The Official Candid Cyclist 2020 Calendar

Hand curated, month appropriate photos from "Early Morning Cyclist Inspiration" posts.

Click Here to Download Calendar

Early Morning Cyclist Inspiration

Pretty

12 days later...Not as pretty

The Dempsey Challenge 2019

Many thanks to all that have supported us in The Dempsey Challenge.  Between my wife and I we got over $1500 in donations this year.  I heard that the challenge as a whole had topped $1.8 million in donations by Sunday morning, a record year.

We were busy late the night before and decided we could get the car loaded up the morning of the event.  That did work out fine but had a few "hiccups" along the way including some severe gastrointestinal issues.  I won't go into details other than that it took a lot of time that was supposed to be spent gathering stuff and loading cars.  And I was loading my wife's bike in the car and checked the charge level on the Di2.  Solid Red.  I assumed that she was expecting to be able to shift during the ride.  Luckily we could plug the charger into the USB port in the car and charge it on the way.

I had applied a $200 donation that would have put me over $1000 to my wife's page and was glad to find out that they could swap it over so I could still get the event jersey.

We got lined up on the street to join the 100 mile ride without lining up in the chute of death when the VIP ride rolled past.  We were going to wait 5 minutes until the 100 milers started but got a personal invitation from Patrick Dempsey himself to roll in.  Absolutely!  The first 5 miles were chilly but at a decent but not super fast pace.  I tried to ride to the start of the pack to say hi to Patrick but I think I passed him by mistake.

We had agreed that I was going to ride with the big boys this year and see if I could get a sub 5 hour century.  And at about mile 5 the big boys started to roll through like a freight train.  I waved goodby to my wife and hopped on.  It wasn't unusual to look down to see that we were doing 25MPH on level ground.  The group started with about 50 people but shrank to about 10 within the fist 10 miles. One of the benefits of being in the first group was that we had our own private police escort that was riding ahead of us and stopping traffic at every cross street, sweet!

Lands End

We got to the turn around point at Land End, 45 miles from the start in about 2 hours, holy shit!  We did have the benefit of a tailwind but the group had averaged 22.5MPH.  Maybe for people that don't ride that doesn't sound that fast but, it is.

The ride from here got less pleasant. Actually the trip up to the mainland wasn't too bad but once we turned toward Freeport I was starting to feel more grim. We lost 2 riders off the back to fatigue and cramps on the first big climb.  I miraculously closed the gap and hung on. At this point in the ride if I lost the draft for more than a few seconds I would have been dropped like a hot potato. This process repeated several times with me grinding to the top of each hill slower and slower.  I really figured it was not going to be if, but when would I get dropped.  I was fighting off cramps that threatened to lock up my legs for the last 15 miles of the ride.  Luckily the group was getting tired too and the pace had dropped enough for me to finish out the ride with them.  Sub 5 hour century complete!  Moving time was actually closer to 4 - 1/2 hours.

Very respectable 6 hour century finish!

I had about 1-1/2 hours to change and hang out waiting for my wife to finish.  Most of the last 15 miles were uphill and upwind.  From there we hung out with some friends, drank some beer, ate some lobster and went home. Tired.

I rode in to work the next morning.  Taint bad.

Early Morning Cyclist Inspiration

The Sun Is Being Dramatic

Misty Morning Wood

The Frost Is On The Pumpkin

Metallak Race 2019

"Don't try anything new on race day" That's what they say.  So, two weeks before the race I bought a used frame, fork and a box of spare parts and built a bike unlike any I have ever owned.  A hard-tail with a front shock. You see last year I raced on a cross bike and even though the result was good, the experience was stressful.  I did get enough time to do a few test rides and determined that this was the right tool for the job.

Locked & Loaded

Before the race the weather forecast was the biggest concern.   With temps that were supposed to be in the 40s for the race start with rain.  Being miserable or worse was a concern.  The weather was warmer and dryer than expected. We has also set up a very rain resistant campsite. It turns out it was not that wind resistant.  More on that later.

Relatively Rain Proof

The race start was good.  I vowed not to seed myself in the back of the pack like I usually do and started right off the front.  We started with a bunch of energetic racers hammering out of the start line.  The number of energetic racers dwindled to 6 and then 3 and then it was down to the first 2.  I couldn't help but call the number 2 racer an asshole when he passed me in EXACTLY the same spot as last year.  Based on last year I figured I would never see him again. But I clung to his wheel and followed him right down the first wrong turn. (Not his fault).  I tried to yell that we were off course but he kept going and I tuned around.  And then I tuned around again.  And then I see him coming back toward me.  And I tuned around again. Together we took a another wrong turn until I took a small lead.  Until I took another wrong turn and we were back together and I took a small lead.  Until I took another wrong turn and we were back together.  Fuck! (I exclaimed aloud).  From there we rode together until he was nice enough to tell me that I got a puncture.  That may sound snarky but it really was nice.  He noticed it before I did which saved some precious air pressure. I got it plugged with my newly acquired Tire Plugger.  I didn't even know this existed a few weeks ago and it worked awesome! I plugged the tire and was underway again in about 90 seconds.  Most impressively this was the first time I even tried this tool.  So if you ride tubeless I highly recommend it.  I never did catch the leader again but he was still in sight in spots on the road.  Well, at least until there was running involved.

Ready...Set...

I don't get you runners.  How do you do it?  How are you so fast?  How can you enjoy it? Strava tells me that I have run 40.3 miles this year and I can't say that I enjoyed any of them.  Anyway, once we hit the running portion of the race I start losing time.  Luckily the run was limited to two 1.5 mile legs too and from the kayak portion.  So I didn't lose as much time running as last year.

Still in 1st for now.

The rest of the race was good.  I walked less of the Cohos trail than I did last year.  The added singletrack in the beginning was a fun addition since I was on a mountain bike and could ride it.  The parts that I did walk would have sucked the last bit of energy from my legs so walking was better.  The steep slightly technical ATV trail was much more enjoyable on the mountain bike.  I did pick my way down a little more gingerly than I normally would have but only because my tires were a little fragile for that kind of riding.  My legs  started to cramp coming down since they were locked and not peddling so I made a plan to get more electrolytes once I hit the hike.  I ended up dropping an Endurolyte capsule in the road and then picking it up and taking anyway.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.   Overall the final hike didn't seem quite as bad as last year.  I could pick up and run some of the flat spots and keep a steady pace on the climbs.  I did get passed by somebody on one of the relay teams.  WHAT? I was pretty sure I had at least a 20 minute gap on everybody before the Cohos trail and I thought I might have widened it.  If he could catch me then who else could catch me?  I was looking over my shoulder for the rest of the run.  Since everybody is probably getting pretty bored reading this by now...The final bike stretch was good but my legs were pretty fried.  It didn't matter anyway since I didn't see anybody else.

I came in to finish 2nd overall.  20 minutes behind the leader and 4 hours and 10 minutes before the final finishers.  Honestly, I can't complain about my performance.  But I will.  Since the course was shorter this year I can't compare finish times.  I can see that I closed the gap to the same first place finished by about 10 minutes.  Seriously, I though it would be more.  The bike I brought was much more suited to the course and I felt like I did well.  My least favorite part the 3.5 mile run was eliminated.  What the heck?   But I'd rather be 2nd to first than 2nd to last so I will stop complaining.  

Tornado?

When I got back to Mohawk Falls it looked like a tornado had ripped through our campsite.  Mangled tent & easy-up, ripped tarp and tables and chairs strewn all over the campground.  The tent with a card table 2 sites over? Untouched.  I didn't have the energy to deal with much more than collecting everything and piling it up in the short term.

Mud Spattered Happiness

I limped around the finish line and talked to the other finishers while I waited for my wife to finish the short course.  I was really hoping she would be the first female to cross the line like last year so at least one of us would go home with some prize money but she also got the honorable position of 2nd place. It's not about the money but a little cash in the prize glasses would have been nice.

Showboating

A look at the split times confirmed that I was within a flat tire's time of first place in all the biking segments but I lost 20 minutes in the kayak and run segments.  2019 Metallak Results.  No surprise there. 

Personalized Race Entry Cards

The attention to detail on the race was exceptional.  The course marking problems were likely due to some course tampering.  Included with the race was food on Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday night with the option to buy extra.  This is a very nice bonus to make camping simple.  Check out last years post for more info on the race and the venue. 

Podium Shot

Four days later my legs are still sore from all that damn running downhill.  Will I try it again?

You bet!

Dempsey Challenge 2019

Year number Eleven! Yup, I've done 10 of these rides so far.  The first was "only" a 50 mile ride but I did some extra miles on other years so I'm right about 1,000 miles and 10 lobsters in on Dempsey Challenges. I've collected well over $10,000 in donations to support The Dempsey Center over the years and talked to quite a few friends that have used the services there.

Last Year, Half Way

I have no idea what this year will bring.  One year it was snowing at the start.  One year it was 90+ degrees in October.  One year my legs cramped and I barely made it in.  One year I did it in just over 5 hours.  Several years I have ridden with my wife.  Some years I do the 100 miles solo. And others in groups.

So what will it be this year?  Honestly I haven't been doing many (any) long rides.  70 miles last weekend was my longest ride this year.  I was thinking I was going to ride my new Titanium Bike. But then I got a new (to me) road bike.  I probably won't ride my new (to me) Mountain Bike. It might depend on the weather.  If it is nice this might be the year to go for a speed record with a fast group.  If it is rainy I'll take the commuter bike. I'll let you know.

Bring It On

So, with out further ado: 

 Donate To Brian Edwards Here
Or if you'd rather
Donate to Kelly Edwards Here
 As long as we both get to $150 we'll be happy. 

This is not a totally selfless act.  There are rewards at the end.

Meet Frank

I think the name is going to stick.  Borne from the parts of many past bikes Frank is truely a monster but can it be tamed? Actually Frankenstein was not the monster. The monster was known as "The Creature" and Frankenstein was the monsters create.  But that kind of attention to detail would be lost on naming a bike, so Frank it is.

So, last year I did the Metallak race.  After much debate over which bike to ride I determined that a mountain bike would be faster...So I took my cross bike.  Even though I did well on the cross bike I was stressed the whole race and felt like a mountain bike would have worked better.  Except all my mountain bikes are heavy and there is a lot of climbing and hike-a-bike.  Fast forward 11 months.

I signed up for the Metallak race again and bought a new lightweight carbon bike.  No, not the bike for this race, I bought a carbon road bike.  But, with just a month before the race the seller had a  good lead on a light mountain bike.  Well actually it was just a mountain bike frame.  And it was in  New Hampshire.  Fortunately he also had a lot of spare lightweight mountain bike parts that he was willing to sell cheap.  And I have a decent set of wheels that would finish it off. So sight unseen I decided to buy it.  I'd have it 2 weeks before the race.  

The frame was very nice!

I actually had the option of a lightweight carbon fork or a decent suspension fork.  Since I've never owned a hardtail with a front suspension I figured I'd give that option a try.  The fork actually outweighs the frame.

Some Assembly Required.

Having just gone through my first full bike build this didn't seem like it would be too hard.

There, I put them in the right places.

The bike actually took shape very quickly.  Most of my time was spend refurbishing some of the old parts before I put them on.  I'd say 2 hours were spent futzing with the Rock Shox remote including a youtube search on how to remove the cable.  I finally determined was un-salvageable. Luckily the seller had given me a spare!

Next I went to change the SRAM 104 BCD 32T chainring to the SRAM 104 BCD 36T chainring and found that it was made for a slightly different spider size. 

WTF?

The new chainring said Eagle and the crank was GPX but otherwise they seemed like there was no reason for the change.

There I fixed it.

So after dropping one of the fucking chainring bolts in a very full trash can and needing to fish it out of the greasy rags, I got it installed.

It Fits Now!

I got the crank installed with the BB30 to GPX adapters and noticed that it didn't install tight enough to pre-load the bearings and hold them into the frame.  Adding spacers on the non-drive side didn't help.  I finally realized that there was a step in the non-drive side adapter and tightening the crank only forced the spindle harder into the step.  What I didn't realized until much later was that adding spacers to the drive side would take up this slack.  That still isn't actually done yet but I know what I have to do.

That doesn't look right.

OK, the bike is built except for the nit-picky things.  The frame is apparently set up for a 140mm rear rotor and I have a 160.  And the front is set up for a 160mm but I have a 180 I knew that but only have one spacer.  If only my caliper mounting bolts were just a little longer.  Unfortunately with the brakes dangling on the frame it makes the bike totally un-rideable until I make a special trip to a bike shop.

2-1/2 hours later I can finish it.

I'd love to say that if I had a local bike shop that it would have been easier.  But so far every local shop has never had any of the special parts I am looking for.  That is probably one of the reasons that all 3 of them have gone out of business.
 

Test Ride Time

Overall the size seems good.  I've got the seatpost about as high as it goes to get the leg extension that I like for XC riding and to make  mountain bikers cringe.  The test ride went well but I felt like the seat kept slamming me in the ass in the bumps.  Not unlike how my old Pugsley use to feel.  I know, I know, drop the seat.  That always leaves me feeling like my power stroke is incomplete.  Probably because it is.  I think the answer is to drop the font bars to a more aggressive riding position.  I was also told it looks "Silly" the way it is.

Frank

I determined that the old pads and rotors didn't team up and stop the bike all that well so I pulled them apart and give the rotors a light sanding and burned any old mineral oil off the pads with a blowtorch.  Better.

First Metallak Test on Frank

I took Frank out on the first real ride on my Metallak Test Commute Route.  My time was 16 seconds slower than the previous mountain bike test.  To be fair, I did have to portage around a very broken bridge for this ride and I had a headwind.  Overall I still feel way too upright and the seatpost wants to compress my spine over the bumps.  I think the bars need to go lower and the seat needs to go back so I can bend and not break. Lower tire pressure wouldn't hurt either.

I'm looking forward to repeating my Metallak Test with this bike with the Schwalbe Big One tires mounted tubeless to see how it compares. 

Bring On The Heat

No seriously, I'm tired of these cold rainy April days.  But that's not what this is about.

First Impressions of the Habanero Cross Bike

I got my Habanero back in December on got it assembled on just about the last day of road cycling until spring.  After a 10 mile test ride it sat idle for 3 months.  I debated about leaving the fenders off for a while to see how light and quick it could be but ultimately decided that this is the rain bike and I'm going to want them on there.

Speaking of fenders, I ended up with Handsome Cycles Mud Butlers which were a nice compromise of price form and function.  So far I like them for the most part.  The front part of the front fender wags in the wind a little and the bolts that hold the stays tend to loosen up every few rides.  I'm not sure if they are actually loosening or if the leather washers are compressing.  I see Loctite in their future.  Otherwise, they are very quiet and keep my butt dry.

Handsome they are!

I've been riding this bike exclusively since fatbike season ended and I am impressed.  Most importantly, the fit is very well.  I debated for a long time about frame size since I normally ride a 58cm to 60cm extra large frame.  Mark at Habenero has a measurement system that he uses and assured me that a 57cm would work.  Spot on!  I've found this bike to be comfortable in the drops, on the hoods and on the bar top.  I could probably tinker with saddle and bar position a little more but I really don't need to.

I'm always at a loss to describe ride quality.  The subtle things things that make a bike feel "right" are hard enough to determine for yourself, never-mind explain to somebody else.  I've had bikes that have felt dead (Surly Cross Check), noodlly(2010 Scott  CR1 Comp), tight and peppy (2011 Scott CR1 Pro), stable and aggressive (Felt 4X then F2X) and plenty that have just been in the good to average range.  I'd say that this bike falls into the stable, fun and comfortable category.  It is not quite as quick feeling as my carbon frames but far from lifeless.  I've been having such a good time on it that I haven't really had the urge to pull out my other road bikes yet this year.  The roads around here are more pothole than tar and this bike has been sailing over them with confidence.

I'm still not a fan of the Tecktro Mini-V brakes. Although the stopping power seems adequate I it takes a lot of lever travel before they engage or else they rub when the brakes are off.  I prefer a tight brake lever with as little travel as possible and these are the opposite, mushy.  Also the only why to get the wheel out is to back off the in-line adjusters enough to pop the noodle out of the brake.  The barrel adjusters end up being the quick release mechanism and the cable needs to be adjusted for pad wear anyway.  I had some cheap cantis on my previous cross bike that worked great.  I may go back to those.

The latest Shimano Ultegra mechanical groupset is flawless. I've got the Di2 on another bike and I really don't miss it here.  No batteries required.  I'm at a loss as to how Dura-Ace could be worth the extra price.  You could pay over $1000 more for something that is functionally equivalent and weighs a whopping 200g less.  That's ridiculous.  My guess is that 105 is almost as good but the weight/cost difference made Ultegra the clear choice for me.

As built with 28C gatorskin tires, self sealing tubes, a spare tube in a seat pack and fenders it weighs in at 23lbs.  Not in the 19 range of my road bike but a far cry from the 31lb cross check with the same wheels and tires.  Once the weather warms up and changing tires doesn't equal numb hands and hypothermia, I am excited to try some sportier tires both in terms of rolling resistance and weight.  I'm thinking Michelin Pro4 Endurance.  I'm thinking with some quicker tires that it will be a blast to take it on some fast  group rides just for the looks alone.  This bike doesn't look like it can roll with bit big boys but it can.

Spicy

The bottom line: I like it!  Riding the rain bike is no longer punishment and I'm still going for it when the sun is shining!

Biking and Hiking in Punta Cana

After our last biking excursion in Puerta Plata I was looking for a similar type of excursion.  Well, it turns out that Maximo is the best! The trip I found didn't come close to the personal level of service and trails that we got in Cabarete.  That said, it wasn't bad.

I learned this move from the models doing a photo shoot for Coco Bongo

The tour did come with hotel pickup and not one but 2 personal guides.  One to guide us around and another to follow around for support and to take pictures. 

Wilkin, our guide, in front.

The ride itself was on e-bikes which I normally would call cheating but since the bike I had was way too small and didn't shift the e-assist was just fine.  For the first mile my wife's bike was stuck in low gear and even though she had e-assist she was topping out at about 10MPH with a cadence of 130 or so.  She was grumpy. Once that got sorted she was fine.  Unfortunately my bike had shut itself off when we stopped to fix hers before the biggest hill.  I figured that it had just crapped the bed and Wilkin was ahead so I just peddled.  It's all good.  I needed to work off the weeks drinks anyway.

Grinding a 50+lb "e"-bike up a hill in high gear.

We did the 30KM ride which consisted of mostly quiet and very bumpy dirt roads.  We visited sites like a coco farm, the only cenote around Punta Cana and Marco Beach.

A really good way to get out of the resorts!

The coco farm was interesting but a little brief.   It also included a tour of the owners house.  Getting out and around by bike with a personal guide was a lot better than piling onto one of the tour buses with all the other tourists.

They took all the pictures in the funnest spots.

 

The cenote was sad.  We have been spoiled by the clear blue pools in Puerta Plata and other places in Mexico.  This one was well visited by both tourists and locals and was grungy and full of bottles.  We decided not to swim.

The view coming into the beach.

The bikes were bad enough that by the end of 30K I was ready to be done.  Normally a 18 mile ride on mostly roads would be considered short but this one was a little punishing on these bikes.  Did I mention that it was too small. And the grips were like rocks.  Marco beach is beautiful.

Ready to rock

Reading over my review it sounds a little negative.  The service from Jose and Wilkin was great.  and they provided drinks and snacks.  If you are looking for something different I would recommend it.  In fact, we liked the personal guide so much that we bought a hike from them a few days later.

Relive 'ver el campo en bicicleta'

The hike started in a little village named "Happy View" then continued over some light trails through the valley.  We passed mango, avocado, coco, coffee, pineapple and oranges to name a few.   I'll just to the rest in pictures.

It is a pretty happy view.

Near the start

Crossed a river

Wild Pineapples

The owner of Culebike, Jose

That's all I've got to say about that.

I've Heard that Fatbiking Season is Over

 I disagree!

Wheeeeeee

We headed out to Jugtown Forest before the temps went above freezing and it may have been some of the most fun fatbiking ever.  There were plenty of free range slopes that were like mogul riding on a bike.  We're only got a few more days but I'm hanging on to them.

This boat was buried under 3' of snow that is "almost gone"

This video shows what a picture perfect day it was.

This one is a snip of the group of people and dogs with a fun filled tree ducking downhill at the end. 

This path will never be taken again.

Relive 'Some of the most fun I have had on a fatbike'

We don't need no stinking trails!

Free ranging baby! I'm not talking about chickens that walk around the yard here either.  The roller coaster of free range riding only happens but once every few years.  I only wish these videos could do the fun justice. The snow piles over all of the forest floor debris and mounds up over stumps and logs.  The result is a grin from ear to ear.

The only thing that's important is finding a line with no branches in the way.  Freshly logged areas are ideal.

This video shows it from a following point of view.

Relive 'Free Range Perfection '

Early Morning Cyclist Inspiration

This may or may not be the last post with Fatbiking sunrise pictures this year.

Can You Blame Me

Good Stuff

Once the sun came up it was also one of the best days for free range fatbiking that I have ever seen. If you haven't experienced free range fatbiking I highly recommend it. It only happens a few days a year at most.  The best places are freshly logged areas so there isn't too much low growth to cut you off.  The snow covers up all the brush and mounds up over logs and stumps making it a roller coaster like experience.  Wicked Good.

 

Sorry about the tilted camera. Either the camera was crooked or my head isn't screwed on right.