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.