Flightly Bastards and Minimialism

Ok -- I've decided to save my money. That's right, save for the glory frame, like I'd originally planned. I know -- GEEZ, I wish this clown would make up his mind.
But, all of the consipracy theories, tales of exploding frames and ranting forum posts from disgruntled crit racers that expect their frames to survive four or five Cat.5 stupidity pileups have lead me to one conclusion: I need to make up my OWN mind. On one side are all of the upset people with broken frames. On the other side is a lifetime warranty for frame replacement, one such case involving someone who's frame failed after 40,000 miles. Ok, I might be bored with the setup by THEN. There is the Cannondale stress testing and unbiased third party testing, and the solid results. Of the problems Cannondale HAS had, very little of them have actualy had to do with the FRAMES. Usually it's their proprietary components, suspension, and the like, and usually it's with mountain bikes... so I've heard.
In typical Jeckyl and Hyde fashion, I have once again come full circle and decided the BEST thing to do right now is NOTHING. If my goal is speed for Tejas, this is the RIGHT bike. I don't plan on crashing -- and if I ever do someday it'll probably be a doozey that would trash a STEEL frame, too. Yeah, I'm all about steel -- but I'm all about BIKES FIRST. I'm not gonna be that much of a snob.

There are, however a few things I DO want to change about it before I get too crazy. The ten-speed rear end is a little touchy on the road, so I'm half considering converting it to 9-speed - a little devolution. Throw on one of my older 9-speed D/A rear D's, a new chain, and the shifting will improve from a standpoint of touchiness, with a small weight penalty. Plus, the 9-speed makes more sense from a brevet standpoint - the SRAM powerlinks are easier to work with, considering the ten-speed powerlinks don't come apart again once engaged, by design. Also, the chain is more substantial and may last longer. The front chainrings won't care if it's a 9 or 10 speed chain, but another thing I enjoyed on the Kogswell was the compact drive. The 'Dale has 53/29 road standard rings, and I'm really thinking that a smaller crankset would better suit my riding style, but I'm not 100% sure on that yet. Again, I could just put the cash in the hopper towards the glory frame of five-years-from-now. I'll sleep on it again.

But, this blog is getting a little tedious from a gear standpoint. Even *I* am getting tired of listening to me talk about what frame material is best for what, and floating back and forth on the issue like some crazed politician. This Saturday is the C'Dude Cidermill Run (hey, there's that CCR reference again!), so I'll ride it, and assess it, and see what I want to change, if anything. Personally, I think I need new tires before Tejas, more than I need a complete drivetrain re-tool, even if I DO have most of the components I need already.

So, let's put this silliness behind us, and talk about RIDES again, eh? Novel idea.

Song of the Week - 7/11

Southern Cross -- Crosby, Stills & Nash

What was I thinking, and other flood water notions.

So, there I was, waist-deep in flood water. With my Steamroller by my side, most of it under water, and the back-end sliding a little in the current, I thought to myself, "this could end poorly." It's amazing what trying to avoid a six-mile detour will make me do sometimes, but today I was really thinking that I should have taken the extra mileage. I was one giant floating branch away from becoming another flash flood statistic. Gotta get to work, though. Idiot.

Hey, Carradice bags DO float!

Making my way across the bike trail... I think that's what I'm stepping on.... underneath Switzer and US-69 highway, after a HUGE dumper of a thunderstorm, I suddenly felt like I was wading across some swamp in a foreign country during war-time, but my only weapon was a bicycle. Keep your powder dry, moron.

Easy to reminisce about it now, sitting safely at my day job, working my way to the bottom of a bowl of hot bean soup, but that was REALLY dumb at the time. At one point I thought about turning around, but I was already past the halfway point. What a mess I'll have to clean up after I get up outta here, too. The bike will need a lot of lube and a lot of time upside down to dry out after this. Don't
forget to pull the seatpost.

It's another in a long line of "what was I thinking?" moves. Along those same lines lives the Cannondale decision. After hearing tales of failed frames, cracks, truncated warranties, and other horrors, I'm starting to question my purchase in the first place, much less my desicion to put this bike in a randonnuering mode. These issues started popping up with the CAAD7 frames, and mine's a CAAD8 - even thinner and lighter. Maybe I ask too much, but for MY STYLE of riding, I don't need a bike that comes with an owner's manual that indicates "hey, be careful - this bike is designed to go fast for a couple seasons". I need a bike with an owner's manual that reads: "here's your new bike. Go ride the crap out of it. It won't care."

What gets me THAT? Steel. I have to chalk it up to a fit of idiocy. I "needed" this Cannondale for a purpose that STILL hasn't come up. I missed the KCCC time trial, which was the only remotely tangible reason I could think of to have this thing. Yeah, it's comfortable, fast, stiff, climbs well -- but it's twitchy. Especially after 2500 miles since January on the Kogswell, this bike feels WEIRD. I know I'll get used to it -- but I'm not sure I WANT to get used to it. It might as well be a ticking time bomb, and regardless of the reassurances I've received about other riders on Cannondales, I have to remember that those are OLDER Cannondales. Back when they were built sturdier. Before the legal provisos, and the ranting forum entries and secret dealer recall notices. The shop I work at flat stopped carrying them. Completely. Too many issues. That SHOULD be telling me something, and lately it's been screaming it in my ears. DON'T use this bike for brevets.

What was I THINKING???

Dudes, seriously --
I just can't fathom riding that aluminum can for another five years. It's just not me, not safe for me and my riding style, and not worth the risk. I'll take the hit. SOMEbody will want that frameset for racing, and that's what it's made for. Me? I'm steel. I'm good, solid, long-lasting components. That's what I have to stay true to. I don't know what I'm going to do exactly to accomplish that end, but I'm working on it. I may ride the Cannondale at Tejas, I may not.
We'll see --

I don't know what I was thinking THEN, but I do know what I'm thinking NOW.
Much like getting across the water yesterday, it might have been a mistake but I made it across unscathed. In this case, riding the Cannondale is almost like standing in that water and waiting for something bad to happen. THAT would truly be foolish of me.

Stay tuned --- and please forgive my momentary lapse of sensibility.

Steel is real!

Motivation low

I know it will come back -- but MAN it's been a tough week.
After talking things out and getting some feedback from the wife - who always knows me better than *I* know me - it's pretty clear that I'm having a bummer week and at the core it seems that this is another holiday that's come along with someone missing. This was one of his favorites, and I guess subconsciously I've been having trouble dealing with heading over to the parents' place like every year and having something very much out of place. It's affected a lot this week, and frankly I've been in a crappy mood because of it. Hard to shake such things.

It's just not fair, ya know? But anyways, it's making every OTHER hardship in life seem worse than it probably is. Had an absolutely *crappy* Monday - felt physically bad because of alergies or something, felt fatigued, tired, etc. Got thru job1 without a problem, I guess - then got to ride my bike: that always helps. Got to Job2, and was greeted by someone having apparently a worse Monday than *I* was, and - of course - I didn't SAY anything about it, just decided to "let it go", which was really an exercise in running it thru my head for about 18 hours. Man, it's a great job, but there is always that ONE guy, isn't there? Heaven forbid I don't catch the door on the 2nd attempt. Sheeesh. Later that night, albeit an accident, I get whacked in the chin by another co-worker. I mean, crap, THAT made my head feel better. (Pity party barge leaves in 5 minutes) Tuesday was slightly better except that job1 DRAGGED because everyone is on vacation this week, seemingly, and job2 we ran out of workstations, so I performed work outside and got a nice sunburn on my head. Feels great. At this point I'm just laughing about things so far. Because of the holiday, it seems like a whole new week now, and the events of Monday and Tuesday seem like they happened a month ago - but man...things probably woula rolled better if I hadn't had a hundred other things pending in my head.

So many things coming up in the next 6 months to plan for, so many things hinged on so many OTHER things. I haven't had "time" to ride, and take care of my mental state. Let's see: June was my lightest month this year on the saddle, and the only thing that kept it out of the basement of REALLY low mileage was the 600K. Thank goodness for the 600K, for without it all this stress would be a lot harder to absorb. But, honestly, I haven't commuted that much, and I haven't ridden a single WEEKEND ride of any length since the 600K. That really needs to change, and fast, before I lose fitness and endurance. I can't afford to let the stresses of the workweek wipe me out to the point where I stop doing the things I love.... but lately that's been the case. It's a vicious cycle, indeed. I need to get that zest back - but I keep forgetting HOW. Now that I'm working MORE, it's even more important that I be careful NOT to enjoy life LESS. I've got the Cannondale all built-up and ready to roll, and I haven't even test ridden it up the block and back yet. How do YOU spell "mild depression?" Snap out of it, dude!!!

Next week is a new week, and this weekend is a new weekend. Sunday, I think a nice, early-start, LONG ride is in order. Possibly 100 miles -- who knows. But, I think it would do me a tremendous amount of good to get out the maps, plot a route, and just kick my butt outta bed and get OUT there, and get my head reset. Maybe snap a few pictures and write a good story about it. Yeah..... I think that will work. La Cygne and back might be in order...maybe a trip out to Overbrook?

It's time to get back on track. Life is hard. Put on your helmet, and ride.

The 2007 MS-150 - Pledge now!

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Pledge for the 2007 MS-150 here!

Evolution

The swap-over is complete, and after a couple of days of good solid wrenching in the garage, the Kogswell is down to a bare frame and fork, pretty much exactly how it started it's life in my garage. It's always hard to let something like a bicycle go, especially when you lean towards the romantic the way I often do. I spent a lot of time with it, logged a lot of hard miles, achieved a few firsts, and overcame some really nasty weather with its sturdy tubes underneath me. But really, it's just a tool, just a collection of metals drawn into familiar shapes. It's strange - if melted down I'd probably not give it moments notice - but shaped and honed into a bicycle frame it has an aura of possibility surrounding it. Like the Bianchi, the CrossCheck, the Trek 720, the Schwinn, the World Sport, Purple Hippo, the Univega before it, it will always hold a place in my memory - but it's time to move on. It will find a good home with someone, I'm sure.

After transferring all of the parts to the swap-meet box, and salvaging the ones I wanted for the Cannondale, I now have two other bikes that are better for the whole thing. The Steamroller is complete, and seems more 'finished', instead of simply cobbled together with leftovers. It's something I could ride on the weekends now - not that I couldn't before, but something about it wasn't quite "weekend approved". Partly, it makes me consider the 2008 brevet series on single speed again, but that remains to be seen.

The Cannondale has gone thru a sort of evolution, however. It's not really improved so much as it's refined. The STI levers are gone, and I never realized how heavy they were until they were off the bike. They are, quite possibly, the heaviest item on the front of any modern road bike. Even some high-end front wheels are lighter. Replacing them with the new Cane Creek brake levers and the Shimano bar-end shifters, the front end of the Cannondale is not just light; it’s stupid light. Adding the generator hub might only serve to help keep the front end on the ground during seated climbs!

The shifters were a gamble, but the measurements didn't lie: the old 8-speed bar-cons in friction mode - which is how they've been set since they were last on the Trek 720 - work just fine. The rear spacing from 7 to 8 to 9 and now 10 speed rear cog-sets has remained the same - only the cogs themselves and the spacing between them has changed. So, the limits on the lever feel the same as they have always felt, and even the action is nice. It's a little quicker between gears than the 9-speed, but very manageable and not at all finicky. The brake levers are a great match to the Ultegra calipers, providing snappy feel and good modulation - and a much lighter feel than the stock STI levers. Plus, the hoods themselves are a little shorter and infinitely more comfy (for MY hands that is). Further, where the stock STI levers were a tad long in reach for me, the new set-up is about 12mm closer to me, and the shorter reach matches the Steamroller within a cm. Actually, the Steamroller's reach is now longer than the C'Dale's - but all in all, within one cm on the handlebars is close enough to prevent bike transition maladies, much as it was between the Kogswell and Steamroller previously.

The main thing gained from all this is less weight, and probably more efficiency. Knowing that the Cannondale frame is very efficient, and more power gets to the ground while remaining just as comfortable as the steel frameset it replaces, I can rest easy that both Tejas and the 2008 brevets (if performed on this bike) will be a little bit easier, and faster. I quote Greg Lemond: "it never gets easier…you just get faster." Hopefully that's the case. I have the distance down pat - the only thing I need to work on is speed-at-distance, and this new set-up will certainly help.

On the scales, the Kogswell in full brevet trim weighed in at just over 32 lbs. That's not bad - but certainly hefty. It's deceiving, however, because from the saddle I never had a complaint about weight. The Cannondale, however, in full brevet trim, weighs in at just over 18 lbs. That's nearly 50% lighter, while being more efficient in the process - and it's geared for a higher top-end, so I shouldn't find myself spinning out the top gear like I had in the past in a good tailwind.

In addition, I've also trimmed back my brevet set-up a little - while the Carradice saddlebag system would work just fine on the C'Dale, I had already changed things on the Kogswell after the 600K. Questions arose on that ride, like "why am I carrying clothes for tomorrow, today???" While the Carradice bags holds a lot, I also remember a quote from Dale-From-Iowa: "The only bad thing about big bags is they instantly make you want to fill them." This lends itself towards being OVER-prepared for rides. Layers and clothing are essential, but I did indeed find myself carrying things simply because I COULD - and 300 miles into a 600K, it's common to want to start tossing that extra ballast into the road-side ditch. It doesn't seem like much at the start, but towards the end of a ride, that third tube might as well be a brick. So, I have trimmed WAY back, carrying only the essentials - *NOT* cutting any corners with regards to preparedness, I placed each item from the 600K checklist, and asked myself "WHY am I carrying this?" For many items, I didn't have a need for it. The smaller seatbag that remains holds an amazing array of preparedness items - but only the essentials. Two tubes in a baggie wrapped in electrical tape, 8 Park Super-Patches, three Park tire boots, a tire lever, FiberFix spoke, extra spoke nipple, valve-stem nut, presta-to-schrader adapter, small Swiss-Army pocket knife, Crank Brothers 7-function multi-tool with chain breaker, SRAM 10-speed powerlink, 2 safety pins, 4 zip ties, two spare AAA batteries, and a pair of latex gloves. All of this fits inside a Pearl Izumi seatbag with room to spare for credit cards, ID and some cash. Everything else can fit in the back pockets. For longer brevets in questionable weather, I still have a Carradice Super-C saddlepack wedge that will hold extra layers of clothes and a rain jacket. In either case, it's far less than I've carried before, but more than I ever USED to carry in 2003. Taking Ort's lead after his successful 'minimalist' 600K in Texas, I'm carrying everything I need for anything that can happen to the bike that won't prompt a DNF. His catastrophic blowout 60 miles from the finish wasn't even enough to stop him. While others might have criticized him for taking only a small seat-wedge along, when that tire-splitting flat occurred, he had everything he needed to fix it and finish - and he did. I can't think of a stronger case. Pack what you need - nothing more - and if it's worse than that, it wasn't meant to be. I also hearken back to the Warbird, whom I'm sure will get a kick out of this as well: He rode stupid long distances on nothing more than a small seatbag and water. He told me once that "you can't bring along a spare bike, dude." Pointing to his bag, he'd often say that "this is all I need". Every once in a while he'd borrow a spare tube or a patch from me or another rider - but he was never stranded. All the while, I was purchasing bigger and bigger bags "just in case". Yeah, it worked, and I finished brevets consistently - but I could have been easier on myself. There is a huge difference between touring and randonnuering. Call it the commuter in me - but I always have used roughly the same set-up for brevets as well as rides to work. With a full arsenal of wool I simply don't need to carry as much stuff with me now, even in the nastiest weather, and that's an evolution I can like with. Hopefully for Tejas and the 2008 brevet season the numbers will also evolve to reflect less fatigue, more speed for less effort, and success with less.

The Cannondale looks awfully good, too, in brevet trim. Frame pump, bar-ends, and green (yes, green) bar-tape as a tribute to bicycles past, it's ready for battle. Let's get to training - Tejas is coming!!!

Song of the Week - July 1st

Starting a new thing here on the blog -- I think it will be interesting (at least for me in a few years) to look back and see what was tripping my trigger at certain points in my life. And, hey - I might just introduce ya'll to some different music in the process.

I might get one on here every week -- I might not. Life is uncertain, and so is this blog. ack! pffft!

Ok -- edition #1:

This week's song of the week is: "Australia" by The Shins, off the album Wincing the Night Away.

Check it out. Better played very loudly.

Working Title

Whooooo! What a month June has been -- started with a bang with the finish of my first 600K, which is a high I'm still riding. RAAM has come and gone, and Robic once again smashed the field and brought home another win -- his third. Next year, he might well become the only four-time winner. PBP is less than 50 days away. The MS-150 is less than 80 days away. The Tejas 500 is barely 93 days away. I've run almost a dozen or so 5K's now - personal, not t-shirt runs - and the strength is coming along AND it seems to be benefiting my climbing on the bike, which was unexpected. I'm keeping things on that level until after Tejas, however, when the real marathon training will begin in earnest. For now, everytihng is feeling pretty solid.

Things are getting busier, however, as I've started up a 2nd job again, working at my LBS in the evenings a few days a week. This is a great way to support my habit, give a little "dude" flavor to every bike I touch, and supplement the income a bit. Yeah, it's time away from life - but I have to do what I have to do, ya know. It will make the training schedule tougher - but I have to adapt, and I can. It seems silly, but that thing about the 600K being a little life-changing might be a stretch, but the attitude-changing aspect of it is very real. Everything seems possible, and challenges are easier to manage. I breathe deeper, and think about things slower and with more patience. I figure once a year I can recharge that feeling, and probably be a better person for it. Next year, the goals list will be considerably shorter, but it will defintely include the brevet series. If nothing else, for 2008 the medals will be a new design, so I have to collect the whole set!

The bike stable is changing, too. After completing the 600K, the headset on the Kogswell was essentially trashed, as I expected, so before vacation I brought it into the LBS for a headset swap - one of the few things I am not equipped for in the home shop. Well, at least not equipped for a Chris King swap, which requires special methods and adapters. Long story short (that's a shock for THIS blog!) the Kogswell is no longer in service, due to issues that came up with the stock fork. I was afraid it would happen, but it's only the last straw in a long list of short-comings with that fork. Adding to the issue, getting a replacement fork from an off-the-shelf vendor is impossible, because of the special dimensions and rake that make the Kogswell frameset what it is. The 1" threaded technology is gone, only a handful of companies still make quality headsets for them, and fewer make forks. I could go threadless, but that kinda kills the whole retro vibe of the frame - it looks weird, and still there are not many threadless 1" forks that would work with the frame. Further, even if I found the right fork - or (gasp - $$$$) had one built - I'm looking at painting it, too. Instead of losing a bunch of sleep, and figuring out how to budget the funds to replace it properly, I've decided to cut my losses and use this as an opportunity. Much deliberation and list-making, the Cannondale - which only a month ago was on the "endangered" list, close to going up for sale due to lack of use - is going to take up the main bike role. It will handle brevets just fine with some modifications, and I've had it up beyond the double-century mark with no issues in the comfort territory, it's strong enough, lighter, and everything on it is essentially new. Conversely, the Kogswell is PERFECT, but the headset is jsut the first in a long line of parts that are reaching the ends of their service lives. It's either sell the Cannondale and replace everything on the Kogswell with those funds, or take advantage of the good deal I got on the Cannondale and just RIDE IT. The Kogswell has a much better chance of finding the right buyer out there, whether on the BOB list or somewhere else. I wouldn't get my money back out of the Cannondale - no way. But, wider tires - which it will accept - bar-end shifters from the Kogswell, the new brake levers, ditch the STI levers, add the frame pump - which fits fine - and transfer over the lighting system for brevets, and the Cannondale will fit the bill nicely. It's lighter and more efficient. Justifications aside, I know it sounds really weird for the Dude, the long-time lugged steel holdout, to suddenly change gears and give such props to an aluminum bike. Yeah, I know --- it was bad enough that I BOUGHT the darn thing, but at the time it made sense, and stepping back now and looking at my options it STILL makes sense. Seriously, it's THAT comfortable, and I *NEVER* would have thought that if I hadn't ridden it. It continues to impress me every time I ride it, and that impression holds true all the way up to 200 miles. Blindfolded, I would simply not be able to tell you which bike I was riding, between the Kogswell and the Cannondale, based on road feel: yeah, the STI levers would give it away, but all things equal I can't tell a difference in ride quality. That's with 28c tires on the Kogswell and 23c tires on the Cannondale, too. It's simply a well-engineered bike, and I have to at some point stop apologizing for it. It's just a different metal, a different way of doing things - for better or worse. It's time to ride it, enjoy it, and justify the initial purchase. Is it the LAST frameset I'll own? No way. When it's time comes, I'm quite certain a Thorn, Richard Sachs, Rivendell, Heron, Mariposa, Waterford or Serotta will take it's place. I will save my pennies and dimes towards that end, because there is no sense in me putting money towards a new custom fork and paint job on a frame that I didn't pay that much for to begin with. Not that there is ANYTHING WRONG WITH THEM, but my phase of "price-point" bikes filling the role of primary bike are done. The Surly Steamroller is PERFECT as a backup bike and a commuter, but I don't see myself riding a Surly Pacer or LHT as a primary bike. Again, nothing wrong with those that DO, but if I'm gonna get another steel bike it will be time to make an investment and do it RIGHT, probably $2000 or higher for frame and fork - it will take about five years to get there, but it will be worth it. VERY high quality, with the features I want, not the features I will talk myself into living with.

So, the stable loses a steed, and the sun has set on the Kogswell. It's a great frame -- the fork is okay. And as I type this, it's clean, ready for sale, and the fork has been re-installed correctly and is probably good for the next 4 years to the right buyer that is looking for a lugged steel back-up bike, or commuter.
(if this happens to be YOU, email me - headset, bottom bracket and seatpost are included.)

The Steamroller has already seen the benefits by getting a few new parts, and the Cannondale is getting refitted with new levers and bar-end shifters tonite in the garage. Like I told Ort when going thru this battle-plan in my head, it's a move that makes so much sense, I can't believe I didn't do it earlier. I get new parts for both bikes, the Cannondale moves from racer with STI levers to a platform that makes more sense for the riding that I REALLY do, I gain a set of spare wheels, and I'll probably make a little cash from the Kogswell so I can budget entry fees and new tires for the 2008 season. Not bad!

The next big thing - the Cidermill Ride is coming up, the C'Dude edition.
See www.commuterdude.com/teamcdude.htm for details!

What, 500 miles on a bike ain't hard enough for ya?

I've added another goal to my list of "stuff" to check off before I die, lest it be the very thing that kills me:

Ladies and gentlemen... he has... crossed over....

to running! (booooo.) Quiet you!

So, I'm tired of being a mediocre athlete with a weight problem, I've decided the best way to do something about it is three-fold:

1) diet. would you actually just STICK to something, please, dude? Stop eating like crap.

2) Cross-training. For some reason, work has gotten busier, and I haven't been back into hte gym for a while now, and I miss it. Yoga, weights class - I need to get back in the habit.

3) Nothing burns a mid-section like running, from what I've witnessed and read. My biggest problem area is my mid-section. Abs work since January hasn't yielded VISIBLE results (yet), but it has made it possible for me to still wear my old pants while my weight has increased. This is an indication that something is happening.
Paired with re-focusing of the diet, and steady running beginning next week (well, starting with walking fast, initially), I want to see dramatic results by the time Tejas gets here in 101 days.


So, goal time:
I'm going on record here:

Complete the 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon, January 13th, 2008.

Yeah, it's in 2008, but it's really early in 2008, so I can nearly consider this a goal for THIS year, because 99% of my training will take place this year.
That's in addition to ramping up for the Tejas 500. Honestly, this is a huge deal for me, and it's probably more of a challenge for me than cycling at any distance because I simply don't enjoy running the way I enjoy cycling. The theory is that cycling has become so engrained, it's simply something that I do -- not to say it's not still hard at times, but I think you get the idea. The running will be above and beyond the cycling, and will hopefully shock my body out of complacency and back into fat-burning mode.

So, there you go!
The registration fee is paid, and I'll be joining my Mom who will be competing in the same marathon for the third time in succession. Yep - "yer mom runs marathons, slacker." So, there is a lot of accountability there!
The running shoes are ready, and I'm looking forward to a fresh challenge. When the Tejas 500 wraps in late September, I'll hang up the bike for a bit and focus on building distance on foot as the nasty weather starts to work it's way back into the forecast this fall.

This is what it's all about -- finishing the 600K, suddenly everything seems possible. It's a good feeling. Let's see how deep I can busy myself in it!!!

A weekend of firsts: The 600K report

UPDATED 6/5/2007 3:55pm
Please scan for added notes below:
if you've already read it once, there's probably more!
...and probably a lot more typo corrections.

Let's begin by completely eliminating the suspense. Anyone reading this blog lately knows, and anyone that's known me since I started cycling knows, that this weekend was yet another chance to get the big one. The quintessential rite of passage for randonnuers. Yeah, in typical "dude" fashion, I gotta talk things up a bit - but seriously. Like a racer's first crit win, like the time trialist breaking the course record, like ANY big challenge and big personal wall, anything worth accomplishing, the 600K is the last in the series of spring brevets, and the last step of a journey that tells the organizers of Paris-Brest-Paris and any other crown-jewel event that, yes, YOU are worthy and ready.

I finished.

FINALLY.

After trying at this since 2002, I finally broke past the internal barriers, the self-doubt, the planning and the mileage itself, and finished the 2007 Kansas City 600K brevet in a well-planned 38 hours, 55 minutes.

The amazing part, as I type this, I still feel a sense of surrealism about the whole thing, so I risk missing certain details by posting so soon. Still, I wanted to get it out there, to express my excitement about finally acheiving what only a tiny fraction of the human population has ever done. I have no idea how I did it.

Make no mistake, I want to go on-record and say it:
This ride was the hardest thing I've ever done. Period.

The length of the route can only be described this way -- it would take literally weeks for me to type out and describe, the way I WANT to, everything I experienced in the same fashion that I have in the past. The 400K report was long enough, and this would easily take up twice that space -- I've elected to spare my fingers and your eyes by keeping this on the "quick hits and take-aways" level. Forgive me, fellow fans of literary imagery, for I have to draw the line somewhere.

I have no idea what made me ride all the way. NONE. I've never started a ride of this magnitude at night before and the 10pm start threw my digestive system for a loop after the 10 mile mark. A full dinner early in the evening, capped off by my usual pre-ride cocktail of Sustained Energy about an hour before leaving the house -- usually a full night's digestion helps things along, but this time things would sit and stew in my system. The shorter night-start rides I'd done over the last couple months never required the SE drink before hand. I felt horrid, seriously horrid, from mile 12 onward.  Near about Mission and 175th I lost track of the main pack. The fast bunch began to advance and I quickly found that there was only ONE rider that was slower than me. Not territory I was un-used to, but gosh I wanted to hang in with the group to at least the first control. It was going to be a long night.

Lightning flashed across the night sky - heavy weather was promised and I was kinda looking forward to the light show, as the biggest storms skirted the area to our south.   It was spectacular -- as a storm spotter for my county I've seen my share of lighting and storms, but EVERYTHING changed when I was RIDING near it at night like this. The smell, the brilliance of it all with no windshieid to obscure anything - amazing.
We stayed dry for the most part, however, in this early section.

Fireflies.  On 223rd street after I passed one rider that had stopped for a break, the road is skirted by wheat fields and tall grasses. I've only ever ridden 223rd St. one other time with Ort a couple years ago, and this 2nd time was also the first time at night.  I can't even describe it hardly -- the lightning to the south, the sweet smell of wet grass, the occasional rushing squish of wet pavement under tires, and the fireflies - hovering above the fields on each side of the road, as far back as I could see. Magical, the constant yellow twinkling. A heavenly moment.

Rain - I got my wish at 1:00am at 319th and Block Road -- slight sprinkles turned to light showers, and then steady rain - making the waiting game turn to definte, so Ken and I (whom I linked up with at Paola) stopped to don the rain jackets. It would rain for the next two hours, then stop for a few minutes, and begin again along K-152, and it would keep raining until just before dawn.   It was nice -- cool, pleasant. Refreshing - but not refreshing enough to take my mind off the mounting pain in my lower gut.

The doubt, the internal dialogue. I spent the first ONE-HUNDRED miles of the ride hating every moment of it, physically. The items above were simply distractions from the intestinal distress that was making it hard to maintain pace of any kind. The fact that I lost the fast group was partly for conditioning, partly for stomach. Blood gets diverted, liquid, pressure, and it becomes hard to even bend at the waist - much less push pedals over. I planned to call my friend Alan at from the control in Butler, MO, prepared to give directions for him to get me. A call to the wife would have only brought common sense talk, and I didn't want to hear that "I could do it."  I simply didn't want to ride anymore. I wanted to turn around. I wanted to go to sleep. The magic of night riding, the nice rain, the good company of Ken, were barely enough to keep me there. I wasn't going to Paris, I didn't NEED to qualify for anything, I didn't NEED to be out here. Thoughts of Ort, completing his first 600k ride only a week before, hundreds of miles away...how would I justify myself? What cowardly excuse could I devise? What cowardly excuse could I devise for MYSELF? How could I justify once again that I was somehow unable to complete the 600k? Would FINISHING it be worth it? REALLY? Why was I here??? I was formulating every scenario in my head, over and over, literally, for 100 miles, until I reached Butler.

After Passaic my pace dropped, Ken disappeared up the road, and I limped my way into the 2nd control. At 5:15 AM, I got my card signed at Butler's Conoco control and turned on my phone, paused, and then I turned it back off again. I sat, I ate something, waited, and nature called to my rescue. 15 minutes later, I got back on the bike. I started back north on US-71, as the cue sheet ordered, but at the intersection of Rte. H and US-71 there is one last opportunity to bail. I can ride north, back towards home, or I can turn right as directed and head towards Appleton City towards the rising sun.  Maybe it was simply because "the cue sheet said so"... maybe it was because, deep down, I knew I didn't have a good enough excuse.  Perhaps something in me was changing that was allowing me to finally ignore the background din of doubtful, self-created voices.

I turned right.

The sunrise was awesome, on highway H, midway between Butler and Appleton. The rain cleared, and the morning sky was breath-taking.

I reached Appleton City, alone, the fast group evading me by only a few minutes, but I did see one cyclist JUST peeking over the last hill out of town. A rabbit, perhaps. I was lucky enough to catch him, but it would take nearly 45 miles to do so.

A short rest at the control and I depart -- again, I don't remember why -- the surrealism continues. I think it was just the routine doing the work for me, subconscious pushing me. Perhaps the push of a dozen friends out there. Perhaps the spirit of a father past. Something was putting me back in the saddle, over and over. This next section was the bad one - Appleton City to Weableau, MO. was 62 miles of unknown territory for me, never ridden, never navigated. There is something to be said for discovery and seeing a new route for the first time -- there is something else to see a route with such a reputation for the first time.

Hills.   There are no hills in Johnson County, KS.   I think I've said this before. If nothing else, THIS time it's more-so. The reputation of this middle 200K section is confirmed -- it's evil. Well, okay, that might be too harsh. After all, *I* did it - so it can't be THAT bad.   A constant string of hills, the worst and most glorious of the hills came on highway "N". Obscene. The Ozark Hills are a feast for the eyes and torture for the legs. How I survived, I credit Payday candy bars, donuts and real Coke, and some unknown willpower that I've never tapped into before.

I'm exceedingly glad that the "Dirty Harry Ride" route is there, because it's the only thing even remotely close that got me ready for this ride - and it's still only got maybe 40% of the climbing. Yeah, seriously.

Food - on that note, yep - I, the old proponent of 'engineered nutrition', once again found that my usual stuff just wasn't working. Instead of panicking, or blaming things, or plodding along on a plan that just wasn't working, I changed, adapted. Now, instead of shaking my head at the other riders with their oddball nutrition plans, I now nod with understanding. My old mainstay of Sustained Energy was ballast, and I dropped the remaining baggies in the trash at Appleton City. Carboplex took it's place - there's something about the protein in SE that eventually stops working for me. Yeah, Carboplex is still 'engineered nutrition' - but it's simpler -- IT was working. In addition, I was now free to mix it up, so I did. I tried things that I've ALWAYS shunned on long rides. I had real Coke. I had Payday bars. I had Gatorade. I had pasries. I had PB Crackers. And I enjoyed success, consistant energy, excellnt hydration, no cramps, and plenty of push all day and night. Weird -- but it worked. My advice? It's all very personal - go with your gut. Read, know, and be careful -- if it DOESN'T work, change things FAST before it's too late and remember that stomach distress is temporary.


Secret controls are cool.  Nice surprise!

Highway 13 stinks. It's got a shoulder, but dangit - it sucks. I can't wait until MO-123 re-opens. I got my only flat here on highway 13's nasty shoulder.  Frame pumps work marvelously and are completely worth the extra weight -- very handy, and REAL. I don't blame the tires -- carpet spikes will do nasty things when hit correctly.

Highway "N" is better on the way back - but only because you know what to expect.
But, it still never seems to end. 15.4 miles of continuous 6 MPH up, 40 MPH down climbs takes a LONG time. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a sign that says "JCT 39", because you know "N" is over.

"Handlebar Palsy" is real. Few notes: my handlebars are level with my saddle height, and my hoods are level, so this is not an adjustment thing. This is not a hand position thing, as I moved my grip around a LOT. This is more of a "here, hold this for the next TWO DAYS, and let me hit it from underneath with a hammer" kinda things. I'm gonna maybe shop for some of those "Body Geometry" gloves, because my simple minimalist-padded gloves that have worked on every other distance did not work this time. From the heels of my hands, to the tips of my pinkies are numb and tingly - and I really hope it's temporary. Wow. I'd still do this all again in a heartbeat, because I have options. Oh, this is also with thick Profile bar tape, and Fizik bar gel underneath, on a bike with a forgiving steel frame and fork and 28c tires. There were guys with much racier setups that were'nt even able to open their empty water bottles at the controls. Raise de bars!

Clean, ice cold well water is AWESOME. A little Baptist Church at the intersection of Rt. O and Mo-82 has an open-invite for passing cyclists to grab a refill from their pump. This is a good thing, because there is literally NOTHING else out there on this stretch. Thanks, Jeff, again! Full bottles, and a full head-under-spigott head rinse --- it's SO good, so, so, good.

Not using enough grease on pedal axle threads will absolutely drive you bananas after riding in the rain for a few hours, after things dry out. Tick, tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick tick, tick. Repeat about 278,000 more times. It's the new soundtrack for my ride. Yeesh.

Turkey buzzards are HUGE.

Yellow and blue finches are like little angels. Cool.

Ladybugs can hold onto jersey sleeves at up to 43 MPH.

Birds I saw: Turkeys, chickens, pheasant, quail, a peacock, the turkey buzzards mentioned above, yellow and blue finches, orieles, barn swallows, scissor-tails, night hawks, red-tailed hawk, crested egret, mockingbird, Meadowlarks.

Other stuff seen on the road. Weird roadkill; there was this one pile of remains on "N" that I couldn't even recognize. There were Armadillos, tarantulas (or at least some really big fuzzy spider crossing the road), snakes; mostly black and harmless. Turtles - big ones. Various moths and butterflies. Big dragonfiles. Deer, cows - including a huge Angus bull. Dogs - including one little feisty guy that simply wanted a good run: he never leaped at me, just trotted along at about arms length, smiling, and pacing me up a hill. The neighbor dog a few miles down that same road tried to kill me, but he was thankfully tied to the bumper of a rusted out truck.

Bugs.   There is a REALLY big moth on 223rd street between Antioch and Switzer. Watch out. Seriously -- something jumped out of the bushes after my headlight, and it hit me square in the chest like someone had landed a punch.  That's a big freakin' bug.

Even the cheapest hotel is better than a church bench on a chilly night.
It's worth the cash.

Ask for a wake-up call, but don't depend on it.  Set the hotel room's alarm clock, too, and place it ACROSS the room. I slept SO hard for three hours that I swear I didn't GET the wake-up call I'd asked for, but the other alarm woke me up, I remembered where I was and what I was there for, and got moving on time.

The "pampered randonneur" has this game ALL figured out!
Special thanks to Dale-from-Iowa's (Dale B.) wife for the cold pizza and cream-cheese and strawberry pastries on Sunday morning at Paola!   AWESOME fuel!!!
Next year, a couple of plans --- a little more minimalist of a plan, smaller seatbag, and since I know I'll probably hit that hotel in Butler again, I'll make a couple phone calls ahead of time and arrange to have a package delivered to a pre-reserved room with fresh clothes, instead of CARRYING them all day. Then, baggie-up the old sweaty clothes and mail them home. Similar to a bag drop, without wasting the gas to get the bag there!

Wool jerseys, caps, and gloves.
Gloves in the rain are great -- your hands are wet, but warm.
The cap, same deal; keeps the head warm during rain, keeps glasses clear like a visor, and it keeps the sun out of my eyes during dawn and dusk.
Also handy for ducking your head and blocking the bright lights of oncoming traffic on dark highways at night.
The jersey. Even long sleeve wool jerseys are comfortable and cool up to about 70 degrees. Hotter than that, and I really wanted to take it off -- so I did by switching to a regular short sleeve Voler jersey from my bag. But, at night, in the rain - even without a rain jacket for just the sprinkles - it's perfect. Cozy. And, what they say is true: While synthetics STINK after a full day of riding and sweating, when I took the wool jersey back out of the bag Saturday night in the hotel to get things ready for the next morning, it only smelled like one thing: wool.

Not all teens are apathetic societal outcasts with loose pants looking to start trouble. At the Paola control, a young guy got out of his car while I filled up my bottles and prepared to continue on. "Ok, man, my buddy and I have been tying to figure this out for the last 10 minutes...."
"great.." I thought, "here comes the teasing about the tight shorts or something."
"What does "rann-donn-ur" mean?" he asked, carefully sounding it out from my jersey. I gladly explained, and watched as his eyes became wide as saucers in serious respect and disbelief as Bob, looking on nearby, answered his next question: "so, how far are you guys riding tonite?" I grinned as he got back in his car, and proceeded to explain to his buddies what the deal was -- I heard a couple different versions of "holy sh..." coming out of the car, followed by "no way"s and "dang"s. Don't judge youth too quickly - you never know who they might be looking up to. I don't know if they'll even remember in a few years, but it was neat to be looked at that way by someone that I fully expected to be making fun of me dressed like I was. Had to be there.

Waking up at 2:45am Sunday to get a head-start on the last 100 miles of a 600K is a great idea, especially when I rode from Butler to La Cygne without seeing a SINGLE car, enjoying a full moon, stars, and perfect temperatures. I arrived at Casey's at five until six, after being caught by the faster group that left Butler about 30 minutes after me. They rode on, but I stopped for FRESH donuts and coffee and sat a spell while a long coal train rolled by, punching a hole thru the morning air with its horns. Perfect sunrise again... but the wind was coming.

Coffee really DOES work after quitting caffiene for a month, as training.   I never yawned, despite having woken for work Friday morning at 6:30AM, and finally laying down to sleep at 11:30PM Saturday night.

The faster group that eventually caught me about 5 miles from La Cygne worked well together, all equally paced -- I need to work on my speed more next spring, lose the weight that's been dogging me and keep up -- it's more fun with company and conversation.

Another cool thing about highway "F" early in the morning Sunday -- about 2/3'rds of the way to La Cygne, I stopped for a nature break on a high bridge, and took a few moments to look around -- I looked behind me, and there they were, as I knew they would be having set their sights the night beore on leaving the hotel at 4:00AM - I purposefully left early, knowing they'd catch up. As I stood there on the road, looking back east, I could see their headlight beams dancing ghost-like on the road, MILES behind me -- it was eerie and made me smile --- "here they come..."
I made it a game... can I beat them to Kansas? I did. Can I hold them off until the power plant? The end of the bridge? I lost the game before US-69 highway, but it was only a game for my own head.   Dale B., Danny C. and the crew invited me to the party with a hearty 'good-morning' and some catching up on the past years riding -- "Hey, let's ride to Paola!"  he'd shout out.   Dale B. is fun to ride with and rides awesome bicycles, this time on his orange Steelman.  I couldn't hold pace, much like Friday and Saturday, but it was nice to have someone to talk to for a few miles after spending 30 hours alone!

Back in Kansas, clear of La Cygne and headed north back towards Johnson County: in a part of the state known for it's springtime south-west gales, a NORTH-west headwind on the last part of a 600K is just mean.  Yes, we were headed north.
I really needed that south tailwind, but I did just fine without it. It's all mental, and for once everything mentally was in exactly the right place.

The only good thing about a NW wind is that 50% of it is from the WEST... turning east was FUN, and made up all the difference.

A plastic baggie with a tiny couple of holes bitten out of the bottom of it and filled with ice from a c-store, and then placed holes-down in your center jersey back-pocket, is AWESOME on a hot day! Thanks, Ort!!! I remember Tinbutt!

Egg and cheese biscuits from McDonalds are GREAT recovery food the day after a 600K.
I had two. Danny C. is right about a few things after all. A "certain kind of misery" goes pretty well with Taco Bell, actually - which is what I enjoyed in the hotel Saturday night. With no "magic ride cocktail" the next morning (err, four hours later) to screw it up the next morning, Sunday morning went MUCH better than Friday night did. 7-layer burritos RULE.

I love Aleve. You know, sometimes you just have to cave in and stop the pain.

Hydration is the best medicine for anything. I don't think I have ever been as dilligent about hydration than on THIS ride, and it paid back huge dividends. I felt fresh, no fatigue - aside from the expected "why are we still pushing?" leg pains. Drink! Seems like I got that figured out finally.
But, do it with regular water bottles, and be resourceful. Camelbaks: you won't want one on your back this long - NObody rode with a Camelbak in this group. To back up that notion:  I am big on safety so I usually wear my RUSA reflective sash during the day, in addition to nighttime when it's required, since it's day-glo yellow. It helps me to be seen better, I feel.   On Sunday, late morning, it felt like it weighed 20 lbs.   I **HAD** to take it off - I can't describe it.  It weighs almost nothing - but it was REALLY getting old, wearing it.   Now, imagine if that were a Camelbak or other hydration pack.  No thank you.

To the hydration note, and to just caving in and eating what works for ME, I feel better after THIS ride than I did after the 400K -- and what's weird, even as I hollered and kissed the ground after I finished, I could TOTALLY see doing a 1,000K. There is something within me that ALMOST didn't want to stop, even though early on as I kept continuing east after each control without knowing WHY, I was sad and envious to see the rest of the other bunch that had finished their naps in their cars at the start/finish mounting up again for the eastern 400K route that would complete their 1000K.  But, everyone has their own milestone - and now I've reached mine.

Perhaps next year I will aim higher. But, it's very true, and 400K is **not** long enough to realize these things: what I've read was right -- the pain is temporary, and after 200 miles NOTHING changes. Just keep eating and drinking and you can go and go as long as your mind is willing.

Again, you'd think that you'd discover a lot of these things on the 400K - as *I* thought - that "it's only 200K more, what's the big deal?" -- trust me:   it's a big deal.    Lots of things change -- but if you follow your plan, drink, drink, drink, and JUST PEDAL without thinking too much, you can do it.

And, now that I really understand it, I quote Byron, my original ultra-distance mentor:

Finishing is EVERYTHING.

As Bob Burns alluded to on his phone call to me tonite, as he's seen me sign up every year since 2002 and NEVER finish until now, "welcome to the club."