Type Two Fun epilogue

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Dave and I learned in Banff he had a pretty big blog following... and I'm sure many people - like me were waiting to read his post race blog analysis.  Sadly this was not to happen.  There weren't many things that got past Dave....or surprised him ... so it was fun to be there during this realization.  He asked me if I thought it was ok that his last blog entry was so personal ( and not so much about bike racing) ...I told him that its that kind of stuff that keeps us reading ....  He laughed and hit the publish button.

It has been some time since I've blogged... but now I have just finished the all-time-Dave B favorite: the Canadian Ski Marathon.  Highly recommended  to add to your event list if you want to try an ultra endurance event in a sport besides cycling.  I would have gone to the event this winter with Dave and because of that I gave in to an invitation from Geoff Wade a lot easier than common sense should have allowed.   (I have not classic skied since high school)  But I was glad I did and the event was everything Dave B had built it up top be.  Sad he wasn't there to get his 5th gold and permanent bib.

We now have several new candidates to take Dave B's spot on our fleche team: Geoff and Akhil are two.   I was telling Akhil about one of my all-time favorite events: the D2R2 when he asked me a question I never could answer for myself..."why not do the ride whenever you want?  Yes - the bike does give you the freedom to hop on and ride wherever at what ever speed you can handle.  Like my ride to Canada two years ago:  I just got on my bike and started riding with no idea how far I'd go.   It's another PBP year and I'm more excited about our fleche team than the famous 1200k in France!

Matt Lee warned me that I would gradually lose my interest in racing Tour Divide again.  I know better than to challenge Matt Lee at something he knows so well.  Then I got a visit from a 2012 TD racer: Will. I knew he had been bitten by the TD bug... but sometimes it is hard to tell what kind of bite you've got.  Some are web only, some excuses to buy new equipment, and others are the real thing.  It was a cold February day with snow on the ground and this guy was out doing a gap/ century ride.  I hardly recognized him with a full beard and 30 pounds lighter than when I saw him last fall.  But I did recognize what was driving him, inspiring him, fueling this mad ride when all other bikers were safely inside on their rollers.

It's this blog, it's Dave's blog; it's prowling in the wilderness, sticking something in your crystal head that makes you change your plans in life, something learned during the shared experience of an epic ride or an epic ski - good and bad - the surprises of nature are always better with friends.

Type 2 Fun epilogue

From Dave Blumenthal's race notes

Day 1 

June 11

Huge crowd @ start. SO  eager

DT + I made our peace.

                                                   Fog in the mountains.  Fresh snow from a couple of days ago.  Feel good but a little fuzzy in the head from light sleep for 2 weeks.  Among others for first 2 + hours, then after a .1 mile wrong turn, alone.  So many prairie dogs on the Dorien Rd. So much bear poop.  Bike path in campground really nice.  Got water at recently opened bathroom. Others caught up by taking road – OK w/ Matthew Lee. Slow climb up to Elk Pass – power line less lovely.  Descent muddy and slow.  Loooong road.  Focused on pizza.

Day 1B

Passed Aiden who had a tire separated from bead.  Finally got to Elkford @ 6:25pm.  Stopped for 20min. once, otherwise just a minute for pix.  Ordered pizza at Kapps.  Called home – Lexi impressed with my speed.  Called MTB Cast, ate large pizza, packed some.  Drank Kokanee Beer – yum! Left @ 7:30

Long pavement climb. Then great dirt bomber downhills. Found lovely Fording River camp site just before route turned to pavement.  In bag 10 pm. Still daylight.  Super day. Eager to sleep.

"making our peace."

spectacular first day!

"It's a friendly, no drop ride, right?"

About  Brian De Groodt





Brian De Groodt - makes it easy for me: nice website!  Very funny letter of intent - I'd say he is already in the lead of contenders, certainly on the LOI podium.  BUT what the heck went down at Leadville last year??!!  Interesting.  Very interesting.  Demons and baggage and witches.  Did he learn his lesson?   Sounds like he'd be fun to ride with anyway.

Damn hard to see all these people signing on while I have to sit on my hands.

Tour Divide Contender or Pretender?

Who is competition and who is dreaming large?  Where do I stand among the others.  What do I look like to other racers?  Who is qualified and who has trained?  What is enough experience and how much is enough training?   Who is sitting in front of the computer dreaming and who is out riding in the snow? Beside those who have completed this race - who can say they can do it - and then pull it off?




It is really hard to guess who is going to make it and who more in love with the idea than the riding.  I always wonder if this might be me ... but I do love riding... and I have always loved riding.  My camping skill are rusty - but with a little help fro DaveB I have come a long way!  I did spend a whole summer working for the ATC/ AMC as a ridge runner - caretaker.  I did ride 1200k of the Paris Brest Paris in 73:50 and a 600k in <27hrs.  I spent six nights out last season out bikepacking  - I did the 6 Gap MR LAMB ride last year and did plenty of dirt road exploring.  I won the Millstone SS open age (pretty good for a 46 yr old racing against plenty of 20 and 30 somethings)  And I have always loved the VT50.


Then there are the counts against me:  last season was the first time I ever rode my mtn bike over 100 miles in one day.  I still suffered from the effects of my concussion from the 2008 Vt 50.  I broke my arm in April and it still doesn't quite straighten out.  I am starting to build strength in it again - but it is far from where  it was.  I rode on it 24hrs in the NE fleche  - six weeks after the break ( thanks Charles and Three Moons Accupuncture) Work is being uncooperative with time off.  It costs money to get there and back.  I am old! - yeah - years of crashing are adding up.

These quotes from bikepacking interest me:

"Preparation – with time constraints (work & family) I rarely rode more than 10-12 hours per week but mostly at higher intensities. Riding long distance at steady pace is easy no? I only did a couple of long weekends in the lead up to TD. Better to arrive in Banff strong and healthy than tired / stressed from trying to fit too much into your busy life. But follow Jay’s advice – you have to decide what will work for you."  Fettis (?)

"And now some inspiration for rcktfanatic; you can absolutely ride TD on seven (now almost six) months preparation. Of course your goals, and reality, have to mesh. See caveats above. But it can be done. In '08 I rode TD on less than 650 miles of training in the six months leading up to the race. Life, a monstrous winter, and a lack of motivation to ride the windtrainer conspired to deliver me to Banff in pathetic shape.  Since I knew I wasn't going to be setting the course on fire, my mantra became "I'll take whatever the gods and my body give me." I ended up turning in a semi respectable sub 24 day finish.."  Leighton White  

Of course Leighton White's day job is a professional firefighter ( and the real kind - not like me only responding to dirty bombs and other radiological incidents.)

So I blog on scoping out the competition.  Please provide me with more details on yourself if someone actually reads this and I got yer info wrong!  Or I can just shutup all together if my google-stalking you creeps you out too much!

Latest addition:

"Hi my name is Phillip Fogg,
I'm an ex Pat. living in germany. Came over here during the cold war(1987), met a girl, fell in love and well, I'm still here!
I started biking when I was a kid, around 1970. At nine my first bmx bike. At 16 I got my first motorcycle and bicycling took a back seat for a few years. In 1996 I bought a used Rockhopper and from then on I've never looked back. I've done numerous endurance races here in Germany.
As far as Bikepacking goes, I'm a greenhorn, never done it but I'm so intrigued by it that I'm collecting gear and getting ready for my first trip.
You all will think I'm nuts but I'm planning on doing the Tour Divide next year.  So I will be asking alot of questions about gear, training and othe TDR related stuff. "

A greenhorn and this will be his first bikepacking trip!  But coming all the way from Europe: ten points! Grüß Gott Phillip!