I read an article recently saying that we (mountain bikers) use the word epic too often when describing rides, but there's no question that the Trans North Georgia qualifies in the most extreme definition of the word. It was brutal and beautiful, with emotional highs and lows, new states of consciousness, and mental struggles that match the physical.
The Day Before
Friday started with a good Mulberry Gap breakfast, followed by gathering up my gear, making a final decision on what to bring, and loading it onto the trailer to be shuttled to the start. As I was waiting for the other riders to show up and get their gear loaded, the anticipation was killing me. I was nervous, excited, and terrified all at the same time. I was ready to start riding, but there was still a full day of travelling, prepping, and camping at the yurts near the South Carolina border.
It was really interesting to meet other racers and discuss motives, goals, gear, training, and trouble spots on the route. I didn't fully realize it at the time, but this was a new class of cyclists that I had previously only read about. Some of them were ultra-endurance athletes that do these things all the time. Others were just people looking for an adventure. Unlike the short XC races I'm used to, I couldn't size up the competition by looking at how "fit" they were, or by how fast their bike looked, or even by how much gear they were carrying. I'm still not quite sure what makes a fast TNGA rider, but knowledge of the route and needing minimal sleep definitely help.
What they don't tell you is that the sleep deprivation starts the night before, because you'll probably be too excited to sleep. I slept about five hours, and spent a few more lying in bed thinking of what was to come.
Day One
Saturday started early. I got out of bed just after 5am. I had been awake for a while and breakfast was at 5:30. Despite drinking coffee, I was too tense to have a good bowel movement, which everyone knows is the crux of any bike race. This wasn't a good sign. We shuttled to the start, unloaded, and lined up on Russell Bridge over the Chattooga River. After a brief meeting, we turned on our Spot Trackers, and we were off.
We started off slow on gravel roads climbing into the mountains. I was eager to charge ahead but held back considering I'd be riding all day. I was also a little nervous about navigating, so I rode with other people for a while. The first singletrack we hit was Darnell Creek Horse Trail - a long-forgotten, overgrown, washed out excuse for a trail. I thought for sure this ride was going to turn into an episode of I Shouldn't be Alive. There's nothing quite like barrelling down a rocky, green tunnel on a loaded bike in BFE Georgia to make one think, "This is badass!". This was a feeling I would have frequently throughout the journey.
The singletrack turned to doubletrack which dumped out onto a road. After three hours we had reached Dillard, the first chance to stop at 25 miles. I bypassed this stop, but got separated from the others by a stoplight. I was on my own now. It was quiet and peaceful rolling through the backroads. I quickly became more familiar with reading the map on my phone and gained confidence in navigating.
The route then followed a nice big creek with inviting swimming holes - it was getting hot out by this point. Fortunately, it rained shortly after that. Not a lot, just enough to feel good. Initially I was concerned about keeping my feet dry, but the many creek crossings proved that this would be an impossible feat (pun intended).
I played leap frog with a few other riders, catching them on the climbs only to have them catch-up while I was figuring out where to go. I pedalled up several "gaps" (mountain passes) that all sort of run together at this point. Tray Gap was memorable though, as it is the highest point on the route, and I ran out of water on the way up. Fortunately it was mostly downhill after that to Woody's Bike Shop in Helen at mile 97. On the way down I got held up searching for the infamous Hickory Nut Trail. I had heard several times that it was tricky to find and still didn't realize what I was looking at when I came to it. Funny thing about Hickory Nut is that the bears like to toss rocks onto the trail when looking for grubs. These random rocks are difficult to see due to the tall grass covering the trail. It gets to be a bumpy ride.
About halfway down, I realized that one of my feed bags was empty - the one that held my ipod, beef jerky, and half a Clif Bar. Bummer. I had no idea where this stuff had fallen out, and going back to look for it meant the difference between getting off the mountain in the daylight, before the looming thunderstorm hit and being there in the rain and lightning after dark. I was also quite thirsty, so I pressed on, sans ipod. It was a sad moment.
I filled up a water bottle at a campground to hold me until I got to Woody's. It was getting dark and the rain was getting closer when I hit a paved downhill. I pedalled hard, tucked, and put my head down trying to gain speed and nearly blew right by the bike shop. It was a warm welcome with pizza, eggs, bacon, Coke, and tents to keep dry. This was the first major rest stop of the race, and I was exhausted after pedalling for 12 hours (which smashed my previous record of 7.5 hours!) I took the opportunity to talk with other racers and rest while I waited out the rain. I needed to press on to Vogal State Park to get to the 1/3 mark. When the rain slowed, I headed out into the night to put in another 20 miles.
Normally 20 miles is fairly easy, but I failed to realize that this extra distance included Hogpen Gap. It's a beast of a climb eventhough it's paved. I quickly ditched my rain jacket, preferring a slight drizzle over pouring sweat. Near the top of the climb, it wasn't so much raining as it was that I was riding through a cloud. I descended the slick roads with no sense of speed in the darkness. I turned onto Hatchet Creek Rd which seemed to go on forever. It was late and I badly wanted sleep. Eventually I made it to Vogal, at about 12:30, where I stopped at the first pavilion and proceeded to pass out on top of a picnic table, using my rain fly as a blanket, with another racer nearby.
8.25.2016
8.16.2016
Ready, set, GO!!
Cue sheets printed, .gpx file loaded, bags packed. My homemade bikepacking bags have passed the trial run; now it's time to put them to the test. I've been gathering up all my gear and trimming it down to the bare minimum.
Gear List:
Eno rain fly
Khumbu rain jacket
extra socks, underwear, and gloves
sunscreen
anti-chafe cream
emergency blanket
waterproof matches
iodine water purification tablets
Platypus 3L hydration bladder
24oz water bottle
Niterider helmet light
Light-Motion 200 handlebar light
battery charger cables
external back-up battery
two tubes
pump and CO2
bike multitool
tire levers
one set of brake pads
two masterlinks
chain lube
zip ties
duct tape
Things I've cut from the list:
extra spokes
tire sealant
bug spray
Reasoning: In all my biking years, only once have I ever broken a spoke on the trail. At 135lbs it's not something I really worry about. I'll make sure to put fresh sealant in my tires before I leave. Also, there's bike shops in Helen and Dalton, and smaller repairs can be made at Mulberry Gap. I don't remember bugs being bad while working at MG, so I think I can survive without it. I may look for some bug repellent wipes though.
It sure seemed like a lot of gear in my head, but laid out, it's not much at all. I've got plenty of room left over in my bags for food which will mostly consist of trail mix, Clif bars, beef jerky, and some dried fruit to start. After studying the cue sheets and .gpx file, I picked out the resupply spots and created some rough goals for each day.
I'll carry enough food to get me through the first 100 miles or so, possibly picking up a few snacks at the Top of Georgia Hostel at the 54 mile mark. I'll carry on to Helen, at 97 miles, eat dinner, then press on to Wolfpen Gap at 116 miles, roughly 1/3 of the way through. I'll likely camp out there, then press on to Cherry Log, 165 miles, for lunch on Sunday. Next, it's on to Mulberry Gap, at 212 miles, for dinner and to recharge batteries. I'll likely carry on that evening to Ramhurst, 234 miles, to camp. I'll restock in Dalton, 250 miles, then race to the finish which is 327 miles according to the cue sheets and 313 according to the GPS.
115 miles per day seems like a reasonable, achievable goal. With some luck, I'll surpass that. If it turns out that I can't make that goal, it's likely that I won't finish. Stretching this out to four or five days would kind of suck. My line of thinking is that the longer I'm out there, the more difficult it's going to be. Plus, I don't want to miss too much school.
I was hoping to post a cool picture of my bike all loaded down, but it's been raining all day. Maybe next time.
Gear List:
Eno rain fly
Khumbu rain jacket
extra socks, underwear, and gloves
sunscreen
anti-chafe cream
emergency blanket
waterproof matches
iodine water purification tablets
Platypus 3L hydration bladder
24oz water bottle
Niterider helmet light
Light-Motion 200 handlebar light
battery charger cables
external back-up battery
two tubes
pump and CO2
bike multitool
tire levers
one set of brake pads
two masterlinks
chain lube
zip ties
duct tape
Things I've cut from the list:
extra spokes
tire sealant
bug spray
Reasoning: In all my biking years, only once have I ever broken a spoke on the trail. At 135lbs it's not something I really worry about. I'll make sure to put fresh sealant in my tires before I leave. Also, there's bike shops in Helen and Dalton, and smaller repairs can be made at Mulberry Gap. I don't remember bugs being bad while working at MG, so I think I can survive without it. I may look for some bug repellent wipes though.
It sure seemed like a lot of gear in my head, but laid out, it's not much at all. I've got plenty of room left over in my bags for food which will mostly consist of trail mix, Clif bars, beef jerky, and some dried fruit to start. After studying the cue sheets and .gpx file, I picked out the resupply spots and created some rough goals for each day.
I'll carry enough food to get me through the first 100 miles or so, possibly picking up a few snacks at the Top of Georgia Hostel at the 54 mile mark. I'll carry on to Helen, at 97 miles, eat dinner, then press on to Wolfpen Gap at 116 miles, roughly 1/3 of the way through. I'll likely camp out there, then press on to Cherry Log, 165 miles, for lunch on Sunday. Next, it's on to Mulberry Gap, at 212 miles, for dinner and to recharge batteries. I'll likely carry on that evening to Ramhurst, 234 miles, to camp. I'll restock in Dalton, 250 miles, then race to the finish which is 327 miles according to the cue sheets and 313 according to the GPS.
115 miles per day seems like a reasonable, achievable goal. With some luck, I'll surpass that. If it turns out that I can't make that goal, it's likely that I won't finish. Stretching this out to four or five days would kind of suck. My line of thinking is that the longer I'm out there, the more difficult it's going to be. Plus, I don't want to miss too much school.
I was hoping to post a cool picture of my bike all loaded down, but it's been raining all day. Maybe next time.
8.03.2016
Path to Agnosticism
I'm writing this to clear up any confusion about how I came to my current position and to hopefully encourage others to question why they believe what they do. I also encourage others to further research any concepts I mention here, as I don't have the space to go into every detail. I at least hope that others will be able to see things from my point of view regardless of whether or not you agree with it. But first, some history.
When I was about 15, I began to really question my Episcopalian beliefs. At first I was scared, thinking I'd be punished (perhaps for eternity) for even having doubts. I pushed the questions away, but they drifted back often, lingering longer each time. When no lightning bolts came, I decided it was ok to think about these things. Of course a few questions turned into a lot of questions. Such as:
"Why are we here?"
"Where did God come from?"
"If He already knows our fate, what's the point of us being on Earth?"
"If He wanted to forgive our sins, why was it necessary to sacrifice His son? He's all powerful; He could've just forgiven us."
There's plenty more, but you get the idea. And so, I thought, researched, thought some more, and never really came up with satisfying answers.
At 18 I went through with Confirmation largely because that's what was expected of me. At the time I still agreed with most of what the church said, though I still had lots of unanswered questions. Eventually, I decided to base my beliefs on my own experiences rather than what I was told to believe.
Problems with Religion
I researched the history of religion, and as a general trend, the earliest forms began with animism, then polytheism, then monotheism. Animism, it seems, was a way to explain natural events before we had the scientific method, tools, and time to study such events. Over time, however, science has provided logical, natural explanations, replacing the "God did it" answer. The recession of mythical explanations is referred to as the God of the Gaps and was an important realization for me. If one is using God to explain natural processes, history shows that this is a setup for failure.
I went through various phases of fringe religions like transcendentalism and pantheism in my attempts to reconcile scientific explanations with how God could be behind the inner workings of the Universe. I still find pantheism and deism plausible, but it only adds unnecessary complications.
I also came to understand that the concept of Hell is illogical. Assuming God is just, there is no single crime or series of crimes one can commit in a finite life on Earth to deserve an eternity of torment. So do we all go to Heaven? What about Hitler? If Hitler accepted Jesus a moment before he died would he get in? Some Christians say yes, others say no. What about an atheist who devotes his life to charitable causes? Again, a lot of people are split.
And then there's other religions. Thousands of them throughout history, some with highly contradictory views. They can't all be right. Suppose one in particular is correct. Is everyone else damned? I sure hope not. So, if there is a god, does he really care what we believe? It doesn't look like it. I don't think a supreme being would be so narcissistic. I think if God were as obvious as religious people claim, there would only be one religion, and it would be completely compatible with science. But then, it wouldn't require faith. So why is God hiding?
It would be far too easy to look at my life and say that "I've been blessed", as I often hear people say about their own lives. That seems, to me, incredibly short sighted. Why am I "blessed" while others suffer? What about those that don't have it so great? What about the innocent children all around the world - starved, raped, molested, abused, murdered? This is referred to as the Problem of Evil.
There are a lot of holes in all religious stories, which I won't go into here, but most people tend to ignore these or simply claim that we can't understand God's ways and cease to ask questions. When scrutinized with logic, however, these details fall apart. One can instead focus on the big picture, but to me, the big picture loses meaning without a solid foundation.
Science vs Faith
Science and organized religion employ two different methods of thinking about the world - one based on logic, the other on faith. Some people reconcile this with a form of cognitive dissonance, but objectively the two are incompatible. Science will never rule out the possibility of a god, but it's looking increasingly likely that the concept of a god isn't necessary to explain our existence. Of course, one can argue that God is outside of our reality; therefore, the rules of logic don't apply. But then, by definition, there is no evidence for anything outside of our reality, and so it's all left to mere speculation. And that brings us to the root of the issue.
Faith. Believing without seeing, or believing without evidence is, by definition, illogical. And there is no evidence. There are many reasons to believe in God, but scientific evidence and logic are not among them. And so I ask, why follow one particular religion? Because your parents and grandparents did? Because of your geographical location and time of your existence in history? I hope others have better answers than those, but that seems to be more than just a general trend. In fact it's generally referred to as indoctrination. (No offense or accusation implied.)
A lack of belief doesn't really need a label; nevertheless, there are several: agnostic, atheist, secular humanist, non-believer, etc. I tend to not use atheist as it still has a negative connotation, but really, I see little difference in these definitions. If you must pick one, I prefer secular humanist, as it's probably the most accurate. I'd like to make it clear that I don't reject the concept of a deity, I just see no evidence or reason to believe in one. If a time comes when such evidence (scientific or otherwise) presents itself, I'll gladly change my views.
Concerns about Non-believers
Morality. It's a common misconception that morality stems from religion. Most people cherry-pick morals from religious texts and ignore the ones they don't like. One doesn't need a religious book to tell them right from wrong. Nor do they need the threat of Hell to stop them from committing crimes. Altruism is evolutionary and found in many species. The Golden Rule is also universal, not tied to any one religion. There's also people who commit crimes despite being religious and sometimes even in the name of religion. There's really no significant correlation between morality and religion.
Death. This is a tough one and is probably what keeps a lot of people religious. But neuroscientists are diligently working on the mystery of consciousness, and it's almost certainly the product of a functioning brain. There was a time before I was born that I didn't exist, and it's a reasonable assumption that after I die I'll cease to exist. Accepting this finality of death was admittedly difficult. Some may find this depressing, but on the other hand, I find it empowering. If this life is all I've got, I'll do my best to live it the best I can and help others to do the same. Realizing my full control of my life's trajectory is quite liberating. Don't bide your time waiting for things to get better in an afterlife, go out and do something about it!
Say that there is an afterlife. Would God really give us the ability to think logically, scientifically, and then punish us for doing so? I doubt it. Like I said, the threat of Hell is illogical and really falls short once you step outside the belief system.
One doesn't need science to see the logical fallacies of organized religion, but it does help. The attraction to science is that it doesn't claim to have all the answers, but scientists devote their lives to the search. It's turning out that the true nature of reality is far more fascinating than any creationism story. Maybe it'll turn out that science can't answer all the questions, but it's much better to try and fail than not try at all.
That's quite a heavy post, so here's something to lighten the mood.
An Engineer Accidentally goes to Hell instead of Heaven.
An Engineer dies and goes to hell. He's hot and miserable, so he decides to take action. The A/C has been busted for a long time, so he fixes it. Things cool down quickly.
The moving walkway motor jammed, so he unjams it. People can get from place to place more easily.
The TV was grainy and unclear, so he fixes the connection to the Satellite dish and now they get hundreds of high def channels.
One day, God decides to look down on Hell to see how his grand design is working out and notices that everyone is happy and enjoying umbrella drinks. He asks the Devil what's going on?
The Devil replies, "Things are great down here since you sent us that engineer."
"What?? An engineer? I didn't send you one of those, that must have been a mistake. Send him back up right this minute."
The Devil responds, "No way! We are going to keep our engineer. We like this guy."
God demands, "If you don't send him to me immediately, I'll sue!"
The Devil laughs. "Where are YOU going to get a lawyer?"
When I was about 15, I began to really question my Episcopalian beliefs. At first I was scared, thinking I'd be punished (perhaps for eternity) for even having doubts. I pushed the questions away, but they drifted back often, lingering longer each time. When no lightning bolts came, I decided it was ok to think about these things. Of course a few questions turned into a lot of questions. Such as:
"Why are we here?"
"Where did God come from?"
"If He already knows our fate, what's the point of us being on Earth?"
"If He wanted to forgive our sins, why was it necessary to sacrifice His son? He's all powerful; He could've just forgiven us."
There's plenty more, but you get the idea. And so, I thought, researched, thought some more, and never really came up with satisfying answers.
At 18 I went through with Confirmation largely because that's what was expected of me. At the time I still agreed with most of what the church said, though I still had lots of unanswered questions. Eventually, I decided to base my beliefs on my own experiences rather than what I was told to believe.
Problems with Religion
I researched the history of religion, and as a general trend, the earliest forms began with animism, then polytheism, then monotheism. Animism, it seems, was a way to explain natural events before we had the scientific method, tools, and time to study such events. Over time, however, science has provided logical, natural explanations, replacing the "God did it" answer. The recession of mythical explanations is referred to as the God of the Gaps and was an important realization for me. If one is using God to explain natural processes, history shows that this is a setup for failure.
I went through various phases of fringe religions like transcendentalism and pantheism in my attempts to reconcile scientific explanations with how God could be behind the inner workings of the Universe. I still find pantheism and deism plausible, but it only adds unnecessary complications.
I also came to understand that the concept of Hell is illogical. Assuming God is just, there is no single crime or series of crimes one can commit in a finite life on Earth to deserve an eternity of torment. So do we all go to Heaven? What about Hitler? If Hitler accepted Jesus a moment before he died would he get in? Some Christians say yes, others say no. What about an atheist who devotes his life to charitable causes? Again, a lot of people are split.
And then there's other religions. Thousands of them throughout history, some with highly contradictory views. They can't all be right. Suppose one in particular is correct. Is everyone else damned? I sure hope not. So, if there is a god, does he really care what we believe? It doesn't look like it. I don't think a supreme being would be so narcissistic. I think if God were as obvious as religious people claim, there would only be one religion, and it would be completely compatible with science. But then, it wouldn't require faith. So why is God hiding?
It would be far too easy to look at my life and say that "I've been blessed", as I often hear people say about their own lives. That seems, to me, incredibly short sighted. Why am I "blessed" while others suffer? What about those that don't have it so great? What about the innocent children all around the world - starved, raped, molested, abused, murdered? This is referred to as the Problem of Evil.
There are a lot of holes in all religious stories, which I won't go into here, but most people tend to ignore these or simply claim that we can't understand God's ways and cease to ask questions. When scrutinized with logic, however, these details fall apart. One can instead focus on the big picture, but to me, the big picture loses meaning without a solid foundation.
Science vs Faith
Science and organized religion employ two different methods of thinking about the world - one based on logic, the other on faith. Some people reconcile this with a form of cognitive dissonance, but objectively the two are incompatible. Science will never rule out the possibility of a god, but it's looking increasingly likely that the concept of a god isn't necessary to explain our existence. Of course, one can argue that God is outside of our reality; therefore, the rules of logic don't apply. But then, by definition, there is no evidence for anything outside of our reality, and so it's all left to mere speculation. And that brings us to the root of the issue.
Faith. Believing without seeing, or believing without evidence is, by definition, illogical. And there is no evidence. There are many reasons to believe in God, but scientific evidence and logic are not among them. And so I ask, why follow one particular religion? Because your parents and grandparents did? Because of your geographical location and time of your existence in history? I hope others have better answers than those, but that seems to be more than just a general trend. In fact it's generally referred to as indoctrination. (No offense or accusation implied.)
A lack of belief doesn't really need a label; nevertheless, there are several: agnostic, atheist, secular humanist, non-believer, etc. I tend to not use atheist as it still has a negative connotation, but really, I see little difference in these definitions. If you must pick one, I prefer secular humanist, as it's probably the most accurate. I'd like to make it clear that I don't reject the concept of a deity, I just see no evidence or reason to believe in one. If a time comes when such evidence (scientific or otherwise) presents itself, I'll gladly change my views.
Concerns about Non-believers
Morality. It's a common misconception that morality stems from religion. Most people cherry-pick morals from religious texts and ignore the ones they don't like. One doesn't need a religious book to tell them right from wrong. Nor do they need the threat of Hell to stop them from committing crimes. Altruism is evolutionary and found in many species. The Golden Rule is also universal, not tied to any one religion. There's also people who commit crimes despite being religious and sometimes even in the name of religion. There's really no significant correlation between morality and religion.
Death. This is a tough one and is probably what keeps a lot of people religious. But neuroscientists are diligently working on the mystery of consciousness, and it's almost certainly the product of a functioning brain. There was a time before I was born that I didn't exist, and it's a reasonable assumption that after I die I'll cease to exist. Accepting this finality of death was admittedly difficult. Some may find this depressing, but on the other hand, I find it empowering. If this life is all I've got, I'll do my best to live it the best I can and help others to do the same. Realizing my full control of my life's trajectory is quite liberating. Don't bide your time waiting for things to get better in an afterlife, go out and do something about it!
Say that there is an afterlife. Would God really give us the ability to think logically, scientifically, and then punish us for doing so? I doubt it. Like I said, the threat of Hell is illogical and really falls short once you step outside the belief system.
One doesn't need science to see the logical fallacies of organized religion, but it does help. The attraction to science is that it doesn't claim to have all the answers, but scientists devote their lives to the search. It's turning out that the true nature of reality is far more fascinating than any creationism story. Maybe it'll turn out that science can't answer all the questions, but it's much better to try and fail than not try at all.
That's quite a heavy post, so here's something to lighten the mood.
An Engineer Accidentally goes to Hell instead of Heaven.
An Engineer dies and goes to hell. He's hot and miserable, so he decides to take action. The A/C has been busted for a long time, so he fixes it. Things cool down quickly.
The moving walkway motor jammed, so he unjams it. People can get from place to place more easily.
The TV was grainy and unclear, so he fixes the connection to the Satellite dish and now they get hundreds of high def channels.
One day, God decides to look down on Hell to see how his grand design is working out and notices that everyone is happy and enjoying umbrella drinks. He asks the Devil what's going on?
The Devil replies, "Things are great down here since you sent us that engineer."
"What?? An engineer? I didn't send you one of those, that must have been a mistake. Send him back up right this minute."
The Devil responds, "No way! We are going to keep our engineer. We like this guy."
God demands, "If you don't send him to me immediately, I'll sue!"
The Devil laughs. "Where are YOU going to get a lawyer?"
http://www.sunnyskyz.com/funny-jokes/17/An-Engineer-accidentally-goes-to-Hell-instead-of-Heaven#aq3FEaOcmc6D39sm.99
7.22.2016
One Race to Rule Them All: TNGA
The Trans North Georgia is the race of all races. I go back and forth between underestimating it and overestimating it, but the truth is I don't know what to expect. All I know is that it will be an extremely intense multi-day adventure. But that leaves a lot of questions concerning how to prepare.
The old theory of endurance training centers on endurance riding, but a huge volume of miles doesn't really do all that much for fitness past a certain point. Miles do not equal speed. Riding regularly does more for endurance, and speed comes from a combination of strength and lactate threshold. The latter is a very interesting phenomenon. It is the fine line between aerobic and anaerobic, or sustainable effort and unsustainable effort. Essentially it's a personal speed limit.
Over the years, as I've naturally progressed through bike racing, I've become much more in-tune with my body. It's easy to find and ride at lactate threshold in an effort to raise that bar. It also means that when I eat crap, I ride like crap. Where I used to be able to eat fastfood with no noticeable consequences, now it's just a greasy gut bomb. I also avoid processed and simple sugars, especially before a ride, as they produce an insulin spike that leaves me shaky and weak feeling only a few miles in. Even simpler carbs can have this effect, like potatoes, white bread/flour, and rice. The king of carbs turns out to be oats, which led me to develop the Power Waffle: an oatmeal, whole wheat, chocolate chip waffle. No syrup required. With three levels of carb complexity, one of those will keep me fueled up for hours.
The Power Waffle is great for training days, but for the most part I maintain a largely bean-based diet. Partly because beans are cheap and partly because they're packed with complex carbs and protein. They're also one of the most satiating foods, in my opinion. I've also been increasing my leafy vegetable intake and subsequently cutting back on rice, pasta, and meat.
My other preparation efforts include testing my comfort on the bike - saddle, shoes, clothing, etc. I think I'll end up wearing baggy shorts and a long sleeve shirt for sun protection rather than the typical spandex. This means forgoing a chamois, which is probably unthinkable to some, but it's really not needed with a leather saddle. I've also practiced eating while riding. Just the other day, I was eating a cold-cut sandwich while riding to class and basically wound up with a grilled cheese by the time I was done. Too hot out!
One of the biggest challenges of the TNGA may turn out to be navigation. Looking at the cue sheets, it seems there's a turn or intersection every couple of miles. A good GPS is considered a necessity for riding this route, but I was hesitant to spend $200+ for something I may never use again. I considered looking for one to borrow when I realized I already had one: the almighty smartphone. With a large screen and excellent battery life, it can't be beat. The trick was finding the right app. After experimenting with various free apps, I decided to pony up the $20 for the GAIA app. I must say it's quite impressive: simple, easy to use, and unlimited map downloads for offline use.
As far as sleeping goes, I've basically just decided to wing it. I'll ride until I get tired, pull over, and sleep. How long I sleep really depends on how far I make it the first day. If I can make it halfway on the first day, I can get by with only a few hours. If it looks like I'll be spending two nights out there, I better get some good rest. Sleep deprivation effects really come into play on the third day.
So, while I don't really know what to expect, my goal is to be prepared for anything. I'm pretty excited about being back in the North Georgia mountains.
The old theory of endurance training centers on endurance riding, but a huge volume of miles doesn't really do all that much for fitness past a certain point. Miles do not equal speed. Riding regularly does more for endurance, and speed comes from a combination of strength and lactate threshold. The latter is a very interesting phenomenon. It is the fine line between aerobic and anaerobic, or sustainable effort and unsustainable effort. Essentially it's a personal speed limit.
Over the years, as I've naturally progressed through bike racing, I've become much more in-tune with my body. It's easy to find and ride at lactate threshold in an effort to raise that bar. It also means that when I eat crap, I ride like crap. Where I used to be able to eat fastfood with no noticeable consequences, now it's just a greasy gut bomb. I also avoid processed and simple sugars, especially before a ride, as they produce an insulin spike that leaves me shaky and weak feeling only a few miles in. Even simpler carbs can have this effect, like potatoes, white bread/flour, and rice. The king of carbs turns out to be oats, which led me to develop the Power Waffle: an oatmeal, whole wheat, chocolate chip waffle. No syrup required. With three levels of carb complexity, one of those will keep me fueled up for hours.
The Power Waffle is great for training days, but for the most part I maintain a largely bean-based diet. Partly because beans are cheap and partly because they're packed with complex carbs and protein. They're also one of the most satiating foods, in my opinion. I've also been increasing my leafy vegetable intake and subsequently cutting back on rice, pasta, and meat.
My other preparation efforts include testing my comfort on the bike - saddle, shoes, clothing, etc. I think I'll end up wearing baggy shorts and a long sleeve shirt for sun protection rather than the typical spandex. This means forgoing a chamois, which is probably unthinkable to some, but it's really not needed with a leather saddle. I've also practiced eating while riding. Just the other day, I was eating a cold-cut sandwich while riding to class and basically wound up with a grilled cheese by the time I was done. Too hot out!
One of the biggest challenges of the TNGA may turn out to be navigation. Looking at the cue sheets, it seems there's a turn or intersection every couple of miles. A good GPS is considered a necessity for riding this route, but I was hesitant to spend $200+ for something I may never use again. I considered looking for one to borrow when I realized I already had one: the almighty smartphone. With a large screen and excellent battery life, it can't be beat. The trick was finding the right app. After experimenting with various free apps, I decided to pony up the $20 for the GAIA app. I must say it's quite impressive: simple, easy to use, and unlimited map downloads for offline use.
As far as sleeping goes, I've basically just decided to wing it. I'll ride until I get tired, pull over, and sleep. How long I sleep really depends on how far I make it the first day. If I can make it halfway on the first day, I can get by with only a few hours. If it looks like I'll be spending two nights out there, I better get some good rest. Sleep deprivation effects really come into play on the third day.
So, while I don't really know what to expect, my goal is to be prepared for anything. I'm pretty excited about being back in the North Georgia mountains.
5.15.2016
Dingle-speed (Double-singlespeed)
I've been riding this setup for a few weeks now, and so far, it's solved my commuter bike issue. It's not quite as fast as commuting on my road bike, but it's fast enough. Ironically, the big "off-road" tires are much more suitable to Oxford's bike lanes. It's also convenient to be able to hop curbs and go off the pavement easily. The upright position is much more comfortable, but the best part might be the rack. I've come up with an easy-on/off attachment for Lucy's basket, and I'm working on a backpack/pannier system to keep my back from getting so sweaty this summer.
If I can come up with some quick release fenders that work decently well, I may change my opinion about the ideal number of bikes. As a bonus of commuting on a mountain bike, it's quite convenient to ride the trails after class, since campus is right between my house and the trailhead.
4.19.2016
Road Use and Bike Lanes
Preface: I think I've mentioned this before, but I have no sympathy for drivers. From the environmental impacts and congestion issues to the staggering number of vehicle-related deaths and insane inefficiency of using a 3500lb vehicle to move a 185lb person (average), car culture sucks.
While waiting for a physics lecture to begin today, a guy next to me starts talking to his friend about how absurd it was that he had just received a ticket for careless driving. He didn't mention what infraction he committed, but considering the number of stupid things drivers do that don't warrant tickets, I can only assume he deserved it. I really would've liked to speak up and say that he should probably be more careful when operating heavy machinery. I didn't think it would do any good, however, so I let it go.
This may have been prompted by another impatient driver, earlier this morning, cutting me off to get to a parking space 1.5 seconds faster. Seriously. I can't wait for software-driven cars to take over. I read an interesting prediction on Quora.com which postulated that when technology advances so that software can drive a car better than a human, it will become much more difficult to get and keep a driver's license. "Accidents" will become unacceptable, and we'll all be safer, cyclists included. Given the exponential nature of technological advancement, I think this could happen in as little as 10 years; 20 tops.
On to my main point: the claim that cyclists should be required to have insurance and register our bikes to justify our road access. Clearly this claim has no forethought.
First off, registration, gas taxes, and other road use fees only account for 32% of of road construction/maintenance spending. The rest comes from general revenue. So, basically cyclists are already paying for more than their share of the road.
Now lets change this to how it should be, where road funding comes entirely from it's users. To do this fairly, it should be based on vehicle weight and miles driven to account for "wear and tear" done by different vehicles. So, 18 wheelers and dump trucks bear the highest cost with bikes at the bottom. Without crunching the numbers, I'm guessing bike registration would be a few cents per year. Think, if everyone quit driving today and only rode bikes, our roads could stay in their current conditions for centuries, with the exception of damage from natural disasters.
The easiest way to account for mileage differences between users is simply to tax the crap out of gasoline. Again, a 20lb bike doesn't contribute significantly to the "wear and tear" of roads, so it's irrelevant that it doesn't use gas. While we're at it, we could throw in an environmental tax for the air pollution.
The real joke here is insurance. How much damage can a cyclist really be liable for? If I hit a stop sign, the stop sign will win. If I rear end a car, the bumper is going to win. Maybe there will be a small tire mark, but that small expense certainly won't justify needing insurance. Liability insurance for a 20lb bike is just absurd.
This does raise the question, though - how should bike lane maintenance be funded? In this case, maintenance means sweeping a few times a year. Having gotten three flats, recently, from debris in the bike lane, I can say that bike lanes are fairly pointless if they're not swept once in a while. Although I would gladly register my bikes if it meant funding for a street sweeper program, most of this debris comes from construction and work trucks hauling gravel, tree limbs, and trash as well as drivers throwing glass bottles and other trash out the window. And then there's road kill.
So, yes, cities should charge people for littering and destruction. They should also promote cycling as transportation since it cuts down on pollution and ultimately leads to a healthier, more productive society. Bike lane maintenance could easily "pay for itself".
TL;DR: the bike lanes in Oxford need sweeping. The trashiest road users should probably pay for it, or maybe I'll just get out there with my broom.
While waiting for a physics lecture to begin today, a guy next to me starts talking to his friend about how absurd it was that he had just received a ticket for careless driving. He didn't mention what infraction he committed, but considering the number of stupid things drivers do that don't warrant tickets, I can only assume he deserved it. I really would've liked to speak up and say that he should probably be more careful when operating heavy machinery. I didn't think it would do any good, however, so I let it go.
This may have been prompted by another impatient driver, earlier this morning, cutting me off to get to a parking space 1.5 seconds faster. Seriously. I can't wait for software-driven cars to take over. I read an interesting prediction on Quora.com which postulated that when technology advances so that software can drive a car better than a human, it will become much more difficult to get and keep a driver's license. "Accidents" will become unacceptable, and we'll all be safer, cyclists included. Given the exponential nature of technological advancement, I think this could happen in as little as 10 years; 20 tops.
On to my main point: the claim that cyclists should be required to have insurance and register our bikes to justify our road access. Clearly this claim has no forethought.
First off, registration, gas taxes, and other road use fees only account for 32% of of road construction/maintenance spending. The rest comes from general revenue. So, basically cyclists are already paying for more than their share of the road.
Now lets change this to how it should be, where road funding comes entirely from it's users. To do this fairly, it should be based on vehicle weight and miles driven to account for "wear and tear" done by different vehicles. So, 18 wheelers and dump trucks bear the highest cost with bikes at the bottom. Without crunching the numbers, I'm guessing bike registration would be a few cents per year. Think, if everyone quit driving today and only rode bikes, our roads could stay in their current conditions for centuries, with the exception of damage from natural disasters.
The easiest way to account for mileage differences between users is simply to tax the crap out of gasoline. Again, a 20lb bike doesn't contribute significantly to the "wear and tear" of roads, so it's irrelevant that it doesn't use gas. While we're at it, we could throw in an environmental tax for the air pollution.
The real joke here is insurance. How much damage can a cyclist really be liable for? If I hit a stop sign, the stop sign will win. If I rear end a car, the bumper is going to win. Maybe there will be a small tire mark, but that small expense certainly won't justify needing insurance. Liability insurance for a 20lb bike is just absurd.
This does raise the question, though - how should bike lane maintenance be funded? In this case, maintenance means sweeping a few times a year. Having gotten three flats, recently, from debris in the bike lane, I can say that bike lanes are fairly pointless if they're not swept once in a while. Although I would gladly register my bikes if it meant funding for a street sweeper program, most of this debris comes from construction and work trucks hauling gravel, tree limbs, and trash as well as drivers throwing glass bottles and other trash out the window. And then there's road kill.
So, yes, cities should charge people for littering and destruction. They should also promote cycling as transportation since it cuts down on pollution and ultimately leads to a healthier, more productive society. Bike lane maintenance could easily "pay for itself".
TL;DR: the bike lanes in Oxford need sweeping. The trashiest road users should probably pay for it, or maybe I'll just get out there with my broom.
4.03.2016
Suspension Tuning
I'm putting these thoughts into words - before I forget them again - mostly for my own use in the future, but hopefully others will find this guide useful too.
First off, Manitou Suspension rocks. Their forks and shocks are some of the must tune-able on the market with simple but effective shim stacks to control brake dive and pedal bob. Also the ride quality to price ratio is unbeatable. This tune-ability means they can be finicky to set up, but spending the time to do so is well worth it. I've previously owned the Tower Pro fork and currently ride the Marvel fork and Radium rear shock.
So that concludes Suspension Theory 101. I'll try to keep this post updated if/when my ideas change or expand.
First off, Manitou Suspension rocks. Their forks and shocks are some of the must tune-able on the market with simple but effective shim stacks to control brake dive and pedal bob. Also the ride quality to price ratio is unbeatable. This tune-ability means they can be finicky to set up, but spending the time to do so is well worth it. I've previously owned the Tower Pro fork and currently ride the Marvel fork and Radium rear shock.
- The Spring.
Start with air spring pressure. Set the sag at 20% front, 30% rear. You'll probably change this later, but it's a good starting point. A proper suspension setup should bottom out once every ride or two; otherwise, you're not using all of the available travel and carrying around extra weight for nothing. Higher air pressure, while it does work, is the wrong way to achieve reduced pedal bob. We'll get to that in a minute.
If you have a fork like the Tower Pro with coil assist, things get a little trickier. If you can barely achieve the desired sag with low air pressure and it bounces around like a pogo stick when you stand and pedal, try installing a lighter coil. If you have too much sag, even with high pressure, try a heavier coil. - Rebound.
There are a few ways to find the ideal rebound setting. One way is to start with fast rebound and work your way down until the bike feels stable. The problem with this, is that you may think the bike rides well, but you could be sacrificing traction without knowing it. You can also start in the middle, which is probably close to the ideal position, but this can leave you wondering which way to adjust it to get it just right. My suggestion is start slow and work you're way up. Slower rebound will result in better traction but run it too slow and the shock will pack down and ride harshly. Slower rebound will also help reduce inefficiency from pedal bob.
*edit: Racing last weekend, I ran the compression damping wide open and slowed down the rebound for a fast, flat trail with small, infrequent bumps. The result was good compliance and more traction. - Compression Damping.
Compression speed should be proportional to rebound speed. Fast compression and slow rebound will make the fork pack down and handling will suffer. Similarly, slow compression and fast rebound produces a strange ride too. Best bet is to match the rebound speed. You'll know you have it right when pedal bob and brake dive are minimized. Manitou makes this nice and easy with the ABS+ knob. - Lockouts.
Say 'no' to lockouts! I hear a lot of people say they want/like lockouts so that their bike will "climb like a hardtail/rigid". This is wrong. A properly tuned full suspension bike, with much better traction, will out-climb a hardtail. The exception to this is if you're sprinting up a paved hill, but we're talking about dirt in this post. - Tire Pressure.
I might as well throw this in here too. With a full suspension bike, you might be able to get away with a little bit lower tire pressure. The biggest issue is cornering. You don't wont the tire rolling sideways; I find this is the limiting factor with low pressures. A little bit higher pressures can result in faster rolling with all the traction of properly tuned suspension. - Racing.
In my opinion, a good trail day setup is exactly the same as race day setup. Partly because this is what you're used to, and partly because it should already be optimized for traction, efficiency, handling, and comfort. At the most you might want to turn up the compression damping, especially if it's a short sprint. Even then, I've found the reduced traction and bump absorption can throw off your handling expectations.
Of course you may want to tweak the settings for different types of trails. Fast trails with small bumps require different settings than slower trails with bigger hits or fast trails with big hits. If you have the suspension set up properly for your home trails, it shouldn't be difficult to adjust it to another trail after a practice lap or two.
Most rear shocks have multiple compression rates like forks. The Radium has firm and soft settings, no lockout. I always run it on the soft setting, but I'll reserve the firm setting for race courses with short steep climbs for a little extra power transfer out of the saddle.
So that concludes Suspension Theory 101. I'll try to keep this post updated if/when my ideas change or expand.
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