Fast Fitty Race Recap

 

I made the short jaunt over to Charlotte, MI for this years edition of the Fast Fitty. Here is how it went.

The morning started normally enough. I was up and out the door in plenty of time. I made a quick stop at the Donalds for an oatmeal. Normally I have been eating at home, but I honestly wasn't the best prepared for this morning. I figured a quick stop here was the best option, and I know the oatmeal doesn't mess with my system. With fuel in hand, I was headed East. Charlotte is kind of in the middle of nowhere. So its mainly 2 lane roads. The drive was pretty quiet and I got to Alive around 8:30. The front lot was already full so I swung behind the building to park. A change this year (maybe last year) was that the registration tent was in the Alive parking lot instead of over at the American Legion where it has been in the past. Not a big change, just something I noticed.

I got my registration packet and headed back to the car to get ready. The lot was filling fast as people were trickling in and parking was looking chaotic. Glad I got there early enough to not add that stress to myself. Eventually I was ready to do a soft warm up. 

I headed out past the American legion and turned onto the first road of the course. It had some fresh black top and was going to roll very fast. I just rolled a bit before heading back to Alive and looking for anyone I knew. I didn't really see anyone so I headed to the start line.

The Fitty starters

This is the back of the Fitty starters and the front of the Speedy wave

No I didn't do this....the glove was like this on its own. (if you know you know)

Now it was time to go. We all lined up and got our announcements from Dale before it go time. I lined up next to Jonas, who is Dale's brother. Kind of funny that we were talking at the start line very similar to how we did almost 5 years ago when I was on a borrowed bike from GRBC. He remembered and brought back that memory. Funny times. 

3,2,1...GO. 

The start was a rolling start because the road was narrow from some rain puddles that were filled earlier in the week. So we rolled under the banner and a rider in front of me slammed the brakes hard. Panic is an understatement. We were already barely moving and then this rider STOPPED. I had to swing wide to miss this person. Almost being taken out in the first tenth of a mile was not really what I had in mind for this race. I kept an eye on this person because they were very very nervous and wanted to be riding alone. So I gave space and eventually separation was there. (yes I say person instead of he or she because I don't want to call anyone out. This person was just very nervous and it as evident when other people were around).

Now that we hit the pavement the pace went up quick. Being towards the back of the pack is always different. This event had all types of people, and I tried to find a few that were riding my pace. We turned onto the first gravel and a few of us were still together. Jonas was pulling a good pace on this section. We turned to find the first climb and I told him I would do my best to pull him up the hill. We crested the hill and there were people just strung out everywhere. Jonas rode away and I couldn't hold his wheel any more. I was in my normal group of 1 riding solo with people around but not close enough to work with.

This course is pretty flat in the first half. Much of the climbing is back loaded. So you are cruising and feeling like a million bucks and then get hit with a small dose of reality as your average speed starts to drop. Well, mine anyway. Anyone else? lol.

Around 10 miles in a group of 5 caught me and I jumped in with them. It was a good group but I couldn't hang with them long. I got some help from them for a few miles and then they slowly creeped away. The miles were ticking away and I started to wonder why I hadn't seen the Speedy wave yet. I was in some rollers and carrying some good speed when I heard them coming. Well, I thought it was a car or two....but it was 40ish riders just smashing the course. I was rolling well over 20 and they passed with a high pace. Its so awesome and I can't wait to experience that some day. They blasted away and then it was a string of stragglers trying to bridge the gap again. This went on for a few miles. Single or dual riders passing. Many offering a "good job" or "keep it up" as they passed. I would offer the same back. 

I saw the first aid station and was craving a banana. Unfortunately all they had was water or heed. I thanked them anyway and pressed on. Here is where a group of us started together that would basically finish together. There was two women and one guy other than myself. We roughly formed a group and pressed ahead for a while. The guy eventually peeled off the front and went out of sight. The ladies and I stayed together for a while but eventually our paces differed and we all were spread out. Then we would reel each other in. We were working together the best we could. Different strengths. Good people. Once lady was from Indiana. The other was Waterford. We continued on....each of us leaving the others for a while before being caught and left again. lol. It was nice to have the company suffering in the same areas as I was for the entire second half of the race.

When the climbing started is when my issues started....again with my feet. Legs were doing surprisingly good and I was thinking I was going to hit my goal. But the pain in my feet just got to be too much and I finally had to get off and walk a hill. I could have made it, but my feet needed some circulation off the bike. One of the ladies caught me and asked if I was ok and said we are getting closer to the finish!

We pressed on and I was then riding with one of the ladies again. She said we have one more climb and then we are almost there. I cleared that climb and she was stopped at the top. I checked on her and she was ok, and eventually caught and passed me. She had a strong finish, Kudos to her! 

I rolled in very slow across the line to a group of cheers. lol. Tom and his girlfriend were at the finish as well as the lady I had been riding with and her husband. We congratulated each other and the other lady we had been riding with finished too. We all cheered for each other, told each other good job, and headed our separate ways. Nice to have people to talk to on a long race like this. Thank you ladies'! 

My finish time is shown below. I missed my goal by a few minutes, but I was happy to finish. Having only a handful of rides since the middle of June I really didn't know what to expect. Not taking DFL in the entire race was good, and finishing close to my goal was good. 

Overall it was a good day on the bike. Weather was great. The cause for this event is great. Dale is a good dude and he will always have my support for his events. I likely won't be racing anymore this year, but I will probably volunteer at his MTB race at Custer. Check it out here. Its the Custer's Last Stand. However, if no Sport Clydes sign up....you might see me out there on Albert doing what I can ;)

We keep at it....and we do our best. 

Fast Fitty Gravel Race Preview

 This is the last event I have on my calendar for 2023. Lets dig in.

Last I checked there was over 450 people registered for this event. It might be a smaller event, but it is one that I have enjoyed. Well, I didn't so much enjoy the first time I did the event....but the last time was much better. 

I don't remember much from the first year....other than it was during Covid and it was really hot. I also remember pulling off the road and sitting in the shade to wait for the SAG vehicle. After sitting there for more than 20 minutes and not being rescued I figured I better get back on and finish. Apparently there were people on the course behind me having worse days than me. 

The next year I came back better prepared. I shaved almost an hour off my time and had my 'redemption' at this event. 

But that was two years ago. I missed last years event for some cookie cutter excuse I am sure. I know I wasn't riding much last year so if I remember correctly I found a lame excuse to get me out of going.

This year has been different. Many more miles and better endurance. However, my fitness trend has been on the decline since June. Took the loss of The Duff harder than I thought. However, my last few rides have been okay....so we will talk goals in a bit.

EVENT:

Fast Fitty

54 miles

2300 ft of climbing

(only 42.6 feet per mile)

Overall this is a fairly flat course. Because it has been 2 years I don't remember if there are any nasty climbs....but its doubtful. With Charlotte being in the middle of the state, its pretty flat down here. I am sure when I get out there I will remember that its not as flat as I think. lol. Hopefully the gravel is good and I can muster up the energy to make it the 50 plus miles. 

This preview is not really a preview. Its just a quick note on what I will be doing Saturday. lol

Goals? Sure....lets talk goals. I need to be realistic about my expectations. Can I push for 50 miles and hold a good average...maybe. Can I be close to my time from 2021....unlikely. I rode that race hard with a belly full of anger. lol. Can I beat my time from 2020....I freaking better. 

Fastest time ever was a 14.5 average. This year I will shoot for a goal of sub 4 hours. I should be able to make it...but with my lack of riding I still need to focus and press for the entire race. I will do my best to find some people to ride with. I tend to ride alone because people don't know how to work together at my speed. Usually the back of the pack riders are used to riding solo. When you ride alone you get into a different mind state and you can check out. In a group, or even a pair, you need to pay attention to what that other rider is doing. And without history it can be nervous to ride with someone. I understand. I know how I ride. I know how my friends ride. I don't know how 400 strangers ride. You could have everything from a 50 year seasoned rider to a person riding their first race. No judgement on my end, I just don't want to ride with an anxious edge for almost 4 hours.

So my goal is sub 4 hours. It would be awesome to reach 3:45. Finishing and surviving is the first goal. Riding fast will be second. 

Weather looks good. See you there!

Fast Fitty on the horizon

 Good morning friends. 

Not riding has had its benefits. Riding also has it benefits. I prefer to ride.....

I got my TCX put back together over the weekend. Tom and I headed out for a nice gravel ride on Sunday. He asked how far and I said 20-30. It ended up being over 30 miles and was actually starting to get a little late before I finally got home. Whoops! The ride itself was pretty good, all thins considered. With the lack of miles in my legs the last 2 months I tend to get nervous about how I will respond to longer rides. I am able to hit the distance, but I can tell my endurance is lacking. We rode some pavement and some gravel on the north side of Allegan. At one point on a long climb Tom looks at me and asks "you regretting your decisions to not ride lately?". HAHA. Yes sir, I am paying the price for my lack of commitment. 

He chose a nice route with some rolling hills and we eventually turned back towards town. We hit a road that is under construction and I could feel my lack of riding. The surface was rough packed gravel that is getting ready for asphalt. The stretch of road was a brutal 3ish miles and I felt like I didn't have any power. We were barely hitting 10 or 11 miles an hour on this section. Eventually we hit blacktop again and got by Tom's house. He peeled off and I continued on to home. Thankfully there is a solid downhill where I could get some recovery before one small climb by my house. Ended up with just under 33 miles.

Tuesday I had a few errands in Kalamazoo and was invited to the TNR with R3 cycling. On these rides I have no idea what to expect. I don't ride down here and I am not familiar with the area. So its always a new adventure. This night we had a total of 6 riders. Taking a look at who was there I knew I was the weakest link. That adds to the nerves a bit for a few reasons. One...they won't leave me behind, but its easy to get dropped. If that happens I always feel like I am slowing down the group. While its a normal thing, I don't like being that guy. This gives me incentive to hold onto the group the best I can. 

I managed! We did a solid 25 miles at a brisk pace and I was able to hold on the entire time. There were moments where I was wondering if I could. I would get some space and force myself to draw back in. The rubber band was stretched a few times.....but it never broke. I kept telling myself....1 more mile.... 1 more mile....just hold on...just hold on. There were times when we were cruising at 20+. That might not seem fast for many, but for me its brisk. My last road ride was 16mph....so pushing upwards of 20 is stretching my fitness. I managed....but the nerves were high at times.

Overall it was a good couple days of riding. Having long jaunts between rides I always wonder how my body will respond. Right now....its ok. But there is a test on Saturday. I will head to Charlotte for the Fast Fitty. I am waffling on distance and I should just drop down....but I still don't know. lol. I made the commitment...so I should just follow thru. I will pay the price I know. But the course is relatively flat so distance is more of endurance. If Barry Roubaix was on the schedule I would definitely drop distances. lol. 

At any rate....I am out there. Will probably get another ride or 2 in before the weekend. Fitness is way down.....but I think I can build it back up pretty quickly. Keep the rubber side down friends. 

Riley trails

NEEDING to ride a bike I loaded up Albert and headed to Riley Trails.

Why Riley? one might ask. Well, I had to get to Cross Country Cycle to get some footbeds and Riley is just around the corner. So I was killing two birds with one stone.

 Tom met me and we headed off down the trail with our fat bikes. I was on Albert. My 35 pound tank of a fatty with 3.5" tires. Tom was on his Mukluk with 4.5" tires....what a massive difference. lol. 

I did upgrade my fork to a carbon Carver O'Beast this year. That makes a massive difference actually. I bought the fork a few years ago and finally got it installed this winter. I have had this fat bike for years and barely have any miles on it. I am learning that it is a lot of fun to ride.

If you have never ridden at Riley I can tell you this...its a 4ish mile trail that is relatively flat with a bit of sand and one kicker that can be a pain. We got started and didn't have any issues. Then we did. I was leading and I missed a turn as the trail kicks out of the woods to an open area. There were some people walking and for some reason I went that way instead of turning. So we made it a bit before I was like....eh....we missed a turn. lol.  So we quickly made the jaunt back and were back on the trail. 

Being on the fat bike means I am learning how to ride it faster. It handles like a tank, but it has traction for days. We were clipping along at a decent pace. Passed a few hikers. We reached that kicker and both of us cleared it. We finished the first lap pretty fast and took a little breather. 

Second lap we caught a guy walking same direction as us. I could hear his radio but I yelled "riders back, can we get around you?" and the guy didn't even budge. So I yelled ON YOUR LEFT and he finally looked. But he looked at me with a look like he didn't give a rip that we were there. He never moved off the trail. Never acknowledged we were even there. We pressed on. Didn't seem like very long and we were back at the parking lot again. This is the cool thing about short laps...you get back fast.

We decided on a 3rd lap and headed out. This time I was starting to wonder about fatigue. With minimal riding since LJ100 I know my endurance is gone. So riding at a decent pace on a super heavy bike was starting to take its toll. We chugged along and reached that last climb again. This time I took off and downshifted (one too many gears). I was almost to the top and I spun the rear tire, losing traction and momentum. Ugh. Having to put a foot down on an easy trail is disheartening. lol. Tom made it....chose a better gear than I did.

We finished with about 12 miles total. Not bad and I feel great today. I will get to riding more consistent again now that things are hopefully settling down. I got the Anthem in pieces and plan to start selling parts here soon. I also tore the crank off the TCX and figured out that I needed a new bottom bracket. I have that in my hands and will get it installed tonight. Hopefully get a nice gravel ride in tomorrow.

As far as the Anthem goes....well....I had a friend reach out and say someone else would be trying to get ahold of me. Haven't heard from them yet, but I am guessing that maybe they didn't get anywhere either. I am resigned to the fact that I will never get what the warranty states. I can guarantee that I will never buy another Giant Bicycle for as long as I am riding.

Health update. With the lack of riding and poor food choices I did put a few pounds back on. Chris and I are back at it to lose more weight and be thinner for Hawaii. Overall I am feeling good and we are doing great, just need to get diet and exercise back on track. 

Hope you all are doing well! See you on the road, gravel, or trails.