Old Ghost Road Part 2: Sunshine, single track, rock slips and steep cliffs

Welcome back to my adventures on Old Ghost Road. This is part 2/2. If you missed the first part, you can read it here.

January 13, 2020

Day 2

We woke to the most beautiful view of the valley, with the mountains peaking through the low hanging clouds. It was even more spectacular than I had hoped, and worth every drop of rain the previous day!

That’s me enjoying said view.

We were eager to get back on the trail, so we packed up quickly and were ready to go by 8:30am (much to the dismay of our sleepy bunkmates).

The descent out of Ghost Lake hut starts the steepest and most technical 4km of OGR.

Ghost Lake Hut. You can see why it’s a tricky ride out.

The delicate alpine ecosystem is also one of the most important to protect. Tight building parameters were used to minimize the environmental impacts including no excavator machines and no dynamite. Excavation through the granite mountaintops was painstakingly cut by hand by a labour crew of up up to 18 people at a time, making the “slowly but surely” advancement rate of 15-20m per day. Thanks to their hard labour, the initial descent out of Ghost lake hut is a mix of pick-axed rugged granite rock beds and wooden bridges built to protect the sensitive ecosystem that lay beneath. 

The resulting descent out of Ghost Lake hut is both steep and technical, with hairpin switchbacks too tight for most riders to corner. The bigger concern is the consequence of misjudging said switchbacks and plummeting off a 300-foot granite cliff.

For those that choose to ride here, there are two additional helicopter landing pads for emergency evacuations (there is also one at each hut). Approximately 20 emergency air evacuations happen from the OGR each year, most of them being from this 4km stretch.

Helicopter landing pad and a quick photo op.

This is why most riders choose to ride the straights and walk the switchbacks, and we were no exception. I was grateful this was not our rain day.

However, rugged terrain is not without its beauty, the highlight being the spectacular Skyline Ridge.

Quite possibly the most incredible 360 degree view I have ever experienced.

Clear skies allowed us a stunning view along the ridge, and we spent quite a bit of time here taking pictures and soaking in the experience.

The final challenge to this interesting collection of technical features is the infamous Skyline Stairs - 302 steps allowing users to descend the 65% grade cliff that boarders Skyline Ridge.

The ride up to the stairs is the most technical section yet, with very steep and rugged switchbacks ending in the Kiln-dried pressure treated wood steps dug into the side of the mountain. These steps are also what prevents cyclists from riding OGR South the North, a problem the trail creators are hoping to solve with future trail development projects.

Once you work your way down the steps, it’s a smooth, flowing, fun descent through the forest all the way to Stern Valley Hut.

This is a very scenic place to stop for a snack, or a good option for a place to stay if you were doing a one or three night trip.  

The ride through Stern Valley itself was lovely.

It ends in a short but persistent climb up the Bone Yard, with some great views, but the recommendation is not to stop.

This region is created by tectonic plates pushing together, making it a high risk earthquake zone. The Bone Yard is dotted with massive boulders precariously placed on the side of the mountain. This is not an area you want to be caught taking pictures in an earthquake, and something I tried not to think about as we weaved our way through the boulders climbing the side of the mountain. 

Will ‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong” Cook had no problem stopping and taking a shot of the spectacular views from The Bone Yard climb.

The climb continues over the saddle, ending once again in a fun and flowing downhill to Goat Creek hut - a very simple hut with minimal amenities that honestly isn’t really worth checking out. We did stop here for lunch, but the creek crossing does not include a bridge, and in times of heavy rain fall (such as we experienced) the creek is knee deep - so much for staying dry.  However, I can’t imagine you can cross this at any time and keep your shoes dry, so enter at your own discretion. 

The remainder of the ride to our second night at Specimen Point hut was easy going. It was quite flat, but still very interesting with loads of bridged river crossings and spectacular views of the mountains behind. The vegetation had changed at this low point in the valley, so the ride continues with some interesting new scenery.

We arrived at Specimen Point hut at 3:30pm. After 7 hours and 38km of riding we were ready to be out of the saddle. Specimen Point hut is incredibly well placed for the surrounding scenery, and is complete with a balcony overlooking the river valley. As an added bonus, there is a nice swimming hole a five minute walk down the trail where you can finally take a fresh water rinse. 

Hut balcony at Specimen Point.

We had a fun evening recapping our adventures with fellow cabin dwellers, and another early night. Our last day will be a quick 17km ride out. 

January 14, 2020

Day 3

The sandflies are notoriously bad at Specimen Point. They particularly like Will.

We woke up to another beautiful sunny day, and were eager to get back on the trail. With only 17km to go and a couple short climbs, I was expecting this last section of trail to be fairly boring. I was wrong. Old Ghost Road continued to deliver spectacular scenery. The remainder of the ride follows the river, giving opportunity for picturesque peaks of the mountain ranges we had come from. I could see the appeal of riding in the opposite direction.

The trail continues along the cliff’s edge, rising at least 100feet above the river in spots. I was consistently awed by the commitment it took to build this trail. Even these last few kilometres were all excavated from the side of a mountain, keeping you along the cliff edge and engaged with your bike almost the entire ride out. 

Remnants of the gold mining days were found during the creation of OGR, and remain scattered along the trail.

The trail ends at the delightful Rough and Tumble lodge (interesting fact: this lodge was actually built first, the idea to turn the old mining route into the trail came later). The lodge is complete with excellent pizza, nachos, and quite possibly the world’s most beautiful outdoor shower. 

View from the outdoor shower.

Free shower passes came with the Buller Adventure bike hire. Thanks Buller!

I can honestly say this whole experience blew my mind. I love New Zealand, and I love it for a lot of reasons. I’ve been there twice, explored much of the North and the South Islands, and this experience may take the cake as my favourite. If you are touring New Zealand, and are ready for an extreme mountain biking adventure, Old Ghost Road is it.

To all those involved in the creation of Old Ghost Road, thank you. You have truly created something special for the world to experience. 

A shout out to Buller Adventures for getting us set up, you guys were great to work with.

Read about the creation of Old Ghost Road in The Spirit To The Stone book available from the Old Ghost Road trail store: https://store.oldghostroad.org.nz/product/spirit-to-the-stone-creating-the-old-ghost-road/

(copies of the book are also located in all the huts so you can read about the making of the trail during your adventure!)

Old Ghost Road Part 1: The best ride in the worst weather

When Will first pitched the idea of mountain biking Old Ghost Road during our trip to New Zealand in January 2020, I said absolutely not. I totally understood why he wanted to do it. Old Ghost Road is New Zealand’s longest stretch of single-track mountain biking, and one of the highest rated mountain bike trails in the world. The trail is located in the rugged province of West Coast and connects the Rough and Tumble Lodge in Mokihinui to Lyell on Buller Gorge. It’s the construction of a map from 1886 proposing the route to connect two gold mining towns, but it wasn’t officially completed until October 28, 2015, becoming 85km of Grade 4 (advanced) mountain biking. If you are going to even think about completing Old Ghost Road, all research suggests you come prepared with advanced riding abilities and solid bike maintenance skills. Oh, and did I mention you are also bikepacking? (backpacking’s close cousin except biking for transportation instead of walking). Sound doable? Ya, I didn’t think so either. 

The original 1886 survey that became the concept map for Old Ghost Road in 2007.

To evaluate your ability to safely ride OGR, the official website proposes the following questions:

• Can you ride along a narrow winding trail that is only 400-600mm wide in places?

• Are you competent and confident riding along a trail with steep, exposed edges and drops on one side?

• Can you ride over rocks, drops and obstacles the size of soccer balls?

• Are you fit enough to ride long steep hills for an hour at a time?

• Can you ride for extended periods (up to 8 hours) each day?

I wasn’t worried about our fitness, but I would not have consider ourselves advanced riders. We had no bikepacking experience, and my bike maintenance skills are basic at best. However, we found New Zealand’s Department of Conservation’s Mountain Bike Track Grade description. This is what finally convinced me:

Easiest: Grade 1: Fairly flat, wide, smooth track or gravel road.

Easy: Grade 2: Mostly flat with some gentle climbs on smooth track with easily avoidable obstacles such as rocks and potholes.

Intermediate: Grade 3: Steep slopes and/or avoidable obstacles possibly on narrow track and/or with poor traction. There may be exposure at the track’s outside edge.

Advanced: Grade 4: A mixture of long, steep climbs, narrow track, poor traction and obstacles that are difficult to avoid or jump over. Generally exposed at the track’s outside edge. Most riders will find some sections easier to walk.

Expert: Grade 5: Technically challenging. Giant climbs, narrow track and numerous hazards including dangerous drop-offs, sharp corners and difficult obstacles. Expect walking and possibly bike carrying.

Extreme: Grade 6: Downhill/free ride specific tracks. Extremely steep sections with large drop-offs and other unavoidable obstacles. May include man made structures and jumps.

From this description, it seemed like we could be advanced riders. I was in. 

View fullsize

Current Old Ghost Road trail map.

Though this was still not to be taken lightly. There is more than 1771m of total elevation gain, with the first day alone reaching 1406m.  Unfortunately for us, the forecast for that day was not looking so good….

January 12th, 2020

Day 1

We met our bike hire company Buller Adventures at the national historic site that is the Lyell trail head at 9:30 am.  To our pleasant surprise the bikes were both in excellent condition - which has not always been our experience renting bikes. Brand new 27.5 inch 2019 Merida One-Forty 700 dual-suspension mountain bikes. Step 1, we had reliable rides.

We made some last minute gear swaps based on the rental company’s recommendations (see the complete gear list at the end of this blog), had the bikes fitted to our bodies, and were given a quick overview of the three days ahead. Standing around for this process, however necessary, was complicated by the horrible sandflies, New Zealand’s notorious pest. The campground at this trailhead is proclaimed to be the worst place in the country for sandflies, so consider this your warning if you choose to camp here the night before your ride (because of this we opted to stayed in Reefton, a small mining town seeming frozen in time 45 minutes away). 

A couple shots from Reefton where shops maintain their original store fronts. This town is two swinging saloon doors away from 1820.

With both the riding and weather reports laid out, we knew this day was going to be tough. A steady 27 km climb progressively becoming steeper, more exposed, and more technical to the top of Rocky Tor at 1456m, then a short decent into our destination for the night at Ghost Lake Hut located at the 30 km mark. To complicate the long day of climbing, it was forecasted to rain hard all day.  Welcome to the West Coast of New Zealand. 

But with a quick team pic, by 10:15 we were off. 

Check out how wet I am already.

The forecast was accurate, it poured, all day.   

Though I can’t say it really affected us for the first part of the day. Though a continual climb, the ride wasn’t particularly steep or technical, and was within the cover of the forest. We were wet, but we weren’t cold, and the trees provided at least some illusion of shelter. The terrain was also distractingly gorgeous. Lush foliage surrounded us as we rode.

There were loads of stream crossings where we could fill our water bottles.

We climbed for three hours before we reached Lyell Saddle Hut at 18kms and decided to stop for lunch. It was a welcome break from the rain.

Still in really good spirits despite the weather.

It was a tough call, but we decided to take a long break to try to wait out the weather. The forecast as of 7:30 the previous evening when we left wifi service suggested the rain would stop around 5pm. Though it wasn’t long after we stopped moving that I started to get cold, so we tried to distract ourselves by lighting a fire. It was a a formidable attempt but with no kindling and not fire starter, a wasted effort. And after an hour and a half of attempting to wait out the weather, we realized we made the wrong decision. The rain picked up, and so did the winds. It was raining sideways by the time we left, and by this time I was shivering still wearing soaking wet gear. Will insisted he wasn’t cold, despite his pale, blue-lipped appearance. We knew that the Ghost Hut was completely booked out, and judging by our late start time we would likely be the last ones to show up. We left in good faith that they would have a roaring fire by the time we arrived. 12km and 650m elevation until warmth. 

It wasn’t long after we left Lyell Saddle that Will’s quads started to spasm. If you have never experienced muscle spasms or cramping, it’s quite painful and dehabilitating. There’s at least one thing you can’t do while your quads are in spasm - bike. This is when we really knew the long break allowing our bodies to cool down significantly was a bad idea. It was also not a good time to remind him about his decision ‘against medical advice’ (my medical advice) not to get on our bike trainer after Canadian mountain biking season ended four months earlier. So I would ride up in front of him, and we would walk much of the steeper sections to use some different muscles to climb, and taking periodic breaks to rest and stretch his quads. But we were still in the cover of the forest, and though the climbs were becoming steeper, Will was managing with stretching and walking when his body simply would not allow him to ride, and somehow he was still in good spirits, so onward we went. 

New vegatation as we approach the alpine zone.

It was about the 24km mark we had our first short taste of the Bald Peak exposure.

As we continued to climb the trail narrowed, became more technical with steep cliff edges, we were forced to walk section due not to the aforementioned obstacles, but because the wind was literally blowing us sideways off our bikes! It was like nothing I have ever experienced.  

Though we regretted the weather preventing the day’s climb not ending in the reward of spectacular views, we were actually still having a good laugh at our situation. I am a sucker for adventure, and this day delivered in a big way.

This was actually a false peak. We were at Bald Peak Summit, and still had to climb 120m to Rocky Tor.

About the 26km mark I started to get spasms to my right quad (if there was ever a sign that I am biking right leg dominant this was it). This was the first point I started to feel the pain kick in. I was physically exhausted, starting to get cold (by this elevation the rain had turned to ice pelts), and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the persistent terribleness of the weather. We knew that we were eventually going to descend into Ghost Lake Hut, but at 26.5km we were still climbing the Rocky Tor- pushing our bikes so we didn’t get blown sideways into the rock wall that edged a narrow (now grade 5) single track terrain. How much further before we get to start going down? I couldn’t see $h!t. 

Finally, at 27km, the trail started to drop. YESSSS!!!! I didn’t care what was ahead, we were going down and riding comfortably again! It was rugged, technical, and narrow, with a rock wall to our right and an unending fall into the abyss to our left (I knew it was there beneath the cloud of fog blocking our views). Not to mention the monsoon rain had turned the trail into a literal river flowing 2-3 inched deep directing us to our destination. But damn it, we were going to ride. 

We both nailed it. It was the most glorious decent I have personally experienced on a mountain bike, though short-lived. Around the 28.5kms the trail started to climb again, but we knew with only 1.5km to go, and we could literally drag our bikes the rest of the way if needed. We were almost there.

We came around a corner at 30kms, and caught our first glimpse of Ghost Lake Hut. It was euphoric!  We made it!!! We took our bikes to the storage area under the Hut and met our first Hut-mate for the night - an 8-year-old boy. WTF!!!!! HOW???? I almost died doing this, how is an 8-year-old here?

As predicted we were the last ones to arrive to the hut, and the fire was roaring. With wet gear hanging across every square inch of the place, it mimicked a sauna, and it was GLORIOUS!!!  We were dried, watered, and fed within the hour. We collectively kept the fire going all night and ALL our gear was dry by the morning, though it didn’t stop raining until midnight. Good thing we didn’t try to wait out the rain.

As a side note: the 8-year-old boy was part of a family of five riding the trail in five nights, six days. The three boys were ages 12, 9, and 8. Though the dad said they had significant mountain biking experience for their ages. I didn’t doubt that. 

I’ll post on Day 2 and 3 of the Old Ghost Road next week. Thanks for reading!

The Gear List

Note: We rode Old Ghost Road in January - New Zealand Summer. Shoulder seasons and winter months you will need to adjust warm clothes accordingly. 

Need:

• Headlamp or flashlight 

• Warm mid layer

• Gore-tex rain jacket (yes it has to be Gore-tex)

• At least 2 sets of riding clothes

• Light sleeping bag (the huts are warm. We had heavier -10 sleeping bags and slept onto of them the whole night.)

• Hygiene needs (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, small towel) - there are no showers, but you might choose to rinse in the river at some huts. Do not use soap for this - it’s harmful to the ecosystem.

• 1 set of clean & dry clothes for wearing in the evenings and for sleeping

• Water bottle - 500-750 ml

• Bike Tools: Multitool, spare tube, C02 cartridges or pump, tire repair kit

• Food for the entire trip

• Sun screen

• Bug repellent

• Medical kit - recommend adding skin glue (expensive but if you come across a situation where you need it, you’ll wish you had it)

• Small amount of duct tape

• Assortment of medication (pain killers, anti-inflammatories, ant-acids, anti-histamines, Loperamide- just in case)

• Personal Beacon Locator or satellite phone for emergencies 

• Dry bag and bungie cords with a rear tire rack

• Bikepacking backpack (complete with rain cover and pack liner). I used 28L, Will 30L

Note: it rained so much the first day even with brand new pack covers and pack liners, there were some things inside the pack that still got damp, so don’t skip the pack liner.

Don’t Need:

• Water filter

• Toque

• Warm base layer (long johns)

• Warm socks for the hut - I always went barefoot

• Hydration pack - lots of places to fill a water bottle along the way - carrying less the 1L is fine

• Cooking utensils, eating utensils, stove, fuel, or food

• Coffee filter - huts have a French press

Optional:

• Light weight compact travel pillow

• Light sandals or flip flops (you can walk in the cabins barefoot, but you could use flip flops to walk around the camp once you arrive, and the washroom in the middle of the night. You can use your riding shoes for this so it depends if you want to sacrifice the weight)

• Fire starter - just in case

• Tea towel for drying dishes - they recommend this but most of the huts have permanent ones there. 

• Biodegradable toiletpaper.  The composting toilets have this, but in case they are out this isn’t the thing you want to go without. But you can alway risk it. There was a lot in every toilet we used.

Continue reading part 2 of our Old Ghost Road adventure here.

Wilmington Whiteface and my First Season Mountain Biking.

As part of my training for the 2021 Trans Rockies Classic (a 7-day mountain bike stage race. From Fernie to Panorama), I wanted to experience what it was like to spend all day climbing on a mountain bike. Enter the Wilmington Whiteface 100km, my second race. This was a perfect mountain bike race for my novice level of experience, with more than 2700m total elevation gain mostly on gravel or paved roads, and a few short sections of not too technical single track.

Getting ready in the early morning before the race. We camped at Wilmington Notch campground not more than a 3 minute ride from the start line. I went to bed at 8pm the night before. Will had a beer with some fishermen camping near by.

About Wilmington Whiteface 

Wilmington is a qualifier for the legendary Leadville 100, a 100-mile race in the high altitude of  Leadville, Colorado. The belt buckle you get for finishing the race is a coveted prize for riders of all disciplines. It’s a lottery entry, but if you complete a qualifier race and finish under the designated time cap, you have a higher probability of winning a lottery entry. Wilmington is the qualifying race that is most similar to Leadville, but neither race should be approached lightly, and both attract some serious athletes. I only truly appreciated this watching a parking lot full of riders warm up on portable trainers they had hauled with them to the start line. (I didn’t sacrifice any extra sleep or energy warming up for this 100km journey, a likely rookie mistake). 

Ready to go!

The Race 

Lining up for the mass start was an interesting experience in rider diversity, including everything from gravel bikes, fat bikes, soft tails, hard tails and TANDEMS!, reiterating the wide range of riders this race attracts. The race starts with 10km of flat highway riding, allowing for drafting and people to work together. I stayed on the rear tire of a gentlemen obviously riding at a deliberate pace. He was clearly familiar with the race, and I was clearly going to exploit that familiarity and not work overly hard on the first section. 10km down no problem! 90 to go…

Then the climbing started (needless to say my free ride quickly dropped me). I can confirm I got the experience I was looking for because it felt like we never really stopped climbing. We climbed all day. 2700m of elevation is A LOT. And a few critical errors made this worse. First, I turned my Garmin GPS off in an attempt to save the battery. However, I neglected to consider that this would turn off my distance and elevation tracking, and none of the aid station volunteers knew where they were positioned along the course. Thus, I rode all day not knowing where I was on the course, or how much I had left to ride. I was unprepared for this mental challenge, as distance became an ambiguous measurement against time. The race was going to be over when it was over and that’s all I had to work with. I found some comfort in repeating a mantra cleverly coined by Doree in Finding Nemo ‘Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming, what do we do we swim…”.

Made obvious by the smile, this was taken at the finish line.

Onto the second big mistake and arguably the better lesson, race nutrition. My ride was fuelled by a combination of Gatorade and energy chews. I had previously consulted a sports nutritionist to establish a system, drink a big gulp of Gatorade every 15 minutes and a chew every 30 minutes. The target was 60-90g of cabs per hour, and as recommended, I practiced this system prior to race day. However, since I lacked race experience, I didn’t want to deviate from it at all. So rather than use any fuel supplied at the aid stations, I carried all my own fuel. In theory this seemed like the best option as the extra weight was negligible compared to the risk of experimenting with unknown fuel sources. I had pre-portioned Gatorade into single water bottle packages, which seemed logical. However, I didn’t often arrive at an aide station with empty bottles, so rather than dump the reminder of my drink and start fresh to ensure the ideal sports-drink concentration, I would add most of all of my pre-portioned packages to the existing fluid, often overly-concentrating the drink. This seemed harmless enough, after all, that could only improve my carb intake, right? WRONG! What I didn’t realize is the concentrations are established not only for taste, but for tolerance. Turns out overly concentrated energy drinks on an empty stomach functioning sub-optimally due to prolonged physical activity can give you INTENSE gut rot, which I experienced the entire last half of the race and the entire remainder of the day and night. It prevented me from being able to eat much of anything after the race or later that night for supper, and remained intense enough to keep me up at night (It finally stopped when I got out of bed to take two TUMS). As I lay awake that night in pain, thinking I’ll have to get this sorted out because I will need both a good post-race refuel system and quality sleep to complete a stage race, it didn’t occur to me it might be the energy drink concentration that was responsible for my agony.  A colleague of mine tipped me off to this likelihood a few days later. Though I can say the nutrition plan was good in theory, I didn’t run out of gas or cramp, and I never felt like I was out of energy. I could barely convince myself to drink the Gatorade for the last part of the race as it was causing quite a bit of pain, and I probably should have just stopped drinking it. Lessons learned from this, for future races I will contact the race coordinators and see what food and nutritional supplements they will be providing at the aide stations and train using those. Then I don’t have the carry everything for a long race, and all sports drinks will be properly mixed. As a final nutrition lesson, at times I wanted water so badly, just straight forward water, and I was carrying only sports drink. For future races I would make sure to have at least one bottle with fresh water. 

Despite all these challenges, I was happy enough with how the climbing went, and my extremely limited early season mountain biking experience was actually enough for me to be better than most of the people I was riding with. This race really is full of road racers (meaning I was quickly dropped once we left the single track). Although I would have considered myself to have a good general fitness going into this race, it was nowhere comparable to the years of riding in the legs of these athletes. Bike legs are a real thing and I need some serious time in a saddle to build them (for the sake of the upcoming Trans Rockies Classic, hopefully three years is reasonable). 

I can say for anyone interested in racing Wilmington, a full suspension mountain bike is not necessary, and the extra weight definitely slows you down, however, a gravel bike would likely slow you down on some of the precarious decent.  I have no idea how people were navigating the single track on a tandem. It would have been pretty interesting to watch. 

I did manage to cross the finish line well before the time cap for the Leadville lottery, though with no intention of entering it at this point in time. For the most part I really enjoyed the day. There was a uplifting network of locals out cheering on the riders. Considering it was a 100km course, it was surprising to see how much ground they covered. The town obviously loves this event and in general it was very well run. 

That evening it crossed my mind that I have no idea how I could ride another six consecutive days of that. But the next day I woke up and thought, yes, I could ride again today. Though that has yet to be proven, at least my brain thinks it’s possible.  The Trans Rockies Classic is still in the crosshairs. 

 What’s Up Next

This winter I am focusing on learning bike maintenance, as my fabulous bike mechanic has just quit to pursue a new career as a barber, and he has graciously agreed to teach me the trade.  I also plan on sorting out what I am going to do for altitude training, resume off season strength and high intensity interval training,  and start meditation to develop focus. Will and I also plan on doing our first mountain bike packing trip on the Old Ghost Road in New Zealand (stay tuned for a post ride report on this new type of adventure :). 

TRC Training: Mountain biking season 1/3 and the Beachburg Spring Chicken Enduro

I am into it now, my journey to the Trans Rockies Classic - a 7 day, 550 km, 15,000 m mountain biking stage race from Fernie to Panorama (wondering why? You can read about it here).

I have no mountain biking experience, no stage racing experience (no bike racing experience at all, actually), and know nothing about bike care or maintenance. But I’m driven, love a challenge, live for adventure, and thoroughly believe you should do things that scare you a little and excite you a lot. The TRC is all of these things.

Admittedly, the whole experience is pretty overwhelming, and training for the TRC is a daunting and inevitably time consuming task. So I am trying to take small manageable steps. The goals this season are to develop a good base of mountain biking skills, get some race experience with a couple of long but not so technical races, learn some basic bike maintenance, experiment with long race nutrition, and do some riding in the actual Rocky Mountains with my brother who will be my TRC riding partner (read more about our relationship here).  I am happy to report all of these goals are well underway.

I spent the bulk of my training this past winter developing some bike legs, so I could begin the 2019 mountain biking season fit to ride. The idea was not to be struggling with bike fitness at the same time I was learning technical skills. I used an online training program, and spent hours on the trainer listening to audiobooks on sports psychology and my guilty pleasure, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast. I also did a power lifting program to maintain some of the leg strength I had spent several years building by doing CrossFit. It worked. When the spring hit, I felt pretty strong on a bike, even stronger than expected, and my cardiovascular fitness was good.  So it was time to try some racing and I entered the Beachburg Spring Chicken.

Note: In case you were wondering, my winter training regime consisted of 3 days lifting and 4 days cardio: usual 1 day cross-country (skate) skiing or running, and 3 days riding on the trainer.  Times totalled 2.5 hours lifting, and 8.5 hours cardio on weeks when I managed to complete all workouts. I also found about half way through the winter my leg strength was developing rapidly, and I developed a minor overuse knee injury, so mobility made its way into the regime,  20-30 minutes of stretching and rolling, 2-4 times per week.

I was pretty excited to give the Spring Chicken race a try. I was (incorrectly) under the impression it wouldn’t be technical riding, and I was reasonably fit, so I committed to the 60km distance. When I showed up on race day, there were two clues that I was in over my head. The first was when I asked a couple of fellow racers getting their bikes ready what tire pressure they were riding. Their response was “25 psi, definitely not more than 30” one guy on oversized tires added he was riding on 15psi. In case you didn’t know, this is quite low tire pressure for a race that you are expecting to be primarily on gravel roads and not technical (especially for men that weigh more than I do). Low tire pressures provide better grip and allows your bike to maneuver over technical terrain more easily.  However, the cost can be inefficiency.  In a long non-technical race, you would expect someone to choose a higher tire pressure to gain efficiency and speed and 60km is a long ride on a mountain bike. First clue overlooked, I was still oblivious to what was to come. 

Second clue. As I was lined up for the mass start, I looked around. There were only three other women in a group of close to 50.  No youth, not a fit teenager.  Just a large group of men. Huh.

Mass start to the Beachburg Spring Chicken Enduro race.

Then it started. The lead peloton took off, and leave it to a group of overly competitive men, they didn’t listen to the multiple people directing the course, took a wrong turn, and cut 2 km of single track off their race, which split the group early and left the second pack, which included myself, to take the proper rout and head into the forest. The first 20km went well, the terrain was windy with a bit of roots, well within my wheelhouse, and I was feeling good and following my nutrition plan. Then reality kicked in. Rugged terrain, rocky technical climbs, ridges, high roots, narrow trees.  This was not within my wheelhouse. I fell, over and over again, so many times. I knew the mental breakdown was near, that ‘what the !@#$ am I doing, how do I quit this race, get back to my car and never do this again.” But I persevered. I repeatedly got up, got back on my bike and kept riding. I wouldn’t let my mind wander and was determined to finish the race. Fall, get up, keep riding. Walk through a section, keep riding. Try to ride over those rocks, fall, get up, keep riding. I had 30km to go. I couldn’t stop. There was so much left. 

I got a bit better as the ride went on.  Call it baptism by fire. I rode a more technical section near the end with a bit more success, and I rode the last 8 km on gravel roads into a head wind with surprising strength, despite tired legs.  Though this did not spare me any mental anguish.  No one was immediately in front of me, no one behind me. I didn’t know if I was the very last person, or maybe missed a turn and wasn’t even on the course.  As it turned out, I finished 25 minutes behind the guy in front of me, and 25 minutes in front of the guy behind me. I rode most of the day alone.  

So I wasn’t actually last. In fact, I managed to beat close to 10 people (yes, I’m competitive to a fault, I know). Despite all of this, I actually had quite a bit of fun, and I learned a lot. I learned that I posses a pretty good ability to persevere, but mostly I learned that I don’t know how to mountain bike. I guess that’s one way to start the season. 

Next Up, the Wilmington Whiteface 100km, and some bike lessons with Ride Ottawa.

Strength and Power Training for Endurance Athletes

Most endurance athletes hate lifting weights. I know, I was that person. I had endless reasons why I would avoid strength training, but my greatest barrier was that I didn’t want to give up an endurance training session for a weight training session. And when I did get around to doing some leg weights, I wasn’t lifting heavy. At that time in my life I didn’t understand how strength training both improves fitness and prevents injury, so you can get more out of your endurance training sessions. Given the recent research on strength training with endurance sports, and what I have learned about injury prevention and rehabilitation, it is something I wish I would have started way back when I started running. In this blog I address the most common reasons why endurance athletes avoid strength training, and provide counter arguments for why they should be.

Top 4 Reasons Endurance Athletes Don’t Strength Train (And Why They Should)

1.  It’s boring.

Though I can’t influence what you find entertaining, I can sympathize that most endurance athletes find strength training to be boring. However, often if you dig a little deeper into this argument, these individuals have chosen a boring strength training regime. You have to incorporate proper periodization into strength training. As well, including power training and sports specific conditioning will both increase the benefits of the session and the diversity of the exercises.

Terminology Hack:

Periodization is the natural cycles in your training.  Consider for example, a marathon training program. Besides slowly increasing your long runs, you will also complete a sequence of hill repeats, speed work, and various tempo runs, all interspersed with strategically positioned recovery runs and low volume weeks.  Your strength training should follow a similar progression, changing weekly in weight, lift types, reps, volume, tempo and speed work. If you routinely lift the same weight for the same exercises with the same set and reps scheme, it is no wonder you are bored!

Power training is where things really get fun. If you are an athlete that has ever used watts to train or measure performance, then it shouldn’t be a stretch to understand that using strength training to increase your power output will benefit performance. This style of training includes traditional power lifting (squat, deadlift and bench press), olympic lifting (clean and jerk, snatch), and various explosive and agility exercises. Personally, I was surprised how satisfying it is to nail a clean, or finish a set of heavy back squats. Don’t let learning these lifts intimidate you. With the growing popularity of CrossFit, it is easy to find coaches familiar with teaching proper technique for power and olympic lifts. And it doesn’t have to be expensive one-on-one coaching either. Most CrossFit gyms have weekly classes dedicated solely to lifting technique, so you can drop in and take a few. CrossFit takes pride in its community culture, and these gyms typically have a very welcoming atmosphere, so I’m confident they will be happy to help you out.

Sports specific conditioning is any single exercise or group of exercises that are formatted to mimic your sport’s specific demands.  What these exercises look like and target varies greatly depending on the sport, and are only limited by your imagination.  I have seen some really inventive adaptations to challenge all kinds of athletes. Besides the obvious benefit of training to the demands of your sport, making your strength training as sports specific as possible has the extra benefit of mimicking the sport you already enjoy, so you will likely find it fun as well as beneficial.   

Taking my own advice.

2. They don’t want to get bulky.

This is a reasonable concern for serious endurance athletes as extra weight is extra load to carry on your race. However, you can actually tailor your strength training to limit or even prevent muscle mass gained from strength training, while still improving your strength and power output. (1,2,3) Want an example? Consider doing 1x20 back squats at 60-65% of your 1 rep max. It’s heavy enough to get the desired strength gains, but not enough reps to ‘bulk.’

Terminology Hack:

Your 1 rep max is the maximum weight you can lift for a single rep for that movement.  It’s extremely useful to know when building and progressing personalized strength training programs. However, this is a heavy lift to test, the heaviest really, so I would suggest doing it with a buddy or trainer so you have someone to help or spot you.

3. They don’t have time.

This myth is backed by many reasons, but can usually be broken down to a belief that time spent strength training will not provide as much benefit to sport performance as more endurance training.  However, research has consistently shown strength training to improve running economy, time trial results, and race performance.(3,4,5)  It does so by improving your body’s load capacity and power output.(6)  This means your body can work harder, for longer without hitting a wall. So, if you have time to train three or more days per week, dedicating at least one of those days to strength training is likely to improve your overall fitness, even more so than adding in another endurance workout. 

4. They feel running/ cycling is strength training for legs.

Aerobic exercise or endurance training is not strength training, sorry. The exercise your body gets from endurance training does not prepare your muscles for even the base strengthen required for your daily requirements for lifting and moving, never mind the taxing repetitive strain of endruance activity.  The highly repetitive nature of endurance activity is wearing on muscles and tendons, easily leading to injury.  When this occurs, guess what your rehabilitation will be focused on? Yup, strength exercises.  The stronger you are, the more load your body will tolerate. So why wouldn’t you include strength training as part of your regular fitness regimen and help prevent injuries from occuring in the first place? 

Do yourself a favour, and include some weekly strength training and power lifting in your training schedule. It will help you push your performance potential and enjoy your favourite activities injury free. And who knows, you may actually enjoy it ;)

References

1. Rønnestad BR1, Hansen EA, Raastad T. Effect of heavy strength training on thigh muscle cross-sectional area, performance determinants, and performance in well-trained cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010 Mar;108(5):965-75. doi: 10.1007/s00421-009-1307-z. Epub 2009 Dec 4.

2. Mujika I, Rønnestad BR, Martin DT. Effects of Increased Muscle Strength and Muscle Mass on Endurance-Cycling Performance. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2016 Apr;11(3):283-9. doi: 10.1123/IJSPP.2015-0405.

3. Yamamoto LM1, Klau JF, Casa DJ, Kraemer WJ, Armstrong LE, Maresh CM. The effects of resistance training on road cycling performance among highly trained cyclists: a systematic review. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Feb;24(2):560-6. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c86583. 

4. Beattie K1, Kenny IC, Lyons M, Carson BP. The effect of strength training on performance in endurance athletes. Sports Med. 2014 Jun;44(6):845-65. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0157-y.

5. Vikmoen O1, Rønnestad BR2, Ellefsen S2, Raastad T3. Heavy strength training improves running and cycling performance following prolonged submaximal work in well-trained female athletes. Physiol Rep. 2017 Mar;5(5). pii: e13149. doi: 10.14814/phy2.13149.

6. Beattie K, Carson BP, Lyons M, Kenny IC. The Effect of Maximal- and Explosive-Strength Training on Performance Indicators in Cyclists. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017 Apr;12(4):470-480. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2016-0015. Epub 2016 Sep 6.

Trans Rockies Classic: My partner

My Trans Rockies Classis (TRC) partner could be a surprising choice to some of my close family and friends.  Let me present - my brother, Kevin Fahlman.  Kevin is a father of 3 (aged 4 and under), a business owner, an MBA graduate, a natural born athlete, unfathomably competitive, and something stubborn. He is also a carbon copy of our late father with his black and white opinions and cunning wit.  Though we rarely see eye-to-eye, he is the work horse that can drag me through this race, and I will be his anchor. 

My brother and I top of a ride in Canmore. The only ride we have completed together so far.

It’s hard to sum up the complexities of a sibling relationship with one short post, but a few well developed veins carry the blood of our relationship.  We are both competitive, edgy, opinionated, and have our father’s type A personality. Did I mention we are competitive? 

As a little sister I always wanted to be like Kevin. I wore his clothes, used his basketball number, followed him around, and mimicked his communication nuances.  But no matter how much I wanted to be like him, he drove me nuts.  We fought endlessly and I would go berserk.  I once threw a medallion at his head and split it wide open.  I would scream at him, and demanded recompense for the injustice of his relentless teasing. And relentless it was, continual some would say.  Our poor parents.

But it’s not because of our solid history of companionship that I want Kevin as my TRC partner.  Nor is it because we have a great history of teamwork.  I distinctly remember one time we were helping our dad renovate the house. We were in the attic tasked with drilling a hole to run some wires.  We were of course arguing viciously and missed the target, drilling a hole right through the kitchen wall.  Dad was thoroughly unimpressed with us though it was quite obviously Kevin’s fault, because unfortunately for him, he was left holding the drill :).

Kevin can be given at least partial credit for influencing my passion for athletics. He was always quite the athlete himself, and when we played head-to-head he never held back.  I earned every point I scored against him. He encouraged me to be strong, to play strong. In all my years of competitive sports, only once did I ever cry on the court. I was having a bad game and I let my emotions get the better of me. Kevin was watching that game. He didn’t try to comfort me, or let me make excuses for my lousy play, but instead told me to toughen up and get control over myself.  He was embarrassed for me. Hearing that, I was embarrassed for myself.  I never broke down on the court again, or in any competition since.  This started my interest in the link between mental tenacity and physical performance. 

Since those years we have both grown, matured, moved around the country, completed Masters level educations, owned businesses, and started families.  Yet here we are much the same, as competitive with each other as we are with ourselves. Taking a firm stance with often opposite opinions, and still quick point out when we are better at something than the other.   We push ourselves, push each other, and if we fall, we would be the first to point out what the other did wrong while helping them up.  But there is no question we will be there to help each other back to our feet, to stand behind each other through hard times, hard choices, and hard lessons. Because family comes first… always.

Kevin, his riding partner, and our parents celebrating a successful 2008 TRC completion.

The last project Kevin and I worked on together was writing our dad’s eulogy, along with our older brother Michael. This was no easy undertaking in composition or delivery. We fought, laughed, cried, gave up, regrouped, and persevered. Though not the glue that binds our family together (that’s arguably Michael), dad was the head of our family, and his death left a massive hole in me and my two brothers.  Ultimately, we stood strong together and delivered one final tribute to our father.

My dad waiting for Kevin to come in from a stage at his last Trans Rockies Classic race.

Kevin has raced the TRC before.  Though I will undoubtedly be more prepared for the race, he is the self proclaimed ‘Team Captain.’ Anyone that knows us both would agree this is the right allocation of roles.  Kevin is a natural leader.  Not a motivator as I tend to be, but more a ‘I’m better than you at this and everything else so you might as well just follow me and do what I say’ sort of leader.  And somehow he’s typically right.  He’s always been this way. Naturally talented at most things he tries, particularly athletics, and often with way little effort than the average person.  He’s fearless on a mountain bike, and stubborn.  Though I may match his stubbornness, I am no match for his mental strength and experience, both of which I will certainly rely on to successfully complete the TRC. I will confidently and blindly follow his lead, with full trust in his direction (literally following his line). 

The last time Kevin completed this race our parents traveled with him as support crew, pulling their 5th wheel trailer as he’ glamped’ his way through the stages.  This time it will be my husband Will pulling the trailer with my mother as his co-pilot (to my disappointment Kevin doesn’t share my affinity for sleeping outdoors, and refuses to tent).

Kevin’s TRC accommodation.

Where everyone else stayed.

I am thrilled about completing this adventure with my family, as Kevin and I grind our way from Fernie to Panorama.  Our dad was not a man of many words, but he had one consistent message of guidance.  After every conversation he would remind us to ‘keep pushing the boulder up the hill.’  His message: the struggle is real, but you have to keep going.   How else would you describe the 550km and 15,000 meters of elevation that is the TRC?

Incase there was any doubt in my attachment to the fable, I had the girl pushing the boulder up a hill tattooed as a memorial piece after my father passed.

I can already picture my dad shaking his head as we argue our way through the seven stages, pushing our mental and physical limits, and our tolerance of each other through the ruggedly beautiful Canadian Rockies. In my opinion there is no better metaphor for my relationship with Kevin.  How fitting to complete this race with him at my side (or more realistically slightly in-front of me). 

Trans Rockies Classic (TRC): Start with Why

If you’ve read Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, you’ll understand the importance of nourishing the ‘Why’ that upholds any new undertaking. The ‘Why’ is your purpose, your drive, your reason for pushing forward in the face of adversity, and your reminder of what inspired you to begin the journey.  This is my TRC ‘Why’. 

If you missed my last blog, the Trans Rockies Classic: My next BHAG, I am training to complete a seven day mountain biking stage race from Fernie to Panorama, British Columbia. This is one of the hardest mountain biking races in the world; a true in this test of one’s mental and physical limits.

‘Your brain and body are fundamentally interwound and to understand your limits under any particular set of circumstances, you have to consider them both together” 

                                - Samuele Marcora. Quote taken from Endure by Alex Hutchinson 

My father’s final advice to me was ‘Just be you. You be you and that’s all you can be.’ At the time I couldn’t comprehend how invaluable this statement truly is. I have spent the last three years learning who I am and how to nourish my strengths. I’m competitive, focused, driven, and I love to achieve a goal. I love my family, the outdoors, and being active. This race encompasses everything that excites me about life.

I have a nerdy pastime of studying the complex interactions of the mind and body, and love exploring how our psychology influences our physiological limits.  I first began observing these interactions in my own performance during a recent three year obsession with CrossFit. I learned that it is ok to push yourself to the edge of exhaustion during activity; how to deal with that pain, and that my perception of the pain would create the boundaries of my performance.  In a race like the TRC, it is guaranteed you will suffer.  It will require both mental and physical strength to push through seven days of relentless climbing, while maintaining a base level of focus and precision to navigate the technical terrain in some of the most beautiful backcountry Canada has to offer. Though the contributions of the mind and body to human performance are widely debated, I find the challenge of improving mental tenacity along with physical performance a surprisingly appealing journey in personal growth.

Another nerdy little secret of mine is that I love learning. I would have been a professional student if it paid. This is another reason the TRC became an appealing target.  Mountain biking is basically an entirely new skill for me to learn, understand, and develop. It is an intricate blend of physical fitness, balance, agility, coordination, decision-making, and focus.  Learning to use my bike as a tool to conquer technical ascents and single track downhills will be a challenge to say the least, and one that I will need to devote the most time to.  Though during the race I always have the option to get off and ‘hike-a-bike’ through the technical terrain, I want to be able to ride as much as possible, and to do that, I have a lot to learn about bike control. Even though we are currently in the off season, I am already searching and gathering a network of experienced riders that will help me develop my skills and set my expectations. 

In my time as a CrossFit junkie, I learned that physical anguish is better in company.  This is why I am completing the TRC side-by-side with my brother, Kevin. Misery really does love company, and the two of us will hold nothing back and push each (and each other’s buttons!), putting our childhood coloured with competition and sibling rivalry to the ultimate test.  I’ll cover more on Kevin, and why we will make the best team, and the worst team, in my next TRC blog. 

The final aspect that makes the TRC appealing is the terrain.  The Canadian Rockies, though not where I was born, has always been a place I feel at home.  I love their rugged beauty, and just the thought of experiencing seven days exploring backcountry terrain on a bike makes me smile.  I am really excited to shift part of my exercise regime back to an outdoor sport, especially one that takes me to one of my favourite places on the planet, and one of the best features Canada has to offer, the Rocky Mountains.  

Considering all that encompasses the TRC in both training and execution, it seems like a perfect fit.  This goal combines all of the unique qualities that define me: physical fitness, mental strength, competition, team work, family, learning new skills, growing and developing a community, and a passion for the outdoors. I will be posting about my training, network, team, support systems, and the lessons learned as I progress towards this goal.  Feel free to follow along as the saga unfolds.

Trans Rockies Classic: My next BHAG

550km and 15 thousand meters elevation.  The Trans Rockies Classic (TRC) is a gruelling, 7 day, cross-country mountain bike stage race from Fernie to Panorama, BC.  This race is no joke.  It has been proclaimed one of the toughest mountain biking races anywhere, and is in the ranks with the TransAlp and La Ruta as the world’s most iconic stage races.

Sound amazing? I agree.

Oh, and incase you were wondering what a BHAG is: Big Hairy Audacious Goal

That’s why I am gunning to complete the TRC. 

There are many disciplines I aim to become proficient in, just to have a chance of completing this race:

- Mountain biking skills, technical climbs, gnarly descends

- Bike legs for endurance riding (these are going to be 8 hour days)

- Endurance fitness for multiple stages (for 7 consecutive days!)

- Nutrition for single day and multi day events

- Bike maintenance (on and off the trail)

- Strength and power output

- Oxygen depravation training (V02 Max – or oxygen carrying capacity-  will be affected at altitudes greater than 5000 feet, we will be climbing to 7000+ feet)

- Sports psychology and mental strength

- Training data interpretation (learning what to do with the heart rate and power data I am gathering while training)

I will be training for this race over a couple of years, and since I will obviously be gaining a wealth of knowledge during the process, I have decided to keep a blog, and share this knowledge with the world. 

In future posts I will be covering what the race is, my riding partner, my training teams, details of my fitness regimen, and information I gather on the knowledge, skills, and tactics I am covering to complete this race.

Next TRC blog, why I choose my TRC partner, Kevin Fahlman.