Category: Uncategorized
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At the beginning of each year I set a few goals that I want to accomplish. Not new years resolutions (those rarely get kept) but goals. One of those goals was to complete a 300+ mile bike race. I had already signed up for the Unbound XL 350 mile race but I set the goal…
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While the morning light boosted my mood the rain was less welcome. Through the night we had ridding through a lot of areas that had very recently seen rain and saw a lot of lightning in the distance. Early in the morning I caught up with that weather. The occasional heavy downpours certainly added to…
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“Never quit in the dark” I told another rider as she mentioned giving up at the Matfield Green aid station. “Is that your personal rule?” she asked. “It is THE golden rule of any ultra endurance event” was my response. It was around 4am and we had all just been battling several miles of muddy…
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One of the most interesting aspects of these ultra distance cycling races is that they involve riding through the night. Most of these races start in the late afternoon or early evening so even the top riders have to ride from sundown to sunrise. I few weeks earlier I spent a week camping out near…
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While I still have not yet completed telling my Unbound XL story I have been actively training for my next big adventure. In just 2 weeks from now I will be doing the Gravel Worlds Long Voyage 300 mile race in Lincoln Nebraska. My hope is to be much better prepared for this one. Most…
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Going into the evening the temperature started to cool a bit, the headwind let off and the views were absolutely spectacular. The wide open prairie land south of Emporia really can be breathtaking. From the higher points it feels like you can see for 50 miles in any direction. People underestimate Kansas, you really need…
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Training through the winter and spring in New Hampshire for an early summer race in Kansas has been a challenge. The snowy roads prevent getting in any real outdoor miles but more importantly preparing for a long day in the heat is challenging living in a cold climate. Over the past couple of years since…
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Just 5 weeks earlier I was completely spent at the end of a 128 mile race. This was one of my warm up races to get ready for Unbound but more than a just a warmup it was also a test to see if I was ready. At the end, while I really enjoyed the…
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I am long overdue for an update. The last race was the 128 mile Open Range Gravel race. I still need to write up a full story on that but I will just say it was absolutely spectacular. I will also say it was hard, likely the hardest long effort I have ever done. I…
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The great thing about competition is the opportunity to find what you are capable of. Yes, you can go out on your own and in theory push your limits but in reality, for me at least, that only happens in a competitive setting. Sometimes, such as last Saturday in the Flint Hills of Kansas I…
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