Crowdsourcing the 'ultimate' Fat Bike

I fully admit that two short years ago, I did not 'get' fat bikes.  Why have a bike that's heavy, slow and clunky when I could ski?

And given the generation of bikes that dominated the scene two-three years ago, I still agree with my assessment.  They were (mostly) an assortment of heavy, sort of homely, steel things that looked like they were welded up in somebody's basement.  I'm most emphatically *not* talking about the majority of the craftsman-built bikes, many of which are works of art on wheels.  I'm talking about some/most of the pure production bikes.  Steel. Mid tier components. Odd offset geometry to accommodate wide wheels. Homely looking forks,  Functional, but homely.  Not interested. Not me. No way...  Rather snowshoe...

Last year, I started to see the light.  Lots more carbon and Ti options, Sexier production designs, more options for racks and gear - or not.  And the advent of the 10x42t, single chainring setup.  OK, this is back country skiing, still gotta work your butt off going uphill, but the downhill should be a screamer.

And - I get it.  If I do this right, I will wind up with a bike that can go almost anywhere I'd want to, get there in a reasonable amount of time, and do it with a certain amount of style.  A bike that's worthy of a trip to the single track or lift served area, and still capable of doing snow covered trails in the winter.  I'm looking forward to a new adventure, and a new reason to get off the road.  It'll be slightly slower than my mountain bike, and a lot slower than my gravel bike, but I suspect my yet to be built bike will be more comfortable than most bikes I have, and should be fun. Of course, I'll have to buy a pair of winter riding boots.  It's going to mean a lot of re-education about parts, and a few new tools, I'm sure.

And while I can do lots of testing and research on parts, but let's make this a little more fun - let's make this a crowdsourced project.  Here's how it will work:

I'll put out a 'poll' for opinions and ideas on a couple of parts each week.  Please feel free to provide your favorite component for the category - and why.  I'll publish the results, and what I plan to do.  If I like the opinions and they fit with my design goal, I may very well go with them.  If not, I'll try to explain why I go a different direction as well.

Vendors are encouraged to submit their ideas/components, provide parts for review.  I'll be happy to look at almost anything as long as it makes sense, and fits within my project goals.  And I'll try to be honest about my opinions, regardless of whether a component is provided by a supplier at no/reduced charge, or I pay full retail.  And if I like it but it wouldn't fit in my plans, I'll still give it an honest review and return it.

I'll put up a poll widget soon.  In the meantime, use the 'contact me' area down below to provide your feedback.  Oh yeah, I will not [ever] use your contact info to spam you with 'puppies for sale', sell your info, or anything else.  It's just a contact.  If I email you back, it's because I want to discuss something.  You can tell me to buzz off it you don't want to continue the discussion.

Want to play?  Here's the first design goal and a question:

Design goal - utilize Gate Carbon instead of a chain.  Yeah, that does make a statement.  I'll expound upon my reasoning in the next post in this series.  In the meantime, what frame should I build around?

~marsh

Multi-sport youth

In the past few days, I've read a number of articles and blog posts regarding why college football/basketball coaches like to see young athletes pursue more than one sport.  The reasons are numerous, but they really come down to better conditioned, more versatile and more engaged.  I'd add to that less jaded, more energetic about sport, and in general better rounded as people and students.  And I'll add my voice to the hum of coaches who firmly believe that single sport athletes are being led down the wrong path for life.

I just left a strength training workout for my kayak racing team - athletes ages 12-18.  These kids/athletes are all there solely because *they* want to be there, to get stronger for kayak racing, but also to be stronger in general and for their other sports.  All participate in multiple sports, including gymnastics, rock climbing, track and cross-country running and volleyball.  I'll add the Nordic skiers in a couple of weeks as their seasons end.

The challenge facing a coach in this kind of environment really isn't getting the athletes to take part, it's crafting a program that is complimentary - and respectful of - their current in-season sport.  That means that the volleyball player who had a tournament today and still wanted to come may not do her normal weights, or maybe skips out on something that engage overused muscles.  It also means programming around the rock climber who had a meet (yep, competitive climbing is a club sport outside the high school) might not do the same lifts.  It's all about working with the individual programs that are currently 'in season'.  I know the volleyball player's coach is happy with her progress - stronger, more leap, harder serve.

It requires being aware of the individual athletes, expecting them to communicate about their off-season activities, and as a sport outside the high school system, sometimes meeting with their AD to develop an understanding of what your sport is providing that's not available inside the system.

And it requires a *lot* of parents who may, or may not have grown up playing sports.  It's often easier to deal with the parent who didn't grow up playing sports through high school.  They have fewer preconceived notions about athlete development, and usually more concern about the roundness of their particular athlete.  Parents who grew up playing sports, particularly those who 'made varsity' are much more difficult to convince that the path [they've often forgotten] to success leads through being a well rounded athlete and person, not just a great sophomore playing football/soccer/hockey/whatever year around.

The 'year around sport' phenomenon is a recent one.  Most varsity athletes in past generations played 2 or 3 sports - linemen were often the 'field' part of track and field, and the 'skill' positions doubled down on the running events.  A lot depends on the region and sports at a particular school or region.  There certainly have been specific coaches who pushed the 'only my sport or the highway' mantra, but they were certainly fewer and farther apart.

There's a great blog post making the rounds right now about Urban Meyer's preference to recruit multi-sport athletes.  Since coming to Ohio State, Coach Meyer has shown a nearly 10-1 preference for multi-sport athletes. Is it possible this has something to do with winning a National Championship?

So the message for parents is simple - if your child wants to play several sports, please encourage them.  If they are committed to doing only one, still encourage them, but try to suggest other sports activities as a break, cross training, for injury prevention, or any other reason you can find (except perhaps that they should play it just because *you* did).

And in the end, what we really want to see are young athletes who are well-rounded, energized, and on a path to be fit for life.

~marsh

First Gravel Grinder - 5 week training plan

Congratulations! You sent your postcard in for the Miesville 56, so you are all signed up for your first real gravel event.  Of course you haven't ridden all winter, and and your gravel skills are - wait - what gravel skills?  The closest you have to gravel skills are riding on the Luce Line trail.  Which is pretty much enough!

If you've ever ridden a metric century ride, or even a 40 mile ride, you can step up to riding 56 miles of gravel in just 4 short weeks.  We do need to make some assumptions - you haven't been completely idle this winter - some time on the trainer, or maybe you've been skiing or running all winter.  Just basic fitness.  And we aren't talking about racing - we're planning to finish this ride at a respectable touring pace - around 10.5-11 mph average, which means you are probably riding 15 mph on the flats.

For starters, make sure your bike is all tuned up, and that you have good tires for riding on gritty roads.  I'm partial to either gravel tires like the Challenge Gravel Grinder, Clement MSO or maybe a cyclocross tire intended for hard pack.  Make sure you have clothing that fits your riding style and the weather - booties, long fingered gloves, multiple layers, tights, and a jacket.  And try to pick the weather.  Riding your first ride or two in the rain is a lousy way to start the season!

The goal of this program, like any training program is to build gradually toward the target event.  In our case, we are looking at 56 miles of pretty good gravel, with a few hills, a little mud, and about a mile of road you may have to walk part of depending on your bike skills.  And don't worry about bombing the downhills.  Just ride them as fast or slow as your courage and common sense suggest.
Also, this workout should be something you can do in about 2 hours except for the long ride.  With the return of daylight, you should be able to do this after work.

Week 1.  Goal - get comfortable on the bike, get legs used to spinning.
Five days of riding (out of 7) Note that days aren't specified since the weather may dictate riding.
3 days 15-20 miles
1 day 25-30 miles
1 day 35 miles

Week 2 Goal - build distance base, add a few easy climbs.  Nothing long or hard, 1/4 mile is plenty.
Again, 5 days of riding
2 days 15-25 miles - try to build your pace just a bit (remember our target is 16-18 on the flats
2 days 20-35 miles
1 day 40 miles.  Throw in a few climbs.  If you are local to Minnesota, consider River Falls as a riding area.

Week 3 Goal - add in a few gravel sections and more hills.  Slight increase in miles 6 days riding this week
2 days  20-30 miles - build pace, add a few short hills
2 days 25-35 miles - work on pace - 17-18 on flats, climb both in and out of the saddle
1 day 40 miles - again work on pace and some climbing.  A few short sprints (like really short, and not that hard)
1 day 10 miles - go find some gravel, a park, horse trails or whatever.  Play with technique in sand, mud, loose rock, find out what the bike does in those situations.  Don't forget to give your bike a bath after!

Week 4 Goal - raise the miles just a bit, find a few more hills, preferably later in your ride.
2 days  20+ miles. Mix it up, ride some trail or path, some road, and hills.
2 days  25-35 miles.  As above, try to mix it up
1 day 10-15 miles, lots of unpaved surfaces and/or hills.
1 day 40-45 miles 'grinder pace' - really try to keep your pace up (but not crazy).  This is also a good time to feel out what your target finish time might be for the 56.  Are you likely to do 5 hours, 4 hours, 6?

Event week - We're cruising in to the event.
Monday or Tuesday - 20 miles one of the two days.  Easy ride
Wednesday or Thursday - 30 miles, a little faster
Friday - off. Change tires if you need to.
Saturday - 25-30 miles, then clean bike, lube chain, but try not to adjust anything!
Sunday - Event day!

If you've been diligent with the program above, you'll have no problem riding 56 miles.  If you started with good intentions, but came up short, you might look at cutting the course, maybe lopping off a hill, or one of the loops.  You can figure 1/3 of your weekly miles as a rough guess of what you can safely do.

I'll do another training article next month with some specific ideas on food and drink.

Ride safe. Wear your helmet.

Boat Show time

Urban Boatbuilders - skin on frame canoe built by apprentices.
Electric picnic launch built by class at Boys Totem Town. 

I spent the evening volunteering at the Minneapolis Boat Show for the Urban Boatbuilders program.  This is a great local program providing a working apprenticeship for at risk youth in the Twin Cities.  The program teaches basic woodworking skills, has the apprentice build their own paddle, and they work on projects like a skin on frame canoe, or perhaps a lapstrake copper rove launch.  While the boats may not be made with the same level of artistry as the Wooden Boat Schools down east, they are very well made, attractive and functional.  Whether a 40 lb canoe, or a 16' electric powered lapstrake picnic launch, they are boats of worth, and a program to be valued for the skills taught.  If you live in the Twin Cities, consider a donation or dropping in on Wednesday night for their volunteer program.

Aside from working the booth, I had time to wander around the rest of the booth we shared with the antique boat society.  My phone was running very low on battery, but I did get a few pictures.  The next few are of the 1926 Barnes Boat Company "Princess Paige".  Beautiful does not begin to describe the attention to detail, both from the original builder, and the restoration done by Muller Boatworks in New Hampshire.

26 feet of incredible brightwork

Scripps 4 cylinder, 60 horsepower. You could eat off the engine compartment floor

Leather, brass, stainless and bright varnish.  

the perfect afterdeck for sharing a bottle of wine and perhaps a cold chicken picnic

The reflectors blind out a pretty cool stern shot - big wheel of a prop, polished rudder, stainless fittings over a bright planked transom

Another view - note the line connected to the fenders (which are works of art in their own right).  It ties all the fenders together, and leads forward to an uphaul, allowing all the fenders to be pulled back and secured at one time.  Also note the canopy retracted to the center of the lateral rails.

Overhead view

Original bow figurehead.

Chris Craft runabout

Front view

Beautiful workmanship on this restoration

Uncas - a one-of-a-kind 'convertible' top.  Very interesting deck line!

Ice sculpture out front of the convention center.  After all - this is a big plastic power boat show.

Riding gravel - mud...

Source: CXMagazine.com -- USA Cycling 2015 Nationals

Gravel + rain = mud.  Or not.
A lot depends on the geology, geography, and who maintains the road.  In parts of the country, gravel roads are no different wet or dry, except that a little more grit gets kicked up when it's wet.
in other regions, 'gravel' is just a code word for clay with a little native rock mixed in.  And trying to ride these is, well, interesting.  More like trying to ride road slicks on ice, covered in cooking oil, And then there's your average "B" road along the edge of Farmer Brown's bottom 40, where tractors dare not tread in the rainy season.  THAT is serious mud in any context.

Most promoters are going to avoid more than a short stretch of this stuff - at least if they want people to come back to their event again.  You can't always avoid it, and a little makes for great stories about epic struggles and adventures "There I was.  My shoe was at the bottom of a sucking hole, I'm up to my ass in the stuff, and Monica goes riding by like it's just no big deal..."  A lot makes for death marches, broken gear, and a plan to find something else to do that weekend next year.

So what do you do to survive the stuff?  Three tips -
PAM cooking spray on your bottom bracket, fork crown, pedals and other spots where mud typically clings.  This really will help keep it from building up quite as much, and will wash off pretty easily.
Good fenders (and PAM the undersides!).  Fenders will make your ride cleaner and drier, and make you much more popular with anyone riding behind you.
If you *know* there's going to be a lot of mud, go with a more aggressive open tread, like a Challenge Grifo.  The bigger blocks are slower, but shed mud much better.
The rest of it is experience. In order to be good at riding mud, you need to ride mud.  It's all about learning where to be, when you can ride the center between the puddles, and when you should ride through the slop.  It's quickly sizing up the mudhole and realizing that it's hub deep, sticky, and there's no way to ride it.  When that happens, look for the 'dry line' if it exists - the spots that look a little drier or less trampled, maybe a bit higher, or have a little grass to hold them together.  Or check for the wet line - where it may be a deeper hole, but it's wet sand instead of mud.  Or look for the sneak path through adjacent field.  Not that I condone tromping a farmer's crop, but maybe there's a line up on the grass verve that can be walked without being knee deep in the slime.

And don't forget to have a wash cloth, towel and a gallon of water in your car for cleaning up after the finish.  A quick wipe down, towel off and warm, dry clothes can really make the difference between a memorable day and a miserable one. And you can use any leftover water to sluice off the worst from your bike before you put it in/on the car.  An appropriate beverage and some good food help a lot as well.  Especially if you have those "So there I was..." stories to share!

Savor the mud - just in moderation!

~marsh

Kids and sport - making a case for less structure

note: the first three paragraphs are written from the coaching perspective.  The remainder is written directly to parents.  

Recently I was invited to be part of the coaching staff at a kayak racing camp for juniors. I learned a lot through the camp - not only about coaching, or about the personalities of athletes with whom I'll likely have an occasional coaching relationship for some years to come, but also about making it fun.
Typically at these camps, you plan 3 workouts a day, for the duration of the camp.  Young athletes invariably give it their all at the start, but eventually start to get tired of the routine, it's not unusual to see some tears, and you definitely don't help them deliver their best.

However - if instead of 3 hard core workouts, you sneak in 2 or 3 'anti-workouts' like a hike up a mountain, paddleboard relay, rock climbing adventure or similar, they'll work harder than ever - and not even think about how hard this 'special' activity really was.  The net result *will* be athletes who are more energized, perform better in their other workouts, and generally have a much better experience.

Even Olympic caliber athletes enjoy a day off to do something unusual, and many spend months in their 'off' season doing something completely unrelated to their primary sport - skiers go surfing, paddlers go mountain biking, riders go swimming.  The goal is simple - use muscles that are not normally used for your sport, maintain a high level of fitness, and mentally remove yourself from the triggers and actors required for high level competition.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Given the above, why in the world would you put any kid through a year around diet of one and only one sport?  Far too many elementary age athletes are scheduled 'to excel' with specialty camps in the off-season, power camps during the pre-season, tournaments every other week for 3 months, and -if they aren't 'good enough', another round of leagues, individual practices, speed camps, technique camps, power camps.  Pretty soon, mom and dad have shelled out a year's tuition at the state university -- for an 8 year old!!!  And what did the kid really want to do?  Get skates and a stick so he/she could go play on the park rink with their buddies.  It happens far too frequently.  Sports like hockey, figure skating and gymnastics seem to be the worst for this, but all sports can attract parents who are convinced that their little darling is the next incarnation of... well, whomever.  And they *might* be right.  But by focusing all their efforts on one sport, they increase the chances for asymmetrical injury, burnout, a very narrow social circle, and a loss of the fun of childhood.

It's hard in these days of helicopter parenting, tiger moms and wolf dads to find a chance for kids to play.  I don't mean 'play dates' with scheduled activities.  I mean PLAY.  I realize that in most larger communities you don't have the option to go roaming wild in the woods, but at least go to the park and just play.  Climb trees, swing, slide, jump, run, get messy, take chances.  And occasionally, get hurt. And make stuff up - invent.  Instead of soccer practice, kids will figure out soccer golf, with a tree, hydrant or sewer grate as the pin.  Or invent a game where the ball has to pass around 2 trees, under the bench, over the porta-john, and through the arch before it can go in the 'goal' - an overturned garbage can.  Or create 'kick ball cricket' with local rules to fit the field.  I read the other day about a new soccer concept that features an irregular field, mounds, and other 'natural' features.  "Great" I thought.  And then continued to read how they were forming "LEAGUES" for this great new anti-competition format for sport.  Sorry, leagues = competition.  You can't escape that fact, no matter how cool the concept is.

So what to do?  As parents, there are a couple of things:

• Agree not to worry about 'making the best team'
• No double scheduling (soccer and baseball, hockey and soccer, paddling and gymnastics, etc) that run concurrently or have major overlaps.  
• Take the money spent on specialty camps while at the elementary level and spend it on a good summer camp experience.  Your kid will gain independence, learn new skills, social interactions, nature, and who knows what.  
• Commit to not overcommitting. You can't bake cookies for Matt's soccer on Tuesday, bring pizza for Jon's baseball Wednesday and drinks for Lyssa's volleyball on Thursday.  Learn to say 'no'.  You can bring the drinks next week.  Your kid won't suffer, and if they do, you are in the wrong group.
• Make school the priority.  There are only a handful of athletic scholarships available, and unless your backstory includes pro athletes, better not count on it.  
• Insist on an off-season.  Pro and elite athletes in the prime of their careers take 4-8 weeks off at the end of the season.  Why shouldn't young athletes and their families?
• If the coaching isn't what you expect, be sure your expectations are aligned with reality.  I've seen parents get upset because their U-7 coach wasn't teaching strategy - to a bunch of kids who were more interested in the dandelion puffs than scoring goals.  The coach focused on 3 passes, and taking a shot - even if it was had no hope of succeeding - just to keep everything interesting.  Parental expectation fail.
• And if, after checking your ego at the door, the coaching still isn't up to par, talk to the coach. Find out their goals. Offer to help.  If you really don't like it, offer to coach next year. 
• Finally, one thing I took from coaching youth lacrosse - "Respect the game".  No yelling at the other players, riding your team, yelling at the coaches, officials, volunteers.  Cheer for everyone.  If you can't do that, go sit in your car!  THIS IS ALL FOR FUN and for the KIDS!

And guess what? When that 8 year old becomes 14, maybe they will show promise and the drive needed to train nearly year around for one sport.  And maybe they will be gifted enough to win a State Championship.  In which case I certainly applaud their efforts. They may well get that college ride!  But when that 14 year old has played hockey since age 6, and now wants to go out for cross country skiing instead, don't be disappointed. It happens!

~marsh  

Coaching philosophy - LTAD

I read a friend's post on Facebook the other night about his daughter's tryout for volleyball.  My friend is one of the most positive people I know, and he was not at all 'up' about the process of team tryouts for middle school volleyball.  I agree.  As a society, we have hit a point where parents spend thousands a year (hockey - $2500-12,000/year) for their young athletic prodigies to attend sports camps, away tournaments and in some cases, specialization and position camps for team sports - IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!  Hockey, in particular, is a disease among Minnesota parents, but I know you can find the equivalent in most regions (like Texas and Football).

I'm certainly not saying that kids shouldn't play sports.  Far from it.  I'm talking about the idea that parents seem to expect kids have to become great at a sport while they are still in elementary school, make the regional travel team in middle school, and be on the college scouting reports by high school, winning that college scholarship and then being drafted to the pros or National team.

Sadly, many of the kids who specialize in a sport in elementary school won't be playing it when they exit high school, and most will have their (or their parent's) dreams crushed by those awful college scouts and coaches before they start college. Hopefully, they have a 'Plan B'...

There are lots of reasons for this tailing off process - career ending or cumulative injury, burnout, lack of athletic ability, even being on the wrong team at some point.  Lack of athletic ability often gets blamed on coaching, but in reality the opposite is often true - good coaching can make the most of poor talent, teach fundamental skills and take you all the way to a point where physical ability of other players 'catches up' as everyone else passes puberty and starts to mature into their bodies. Malcolm Gladwell talks about the blessing of having a January birthday in Outliers.  Kids born in January are more likely to be the oldest in their age group, grade, and will likely have more opportunities to do well in sports while still young simply because they *are* the best in their particular year.  Assuming of course they don't flame out...

Injury is another whole kettle of fish.  Football and Hockey players are 4-5 times more likely than other high school sports to incur concussions.  Other sports like soccer or basketball may also have career ending injuries from torn tendons and fractures.  And I'll rile some parents by this, but I believe competitive gymnastics is one of the *worst* in terms of injury and burnout.  Gymnastics injuries seem to be more hand/wrist and back, but the burnout toll... wow.  Not only burning out mentally from a high volume of workouts, competitions and pressure from parents and coaches (who generally have a financial stake in keeping kids coming), but also from pain and injury.  NOT exactly a ringing endorsement of the club machine.

And don't think that just because little Bart or Bettina is in climbing camp, running camp and power soccer camp plus canoeing and soccer practice 6 hours a day all summer means they avoid the issues of a single sport focus. Personally, I think this is throwing gasoline on the fire and then playing with matches - just increases the likelihood of major burnout or injury.

As I've become more involved in coaching and developing my own personal philosophy, I've become a big believer in the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD).  The Canadian Sport for Life organization has a great description of this model, broken into seven stages, running from birth to early 20s.  The first two stages, encompassing ages 0-8or9 can be lumped into "Learning to Play", moving into "Learn to Train" and "Train to Compete" and "Training to Win".  The model spells out expectations and cautions for each age level in very common sense terms.

"Inappropriate or premature specialization can be detrimental to later stages of athlete development if the child is playing a late specialization sport. Premature specialization promotes one-sided development and increases the likelihood of injury and burnout." (Canadian Sport for Life)

The entire process is meant to remove the pressure of conformity, and sport specialization from younger children, allowing them to run, jump, climb rocks and trees, exposing kids to a broad range of activities without imposing leagues, traveling teams and competitive pressures to *most* kids, and hopefully setting them up for 'sport for life'.

This is not to say that for some young athletes who show particular prowess and drive at a fairly young age in a particular sport (like figure skating, gymnastics, and yes, even hockey) that leagues, meets and regular practice are not appropriate or encouraged.  They can be great activities - but make sure that the activity is right for the kid, not right for the parent.  It's one thing to for a girl who loves tumbling (a great class for all kids), is likely to only grow to 5'2" and has trim bodied parents to take up gymnastics and 'climb the ladder'.  It's another entirely for parents to insist that their son who is likely going to be very average size, average height and doesn't particularly *like* cold to go to hockey 4 times a week in hopes that he may make the traveling team like dad did.  Odds are by 15, he'll be burned out, beat up and hate skates.

In general, I'd like to suggest that up until age 8 or 9, most kids should be in mixed play - park/rec programs to expose them to many sports, riding bikes, skiing, paddling classes, swimming classes, tumbling, etc.  These are usually inexpensive and require little commitment in terms of time, travel or equipment.  9-12 can be more of the same, or focusing on 2-3 sports, but still not an all-encompassing effort to make the traveling team.  Kids who show a particular interest in a sport after this point can do so.  If their aptitude and size lend them to the potential of doing well, but their skills are less than their peers (since they haven't been doing the camps from age 5), NOW is the time to sign them up. The desire and maturity will help greatly to move them toward competitive levels with their peers.  And coaches *will* see the desire at the same time that their peers who have now been in sport for 10 years but aren't doing the same level of work may well be fading.

Again, there are exceptions to every 'rule'.  This post is intended to at least push some parents to think about what's best for their child, not what they'd like to see their child do.  I welcome dialog about this process.  It's something I feel applies to most sports and most kids, but maybe not to you/yours.

~marsh

My Evil Twin

Everyone has an evil twin - that little one that shows up the night before/morning of a big event and says "let's try this" - even if you've never done "this" before.  Most of the time, the results are fairly benign, maybe a little funny, but can be chalked up to a 'learning experience'.  And they make great war stories. "There I was..." - Nah.  More like "...and then I realized..."

Many of the examples are reminders of a cardinal rule of racing - never experiment on race day.  You train hundreds of hours to prepare for races, and then the morning of the race, your evil twin decides to try some 'superfood' one of your buddies picked up at the expo last night.  And you try to ride a 4 hour event on the stuff, even though you've never used it before, and didn't read the label to find out it has zero carbs and lots of caffeine.  And 3 hours in, "well hello, Mr. Bonk".

Some of my classics:

• My evil twin set my mountain bike wheel on the opposite side of my wife's car (where I rarely pass) and then driving 5 hours to a race.  Realizing at 9:30 at night that I have no wheel, calling home and asking my sainted wife to meet me halfway with the wheel - and not picking the right meeting place.  (I made it. I took 2nd. I had a lot of dinners to cook over that one).

• My evil twin decided to completely pull the saddle off the bike the night before the State Time Trial (I guess to clean it).  22 kilometers into the TT, I realized it was loose.  I kept it on the bike by periodically reaching under the seat and hand tightening it for the next 18km.  

• The day of an 18 hour canoe race, my buddy's evil twin decided it was too hot, and he should wear a pair of shorts with mesh lining instead of his normal gear.  Did you know that mesh turns into a cheeze grater after it gets warm and sweaty?

• My evil twin has, on several occasions, placed new tires on my wheels the night before a race.  *Usually* this is an OK thing, but on one occasion the tube got caught under the edge with very predictable results - about 10 miles in.  And with no support wagon.  And no spare.  And... And...

• Food is often a favorite of the evil twin.  Mine has, on more than one occasion, taken a free bar or gel from someone (usually a race sponsor) flacking their product.  Mostly there are no bad consequences, but once in a while, I've either come up short on energy or long on gas.  Either way, it makes for a miserable day in the saddle.  

• Holds true for ski races too.  My evil twin put my wax belt in my finish line bag so it would be easier to carry.  And it went to the finish line.  Which meant I was reliant on sponsor supplied food (see above) for 3.5 hours. 

• And unfortunately, evil twins don't just affect you.  Mine decided to use a binder I *never* use the night before the high school section ski meet.  Well, the athletes thought their skis were great - until the track softened up and their legs got tired.  And then, no more grip and no winning team.  

The point of these little episodes is to drive home the cardinal rules -

• Never experiment on event day - be it a race, a century ride, a canoe trip, or whatever.
• Always check your gear a couple of days before your event and then ride it before the actual event day.
• Have, and stick to a plan.  What you'll eat, what gear you need, where you'll stage gear, etc.  
• Last minute changes are almost never a good idea.  And if it seems like a good idea, it probably isn't.

Just a bike

Over the years, I've owned and ridden a bunch of bikes, from ultra tight track and crit bikes to some of the earliest mountain bikes with super slack angles and extra long wheelbases.  And I've come to realize that the highest compliment I can pay to a bike is that it is "just a bike".
Regardless of intent, the best bikes all share some common characteristics.
- They do what you expect
- No quirky handling
- Anyone used to riding the type/purpose of bike should be able to ride it

It really doesn't matter if you are riding a cargo bike, crit bike, fat bike or climber, the rules still apply.  It should be fit for purpose - a crit bike should be able to sprint and corner; a cargo bike should be able to haul a load around town without popping wheelies or twitching when crossing cracks, a basic hardtail mountain bike should handle most singletrack and jeep roads with reasonable aplomb.
On the other hand, there have been bikes...  The Trek 770, which I rode thousands of miles, raced a season or two, eventually converted to a fixie and then gave to my son had toe-clip overlap, and a horrid tendency to go straight ahead in a corner (race car drivers would call it 'push').  I loved/hated that bike.  And 30 years later, that monster is back in my garage.
A Colnago track bike that had bottom bracket flex. (not good on the track)
A crit bike of questionable origin that was so twitchy you didn't dare take your hands off the bars to remove a jacket.  Darn fast, but no way would I ever want to ride that more than an hour at a time.

But by and large, I've sought out bikes that were fairly neutral, again - just a bike.
There was the 2nd generation mountain bike I had in the mid-80s.  The chainstays were a mile long, seatpost and fork rake were probably sub-70 degrees and it weighed about two tons.  It creaked, groaned, climbed like a pig, and I rode it for at least two years over every available trail in Seattle and the Cascades before finally trading up to an REI Ponderosa, which weighed significantly less, had a UBrake, and much better handling overall.

But the ultimate 'just a bike' was my long departed Raleigh 531 racing frame.  The only bike I ever regret parting with.  Fairly light, totally neutral, and trustworthy.  I rode 30,000 miles and then some in 3 years on that bike, raced innumerable crits, local road races, a handful of stage races, around Mt Rainier, a State Time Trial Championship.  This was a bike I could throw into a crit corner and *know* it would come out the other side like I planned, or rocket down Washington Pass at 50 plus and enjoy the ride.  And damn -I was foolish enough to 'factory swap' it for a newer frame when a braze let go on the rear triangle.  Stupid. Especially Stupid when I knew some of the best framebuilders in the business who could've fixed it for a couple of beers.

Since then, my wife and I have owned several 'just a bike' bikes.  In the late 80s, Huffy (of all people) sponsored the National Team.  We are fortunate to have one of the appliance black and white 'Huffy' bikes from that era.  It doesn't get ridden a lot and at some point, I'd like to put it back to the de rigueur Suntour Superbe Pro that I think was on it as a team ride.  But we had a box of Campy parts, so that's what's on it now.  And when my wife would let me ride it (usually after giving it a bath/tune) I'd go do a couple of 'test laps' in the neighborhood.  Like the Raleigh above, I felt like the Huffy would do exactly what I expected it to, when I expected it to, and climb or sprint pretty well on command.  And yes, if you look under the bottom bracket, it does say 'Serotta', but who cares?  When at RAGBRAI, it's a Huffy.  Just look - it says so right there on the frame!

When it came time to move to a more current bike, my wife spent weeks test riding all of the bikes in her chosen price range before riding the Scott CR-1.  Not the most expensive bike, not the lightest, but when you get on a bike and it goes 'Ommmmm' you should listen.  No bad habits, it climbs by itself, corners and descends as hard as you want, and doesn't beat you to death on Iowa and Wisconsin pavement.






It really doesn't matter if your bike costs 1,000 or 10,000. If you don't ride it, it's wall furniture, and until you ride it enough to be completely comfortable with it, you just own it - it's not really yours.  And if you don't ride it because it handles badly, dump it.  At the end of the day, the best ride you can find is "just a bike".

~marsh

Simple/stupid for riding/skiing in cold weather

After just passing out one of these to a friend, I thought "why not share a bunch of them?"  These are the collected wisdom of friends, observations and just plain common sense.  Your mileage may vary, but I find them fairly useful in the cold (and sometimes not so cold).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When gel packs are like taffy and bars resemble bricks, the only hope is to put a chemical heater pack (Hot Hands, Heatmax, etc) in a koozie (neoprene beer can holder in the US, and put your gels/bars in that.

Cat Crap works.

"Cotton is death" - old saying from 'the Mountaineers'.  There may not be a faster way to die in the mountains than blue jeans and a cotton t-shirt when it gets cold and rainy.  The modern synthetics or wool are so much better at wicking and shedding water.  Wool retains some heat even when soaking wet.

To keep your bottom bracket area cleaner on rainy day rides, spray it with PAM cooking spray.  Mud may still stick, but it'll fall off more easily.

A green scrubbie pad is a pretty simple way to clean the braking surface and brake pads.

An empty motor oil container always has enough oil to fix a sticky chain link.  (Trash can or dumpster dive at the convenience store).

Food prep gloves can save your hands if caught out on a cold, wet ride.

On a long ski race/tour (like the Birkie), a spare pair of gloves can do as much for morale as the finish line.

Buffs are amazingly customizable helmet liners.  You can cover your head and neck, ears, or just your head with this simple bit of fabric.

Riders have been stuffing newspapers under jerseys forever.  It still works.  I prefer the editorial section since it's already full of hot air.

An old pair of wool socks that have worn out bottoms are perfect emergency boot covers (you know, for that day when you discover you left your booties at Jim/Julie's last time you rode.)

Shivering cold, wet and miserable on a ride means you are one step away from hypothermia. Time to stop and beg a trash bag from that convenience store. Now.

And when in doubt -
     Always trust your cape.

~marsh

Sunburn Camp Wrapup

I spent the past few days coaching at San Diego Canoe/Kayak Team's annual Sunburn Camp.  This

SDCKT clubhouse

was a great chance to spend four days working with some of the best young athletes in the US, and for me to be mentored by a couple of the very best coaches in the world.  Add to that incredible support from the SDCKT parents, pretty decent (60s) for the end of December, and darn cold weather at home - this was a great trip.  With 35 athletes (28 kayak and 7 canoe, I think) and 5-6 coaches, we had a very manageable group.  We had athletes from 7 different areas - Seattle(WA), Gig Harbor(WA), Hawaii, Petaluma(CA), Minnesota, Oklahoma and of course, San Diego.  Athletes ranged in ability from less than a year in boats up to Junior World Team members. It was really good to see the bonding between athletes from different teams, regions, and ages.  New friends made, and friendships renewed.  Unlike sports with numerous athletes in their home region, most of the camp athletes travel nationally to attend regattas, so these friends get together a few times a year at most.
I was part of the staff led by Chris Barlow. Chris ran the show and is the head coach of the SDCKT club.  Heather Fenske and I assisted on the kayak side, with Jon Sousley and Rachel Marcuson coaching canoe.

[sorry about the lack of photos.  Unfortunately, when you coach you tend to be a 'do' rather than 'watch/shoot']

Day one:

Dynamic stretching session

We started off with 38 degree sunshine, a good group meeting, a good dynamic stretching and warmup session, and then into testing. Almost all camps use some variant of 2K paddle with a turn, 1200m run, and max out on pull-ups.  Equipment can vary, water conditions or the distance may not be exactly the same, but the differences are slight.  What you can count on is that athletes who run well, paddle well and pull well will rise to the top every time they do the tests.  The key is to gauge the individual performance relative to those top athletes.  If she did 10 and you did 8 last camp, and she did 14 this time, hopefully you are doing 12 or 13!  That's locking in improvement.
Lunch, More running, lifting and paddleboard, followed by team boats or singles for the afternoon to work on technique.  Parents did a fantastic job on food.  We had homemade tortillas, beans, eggs and salsa at breakfast the first morning, with enough leftovers for lunch and other meals.  Homemade chili for dinner, chicken, salads, fruits, vegetables and all sorts of healthy things that young athletes *will* eat.  It's nice not to have food smothered in cheeze, breaded, fried, or worse yet, rationed so
that the last person to eat is scraping the pan.  We scraped pans, but to get the last bites of goodness!  Coaches set 'lights out' for 10:00pm, but the athletes turned them out at about 8:45.  I'd say they were tired.

Day two:

Pushups just above the surf with Cris Dobro

A little different plan for this morning.  We did another round of team boats and singles - boys in singles, girls in team boats today, and then packed up for a trip to La Jolla Shores for strength training with Cris Dobrosielski.  Cris is the author of "Going the Distance", a very good book on fitness and injury avoidance for serious athletes.  He's also a very positive, engaging coach, and led the athletes through running on beach sand, several dynamic stretch routines, and a couple of great in water (61F)
exercises including some very damp pushups!  Lunch followed at the beach, and then back to camp to load the trailer for a trip to Chula Vista Olympic Training Center on Day three.  More Team boats and singles, dinner, ice cream and bed.  Again, I don't think any of the athletes saw 10:00pm.

Day three:

Jerzy

Breakfast at 7:00, vans loaded and heading to Chula Vista OTC by 8:30, and technique coaching by Jerzy Dziadkowiec, who was the US Team coach for many years, and currently coaches the Czech national team (Olympic Bronze, current World Champions).  Jerzy had positive tips for every single
Lunch was at the OTC cafe.  Excellent food, a very wide menu each day, well prepared and well received.  And if you are in residence, you've got access to dietitians who can help tune your meals to exactly what you need to excel in sport.

On water with Jerzy

kayak paddler.  He was so positive and humble - one of the very best coaches in the world, and he spent his day working with a bunch of young athletes.  I felt very privileged to be on the coach boat with Jerzy and Chris Barlow for the morning.

Charles Luckman talking starts. Jerzy sitting in.

The afternoon session was with Charles Luckman, starter for the London Olympics, and PanAm Chair.  Charles has seen more starts than most, and did a great start clinic from the dock.  Starts are an area that can cost meters, which quickly turns into seconds lost.  One of the points made by Charles was that you can - and there are reasons why you would - start on the 'wrong' (right) side.  Practicing this was absolutely foreign to almost all paddlers, but it's something I'm sure they'll work
on!

Start practice

Exact replica of the London BMX track

After reloading the trailer, we made a visit to the OTC store for shirts and other Olympic memorabilia, and then back to Fiesta Island for a bbq with the SDCKT members.  Several of the coaches took this opportunity to slip out for adult conversation and beverages, but that was a short trip and then back to the venue well before 'lights out'.

Day four:

Spaulding mainsion, Pt Loma University

Olympic Day.  The coaches divided everyone into teams (red, white, blue), and then ran through a series of events for the day with points accumulated by team.  These ranged from a repeat of 2K, 1200m, and pullups (everyone improved), to a blind draw C-4 race, trivia challenge, and SUP relay.
We took an hour over lunchtime and did a tour of Point Loma University, which has to have one of the most scenic campuses in the world. Point Loma offers 4 scholarships to paddlers, so it's definitely a spot to consider!

Athletic complex, Point Loma University

The last event was a team cheer, judged on originality, sportsmanship, and participation.   By luck of the draw, the White Team had a Hawaiian member who led them in a Haka - traditional Maori 'cheer?' that all of the coaches agreed was the winner and moved them well up in the standings.  In the end though, it wasn't enough to overcome a solid win by the Reds.  Points were very close through the entire day - never more than 20 separating first from last, (max of around 500).  And no slackers - everyone laid it out every single event.  Not bad for 35 teenagers!

So what would I change?  Very little, actually.  It's a trivial thing, but the biggest complaint *I* had was that the showers were time valved, set for the Boy Scouts, and good for about 10 seconds of water. That combined with 40 degree temps meant pretty cold showers. Oh yeah, and I'm too friggin' old to sleep on a plywood slab bunk.  I'll have to bring an ThermaRest instead of that foam pad next time.

So Sunburn is a wrap for 2014.  The weather held, Athletes had a great time.  Coaches did too!  A huge thanks to the parents and volunteers who made this work.  My personal thanks to the Chris and Gerry Barlow, and the SDCKT coaches who made me part of the family.  It was a great trip and I look forward to going back.