Dairyland Dare

August 10th: The Dairyland Dare - Stage Three of the Wisconsin Triple Crown Series.  For serious riders, the Dare offers options up to 300km (nearly 200 mi).  Riders who are much more serious than I.  Evidence: this was my first ride since RAGBRAI.  So, I opted for the 100K route - or about 65 miles with 5,000' of climbing.

So many choices.

I woke up at 4:30 to get going.  It's an hour drive from home to Dodgeville.  The ride began and ended at the Lands End headquarters in town.  Nice facility.  Registration was well organized. 

If this isn't motivation, I'm not sure what is!

I rolled out with the 7:15 wave.  Riders left Lands End every fifteen minutes.  My plan was to do the 100K ride, finish about noon and head back home.  Ahhh, the best laid plans of mice and men....

Time to ride!

There were about 35-40 riders leaving when I did.  Most of the riders who had committed to the longer routes (200K +) had left in the earlier waves.  Our group was mostly 100 and 150K riders.

The 7:15 wave riding out of Dodgeville

The rider in the picture above #121_ is wearing a RAGBRAI jersey from this year.  He and I talked for a bit.  He was from Iowa City and took up cycling in 2010 because he was having knee issues and couldn't keep up with his running.  He rode the 150K.  I saw him later in the day, when the two routes crossed, riding strong.

The rolling countryside of SW WI.

The first 50K were mostly rolling hills, and lots of them.  The cue sheet listed nine separate hills.  It was, especially compared to the first two stages of the Triple Crown in Arcadia and Viroqua, relatively easy.

Must've been early when this photo was taken.  I still look like I could ride.

And then I had a little issue.  About 3-1/2 miles from the 50K finish (aka my half-way point).  I had passed a water stop by a couple miles when I started experiencing some difficulty shifting.  Then I couldn't shift at all.  So I turned around to head back to the water stop.  I was able to make most of the way back, but did have to walk up one hill.  (Side note, I was disappointed that only two riders had even asked if I was ok.  Most just rode past.)  There was a support truck there to call in for a SAG ride.  Within a couple minutes one was driving by as he got the call to pick me up.

Umm, I don't think this is right.  Anyone got duct tape or some super glue?  Busted shifter cable.

The SAG drove me about 10 miles to the next rest stop in Governor Dodge State Park, where there were two mechanics ready to help.  They had shifter cables and repaired my broken steed.  (I forgot the guy's name who worked on my bike for me.)  I was good to go again.

The ride into the Park was beautiful, but there was a steep hill about just before the rest stop.  I decided to make up most of the mileage I lost by getting SAG'd by riding the loop through the park, about 6 miles, from the rest stop to the entrance/exit and back to the rest stop.  In addition the two miles riding back to the water stop with the broken cable, I covered about 8 of those 10 miles.

The descent into Governor Dodge State Park.  The lake in ahead on the left.

Now, on to the second 50K.  There were five hills listed in the next section of the ride.  But they were much larger and more daunting than the rollers of the first half of the day.

A long descent. My kind of road!

After rolling out of Governor Dodge State Park, there was about six miles of relative flat riding until we hit the big hills.  First was a 400' descent, and then a climb back out of the valley.  Up 200' then a slight drop and then more climbing.  This part of the ride was turning out to be brutal.

Suffering up the Dyerson Rd hill. Not pretty ... in so many ways.

Especially for a guy carrying more than a few extra pounds.  They come in handy when going down hill, but it's like dragging an anchor going up. I am a SLOW climber.  I've since heard that each pound a rider is overweight cost him/her 15 seconds for every mile of climbing. If that's true, I lose about 5 minutes each mile going up. 


More of SW WI hills.  A little more severe in this part of the county.

The route was well supported, not only with the SAG support, but also with full stocked rest stops with mechanics, and also water/snack stops.  The route was well marked and the volunteers and staff were awesome!

Last stop, for us on the 100K route.  13 miles to beer!

After the last stop, there was one more hill (technically it was two) before the finish.  Not as severe or as long as the others.  But after fighting the others, it was no less challenging on my tired legs.  So I did what my jersey said - I fought head down.  (Jersey was our LIVESTRONG team jersey for RAGBRAI.)

Last hill of the day.  I can do this.  I will do this.  I did it!

Finally, after over six hours, I rolled back into the Lands End complex and finished the Dairyland Dare and the Wisconsin Triple Crown.

FIN!

And the reward!  A cold pint of Capital brew.  

A tasty reward to rehydrate with.

While I was enjoying my beer, someone called my name and was walking towards me. It turned out to be a teammate from 2011 Team LIVESTRONG, Amy.  We had talked about connecting at each of the stages of the Triple Crown, but never connected.  So, at the end of the last day, it was a little ironic that we actually were able to reconnect. 

 

Riders who complete the Triple Crown receive a personalized jersey commemorating all three stages on the back pocket.  You can select what you want it to say.  Mine will be "CRAWL UP - FLY DOWN" in honor of my great skills on the hills.

My Strava data from the ride. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/73677992

You'll note that straight line from mi 30 to just past 36. That's where I paused as I was getting SAG'd to the mechanic. I rode an extra loop thru Governor Didge State Park, which was gorgeous!) to make up for some of the list mileage. Still ride more than 100K (thanks to the loop).

Ride Time!

On Sunday morning, I'll be rolling out to ride the 50 mile route of the MN Ironman Ride. This will be the first event of a busier season. No races, but more rides.

I'm a little nervous about Sunday's ride. I've only done one ride this year over 30 miles. But it was last weekend. And it was almost the same distance (50+). But I was sore and tired afterwards. (In a good way.)

I'm leaving for Minnesota in the afternoon tomorrow and will spend the night with my brother and his wife in Minneapolis. (Thanks, Chuck & Cindy!). Sunday morning I will get up and drive over to Stillwater, where the ride will be held.

The organizers have done an interesting job of laying out the routes this year. There are three routes, but you can combine them to create your own ride. Except the 50-mi route, which closes early. Since that's the route I'm riding, that's a non-issue. If, by (fat) chance, I'm feeling good after the 50, I may another loop to extend my day. We'll see. I'll still have a 3-1/2 hour ride home that afternoon, so it will also depend on timing.

In three weeks is my next ride... the Arcadia Brute. I've signed up for the 100km (~65 mi) ride. But it's hilly. 7 climbs of 300-400 feet each. 6500 total feet of climbing in under 65 mi.


HOLY HELL! What the fuck did I sign up for?!?

In contrast, this weekend's ride has 900' of climbing in 52 mi. Better up my training regimen. More hills in the next couple weeks. (My 50+ mi ride last week had just over 2,000' of climbing. Nice, but NO where near where I need to be!)

Well, wish me luck as I start my season. More after I return from Minnesota.

Insanity

So, last time I talked about my possible ride schedule for the year.  Since then, I have registered for the Wisconsin Triple Crown series - three rides in hilly western Wisconsin, one in May, one in June and one in August.  Each of the rides has multiple distance options.  I signed up for 100K-100K-150K (62 mi - 62 mi - 93 mi).  It'll be a real challenge.  One that I look forward to.

But looking back the last two years, I noticed that the two big rides I did early in the season - the MGF in 2011 and Feed the Need in 2012 - were tough rides, in part because I don't think I was as ready physically for them as I should have been or wanted to be.  That proved out as I nearly dropped out of one and I didn't finish the other.  The first of the Triple Crown rides is only two weeks after these other rides.

(Sad note: I was thinking of riding the Feed the Need again this year, but a shorter route, as a tune up for the Arcadia Brute.  I e-mailed to check on registration and was disappointed to hear that the ride is cancelled.  It was too much work with too little return to donate to the food pantry.)

So, I need to step up my training.  I think I need to do more than riding the trainer and I need to start earlier.  I need to be stronger in early May.  The Arcadia Brute will be a hilly 100 km.  And if the weather is like what its been the last two years....

What to do?

I am starting the Insanity DVD workout series.  Fortunately, we have it already, so I didn't need to order it.  I'm not expecting any miracles.  But I am hoping to lose a few pounds, shed a few inches and improve my strength as well as prep myself aerobically. 

So, here's my accountability.  I started with the Fit Test on Monday, January 28.  At this time, I weigh 217.6 with 25.0% body fat (according to our scale - see pic below).  And here are my goals - one level I will be satisfeid with on April 1 and two others with increasing enthusiasm if when I surpass the initial goal.

GOALS	WEIGHT	BF %
Satisfied	205	17.5
Happy	200	15.0
Ecstatic	195	12.5

Wish me luck! After two days, I'm already sore. 

Edit: This morning was day three. I was tired during the warm-up and had a hard time keeping up. (Maybe not enough sleep last night had something to do with it.)  Finally gave up about half-way through the day's workout.  But I don't feel bad about that.  I will come back tomorrow and repeat it. 

I am not worried about, nor is it my goal to, getting six-pack abs and be ripped like the hard bodies they have working out behind the instructor.  My goal is to improve my overall health and fitness.  This includes losing some weight and inches. (A flat stomach would be nice, but ripped? Let's be realistic.) I want to be stronger for the hills of Triple Crown and improve my cardio and circulatory systems.  So if the 60-day system turns into 90, who cares?  It's results that I am interested in.

BEFORE PICS - skip if you're squeamish!

Before





WARNING - not exactly a pretty picture!

Before - ugh!

2013 Event Schedule

Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I haven't had a lot to write about since November. I did put Candi up on the CycleOps trainer and have even been on it a few times before the holidays.

But, the holidays have kept me busy and then I've been sick for the last two weeks and haven't ridden.

So, as I lay here with a heating pad on my back, I've been thinking about what I want to do this year in terms of riding. Of course, I'm doing RAGBRAI in July (21-27). And the iGranFondo ride is the day before RAGBRAI starts.

Then there is the UPAF Ride for the Arts in Milwaukee the first Sunday in June. I've done this ride the last three years, with different distances each year. Last year, I rocked (for me) the 75-mi course at over 18 mph. Flat and fast. And fun. It's a must do ride.

Two years ago I rode the Minnesota Gran Fondo (MGF) / Ironman Bike Ride.  That was maybe the hardest day / event I've ever done on a bike.  68 miles, temps in the low 30s, some precipitation and the first 23 miles were into a nasty headwind.  But I persevered. This year, unfortunately, the ride is scheduled on Drake Relays weekend (April 28). I went college at Drake and Relays is like our Homecoming - only bigger - and I haven't been back since 2005. I miss my friends. Hmmm. What to do.

That weekend is also the weekend for the "Feed the Need" Ride in Highland, WI.  Last year I did this ride, and if the 2010 MGF wasn't the hardest ride, then this ride was. Temps in the 30s, lots of wind and hills, a wrong turn, and getting SAG'd back because I couldn't finish it.  I signed up to ride the 100 mi course, but ended up only going 53.  (Needed to start my training earlier to do the century.) Yeah. That was the hardest ride I ever did. It's a small ride, but a fund raiser for the local foodbanks in SW WI. 

I think I will probably do one of these rides and skip Relays (again).  But which one?

What else is out there? Well, last year on the iGranFondo I saw a few riders wearing "Wisconsin Triple Crown" rides. It turns out it's a three event series, with a ride in May, the second in June and the last in August. That works well around the others. And, looking at the website, it looks really challenging. Multiple distances but LOTS of hills. Interestingly, it is limited to only 500 riders.  Which seems that it will attract high caliber riders.  Not sure I fit that category.  But they are rides, not races.  And, really, the object here is to challenge myself, to push myself further, not to see how I stack up against others.  Even if I were the last finisher at each of the rides, if I finish, it's still a win in my books.

Then, at the end of August, there's another ride, the LT Gran Fondo, up in the Twin Cities. I haven't ridden that one (weekend closest to my daughter's birthday). So, I probably should not plan on it this year either.

Possible Schedule:
1) April 27: Feed the Need ride (Highland, WI): 50, 75, or 100 mi - OR -
April 28: MGF (Twin Cities): 68 or 100 mi
2) May 18: Arcadia's Brute, part of the Triple Crown (Arcadia, WI): 50,100, or 150 km
3) June 2: UPAF Ride (Milwaukee): 50 or 75 mi
4) June 22: Kickapoo Kicker, Triple Crown (Viroqua, WI): 100, 150, or 200 km
5) July 20: iGranFondo (Sioux City, IA): 100 mi
6) July 21-27: RAGBRAI (Iowa): 7 days, 450-500 mi
7) August 10: Dairyland Dare, Triple Crown (Dodgeville, WI): 100, 150, or 200 km
8) August 25: LT Gran Fondo (Twin Cities): 100 mi (But probably not.)

I don't want to miss any of those rides, except for one of the April rides occurring on the same weekend.

So, should I register for them all (7 or 8)? It'll be a challenge. But they are all do-able. And they're scheduled far enough apart that I could do them all.

What do you think? Go for it? Or scale it back? Do I need to do more than I did last year (Feed the Need, UPAF, iGranFondo, & RAGBRAI)? I am really intrigued by the Triple Crown rides. Hmmm....

And then, of course, there is the matter of this being ok with my better half!  Since the rides are all (except RAGBRAI) local and don't involve being gone for more than a day, I'm hoping that this will be ok.  I'll let you know.