Gran Fondo Ellensburg 2019: Ride Report

Some gravel dirt and wear and tear on the front - is something missing?

The day went pretty much according to expectations, following the same rhythm as previous rides - a steady and fairly easy beginning with beautiful views of the Yakima river and only the occasional rock; a very hard climb on gravel; some more gravel and beautiful views along a mountain top ridge; several harrowing descents; and a very fast ride back, being pushed by a tremendous tail-wind.

So happy to finish safely and get a badge.

Along with riding with elan and kindness, my goal was to get within 5% of the winner - I didn't quite make it but, all in all, I had a good day! The winning times over the last five years have been quite consistent and, except for last year when I had a couple of flats and a weird kind of a day, my times have been fairly consistent too!

     Winning Time             My Time 
2019 5:29:59 (Ian Tubbs)      5:49:56 (+19:56)(6% off)   8/103
2018 5:25:08 (Derek Parsons)  6:09:29 (+44:20)(14% off) 15/111
2017 5:29:43 (Evan Plews)     5:48:25 (+18:42)(5% off)   5/107
2016 5:26:01 (Steven Mull)    5:42:50 (+16:49)(5% off)  12/124
2015 5:25:31 (Tim Smith)      6:19:28 (+53:47)(17% off) 21/81

I sensed that my training had been quite good and, indeed, my sensations at Gran Fondo Ellensburg on the bike were excellent. My efforts were controlled and solid and I was able for the most part to find gentle, fast and safe lines on the descents. I think my effort on the first climb was fairly consistent from top to bottom and I found that I was passing riders for most of the climb. When I went by the place that I flatted last year quickly and gently I gained (unwarranted) confidence that all would be well this year! The second big climb was solid, I think, but not fantastic. During the middle part of the ride, I suffered some terrible cramps in my hamstrings and calves. They were disabling but got better after I did some climbing while standing and eating some caffeine stuff.  I assume that the cramps occurred because I've done relatively little climbing in training. I felt surprisingly strong over the last 10-15 miles, which I rode with Brian Kohagen, Mark Littrell, and Anthony Dickson. 

The last gravel descent was terrifying. Fortunately, however, I followed a very skillful rider, Brian Kohagen: When he bunny hopped a hole, I bunny hopped, when he swerved left to avoid something, I looked right for a safe line, when he slowed, I slowed, when he got a little too far ahead, I peddled and closed the gap. For most of the descent, Brian and Mark Littrell were 10 to 20 meters ahead of me - and I followed, approaching my limit. 

I was fascinated to learn that Brian was also monitoring his device while descending - and he would brake in plenty of time prior to the corners. I had assumed that he knew the descent well because his speed varied a good deal - but, no, he was relying on his device for signals on braking and cornering.  

The device, the bike, the rider - all working together, somehow. 

How to improve? Given my physiological limits, I'm not sure. Loose a bit more weight. Spend much more training-time on climbing. Keep working at consistency and increase volume, accepting limits of my time. Do hard threshold work paired with long, very, very easy endurance rides. Can I do more weekly minutes of threshold work? Perhaps, but too much of that and I don't seem to be able to recover. And, do very easy recovery rides. Core exercises and stretching have, I believe, been working - I felt fixed to my seat on the climbs and I'm able, I think, to vary by peddling cadence, from around 70rpm to 105rpm, while maintaining control and smoothness. So, I'll keep being consistent at all that. The Fast Talk Podcast has been particularly informative. Dr. Seiler, in particular, says a lot of interesting things!  I suppose its pretty straightforward - peddle better.

Big slash and bubbles on the tire tread.
Got lucky.

The wheels and tires.I was, in short, lucky. My back tire survived, but barely. Somehow I managed to turn about 1/4 of the tread of my beautiful, albeit "somewhat" worn, Bon Jon 35mm tires into bubbles. Yes, bubbles, between the casing and the tread, filled with air but no sealant - just like blisters on one's feet.  Two of the bubbles popped, creating impressive slashes but the casing continued to hold air and sealant.

How did these bubbles occur? I wrote Rene Here Cycles and asked: What can I learn from this? I had three hypotheses: (1) Rider mistake - I locked up the back wheel and skidded; (2) Tire problem - something wrong with the tire; and (3) Worn out tire (see interesting discussion). In their judgement, the bubbles were due to #1 and #3 in combination. I appreciated very much the time they gave over to my question.

I don't understand the physics of the bubbles. How do they occur? Does the friction of braking very rapidly cause the tread to separate from the casing? Why only air and not sealant in the bubbles? I guess, well, because the sealant stays inside the casing but the air escapes the casing. Why would a worn tire contribute to the creation of bubbles? Perhaps because over time with power going into the tire the bond between the tread and casing weakens. Perhaps, the weakened bond together with the friction of rapid de-acceleration, or skidding even on gravel, creates the bubbles. I've never seen bubbles in tires before. It's all very interesting. But, I hope I don't see bubbles again - or feel them while riding!

Did I lock up the back wheel and skid? Oddly, I do not remember locking it up. There was no one singular event as far as I can remember. In fact, I encountered no "known" close calls. But, absorbing events and remembering them seems inhibited when one is highly focussed. Hence, I wouldn't be surprised if I had skidded. I was on and off the brakes repeatedly and aggressively on the descents, at my limit. When at speed and focused - and when trying to be efficient and gentle - braking happens so quickly and unconsciously that I have no idea whether I'm skidding or not. I think not or, if I am, for very short periods of time, but perhaps those short periods of time, if they do occur, add up.

Anyway, last year I was unlucky with my slashed side wall; this year I was lucky to not get a flat (while, for example, riding fast to the finish). That's how things go I suppose. In professional cycling, riders speak of "luck" all of the time, which has always fascinated me. There must be some psychological advantage to appealing to luck - what might it be?

So, all in all, a great bicycle outing in a beautiful landscape. I'm so lucky to be able to ride a bicycle and experience the sensations of riding hard - peddling smoothly; finding gentle and safe lines; shifting cleanly; and chasing that sensation of focus and effortlessness.

Thanks to Vicious Cycle for a great event. Only about 14 weeks until Gran Fondo Winthrop!

I hope I don't see these bubbles again.

Gran Fondo Winthrop 2016: Getting Ready: Part II

Gran Fondo Winthrop Course Profile

Gran Fondo Winthrop is the last of my riding goals for 2016. Looking forward to a great day in a beautiful landscape. As I think about the ride, and based on last year's experience, I've divided it into the following segments.  Perhaps, under 7 hours is possible, though everything will have to go well, that is, very, very well. Assuming reasonable weather, here's the plan: 

Eat breakfast at 6:30 AM. Drink a Gatorade at 7:45 AM. Go at 8:00!! Ride Hard. Ride Polite. Be Alive. 

#1: Warmup (8.6 miles, + 613 ft. of climbing) – Stay toward the front and don’t take any wind. If people start fast and gaps open up, be patient, stay the course, and let someone else close them. Last year the initial pace put me above threshold a couple of times, which, with the jumping and slowing, was counter productive. If possible, I would like to avoid that. Eat a rice cake, before climb #1.

Part of the "Warmup" Segment: A Little Too Fast for Me in 2015, But Nice Views. From Vicious Cycle Facebook.

#2: Climb #1 (14.0 miles, + 4,143 ft.) – Ride gently and stay below threshold; try to form a group and work together (not likely feasible). Or, if feeling particularly good, hang on to a strong group, and get closer to threshold. In any case, try to avoid time trialing on my own. I'm probably dreaming because last year the group separated quite quickly into individuals working alone, at least that was my experience. At the aid station, stop for one bottle. 

#3: Up and down (10 miles, about +1,200 ft.) – Try to ride the two "small" climbs hard, at threshold; Recover with care on the short downhills; Eat lunch (rice cake and bar and Gatorade) after the first downhill, on the first flat bit. 

#4: Downhill #1 (16.0 miles, -4,462 ft.) – Ride conservatively; Avoid scary moments; Be especially careful on the pavement, where potholes lurk and speeds will be fast - I'm guessing 35-40 mph or a little faster. The speed will be fine but be ready for cars, deer, rocks, crappy asphalt, and so on and so forth. Just prior to the aid station, eat a bar, stop, and get a banana and fill two bottles. 

#5: Climb #2 (17.2 miles, +4,069 ft.) – If feeling good, get to a little below threshold and try to push limits as the climb unfolds; Stay optimistic, be focussed, and enjoy the views. Before the hard part starts, consume some caffeine; at the top, consume some more caffeine. 

#6: Downhill #2 (24.2 miles, -4,602 ft.) – Ride conservatively, especially in the middle section. But, try to find a speed that makes the washboard go away. Be very careful as the gravel turns to pavement and on the rough pavement that follows. Focus on a hard steady finish. Don't worry about the little hills which will make things painful, as they will come and go quickly; the finishline will come. 

I think I'm ready. The training over the last three weeks has gone well. After my summer break in August, my plan was to do two hard weeks, then do a recovery week, and make the last week very easy. In other words, a big break, two weeks of hard training, and two weeks of taper. 

Over the last three weeks, I got in 45 hours: 16.0 + 20.0 + 9.0 hours. The longer riders were:  6:15 and 6:45 hours, mostly in Zone 2.  After these long rides I did 3 hour recovery rides in Zone 1, thinking that the back-to-back long riders would be helpful. On my recovery week (week #3), I did a 2:45 hour ride at varied efforts and took two days off. 

I did the following interval workouts: (1) 2 x 20 min. threshold, (2) 2:00 hour fartleck, (3) 4 x (8 min. Zone 5 + 4 min. Zone 1), (4) fast spinning session, and (5) 5 x (8 min. in Zone 5 + 4 min. Zone 1). 

The rest of the time was spend mostly in Zone 1/2. 

My weight is good (151 lb.) and my resting hear rate has dropped during the recovery week.  So, I should be good to go! 

Tires, tires, tires. Unfortunately, my tubeless tire situation has been a pain in the ass. I've had trouble getting a reliable set-up. The 38c Specialized Trigger on the front wasn't holding air well. So, I replaced the tape and tried again. That worked and now its holding air well.  Ya!! 

The 33c Specialized Trigger on the back was leaking. So, I replaced the tape but when I pumped it up a bunch of sealant poured out of a fairly small hole on the center of the tread and the tire would not hold air - it would deflate to about 20 psi and then stay there.  So, I tried another tire. That held air great but when out on a ride I must have hit a rock and the sidewall got cut and sealant spewed out. Again, the tire held air but only about 30 psi and I could push on the cut and cause the sealant to come away and create a nice big leak. Meanwhile, my tire valve seemed a bit wonky - that is, when I initially opened the value air would came out.  Perhaps air was leaking at the valve. So, I installed a new 33c Specialized Trigger tire and new valve on the back. All seems good now, at least after 2 hour and 45  on hilly and varied gravel. Fingers crossed. 

Conclusion:  I believe the  38c Specialized Trigger to be a much better tire than the 33c for my purposes. Actually, I have learned that they are completely different tires. Second, I'm hopeful that my back tire will hang in there for Gran Fondo Winthrop.  But, I'm not using the 33c tires again! I need to find a new tire that works for my wheels and frame. This might be it for next year: Clement X'Plor MSO Tubeless (36 mm). 

Gran Fondo Winthrop 2016: Getting Ready: Part I

Raleigh Super Course Summer Set-up - Fenders, 5-speed, and 27" wheels

Since Gran Fondo Ellensburg, the riding has been good. I had a couple of memorable rides, including a very enjoyable 300K, organized by the Seattle Randonneurs. I think it might be fun to try some of the longer Randonneuring rides next year. 

For the last 4 weeks, I've not done much riding. Instead, I've been backpacking and generally taking it easy with family. Not riding was an odd feeling at first, but the backpacking and traveling was good too.

With 4 weeks to Gran Fondo Winthrop 2016 by Vicious Cycle, I'm back riding. It's great to see that almost 150 people are registered. 

The plan is to do three solid weeks, aiming for a total of 45 hours. I'll do 3 long rides, 4-6 hard interval sessions, and easy recovery rides. For the week before GFW I'll take it easy and try to be as rested as possible. 

I had an unfortunate flat tire at Gran Fondo Ellensburg 2016, which I think was due to my Specialized Trigger 33c tire "burping" when I hit a good sized rock at high speed. That was a first after more than 500 miles on riding on gravel on the tubeless set-up. 

Not sure what to do about minimizing the chance of it happening again - I've talked to a couple of different mechanics and they shrugged their shoulders and say "that happens." It's a little disconcerting. I've bought a CO2 air pump so if it happens again, I try blasting the tire with some air rather than putting a tube into the tire straight away. 

For GFW 2016, the plan is to ride a tubeless Specialized Trigger 38c tire on the front and a Trigger 33c on the back, with perhaps 37 and 45 psi in the front and back. Hopefully no flat tires this year! The Trigger 33c on the back will give me lots of room between the frame and the tire and hopefully the bigger tire on the front will give some float and stability on the corners. 

Last year at GFW 2015 I broke 8 hours and got within 26% of the winner (one flat tire and one lost pump). I'm not sure what's possible this year. I'll try to ride hard and with élan.