race is supposed to start in a couple hours. Hopefully the BLM will leave it along. Somebody there thinks that a permit is needed. The website for the race seems to have been taken down.

The Kokopelli Trail Race is 142 miles of unsupported racing between Moab, UT and Fruita, CO. Like the Trans Iowa race, no outside support is allowed. More than that though there’s no registration and people just show up at midnight for the start. I plan on doing the route next week at an easy pace in 3 days. The top guys should finish in a little over 12 hours.

Dave and Chris from the Denver area plan on being there. The Fat Cyclist and Adam Lisonbee from Utah are also planning on doing it.

Hi Tec Penrith Mid Jr. WP Hiking Boots

Price: $38.73

Adidas AX2 Mid GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $135.00

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $219.95

Technorati Tags: mountain biking | Kokopelli Trail Race

Tags: Kokopelli Trail Race, mountain biking
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Jure Robic Wins Race Around Slovenia

May 14th, 2007

Two time Race Across America winner Jure Robic won the first Race Around Slovenia this past weekend. It was 1,100 kilometers. I haven’t found a race report but it was posted to the UltraCycling Topica list that Robic won by a big margin.

Once again Robic is signed up for the Race Across America. Last year he dropped out in Pagosa Springs with pneumonia. Kenny Souza was also having breathing trouble and was stopped about 60 miles earlier in Durango for several hours. That’s when I was feeling great in an area I know well. That’s where I moved into 4th place in the Enduro division. Of course it didn’t matter when I got injured in the fierce wind storm in eastern Colorado and western Kansas. I limped my way to the Mississippi River before dropping out.

Hi Tec Penrith Mid Jr. WP Hiking Boots

Price: $38.73

Adidas AX2 Mid GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $135.00

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $219.95

Tags: Jure Robic, RAAM, Race Across America, Race Around Slovenia, ultra cycling
Posted in Bike, Road Bike | No Comments »

Top 5 Reasons Cyclists Shave Their Legs

May 9th, 2007

As a male cyclist, I’ve been shaving my legs for nearly 20 years. In the winter, I don’t take the time to shave. Nearly every winter, I decide leg shaving is too much bother and that I’m not going to shave when spring rolls around. Every year though it hasn’t taken many warm days of riding before I can’t wait to shave the thick hair off my legs.

This year I haven’t shaved yet. I haven’t had a chance to ride much and we haven’t had many days warm enough for riding in shorts. The few warm days I’ve ridden have made me ready to shave my legs.

Over the years, I’ve been asked many times why male cyclist shave their legs. A lot of people think it’s because of aerodynamics. Although shaving helps swimmers, I’ve read it makes very little difference if any in speed for cyclists.

Here are what I think are the top 5 reasons to shave.

Crashes

If you crash, it’s easier to clean up the road rash and doesn’t hurt as much taking off bandages. I say at least for mountain biking, if you never crash you aren’t riding fast enough or riding technical enough trails. Even if you just ride on the road, if you ride enough you’re bound to go down.

Tradition

Road cyclists have been shaving their legs for decades. If you you show up for a serious group ride with unshaven legs, other riders will shun you. Nobody will want to be riding close to you. They will think you aren’t experienced riding in a pack. This means you’ll likely cause a crash. Even mountain bikers should be using group road rides for training. Pro mountain bikers spend about 70% of their time training on the road.

Psychological Advantage

I generally end up shaving my legs about the time I start getting fast on the bike. Having my legs shaved makes me feel even faster. Other riders I know have said the same thing. Thinking you’re faster can make the difference between being dropped or dropping someone else.

It Feels Better

I’ve found that when it’s warm and I haven’t shaved my legs, I get more bugs hanging out and biting me. I also don’t like the feel of the wind on my hairy legs when descending at 50 mph. After a mountain bike race with mud bogs and and stream crossings, it’s no fun standing in the parking lot with only a little water and trying to clean mud off hairy legs.

Massages

I don’t get massages very often but they certainly help with recovery. I’ve been told massage therapists can give smooth legs a better massage. I do know getting a massage with shaved legs feels better.

Are there any other reasons for cyclists to shave their legs that should have made the top 5? Or are there reasons for cyclists not to shave? Ready to show you’re a cyclist but have questions about shaving, go here.

I’ve thought about writing about leg shaving a couple times over the last year but I finally took the time to do it because of a group writing project at ProBlogger. I’m don’t expect to make my living blogging any time soon. I know what my writing abilities are or rather my lack of writing abilities. There’s a reason I develop software instead. I like ProBlogger for technical information such as how search engines work and how web traffic is driven by some of the new social websites.

Here are some other posts from the group writing project that are fitness and health related. Actually most of them have to do with weight loss. I’ve totally fallen off the wagon with losing weight for the B7 Challenge with all the stress at work. I haven’t even done my 3 mile time trial that should have been done last week.

Hi Tec Penrith Mid Jr. WP Hiking Boots

Price: $38.73

Adidas AX2 Mid GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $135.00

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $219.95

Tags: cycling, mountain biking, weight loss
Posted in Bike | 35 Comments »

Reckless Survival Training Death

May 6th, 2007

Yesterday’s Gazette had an article from the AP about Dave Buschow who died last July while taking a survival training course in Utah. For some reason I couldn’t find the Gazette online version but I found it on another website.

When it happened last summer, I never could find many details on it. Even with what I could find it seemed like the course instructors had pushed Dave too far. I generally believe that people are responsible for what happens to them. There are a lot of risks in life whether you’re in the backcountry or not. Sometimes bad things happen and they aren’t someone elses fault. In some cases it’s because someone made a bad decision but they thought it was the right decision when they made it. I’ve certainly done that.

There was a post on out there last July about who’s responsible for risks in various outdoor activities. The article was in response to Dave’s death. On it I commented

In the case of the guy asking for water and not being given it, I don’t know all the details but that seems like a bad thing on the part of the instructor. I can see limiting food but water isn’t something you can survive long without. I could be convinced that in this case the instructor and the school are at fault.

After reading the article, I was more than convinced the instructors were at fault. I was outraged at their actions. The temperature was around 100 degrees. The group found water around 8:30 in the morning. They drank from the water but weren’t allowed to put any in bottles to carry with them. The idea was they could only drink when they found water. Although they tried to find water throughout the day, they never found any.

Dave got to the point of falling down and the others in the group had trouble getting him back to his feet. At one point he mistook a tree for a person. His tongue was swollen. He would hurry off in the wrong direction. Finally around 7 PM over 10 hours after last drinking water, the group got to a cave with a pool of water. Dave fell again less than a 100 yards from the water. He said he couldn’t continue but the instructor with him kept telling him he could make it. Dave quit breathing and the group was unable to revive him. It turns out the instructor had emergency water in his pack.

I just can’t imagine going that long without drinking even in cool conditions let alone in that kind of heat. It’s one thing to push people to exhaustion from long days of hiking or from lack of food but not from lack of water. It was also the 2nd day of a 28 day course. It takes time to acclimate to the dry desert air and the heat. Dave was from New Jersey so I’m sure he wasn’t used to the dryness. Before I’ve done long bike races in the desert, I’ve done heat training in my bathroom.

I’ve done up to week long backpacking trips by myself in the Superstition Mountains and the Grand Canyon. I’ve almost been out of water when I’ve found more. Only once was I out of water for a couple hours before finding more. The temperature was only around 60 degrees. I was making a loop and I knew I could cut to where I had gotten water a couple days before. That would have probably meant 6-7 hours without water. For the couple hours before I found water, finding water was about the only thing I thought about. I can’t imagine what I would have been thinking after over 10 hours without water in 100 degree weather.

Hi Tec Penrith Mid Jr. WP Hiking Boots

Price: $38.73

Adidas AX2 Mid GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $135.00

Salomon X Alp Mid LTR GTX Hiking Boots

Price: $219.95

Tags: hiking, Utah
Posted in Hike | 2 Comments »