The 2010 Original Growler - Race Review

The Original Grower: 64 Fluid Miles in and around Gunnison Colorado

Holy Smokes. I completed the Full Growler last year, but I obviously forgot how tough the course really is. The actual race was about 61.2 miles and 9600 feet of vertical. Nuts! 

The start consisted of a 4.1 mile ride from main street  to Hartman Rocks. Let's just say us Back of the Pack racers held up the back of the pack. We weren't exactly fast enough for the 'single speed friendly pace'. But that's cool. We caught the pack on the 1st hill - Kill Hill, and the race was on. 8+ hours later, the race was over - for me. It wasn't my best performance. But I finished. My knee is now 100% and my body & mind held up fine. Ok, that's not true. The 1st 30 miles were a struggle, mentally, but I got it together around mile 40.

Aside from the awesome trails, the Gunnison crowd was unreal. Probably one of the primary reasons why I returned this year. You can't beat the support at the aid station, the post race party and the general atmosphere.  It's safe to say that I will definitely return next year for the punishment of the Growler.

There are many funny stories that I should share, but I won't. I'm headed to Jacksonville FL tomorrow AM (Monday, June 1st) and I am way behind the curve in terms of packing. I return late Thursday night, just in time to pack up the BPR mobile and head to the 24 Hours in the Canyon - a great 24 hour training race for the ultimate New Mexico endurance event - The 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest - June 19th & 20th.

Check out this link to all the B.P.R. photos, gps data and other stuff.

The Full Growler Pics and Data

In classic B.P.R. fashion, we learn from all experiences, good and bad. Here is the summary.

Lessons Learned / Experience Gained

1. In a 6 hr 33 min drive, how many times can you listen to Against Me! Don't Lose touch. 134 times, of course.
2. Don't think, just ride. Wasted thoughts are wasted energy.
3. If cows want to own the trail, then they own the trail. (No joke, I was held up by 2 massive cows grazing on the trail.)
4. If you get run off the trail - tuck and roll. (Yeah, Judd was forced off the the trail during a fast descent on a jeep road due to some bad decisions by a fellow rider. Luckily a controlled 'wipeout' was successfully executed.)
5. Don't try to understand why slower people pass faster people after just being passed by faster people. Yeah, sometimes smart riders provide a little room when in rocky / rough sections.
6. Put your survival food in a secure pocket, otherwise it won't be there when you need it.
7. Take extra BPR gear - make some money.
8. You can never wake up early enough for a 7am start.
9. You'll never feel rested when waking up for the 7am start.

The Google Earth  Data

The GPS Data

The 2010 Original Growler: The Start

What's Tedd Thinking? What's Judd Thinking? WHO CARES!

Clean cut Judd - No more quest for The Johnny! 

Cochiti 100. Ok, Cochiti 67.62 for Someone Named Judd

What a ride! I'm now one serious fan of the trails up at Cochiti

I can't wait to tackle the three loops next year. I may not make it, but I'll try - now that I know where I am going and have an idea of the required pace. As insurance - I'll take a couple of lights and a fellow Back of the Pack racer. Yeah, like a fellow Back of the Pack racer will commit to be a 'support rider' for Judd. Maybe I need to pull out the 'C' notes to make it happen.

Anyway. It was a brutal day. The alarm went off at 3:30AM. That hurt. It hurt bad. I spent 30 minutes fabricating every excuse in the book. I wasn't moving. BUT, I decided that excuses are just excuses. I rolled out of bed and hit the road. Well, I hit the road and then was hit by some serious gastrointestinal track issues. Do you want more info? I doubt it. It may have been nerves, it may have been some serious dietary issues. Who knows. I survived the experience and made it to the 'staging area' with 10 minutes to spare.

The race. What do you want me to say? It was nuts. The climb on Loop 1 is intense. But I made it, made it on a 32x18 setup. Yeah, I walked in 2 sections - who cares. My plan was Loop 1 and Loop 3. I did it. Not fast, but I achieved my goals. And that is cool, with me. I've had two disasters the last two races. But I'm back. The knee is almost 100%, so I'm happy.

Next year? I'm going for Loops 1, 2, 3. I'll train hard. The NMES will be my priority in 2011, along with 24 hour racing. I used the Cochiti 100 (67.62 for me) race as a training ride for the Full Growler - Gunnison, 64 miles. That was stupid. I'm learning. I think.

Funny stuff. My calculations show that there are 67 stream crossings during the Cochiti 100. (Only 39 stream crossings for a fool like me - Loop 1 and Loop 3.) I could be wrong. I was bit by a wicked spider (or something) on Loop 1. It hurt. I have huge scabs on my chest - so my count on Loop 1 may be wrong. That's OK. And someone may count the 2 cesspools on Loop 2 / Loop 3. I didn't. Either way, 67 stream crossing leads to..... well, it leads to some wet feet. Like I said - it was an awesome day on the bike. Check the pics below. Follow the link to one of my websites - dude!

The Cochiti 100 - Data and Pics

The Google Earth Stuff

The GPS Stuff

A Balancing Act, A Circus Act

A Cool View

A Big Tree

Crossing a Stream - Many, Many Times

24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest: Course Data & Video

A 24 hour race in New Mexico? In June? Are you crazy?

Nope. It's a perfect idea and the 24 Hours of the Enchanted Forest is in the perfect location - The Zuni Mountains, southeast of Gallup. I rode the 16.1 mile track on Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 23rd. It's sweet. Better yet, it's unique. The course is fast, it's wide open, it's not too technical, it may be a bit scary - in the middle of the night with all the creatures lurking in the trees. Overall, it will be a perfect race to challenge your endurance. And that's the point, right?

I'm excited. This race will be wicked.

Check the official website for the specifics on the course. The gpx file is available at the 24HITEF website. The link:  24HITEF - A Race to Solve CFS.

I made a few assumptions during my ride, below are the basics.

Total Track:
16.08 miles, ascent = 1457 feet. descent ? You figure it out.

Start / Y2k:
1.27 miles, ascent / descent = 120/ 132

Turkey Nest:
2.07 miles, ascent / descent = 369 / 102

Lost Lake Rim Trail:
5.72 miles, ascent / descent = 452 / 451

Smoking Handlebar:
1.60 miles, ascent / descent = 129 / 145

Burma Trail Road:
2.64 miles, ascent / descent = 50/ 479

Quaking Aspen:
0.71 miles, ascent / descent = 81 / 32

Y2k / Finish:
2.07 miles, ascent / descent = 257 / 60

The Google Earth Stuff

The Staging Area & Stuff

The Profile

I created videos - in Back of the Pack fashion - the links are below. A subset of the videos are embedded in this post. Check them out. If you have any constructive criticism - keep it to yourself, I'm not interested.  

A few things to remember.

1) I ride a single speed. I don't have 27 options, you get it. Therefore, if I'm grinding up a hill, my head moves. So, go easy on the video quality.

2) The playback speed is optimized based on.... the music selection. That's just the way it is.

3) This project was funded by Back of the Pack Racing. You get what you pay for.

4) I can be bought. $1000 / hour. Rates may go up.

5) Back of the Pack Racing is looking for sponsors. Beer sponsors to be exact. All we ask for is some cool patches and some beer. 

So, here are the videos and the links. 

The Drive In, The Zunis: The Video

Drive In - The Zunis from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.
24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest

The Start, Y2K - West Section: The Video

The Start - Y2K, west from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.

24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest

Turkey Nest Trail: The Link
This is a substandard video. My head is less than stable, so just close your eyes and enjoy the music.

Lost Lake Rim Trail: The Link

Smokin' Handlebar Trail: The link

Burma Trail Road: The Video

Burma Trail Rd from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.
24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest

Quaking Aspen: The Link

Y2K to the Start / Finish: The Link

Final Thoughts: The Video

24HITEF - Final Thoughts from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.
24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest

12 Hours of Mesa Verde: The Video

Check it out. I'm busy right now, so I can't provide much commentary. Check out the post below for the gps data, because DATA is KING.

A few suggestions:

1) If the motion in the video gets to you - close your eyes and enjoy the music.
2) If the music gets to you - turn down the volume and enjoy the video.
3) If the video and music get to you.... read a good book. (That's what my mother would say.)

There are some funny parts in the video. It's long, but KORN rocks. So, longer is better.



12 Hours of Mesa Verde - Lap 1 from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.
Just a dude at the Back of the Pack

12 Hours of Mesa Verde: Race Review

One word: DISASTER!

That is the only word required to explain the Back of the Pack performance at 12 Hours of Mesa Verde. It was a great race, but a very ugly performance by the team. I have sweet helmet cam action of Lap 1. Check back in a few days for the 'B.P.R. Production'. It may be cool, it may suck. Who knows.

So, back to the race. It was a Disaster. But....

REMEMBER!

Dead Last Doesn't Mean Loser

Unless there are no DNFs

Well, I didn't spend much time looking at the results. But I didn't see any 'DNFs' posted. Just saying.

Below is a link to the results.

12 Hours of Mesa Verde: Results

Want to see a cool picture? Click on this link:

Cool Pic of Judd

(Anyone want to buy me a poster size print for Christmas?)

So, what are the excuses? There are no excuses. We just sucked it up. But there were a few issues that added to the lame mileage.

1) My left knee is still busted up. I trashed it at the SYDC on March 27th. Then I was stupid and destroyed the already busted up knee at Dawn til Dusk. I'm on the mend. The knee is better, not perfect, but better. I simply folded. I decided to limit the damage in hopes of healing prior to the big races in June / July / August.

2) The Cinco de Mayo special - Carne Adovada Pizza almost killed me. I had serious stomach problems for 2 days. Bet you all wanted to hear that. Something to remember, avoid Carne Adovada pizza. End of Story. (I felt fine on Saturday, but Thursday and Friday sucked, felt like I had the flu. But that's just an excuse. Even though my 'tank' was probably empty on Saturday. But... who cares? Right?)

3) Tedd? Well Tedd didn't have an opportunity to ride his bike between Dawn til Dusk and 12 Hours of Mesa Verde. That's right, Tedd didn't turn over the cranks once. But that usually doesn't stop him. He came down with some stomach (puke / pukage) symptoms on lap 2. I think the Carne Adovada Pizza caught up with him.

4) You, the B.P.R. fan may think I'm just 'crying a river'. Well, maybe. But the B.P.R. crew hit the hay at 8:30PM on Friday and 9:00PM on Saturday. We barely put away any beer. We caused no trouble. We just slept. That is unusual and it proves that we were not all with it.

I don't have many lesson's learned or any classic stories. It was truly a race to forget.

One set of quotes does linger in my head.

Tedd: "Those rigid single speed dudes were hauling ass. Why are we going so slow?"

Judd: "Because we are FAT" (and I don't mean 'PHAT')

Tedd did have a bad experience on Lap #3. Tedd was struggling between mile 11 and mile 12. It's a rocky section. Tedd finally convinced himself that his rigid single speed was the issue, just can't go fast over the rough terrain. Well, Tedd looked up right when a Foxy Mama passed him, at Light Speed. The babe was riding a rigid single speed. Tedd lapsed into a deep depression - still may be in that deep depression.

Below are a few Google Earth plots and the GPS data of the race and the preride. Doesn't mean much. Like I said above, check back when I have the helmet cam action of Lap 1. Cool stuff!

12 Hours of Mesa Verde: The Race Course

12 Hours of Mesa Verde: The Data

12 Hours of Mesa Verde: Another View

12 Hours of Mesa Verde: One Lap

The Sheep Ready For Action

It's almost show time. Bike are ready. B.P.R. Racers ready? We'll know after 50 miles.

Cedro: The B.P.R. Spring / Summer Training Arena

Let's just say "Mountain Lions". Yeah. Forget I even said Cougar.

So, the lone single speeder must be very careful on these trails. The mountain lions, bears, coyotes, wolfs and even a Cougar or two are out there, waiting, lurking, ready to devour the exhausted single speeder.

Below is a map of the B.P.R. rides at Cedro. I'll add in the King of the Mountain data (AND VIDEO) once the trail opens - around Memorial Day.

The GPS data is included below the Google Earth image.

Color Code:
Blue = Cedro Race, 21.5 miles
White = 18 mile loop
Red = 15 mile loop

Cedro - The Race Course - Reverse

Cedro - 18 Mile Loop

Cedro - 15 mile loop

The Evolution of a Single Speeder

Evolution is a dicey subject. If you want to get me going, ask me about evolution. I may never shut up, you will be taking a risk by asking the question. AND My opinions may surprise you.

Us Back of the Pack racers may argue about evolution (Why? I'm always right.) but we will not argue about the evolution of a single speeder. To honor this subject I am opening up a design contest for the next round of Back of the Pack t-shirts. Below is one entry from The Lt Col. I won't (can't) post his 2nd entry. All I can say is "DLJ". 

I have a few ideas of my own. I am hoping that the newly anointed B.P.R. member - the organizer of the east coast chapter of B.P.R. - can help me out with my idea. There is a HUGE prize for the winning entry. What's the prize? Could be:

1) Full membership in Back of the Pack Racing - if you aren't already a full member

2) A date with The Judd

3) A million dollars

4) A free trip to crew for Back of the Pack

5) Something else, I'm still thinking.