I went out to the Clear Creek trails early Saturday morning to continue my series of endurance tests in preparation for the
Syllamo‘s Revenge endurance race. There was also a large contingent from Memphis there to train and a few locals on hand.
My plan for the day was to maintain a 10mph average and pace myself throughout the ride with the hope of doing 50 miles between 5 and 5.5 hours. I also wanted to test the various Hammer products to see how my endurance would hold up and to see if I suffered any stomach issues afterward. One of my biggest problems last year was stomach discomfort after particularly difficult rides.
Jon and I got an early start on everybody else and did the first 3.5 miles before discovering we each seriously over dresses for the weather, so we cut off the trail and went back to the trailhead to make the necessary kit adjustments. The Memphis crew was still prepping bikes, so I decided to go on ahead and went back in the trail where I came out to keep my mileage close to the mile markers on the trail.
My first two laps, roughly 22 miles, went off without a hitch, and I managed to maintain an average speed near, if not slightly above, my target of 10mph. This wasn’t a big surprise since I can easily turn a lap out there in about 50 minutes during a cross-country race. I felt strong going into my third lap and was determined to stick to my 10mph experiment pace, but I did noticed my average speed dropped to 9mph around the 30-mile mark. By the time I finished my third lap, roughly 34 miles, I was starting to get slightly fatigued and noticed my triceps getting stiff. Everything after the third lap is a blur of misery.
My fourth lap was pure torture as my triceps became so painful and stiff that it made controlling the bike slightly difficult on technical sections. I made a lot of stupid mistakes, overshot a few turns, and even clipped a sapling with my handlebar and crashed. I also found it difficult to drink from a bottle without having to stop. I mercifully finished my fourth lap and went back around for lap number five, which I can best describe as
Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell. All I wanted to do by this point is finish. No, all I wanted to do is finish AND survive. I remember almost nothing about the last five miles except the pain. The one bright spot on my fifth lap is I only needed to do half a lap to reach the 50-mile point.
I eventually reached the halfway point of the trail at the big switchback and briefly stopped for a moment to decide if I wanted to complete the fifth lap, which would put me over 50 miles, or take the bypass trail back to the starting point. Common sense overruled ego and I headed back to the trailhead and the end of my torment.
When I finally reached the trailhead, I was completely beat and extremely irritable. I’m normally a very quiet and laidback person, but I started cursing like a drunken sailor when my bike didn’t easily slide into the trunk of my car. Doing 50 miles of single track is the hardest thing I have EVER done. I’ve ridden 115 miles on my road bike in the middle of the summer and it does not even compare to this.
My one success from this ride is I know I can do 50 miles of single track. I know I have the ability. No one else went more than two and a half laps during the day, but I still need to improve. I need to rethink my 10mph average plan since it probably keeps me on the trail longer. I need to rework my refueling, work on strengthening my triceps, and do it all over again.
This is me after 6 hours and 50 miles of single-track.
The Data:Breakfast:
1 cup of low fat yogurt.
1 small organic banana
1.5oz raisins
1 drink of Glucerna (about 2oz from an 8oz bottle)
The Numbers:Trip Distance: 50.04 miles (single track)
Trip Time: 6:03:24
Average Speed: 8.26mph
Max Speed: 21.93mph
Items consumed during the ride:About 85oz of Heed
16oz of Sustained Endurance
4 or 5 Hammer Gels
7 Endurolyte tablets
Items consumed after the ride:1 Cajun Chicken & Shrimp (10.4oz)
1 glass of low fat milk (probably 8oz)
About 8 slices of 97% fat free roast beef
A handful of unsalted mixed nuts
7 slices of turkey bacon
1 caffeine free Mountain Dew
2.75 bottles of green tea (12oz each)
1 slice of cheese
1 Ritz cracker
Finished off the remaining Glucerna (about 6oz)
This is me after 6 hours and 50 miles of single-track. 
One of the many bridges that mysteriously spring up over night. I personally think trail gnomes build them. 
This old bike has been hanging around the Stunt trail for years. We have yet to find a body. 
The Stunt Bridge. You can take the bridge, ride down the long, and hop off the end, or just stick to the trail. It’s your call. 
The log hop barrier. It's really not as bad as it looks. 
The Creek Bridge. Yeah, that's a bad place to fall. 
There are some very old graves in the middle of the Whirlpool system. Some of them date back to the early 1800’s and others appear to be older. I’ve counted about 4 or 5 in total, so I assume it is an old family plot from early settlers. 
I plan on repairing some of the headstones and fencing off the area sometime soon. 
This headstone is for an infant who only lived a day.
