Colesburg 40 Gravel Road Race Results for 2009

Click on the Image above to compair times with prior years. The short course was changed in 2007 making it 2 miles longer.

Another year of Colesburg is done (18 of them so far), and this year was a good one: a new course record, near record participation, not a single hospital visit, injury or wildlife alteration. The Chain Reaction club made $400, we handed out $800 in prize money and $100 for the course record and hill top prem. New this year was a guess your time which split $50 to two racers who got it exactly right.

Our race sponsors were Bicycle World of Dubuque with cash value gift certificates in bottles and a finish line shade tent, Free Flight Bikes of Dubuque for the other finish line tent, and Momentum Sports in Platteville who brought a huge crew to the race.

We had a great group of official volunteers (Jody Bramel, Traci Andre, Bill Stoffel, Karl Steichen, Sherry Spahn, Martha O’Conner Leigh, Christopher Bramel and Mimi Vaassen). We also had a great group of neutral support crews from all parts handing out bottled water to the racers!

Our short course is mile for mile hillier than the long course, we just cut out all the long flat sections…
1. Evan Hartig Dubuque, IA / Chain Reaction 1:22:44 (New Course Record)
2. Juan Ochoa Dubuque, IA / Chain Reaction 1:23:58
3. David Hartig Dubuque, IA / Chain Reaction 1:23:59
4. Parrish & Natalie Marugg Dubuque, IA / Bicycle World 1:29:00 (1st Tandem)
5. Randy Vannordel Dubuque, IA / Bicycle World 1:35:02
6. Chris Congdon Cedar Falls, IA / Bike Tech 1:37:53
7. Marge O'Connor-Leigh Dubuque, IA / Free Flight 1:39:43 (1st Female)
8. Paul Pettinger Dubuque, IA / Chain Reaction 1:49:20
9. Jeremy Riniker Dyersville, IA 1:54:00
10. Logan Perleth Dubuque, IA 1:58:46
11. Laurel Darren Moline, IL 1:59:03 (2nd Female)
12. Joe Freisinger Dubuque, IA 2:16:58
13. Karmen Woelber Waterloo, IA 2:26:50 (3rd Female)
14. Brian Oliver Delmar, IA 2:49:00

Gravel conditions were loose and sketchy in parts so the record times are even more amazing… This is an open category 41 mile race, so the cat 3, 4, 5 Sport racers get to mix it elbow to elbow with the pro, 1, 2 and Experts in a white knuckle 30 MPH gravel start… oh the fun! Here's the Long Course Results:

1. Brian & Kim Eppen ICCC 2:02:23 ($50 Course Record, Overall and 1st Tandem)
2. Joseph Hetriex Iowa City 2:03:25 ($50 Prem for First Hill at Mile 6)
3. Jeff Barnes Iowa City, IA 2:03:28
4. Jeff Bradley Davenport, IA 2:10:29
5. Maxwell Anderson Platteville, WI 2:10:31
6. Nick Martin Iowa City, IA 2:11:03
7. Chris Eastburn Cedar Rapids, IA 2:12:08
8. Ben Damhoff Platteville, WI 2:15:35
9. Daniel Galles Iowa City, IA / Team Skin 2:15:41
10. Ryan Nenninger Iowa City, IA 2:18:10
11. Todd Gillihan Team Skin 2:19:16
12. Kevin Wohlford Eldridge, IA 2:22:08
13. Jeremy Fry Waterloo, IA / ICCC 2:23:01
14. Mike Dalton Dubuque, IA / Free Flight 2:23:54
15. Bruce Grell Davenport, IA / Dice 2:24:36
16. Randy Vaassen Dubuque, IA 2:24:47
17. Jeremi Walker Iowa City, IA 2:28:59
18. Lance Andre Tampa, FL / Free Flight 2:29:26
19. Randy Peterson Lancaster, WI 2:30:51
20. Colm Flannery Chillicothe, IL 2:32:46
21. Gary Johnson Moline, IL 2:33:54
22. Tony Damhoff Platteville, WI 2:35:52
23. Corey Kronser Platteville, WI 2:35:53
24. William (WM) Huntsberger Davenport, IA / Dice 2:36:50
25. Joe Nolan Platteville, WI 2:41:04
26. Jeff Spahn Dubuque, IA / Free Flight 2:41:56
27. Greg Aronson Bettendorf, IA / Dice 2:42:54
28. Landon Beachy Kalona, IA / Bike Tech 2:43:28
29. Chris & Monika Martin Iowa City, IA 2:45:21 (2nd Tandem)
30. Nick Book Dubuque, IA 2:46:25
31. Jeff Abel Bettendorf, IA / Dice 2:47:29
32. Jamie Jorgensen Coralville, IA / Team Skin 2:47:52
33. Tim Ingram Platteville, WI 2:50:07
34. Bruce Timmerman Dubuque, IA / Chain Reaction 2:56:26
35. John Adamson Cedar Falls, IA / Bike Tech 2:57:19
36. Kathleen Porter Cedar Falls, IA 2:57:19 (1st Female)
37. Paul Meyermann Cedar Falls, IA 3:00:06
38. Jean Gilpin Coralville, IA / Team Skin 3:00:09 (2nd Female)
39. Lor Hutchison Dubuque, IA / Free Flight 3:02:52
40. Nicole Hutchison Dubuque, IA / Free Flight 3:03:05 (3rd Female)
41. Mark Steen Bettendorf, IA 3:09:24
42. Don Fish Davenport, IA 3:12:12
43. Matt Klemish Bettendorf, IA 3:18:02
44. Thomas Finnegan Bettendorf, IA 3:22:40
45. Sandy Kilburg Bellevue, IA / Fever River 3:32:02 (4th Female)
46. Gerry Voelliger Bettendorf, IA 3:34:09
47. Deb Wood Bettendorf, IA 3:36:23 (5th Female)
48. Gary Bramel Holy Cross, IA / Free Flight 3:36:39
49. Michael Feldpausch Grove, IA 3:38:44
50. Sean Endicott Bettendorf, IA DNF (finished but not by any official route, so he still had fun on the gravel but by himself)
51. Cassandra Kessler Iowa City, IA / Team Skin DNF

2010 Triple D Winter Race Date Set

The 2010 Triple D Winter Race (bike or Ski or Run) date has been officially set for Saturday, January 9th, 2010! Nearly all festivities will remain the same this year... so feel free to check out all the prior year’s photos and information using the links to the right of the page.

There will be no ultra distance Ski or Run but we will utilize the extended out and back that we did last year, so that the Ski & Foot race will have a full marathon option.

New this year will be a 2010 commemorative calendar for all participants (biking in the winter all year long!!! Now what could be better than that???)

Also set to kick off this weekend is the award winning Dubuque Ice Fest (how appropriate): http://www.mississippirivermuseum.com

2009 Colesburg Gravel Race (40+ & 24 Mile Road Race)

Alright, if I can come up from Florida to put on this little gravel race, the least some of you locals can do is show up! So, here are the details on the race that no one wants to talk about (do to repressed memories of pain and suffering)…

When: September 7th 2008 (Labor Day Monday), Registration until 9:30, Racing starts at 10AM.

Where: Colesburg, Iowa (NW Corner of Town at the City park)

How Much:
Preregistered Solo Racer $20 / Tandem Team $30 (by Aug 21)
Prior Year Solo Racer $20 (Prereg not required)
Prior Year Tandem Team $30 Total (Prereg not required)
Day of event, $30 Single or $45 Tandem Team.

Awards: Cash (real $$$ bills)- lots of it, lottery style payout, the better you place the more tickets you get. Everyone gets at least one ticket for starting this wrenched event.

Race Director Contact: Lance André at (563) 543-2784 or Lance.Andre@Hotmail.com

General Details:

• Sag supported with water
• Well marked course (racer maps at sign-in)
• Large Tandem Field
• It's typically hot (bring two water bottles & a camel back)
• Fat-tire mountain bikes and cycle-cross bikes recommended
• Controlled 1 mile paced start

Long Course: 40.9 miles of Gravel (some pavement) - Sport/Expert/Prolevel riders - expect long gravel hills & a finishing time typically within 5 min. of your Chequamegon 40 finish.
Direct Cash Payout for Record Time.
Large $ pream on the first main climb*

Short Course: 24 miles of Gravel - Beginner/Sport level riders (finishing times range from 1:20 to 2:15+)

*Prem was first won in 2007 by Team Ergon pro rider Jeff Kerkove, who’s teammate beat Lance at Leadville last year and he finished 27th overall, unfortunately the locals made Jeff pay for that $ as he finished 4th behind the Eppens, Andre’s and Todd Gillihan.

This race has a long history in Iowa bike racing…
4th annual: “I’ve had enough, I’m stopping for a beer, me too… ditto”
8th annual: “no race director” (he was thrown in jail, he’s now married to the gal that caused the whole thing)…
10th annual “Broken collarbone, and a stolen car (the racers stole it)”…
12th annual “Dog to Vet with broken ribs, bike to the repair shop”…
13th annual “9 racers lost (to the sound of deliverance)” we have since improved the course markings…
15th annual – “is it possible to endo a tandem?” Ask the Hirsch brothers…
16th annual (last year)– “bloodiest year yet, multiple emergency room visits” Slow down on those D&# downhill corners!

Click on the flyer to view a larger version... email me Lance.Andre@Hotmail.com for a PDF. You can also visit http://www.chainreactioncycling.org/ in a day or two for all the other information like a release form (to fill out ahead of time), detailed driving directions, a course map, etc.

must read...

If you want the true story on how the Arrowhead Ultra 135 affects you mentally, you must read the transcripts from my good friend Charlie's visits to his therapist... there are multiple posts, so you may have to check back from time to time to read them all (start at the bottom).

Arrowhead Ultra 135 Race Report

What makes Arrowhead so difficult, and so much of an accomplishment?
It’s a hard question to answer…

Is it because the 135 mile course is so demanding physically? Well some of it… the route has long stretches that are completely flat that will coax you into a high rhythm, then it will slam you with 30 miles on step back to back hills sapping ever last bit of strength you legs have left. But that isn’t it… because the group of athletes that train and participate in this event are the toughest in the world (all over the world) and are more than ready for 20-50 hours of physical exertion.

Is it the cold? Well sort of… The International Falls area has been nicknamed the “ice box of north America” and for notable reasons. Even this year (not the coldest year) the race started at -5df with a 10-15 mph headwind on the out and back and finished at -34dF the night of the second day. The -34dF was actual air temperature not the wind-chill or fells like, that was lower. However, for most racers these temperatures are expected and planned for (the best that we can, some of us unfortunately don’t get to train in these extremes and must guestimate on how our equipment and clothing will [hopefully] perform). To exasperate the situation, the cold can wreck havoc on the bikes, skis and sleds. Numerous racers have had to resort to pushing their bikes (some over 80 miles of the route) due to frozen hubs. Skiers sometimes find it impossible to get a wax that will work at -30dF so they go with the coldest made and just “deal with it”. So the cold, while a big part of it, just isn’t it either.

Is it the sleep deprivation and mental stress? While sleeping at check points or out on the trail is standard for some competitors, most choose to push through the night in hopes of cutting hours from the race. In addition, at -34dF how well can one sleep anyway? Moreover, there are much longer ultra distance races where racers will go a week on end with only an hour or two of sleep each night, so that’s most likely not it either.

If you do the math, you’ll know it’s not the dangerous speeds, I mean how scary can an 8 mph bike race, or 6 mph ski race be? I suppose the lack of speed may have something to do with it, boredom comes to mind.



So why is Arrowhead such a difficult race… well this year:
Joel and I arrived at the starting line late (at about 8 am, about an hour after the first racers started). We wanted to let the trail get packed down as 4” of fresh snow had fallen the night before. There were about 6 main racers who were in contention for the win this year, four of them had rolled out at about 7:30 and were well on their way… It’s a very long race, but I’d trained well enough for this race that it’s hard to keep the speed down when the beginning is so easy… but I was doing a pretty good job on the first part of the out and back I was keeping my average at about 11 mph (which by the way is really fast for AH135). At about 2/3r’ds of the way to the turnaround (at 8 miles), two of the main contenders (charlie and dave) screamed past in the other direction doing at least 13! We’ll the race is on! I took two more gears and cranked it up to match their speed, and besides they were breaking trail through fresh snow, I had a 1’ wide swatch from the other bikes and racers who had started before. I finished the out and back with an average of 12 mph.

The whole first ¼ of the race until the first check point was pretty uneventful, I kept my speed up as high as I dared, it dropped about a half mph for every bike I passed, as the trail became less and less defined. During this section I passed a couple of the top contenders (Lindsay Gauld [former Olympian], Dennis Grelk [2nd place tie with me at Triple D], and Mike Curiak [Iditarod record holder]). Mike interesting enough, noticed me approaching and pulled to side and grabbed his camera; he then proceeded to motion me to the wrong side of the trail so as to setup the perfect photo shoot (I think he deserves a free entry for being the unofficial race photographer, the picture, believe it the picture below is of me, taken by mike at about 6 miles out from the Gateway CheckPoint – you must visit his blog as his photograph is amazing, especially considering he’s racing while taking these photos). I moved into the fourth spot after passing Mike… and by timing when snow machines would pass and when I would see the other tracks reappear in the snow I was now in first place by almost 20 minutes! I started 45 minutes after Charlie and Dave but had closed their starting lead to only 20 minutes. I kept my stop at the gateway store to a minimum, buying only a hot brat and v8 juice. I knew I’d lose a couple minutes here as Dave stops for nothing. The big unknown for me though was two of the top racers (Terry Brannick [who would take 1st this year]), and Dave Gray [prior AH winner]) had started after me, there was no way for me to know how much time I was ahead or behind them, until the halfway checkpoint where I had planned a 1 hour layover.



The remainder of the first half continued to progress well, I was eating and drinking regularly, I was keeping my speed at a maintainable pace. I was watching the battle ahead of me as I could tell the front three were breaking up, Dave had dropped Charlie and Josh. I passed Josh not too long after the gateway store, he wasn’t happy about not having a bigger trail to follow (he wanted to start MUCH latter). I kept the effort up and was closing on Charlie but not Dave. I caught up with Charlie about 6 miles from the MelGeorges checkpoint. While he had been dropped and said he had bonked, his speed didn’t show it, and I was only averaging about a ½ mph more. Crossing Elephant lake was quite an experience, the wind was pounding from the side (I was running a disk on my rear wheel to prevent snow and ice buildup, and this section was tossing my bike to the side), Dave’s tire tracks while only 15 minutes old had already drifted over.

I pulled in to MelGeorges 15 minutes after Dave but 30 minutes into the lead (so far). I knew I wouldn’t get any rest as Dave would try to make up for lost time by heading right back out… I did get time to refill my camel back, partially dry my “super suit”, eat a grilled cheese and chug down a bowl of soup. But that was it Dave was back out! Charlie had rolled in only 10 minutes after me and wasn’t looking to bad. Terry who had started about 15 minutes after me rolled in only 20 minutes after… that meant I only had a 5 minute lead on him! Which, in this race is absolutely nothing – a dead heat! Terry would end up moving into the lead by leaving MelGeorges 15 minutes early.

After leaving the CP (about 20 minutes early than planned) I was back on the trail trying to work off the 15 minute false lead Dave had on me so that I could at least know where he was (my thought was, there was nothing I could do about Terry behind me but at least with Dave, if I could close the distance, I could keep an eye on him)… about an hour (or two at the most I had closed the gap and for all of about 5 minutes Dave was following me.

I pause here to say… “This is where things start to go wrong”
1. I was trying to win Arrowhead (my planning prior to the race was to finish in top 5, my pace had increased beyond what I should have been pushing, but oh, 1st place would be nice).
2. It was starting to get cold and dark (not that -5dF wasn’t cold at the start, it was), but it was getting real cold -15dF (at least for someone who had been living in sunny Florida (it was 75dF when I left Tampa a couple days earlier)).

So, with 1 and 2, why would these have caused things to go bad??? Well Dave is one of the most consistent determined riders I’ve ever ridden with… the cold had gotten low enough that I had to put on my “cold weather” mittens. But to eat I had to stop, remove the mittens get out my food, put the mittens back on and ride again. This, in addition, to the fact that I was geared to high to ride some of the hills that Dave was easily topping, had caused me to start to really max the engine to close the distance when on the bike.

About 3 hours of this (110 miles in) the fire went out! Instantly! Nothing! In normal races this simply would have meant limping in with a light spin, but remember, its -15dF, riding a bike on soft snow in the middle of nowhere… there was no limping home, my feet, hands and nose where starting to show early signs of frost bike (numb, tingling and stinging), I had to pick it up, but the fire was out. I could no longer keep my body warm, I was about 5 miles (or 1 hour) out from the “Teepee Checkpoint”, which we were told would have fire going (we equated to also mean getying warm)! So, with everything remaining I pushed hill after hill and rode when I could, as hard as I could, nearing collapse I arrive at the CP 15 minutes behind Dave just before 1 AM (about an hour ahead of the next rider). Unfortunately the teepee was on the top of the highest hill on the course which was wind whipped and bitterly cold; the fire was a small smoldering ring that simply filled the teepee with lung searing smoke and contributed nothing to warm the teepee (it was just as cold inside as out). But the decision to get there was made, I had nothing left and although it was only 22 miles from the finish and I’d freeze to death on the trail if I continued. I grabbed my bivy sack from the bike, found an open spot on the ground, stripped naked and climbed in my sleeping bag. The next 7 hours of intermittent intense shivering were only broken by the occasional racer checking in at the CP and checking in on us. Dave had also made the decision to Bivy at the last checkpoint as we had ran each other into the ground and continuing on at 2 in the morning with depleted energy levels could spell disaster.

The morning had rolled around but the temperatures didn’t budge (although the sun will lift your sprits no matter the cold)… In talking with the guys tasked with manning the CP, Dave and I had decided to jump off course (allowed as long as you return where you left) and get some hot food in us to finish the race (even bagging it for 7 hours we were still in a tie for 5th place (although there wasn’t much fight in either one of us). In the process of getting directions from the CP guys, the exhaustion was altering my good judgment, I was actually disagreeing with the locals on how to get to the nearest town (Cook). They said Right then Left… all I could remember was Left then Right… Dave was off, I however, was faced with getting my frozen “super suit” on, yes my clothes were frozen solid, couldn’t even get my arm in the sleeves. I spent about 30 minutes with my frozen clothes inside my bag getting them warmed up enough to get them on (OH SO FUN). It was so cold that I had to nearly place my boots inside the smoldering fire to even melt the ice off them (but close enough they were to shrink the leather and melt the rubber – one ruined pair of Lake Boots, could barely even get them on).

Exhausted and barely able to ride, down the trail I went, then the road the locals at the teepee had mentioned in their directions… I took the left turn, a couple miles then a right on the highway (it was so cold that my bike computer was coved in a thin sheet of ice making it impossible to select different functions (I was stuck on Average Speed, Speed and HR). Needless to say the 11 mph on the pavement going into “town” felt good)… after what felt like an hour (it was) I still wasn’t in cook for the hot breakfast… kept riding, and there it was Lake Vermilion on my right (that the lake that we finish at… only its supposed to be on the left! I had ridden over 15 miles in the wrong direction (or some unknown direction). I stopped at the first sign of civilization to get directions and verify my impending drop from the race, and sure enough I had turned the AHU135 into the AUH 165… I was done. The contractor who was dry walling a summer cottage offered me a ride back to the trail; gladly I accepted even knowing that this was the end of the race for me. On our way back we crossed the AH trail and a meet Dave coming the correct direction from town with a hot breakfast reenergizing his body. I trailed him the last couple of hours to the finish stopping to walk so that I’d keep a little blood to my cramped feet. I finished in a solid 5th place for a minute or two, until I notified race officials of my outside assistance for the DQ.

I had a couple of people ask me when I got home why I turned myself in… I replied that the reason that I started the ultra endurance racing was not to win races, but to challenge myself, and this challenge isn’t just physical, or having the right equipment, or strategy, it’s everything combined including integrity. That’s what makes Arrowhead so difficult. It challenges every part of your being, and if you think you have it all together before the race, it throws in Mother Nature’s unpredictable wrath and finally the toughest individuals in the world to make the race even more of a challenge… now that’s a recipe for a race with the ultimate rewards to those who race it (finish or not)!

Next year??? I’ll be there again, a little wiser and a little stronger… but that’s next year…

Post Script: small little things have a huge effect in a race that demands everything to be perfect… I learned a lot this year and am confident that I will be ready for the three most extreme [winter] races - next year (Triple D @ 60 Miles, Arrowhead Ultra @ 135 miles and Iditarod @ 350 miles– yup Alaska here I come).
1. Can’t say anything bad about my new FatBack other than it was geared way to high, I was running a 36 front, will need to drop this to a 32, just couldn’t comfortable push this gear on the moderate climbs… nearly all the finishers were running a 32 or lower.
2. Loading my bivy bag under the front bars prevented me from seeing my front wheel and being able to reliably ride in Dave’s tracks, wasting energy, may opt next year for one of Epic Eric’s Burrito bags (the world’s largest seat bag).
3. My mittens were not warm enough, victim of living in the sunshine state, because of the whole mitten fiasco, I wasn’t able to consume the calories needed to sustain my pace once the temps started dropping, I think I may have to break down and get a pair of Epic Eric’s Poggies (this one item most likely cost me my DQ vs. 1st place, as others with Poggies were able to eat without stopping – actually passed on a number of “eat alarms” and even “drink alarms” so as to keep my time split on Dave and Terry).

My actual ride time on my computer was 18 hours 58 minutes with a total distance of 149.6 miles at an average ride speed of 7.9 mph (included pushing)! Yup a blistering 7.9 mph, doubt we’ll see any flicks from this race on the SPEED channel… I believe my “ride time/speed” was most likely the fastest for the event. My complete time to finish the race (all stops, detours, etc.) was 27 hours 54 minutes.

I suffered 2nd degree frost bite on the bottom of my nose and upper lip, and 1st degree frost bite (commonly referred to as frost nip) on all my finger tips. As I write this on Sunday night my fingers are almost back to normal, the blisters on my lip and nose are now just some minor scabs… Darn sensitive Floridian skin! But worst of all, I ruined my nice pair of Lake Boots!

Arrowhead Ultra 135 (I mean 150)

I'll post a detailed race summary this weekend.

However, here's a quick one: I went really fast for the first 20 hours was in first by about 30 minutes when, it got really cold, then I went really slow... this was with only 25 miles to go. Biv'd till sunrise, took a wrong turn rode 15 miles in the direction i thought there was food... nope, got a ride back to where i left the trail (not allowed, but I was tired as heii, turned myself in for the DQ, but i did finish the entire route), even with the reroute I would have gotten 5th. minor frost nip on my finger tips...

What do Mike Curiak, Dave Gray, and Dave Pramann all have in common?

They get to race the Arrowhead Ultra 135 with me tomorrow! You can follow the play by play action on the Race blog (watch out because this is about as exciting as an 8 mph bike race can be!).

Weather has been unpredictable, as the forecast has been changing by as much as 30d in a couple of hours, tonight the forecast is for a daytime high of 8dF and a low of -14dF with a wind chill of -30dF.
We're getting a heavy fluff of snow as I write this; the forecast is for it to amount to only about 2" total by mid day tomorrow, which may cause it to be a mighty slow race.

The picture above was taken the night before the Triple D race. It's my new FatBack by the boys at Speedway Cycles and our newest addicted snow biker Josetté André... she now wants to race with daddy all the time. You can also check out her artwork in a couple of the Triple D Photos, she colored one side of my rear disk. Think I could get a Pugs Tag-a-long?

Triple D 2009 - My View (and Arrowhead Ultra 135 Prep)

Photo by Mark Hirsch Photography

I had planned on posting a race update on the Triple D... so here it is: it was the worst bike race I’d done, pushing a bike through a foot of powder snow which has a sheet of glare ice underneath is not my idea of fun. Last year only 4 bikers finished the Triple D (which was perfect, I designed the course to make it difficult enough that only the toughest could finish), this year NONE! Taking into consideration the caliber of racers that attempted this race it is arguably the toughest 1 day race in North America or anywhere for that matter, multiple veterans of TransIowa, Idiasport 350, Sustana 100, and Arrowhead 135 all bailed before hour 11 (Ya, nearly 11 hours and nobody finished a little 55 mile bike race in Dubuque County Iowa). These are the guys that never give up... Nevertheless, it was fun, in a strange slogfest kind of event. It was also disappointing to a number of us having prepared physically and mentally for anything, and then to have THIS... I mean come on; could it have been any worse? (Don’t answer that, because the sun was shining and it was in the positive temps with a light wind, so yes it could have been worse).

The part that got me at Triple D was a bad “heat of the battle” decision… Dave Pramann, Dennis Grelk and I were trading spots for 1st for quite a while. I had ran out of water (had plenty to get me to Dyersville if we hadn’t been pushing for hours vs. riding). I had been eating snow for about two hours but was dehydrating… I needed water or I was going to drop or have to detour into one of the small towns… my decision… A beautiful running stream with crystal clear water (what could go wrong with this decision?). Filled up a water bottle and down the hatch! I nearly puked immediately it was the worst tasting water anybody could imagine! Long story short, Lots of antibiotics, antimicrobials and anti vomiting medication for two weeks! I lost nearly 10 lbs. in the four days after the race

This weekend I went for my first “ride” since Triple D and have started back on solid foods, so all is good. Today’s ride was with a bunch of roadie’s that I train with down here in FL. I showed up in shorts and fingerless gloves for a ride that rolled out at 30d F at 20+ MPH (it was colder than I remember Triple D being… I hate the cold).

I feel good about my gear and training for arrowhead, my goal this year is sub 24 hours which is achievable as long as the trail conditions are favorable. Reports from snowmobilers this weekend said the trails were great! Great for snowmobiling… not great for biking, the base isn’t firm and is difficult to walk on… this translates into awful to bike on. On the bright side: I got to ride with the master of snow biking (Dave Pramann) for a “couple of hours” at Triple D… I had nicknamed him Jesus after watching him ride his Pugsley over trails that the rest of us were having trouble pushing our bikes on. Watching his calm and relaxed riding style on tires with about 1-2 psi was awe inspiring, after doing my best to imitate him I too was riding, but more Charlie Farrow like, than the straight as an arrow no wasted energy Pramman. Dennis Grelk followed me in dropping his tire pressure way down and off he went… He’s the man to mark at AH135 this year as he rode Dave and me off his tire and was looking strong all the way until the end.

Triple D 2009 - YouTube Vid By 2 DDD Racers

YouTube Video by John Nelson and Grace Shirley-Couch

Also a short little one by rob:

Triple D 2009 - Must View Photos

Triple D Photos by Mark Hirsch Photography

Click here to view it as a slideshow...

To order high quality originals contact Mark below:

Mark Hirsch
Photojournalist
2076 Airport Road
Platteville, WI 53818
Cell 563-590-2710
markhirsch@markhirschphoto.com
http://www.markhirschphotography.com/

Providing professional photojournalism and commercial photography services.

Triple D 2009 - Racer Photos 2

here's a link to some more: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk119/rcmckill/Triple%20D%202009/?albumview=slideshow

Triple D 2009 - Racer Photos