Off to the Cape

2008 Off to the Cape again......

2008-01-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

I'm off to South Africa again to give the Cape Epic another shot....
follow the progress on the new blog:

Team SLO Grown

pics

2007-04-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Cyclingnews.com coverage

2007-04-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some links to Cyclingnews coverage of the race... hunt around and you can find some good photos too!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=mtb/2007/mar07/capeepic07/default

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=news/2007/apr07/apr06mtbnews

http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2007/diaries/capeepic/

Unlucky US

2007-04-01T04:35:00.001-07:00

The good news is we finished, the bad news is our last stage was a horrible one...
Day 7 was so good - even with the flat tire we had a great result and moved up in the rankings. On paper the last day looked pretty benign - about 46 miles and 4100 ft of climbing - not too bad considering we were getting stronger every day! We were sitting in 110th place in the mens division with a chance to move up a few slots... Really we just had to have a normal safe race. Originally we were hoping for a top 100, but that looked unlikely as we needed to make up almost an hour on teams ahead of us.
So, our bad day started about 3am when I woke up with diarreah. I had a couple more bouts of it in the morning before breakfast, went and ate breakfast feeling a little uneasy, then came back to the room and promptly threw it all up. So, needlesss to say, I left the guest house kinda nervous about starting what should have been a 5hr race on an empty stomach! Before the start I managed to get down a dinner roll, three fig newtons, and some sports drink and wasn't feeling "that" bad.
After the start we rolled out on some paved road for few miles then immediately started a long bumpy climb up a canyoun we had decended the day before. I should mention that we started later as it was a shorter day - 8:30 instead of 7. By the time we got to the steepest hardest most exposed part of the climb it was already super hot and I was feeling like hell. This was a 360 degree switch to how awesome and strong I had felt the entire race! Right at the top I missed on a loose section and came off the bike, thinking I would walk a sec - that's when I lost whatever else I had managed to get into my stomach. Finally cresting the hill, we found a little shade and sat for moment as a steady stream of riders kept going by - for the first time, it didn't bother me - I just hoped we would finish. Luckily, just then, we had a slight downhill then the first water stop. I sat in the shade and Tom filled the camelbacks and waterbottles and got me a couple cups of Coke. He also did something that probably saved our race and the prospect of getting finisher's medal... he told the race medic that he thought I had heat stroke. After a couple questions about my symptoms, she gave me a little pill to stop the nausea... and it worked for the rest of the day.
The rest of the race in a nutshell was just a death march to get to the finish. We knew we were really sucking every time another team with hairy legs would pass us, but what sealed it were the guys in the Bert & Ernie jerseys and the girls with happy birthday hats taped to their helmets going by.
A common comment by many of the racers at the end of the day was what the €%#@! To make everybodys last day of racing just that much harder they had, at the last minute changed the route, adding about 8 miles and almost 1000 ft of climbing. This was in addition to a crazy 1 mile "portage" where you had to push/carry your bike down this historic wagon track then ride about two miles on railroad tracks, before hitting another steep hill before a crazy unnecissarily long zig zaggy stretch arond the vineyard property that really could have been a straight shot to the finish.
Exhausted, we finally rolled across the line in just over 6hrs - easily an hour longer than we should have. At least in doing so ww accomplished our first major goal, to finish the Cape Epic. Having a bad day like that sure reinforces how difficult a race like this is... we only had one flat, no crashes, no mechanical issues, no saddle sores, worked well as teammates supporting each other, and had a great time! We met a lot of people who had many of those issues and sometimes more than once! Many teams didn't finish so, we do feel like we accomplished a pretty big feat. Looking back its a bit of a blur, but 560 miles on mountain bikes and 45,000ft of climbing is pretty incredible.
Our bad day cost us a few places, but not too bad - we ended up 116th in the open mens devision and 185 of all teams (about 600 started). Our total time racing for 8 days was an incredible amount of time at 50hrs 31.49 min - wow - no wonder I don't feel like riding my bike for a few days.

a little more about yesterday

2007-03-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Stage 6 was from Montagu to Villiersdorp and was about 69 miles. There were two major climbs including about two miles of "hike a bike" where it is too steep and or rocky to ride - total elevation gain was just over 5100 ft.
Yesterdays start was one of the most amazing things I have done on a bike! We rolled out of town, all 1047 of us and headed down a winding two lane road through a magnificent sheer walled canyon. The pack took up the entire width of the road and stretched out for probably 500 yards in front of us - flying along at 25 - 30 mph to the hum of two thousand knobby tires on pavement, you could watch ahead as the leaders snaked through the turns ahead... very cool.
I was asked about strategy and if teams worked together or not... Well, I think some of the pros up at the front are working together, but we haven't found that to be the case where we are. Our strategy has been focused on pacing our effort, making sure we have enough energy to finish the stages, staying safe, and recovering in the evenings so we can do it all again. Typically we look at the stage profile in the morning (I rip a small copy out of the race program, fold it up and stick it under my shorts leg for quick reference too - always nice to know how close a hill or water point is). Once we know what we are up against, we stock up on the appropriate number of Powerbars and other food stuffs, fill the Camelbacks with Accelerade and head to the start line. All the riders are lined up according to overall time in "chutes". In the very front are the pros and overall leaders, then chute A, B, C etc... We had been starting in D, but have moved up to C for the last three days - towards the front end but we still feel way back! Once on the road, we try to get through whatever fast paved or gravel road sections are first without loosing too many spots. Then we just settle into a groove and try to keep a steady pace. I keep an eye on my watch and give the alarm to eat an energy bar every 45 min to 1 hr... Whenever we got to technical sections we would try to take advantage and steadily pass people:) Getting to the end of a stage is hard work... we try to push it home with whatever energy we have left, drafting each other to the line trying to pick off another team or two if we can. Once we cross... we are handed two of the best tasting cold cups of Coke then we head to one of the booths set up by the local school kids for a steaming hamburger... the recovery has to start right away!

Kleinmond

2007-03-30T10:07:00.001-07:00

The Last Two Days

2007-03-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

The last two days couldn't have been more different. One, a violent physical effort, seeing us suffer on the hot (and very boring) tarmac. The other, a mtn biker's ballet, finding us delicately dancing up the rocky inclines and ever so carefully descending at breakneck speeds through the sand and scree-covered "trails." I knew that I would hate yesterday's stage (about 70 miles and 34000+ feet of climbing covered in about 5hrs 20min) because it involved a lot of tar sections. Tar is what people here call pavement. Tar is what I call: 1) not mtn biking; 2) utterly dangerous (imagine being wheel to wheel with 200 riders moving along at 25+mph, any one of which could drift into your wheel and cause what would most certainly rival any of the "crash" highlight reels of the Tour de France); 3) mind-numbing boring. I think I have learned more about road racing and riding this week than anything else. Luckily Jim has raced extensively on the road and has been a good teacher by making sure I am protected from the wind and from other riders. Despite Jim's measures, the pace on this day was utterly violent and I spent the majority of the tar sections in my big ring cranking as hard as I could to keep the pace. Eventually I would get spit out the back of the group we were traveling in and Jim and I would be swept up by another group 0f 50 or so riders and the process would repeat itself until we found a suitable group moving at a suitable speed. In our defense, it turns out that the former South African road racing champion is doing this race and probably quite a few of his cohorts. They are used to riding on the road and most likely savored every minute off the dirt. All in all we rode about 15miles on the tar and that was plenty for me. My mind was checked out even before the start of the stage and that added to my suffering. Despite the ride not being my cup of tea, we finished strong and even moved up one place in the Men's category overall.

Today couldn't have been more different. Today was another day for the mtn bikers. In the mornings, the riders are grouped in areas A-E for the start. We recently moved up from Group D to C. Man, what a difference. I liken it to one of my partners who has Elite Platinum status on Delta Airlines. For every mile he flies, he earns 4. So he's assured to get Platinum status again; kind of like the rich getting richer. Not quite fair to the rest of us earning 1 mile for each mile flown. So it is with the starting blocks at the Cape Epic. The difference between the C and D groups was monumental. Each group is comprised of about 120-150 riders. So by moving up one group we effectively have eased our burden in trying to pass all those people during the race. Not to mention the better riders start near the front and it makes for a much more orderly race when technical sections are encountered. For example, on some of the steep climbs--which are certainly rideable--a good rider will ride the climb. However, if one person comes off and starts to walk, it creates a domino effect and eventually the entire field is walking up the climb. Not so today. Everyone we were around was a solid climber (not so much on the descents) and we were able to make some good time on our competitors by not losing momentum. We did encounter our first bit of bad luck today as Jim tore the sidewall of his tire on a rock. Calmly we pulled to the side of the trail (did I mention we were having the most incredible ride and were farther out in front than we had ever been?) and fixed the problem. Luckily Jim and I had been using Accelerade drink packets in our waterbottles and we used the foil wrapper from one of the single serving packets to block the hole in Jim's tire and we motored on. We lost about 5 minutes but probably passed back about 80% of the teams that went by when we were working on his bike. So Accelerade is not only good sports nutrition but it can serve as an emergency tire boot in a pinch (how's that for a product endorsement Steve?). After fixing our flat we made a mad dash to the coast and ended the stage literally on the beach with the Indian ocean crashing right next to the race venue. Behind the race village loomed the enormous lush green mountains that will represent a nice memory of working together, not panicing and having some of the best descending/riding of the trip. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the final day. I hope our luck holds up for one more nice mtn bike ride.

Thanks Accelerade

2007-03-30T07:07:00.001-07:00

Thanks Accelerade... not only for keeping us going all day, but your drink mix single serve packets work great when you get a flat tire due to a torn sidewall! It would have been a long walk without a way to keep the tube from bulging out:)

one more down

2007-03-29T13:13:00.001-07:00

South Africans watching their team play in the cricket world cup at the race village "chill zone"

We had another hard day today, mainly because of several miles of very fast paced road riding. Luckily there were a couple tougher climbs late in the stage where we could gain back time.
We just snuck into the top 100 men for the day and moved up 1 spot to 115th men overall.
Tomorrow we head back to the coast for what is supposed to be a spectacular beach finish...

another fast day

2007-03-28T07:55:00.001-07:00

Barrydale to Montagu - 63 miles, only 5200 ft climbing. Today was another fast one - we finished in about 5hrs 12min. The good thing about this is there is actually some time to chill out and relax in the afternoon - luckily we had a pretty nice place for it!
We are feeling pretty strong as a team and today we probably moved up a few slots. I would say we hammered this stage, maybe even a bit too hard... We went steady from the gun with the new motto "always be passing" and it seemed we were. The last 7-8 miles were more or less downhill after a tough climb where we had made up a lot of ground. We didn't want anyone we passed earlier to catch us so we pushed the big ring like two guys trying to survive in a breakaway in the Tour de France. Again, in this stage, we were surprised to be able to ride by so many people, sometimes by just taking a slightly less desireable line, or by being able to ride through some deep sand.
The scenery is still amazing! Now you should think of a blend of the barren rocky mountains behind Palm Springs with little Napa Valleys between them. In the valleys we rode along little farm tracks through apple, peach, and pear orchards and several vineyards, then we would turn off and ride up some path over dry, dusty, scrub covered hills. Strange to think there are only 3 more stages.... When it is all over, I think we will miss it in a strange way.

post race, pre dinner ritual

2007-03-28T06:59:00.001-07:00

Another farm for recovery

2007-03-27T07:25:00.001-07:00

so much better than the tent city...

Finally a mtn biker's day

2007-03-27T07:10:00.001-07:00

Up until today the majority of the Cape Epic entailed huge pelotons of riders hammering down dirt roads at breakneck speeds. In fact the Cape Epic is often frequented by "roadies" who are able to make great gains by simply riding fast and in groups along the long long long road sections and then fumbling their way through the technical sections. Today, however, it was time for the mtn bikers to take the race back. The morning began as usual: Jim and I waking at 5AM grogy and tired from the day before. Then it's time to brew a cup of coffee aka nature's laxative (brought from Seattle) brewed in our own French press that I brought along (can't take any chances with our coffee). This particular day we stayed at a gentleman's home and he prepared a magnificant morning feast. It's almost as if the competition starts here as we try to consume as many calories as possible to get us through the day. Each day it's the same: granola, yogurt, ham, cheese, bread, whole milk, some type of juice, cooked tomatoes and some sort of bacon type substance. Trust me, this stuff does not go down easy. After eating, we must quickly dress, lube up our riding shorts, lather on the sunscreen and then head off to the start line. At the gun, it was business as usual as the riders formed into packs and raced into the countryside. Jim and I held back to give my "cooked" legs a rest. Lots of people whizzed by us, but I was confident we would see them again. Sure enough within a few hours we began picking off our competition. The thing we are finding out about this race is that the moment the terrain become even moderately technical, we begin to excel. Today our allie was sand. Lots and lots of sandpits. Suprisingly no one could seem to figure out how to stay upright in the sand. Luckily I have taken many "business trips" to Salt Lake City and have been known to get down to Moab from time to time. All the practice finally paid off. Jim and I felt really strong and passed no less than 100 teams within a few hours. This day was relatively short day: 74 miles in 5.5 hrs. That sounds crazy as I write this because I don't think I've ever ridden my mtn bike for than 45 miles in any given stretch prior to this trip. My, how a perspective can quickly change. So now we are resting on another farm someplace far out in the countryside. It is so beautiful out here as we relax in the South African summer sun. Soon it will be time to eat as much food as we can consume and then, in a few short hours we will be waking up to do it all over again.

things we don't have to deal with

2007-03-26T10:57:00.001-07:00

tent city

Three days done

2007-03-26T08:25:00.001-07:00

The race brochure says about tomorrow, "After arguably the hardest start in Absa Cape Epic history, day four is a relative rest day..." Finishing today, I hope it is true... We had a tough, long ride of about 8hrs for 74 miles and 8000 ft climbing. The scenery was stunning - you may get a sense from these last three pics. Think of Arizona/Baja California/Eastern Sierra high desert type terrain.
Again we had fast road race style peloton riding - this time across roads so dusty you couldn't see the front of the pack! There was more ridiculously steep rocky climbing (Tom and I seem to be much better at riding this stuff for some reason and there were spots we would just ride past whole columns of forlorn riders pushing their bikes up the hill). Heat was also a factor today - it was forcast at a high of 36c or 96.7f and it felt like it especially climbing the windless box canyons. All in all we are surviving which is more than can be said for others... Just yesterday 48 teams fell out of the race, who knows how many didn't finish today.

ouch, take two...

2007-03-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

ouch...

2007-03-25T08:53:00.001-07:00

Well, that could have been one of the toughest rides either Tom or I have ever done. Stage two will be remembered for sure... This day had everything - a blistering fast start that excited the road racer in me - we found ourselves in a pack of about 50 guys flying along a dirt road at speeds averaging about 23 mph for the first hour and a quarter, it had some (a lot) of steep technical loose rocky climbing, steep technical loose (scary loose) decending, a three quarter mile "hike-a-bike" called stairway to heaven, heat, headwinds, and miles more dusty undulating dirt roads through barren ostrich farmland, followed by a zig zag double track laden with wheel sucking sand pits. Today was the longest day at 132km or 81 miles - a long way on mountain bikes. Climbing today was a mere 7,405ft. We finished at around 7hrs 38 min and in the top 200 teams - pretty good. I was proud of how well Tom rode today considering how dang hard, hot and long it was and his time off the bike from the knee... I have the feeling today culled the field a bit!

Day #1: 6hr 38min/60 miles

2007-03-24T08:01:00.001-07:00

The Cape Epic did not fail to live up to its name today. 1100 riders gathered in the pre-dawn hours on the main street in Knysna to await the starter's gun. The atmosphere was one of excitement and trepidation. Soon those feelings were replaced by suffering and fatigue as we left the start venue and immediately were smaked with a brutally steep paved climb out of town. At the top of the climb we veered off the pavement and began the 60 mile ride to Uniondale. For about the first 4 hrs the riders were in groups of twenty or so as far as the eye could see. However, once we hit the big climb of the day (7mile climb gaining 2599ft) the riders became strung out; teams of two grinding their way to the top side by side up the mountain. The weather was sunny but quite pleasant. The views were incredible but the ascents to the views were another story. (we did do some riding in the forest where we were told to watch out for Mr. Cobra. And in case of a bite try and identify the type of snake so the race medic can use the proper anti-venom). Jim was riding super strong today and carried the bulk of our group gear including a water bottle for yours truly. Our game plan has been to take the first three days as easy as possible to allow me to gain some of my endurance back since I was sidelined with knee pain for the past 3wks. However, it is pretty hard to let guys with hairy legs and backpacks the size of a student traveling across Europe pass you by. It's a tough pill to swallow, but we feel it will pay dividends later in the week after they wear themselves out and we get stronger. After a long long day in the saddle we were greeted by our hosts who wisked us away to a quaint farmhouse B&B (equiped w/windmill) in the middle of nowhere. (Jim and I, who are accustomed to living high on the hog, signed up for the "Premium" accomodation package. We have our own driver, receive a 1hr massage daily and stay in a hotel rather than a tent; well worth the money if you ask us or our legs). As an aside, the pros who won the stage did it in 4:17. So we will not be quiting our day jobs-yet. We've been getting some great words of encouragement from those of you reading the blog and have really enjoyed reading them before we head out in the AM. Thx.

They're off!

2007-03-23T21:39:00.001-07:00

The Time Has Come

2007-03-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Jim and I left behind our paradise in the rough and headed east to the waterfront town of Knysna. Knysna is the start town for the Cape Epic. The town, which resembles a small coastal Florida city, boasts a beautiful yacht filled harbor and a newly built waterfront area. Jim and I have been feasting on seafood and pasta to carb up for the big day. I imagine that the town would normally be filled with busloads of octogenarian tourists. However, during this weekend there are no less than 1000 of the fittest people I have ever seen. With shaved legs pedaling $5000+ bicycles, teams of two buzz around town touting their sponsors insignias on brightly colored team kits. The air is one of apprehension as those of us who are "Cape Epic Virgins" wonder what the next 8 days will hold in store. This race is like no other. Amateurs actually get to compete along side olympic gold medalists as well as World Cup champions. In fact, 5 of the top 10 World Cup Mountain bike racers are participating in this race. With all this competition it is hard to forgot the real reason we are here: because we love riding our bikes and we love to have fun. I'm sure that these thoughts may be fleeting as we are climbing 6 miles at a stretch in the South African sun, but the goal must not be lost. The sacrifices that Jim and I have made to get here were immense. However, I know when we head out tomorrow morning in the chilly 7AM air, it will all be worth it. It will be worth it knowing that all the people who helped share in our dream, to come to South Africa and race, will be rooting us along from their computers half way around the world. To be part of such an international event is simply humbling and it truly makes one realize that we not just going for a bike ride. We are undertaking an adventure and a journey. One that should hopefully see us arrive in 8 days at the finish. But more on that later. For now, we need to try and get some sleep and get through the first day.

checked in

2007-03-23T09:27:00.001-07:00

stocking up for the big day...

2007-03-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

nice place

2007-03-22T01:43:00.000-07:00

Check it out here: Bukela Lodge

Breakfast in the bush

2007-03-22T00:29:00.001-07:00

ahhhhh coffee....

2007-03-22T00:26:00.001-07:00

Camps Bay - cappucino

Roughing it easy

2007-03-20T13:39:00.001-07:00

After spending 3days in Cape Town, Jim and I flew east to Port Elizabeth. It's funny flying outside of the states where we practically strip naked everytime we fly and a filled waterbottle is a potential weapon. No such rules here. We cautiously boarded the "circa 1974 hand-me-down 737" and drank our water bottles with impunity. Apparently the pilots don't follow the US rules either as we used every inch of the runway for both the take off and landing. After touching down we rented a car and set off to view some wildlife. Nothing like driving a manual on the left side of the road! Our destination was the Bukela Game Lodge. Upon arrival we were greeted by no less than 3 staff who promptly provided us with warm towels and a refreshing beverage. This lodge was a bit over the top--even for two guys who were used to Business Class. Our every whim is catered to by the all too accomodating staff. Twice a day game drives are arranged to allow the guests a chance to see the local animals. When not on a drive, time is spent lounging around a tranquil pool, sipping the drink of your choice or in our case: going mtn biking iin the countryside. Think no cobras! The guests (only 6 others) rolled their eyes at the lycra clad yanks. However, our race was the talk of dinner (you're doing what? Why would you want to do that to yourself?) After dinner the staff honored us with a native song to instill us with courage for our race (of course since we couldn't understand their language Jim and I were pretty sure they were saying something about crazy Americans with shaved legs and far too tight clothing). Anyway we've been having quite a nice time and have seen 3 of the big 5 (elephant rhino buffalo lion leopard) but the big cats have alluded us thus far. Perhaps tomorrow's game drive will prove fruitful. All for now.

30 hrs in Business Class :)

2007-03-17T12:37:00.001-07:00

Jim and I made it to Cape Town after our respective marathon journeys from the West coast. (Luckily we both had business class tkts) More importantly, our bikes arrived as well. Here in Camp's Bay the wind has not stopped howling. Probably around 40mph. Imagine crystal blue waters surrounded by an imposing rock wall 3k ft high. Throw in some oceanside cafes & you have Camp's Bay. Despite the gusts, we still took a quick spin along the ocean. This was my first ride in about 3 wks due to some pesky knee pain. The knee feels alright and I jumped in the cold ocean to cool down the muscles post-ride. Not exactly the warm tranquil waters we were expecting. But the sunsets sure are nice at the bottom of the world.

1st leg accomplished....

2007-03-15T03:15:00.001-07:00

enjoying a cappucino at a cafe in Frankfurt... hoping my bike is safe at the airport. One more short little 12 hr flight and I'll be there!

The last training ride

2007-03-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous day to officially end the training phase of the Cape Epic! Spring has crept into the Bay Area the last few days with some record warm temperatures. The trails are drying out, wildflowers are popping up, the grass is green.... The last few rides in this new warm weather has me a bit concerned... the forecasts I have seen for Cape Town include temps up into the high eighties. Riding up Tam on Saturday in seventy four degrees felt almost uncomfortable from what I am used to. What is 90? 100? going to feel like... Us poor Northern Hemisphere riders will suffer a bit more than the rest I suppose.

Tomorrow is the day - 3pm I start the first test of endurance for the Cape Epic - getting there! I fly about 11 hrs direct to Frankfurt, have a 9 hr layover, then hop back on the plane for 12 more hours to Cape Town. I am a bit bummed that the whole flight over Africa is going to be at night... that would have been so cool to see the Sahara and all the jungles and savannas from the air.

I just checked out my totals onTrainingpeaks.com - here they are since the start of official Cape Epic training 12/4/2006:

209 hrs of workouts

2666 miles on the bike

I hope it's enough!

Test

2007-03-06T20:59:00.001-08:00

Here's a test picture to sync up my mobile phone for SA. Now I can send blog links directly to the web from my phone while in SA. Pretty cool.

Speed work

2007-02-28T12:03:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pics from last weekend's Snelling Road Race. This was a fast, flat, windy 65mile course that proved to feel a lot different than slow steady endurance mountain bike riding! Berkeley Bike Club did well with Jens, one of the star cat 4 riders, getting into the winning breakaway and placing 7th.
I was happy to survive to the end in the main pack. The fast single file crosswind sections were pretty tough to hang with.

Two weeks till summer

2007-02-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

This morning I had my first snow experience of 2007 -
Usually by the end of February I have been skiing several times! This year has been a bit different with all of the riding - I guess my priorities are just shifted with the trip to Africa looming. Anyway I rode up to the top of Mt. Tam this morning to see if I could find some of the snow from yesterday's crazy weather. I found it right at the tippy top! There was barely a dusting but it was fun regardless.

It's full on summer down in South Africa right now... can't wait to feel the heat!

Today marks the "two weeks to go" day! I fly out on Wed the 14th - it is amazing how fast it is coming...

Training camp weekend

2007-02-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Team Lucky U.S.

So, to catch up... Tom and I got together for our first official "team" training camp last weekend. All in all it was a success and showed us that we should be very compatible for the race!

Poor Tom though - all season he has been subjected to me rubbing in our beautiful California weather, and he shows up to the wettest weekend we have had all year!

It was so bad that his flight Thursday night was delayed by over two hours....

Friday morning we awoke to "showers" which gave us some optimism for a decent ride. We suited up with all the appropriate layers of GoreTex and started out for one of my epic long hilly routes. I took him up past the Golden Gate Bridge, over the fire roads of the Marin Headlands to Tennessee Valley... and all seemed to be going pretty well. We were even complaining of being "too warm" with so many layers on. I guess that is a good thing to learn - don't complain about being too warm when it is threatening to rain, because, on the ridge above Muir Beach it started to pour. Being early in the ride we were still optimistic - saying things like, "at least the rain is at our backs". I took him on up Mt Tam all the way to East Peak where if we were close to home we would have quit. By the top it was blowing a full gale and the rain was coming down in sheets - again our optimism spoke up trying to get us to believe it was only cause we were on the top of the mountain and it would get better as we went down the other side. At our little rest stop at East Peak we cussed the timing of the rain and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the shelter of the public restrooms...

Bah humbug...

To finish up that first ride we dropped over the North side of Tam down towards Alpine Lake. Contrary to our hopes, getting off the peak didn't help the weather. We basically got to a point where we could at least turn our bikes in a homeward direction which lifted our spirits a bit - that old horse heading for the barn syndrome. It was more or less a slog home in the pouring cold rain - no more complaining of being too warm. In the end we got in just over 4hrs of riding out of the 5 planned. In Tom's estimation it counted for more like 8 hrs in terms of suffering.

Food for two - we did some experimenting with what we can tolerate for 5hrs of riding... the PB&J's were great!

Tom gearing up for day two with the hair dryer...

Day two of the camp again started out with "showers". Our optimism had turn to skeptisim and it was a little harder to motivate. Heading out the door we had every intention of getting in the planned 5hrs of riding. Heading down the bike path towards Mill Valley all seemed ok until we felt a few sprinkles, then drops, and then by the time we actually hit the trails at the base of Mt. Tam, full blown rain. At least on Friday we had the first hour or so rain free.... this was going to be tough. We even tried to entice ourselves further away from home - to make sure we got in the time - with thoughts of hot coffee drinks in Fairfax. It didn't work. In the end we gave up - or you could say gave in to Tom's reasoning that 3hrs in the cold rain = at least 5hrs in the sun. So, day two was just over 3hrs.

Sunday was the last chance for a redeeming ride... luckily it all went well! Funny how overcast, cloudy, cool weather is so beautiful just because it isn't raining. Look at the smile on Tom's face in this next pic - it says it all.

A happy ending...

Sunday was a truly epic day! We did an amazing loop up and over Tam a couple of times, past Pine Mountain, through Fairfax - we had fire roads, single track, pavement, climbs, descents - it was awesome.... Amazing was how much our spirits were lifted with the rain gone. "If it had only been like this all weekend!" was spoken several times an hour.... 5hrs and over 50 miles seemed to fly by. We hope it feels this good in Africa!!!

Stones Bike Shop

2007-02-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

Dennis Stone has just put his classic cycling shop on the WWW and I thought I would share:

www.stonescyclery.com

Dennis has been a great help to me in setting up my cross bikes, outfitting for the Cape Epic, and for plain old good advice...

If you are looking for a pretty, classic, trophy bike - Stone's your man!

New Bike

2007-02-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

Few things in life elicit as much joy as a new bicycle. No matter what your age, the feeling is almost universal when seeing your new bicycle for the first time. Be it Christmas morning under the tree (no matter that there was two feet of snow on the ground, you were still going to ride it around the block while your beaming parents looked on--they were beaming because they, too, knew the joy of receiving a bicycle) or when the mechanic at your local shop wheels your new steed out from behind the shop counter (with a smirk that seems to say this is a lot of bike--you'd better know how to ride it buddy or I'm taking it back). So it should come as no surprise that when I first laid eyes on my new bicycle I couldn't help feeling a bit nostalgic for the other (forgotten? never!) bicycles I have owned in the past. My first bike, a yellow Swinger from Woolworth, did not have XTR, disc brakes or carbon anything. But it made me happy to ride it around the block and to the pool. I was happy because I knew nothing else. I was happy because I was free. As of Friday, those feelings are back in all their carbon-fiber glory. My new Giant Anthem Advanced makes me smile on the outside. And on the inside. Not wanting to sound like a promo for Giant bikes I will simply say that this bike climbs like a hardtail, shifts like a dream and handles quite well for being so light. I took it to the local mountain on Saturday (Tiger Mtn) to test its climbing prowess on the steep (and at times unforgiving) fireroad climbs. I don't ever remember feeling this good on the climbs. Now I will be the first to admit that perhaps the joy of the new bike overshadowed the pain that otherwise plagues me on the ascents or perhaps I am simply in a better state of fitness due to the impending trip to south Africa (47 days but who's counting. Actually I am.) No matter. At 23.7lbs (without pedals) this bike is a rocket ship. The acceleration is crazy fast. But you know what they say, bikes aren't fast, the rider is fast. So hopefully I won't disappoint the Anthem by letting my speed prevent her from realizing her maximum potential. Otherwise, I'm afraid she'll call the shop and ask to go back.

January training update

2007-02-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

Race countdown: 47 Days, 8 Hrs

Another month of training is now behind us. My totals for January are a bit more than for December... but I have a feeling (from what I have already done) that February is going to be a LOT bigger...
Here is Jan:
Week of 1/1 - 15:37hrs, 182 miles
1/8 - 14:47, 169 miles
1/15 - 10:52, 120 miles (boat show week - too much work!)
1/22 - 20:54, 263 miles (this was a big week!!)
1/29-31st - 6:04, 81 miles

Total for January - 68:16 hours, 815 miles
Total (to date) since the start of the Cape Epic Training Plan (started 12/4/06) - 116:01 hours, 1461 miles.

Look for another interesting update at the end of February.
Scott, my coach from Wenzel Coaching, has me scheduled to be doing back to back 7hr rides towards the end of the month... An excerpt from my training plan, "To succeed at stage racing you need to not only be able to complete the distance of each stage riding strongly, you need to be able to do it with little enough fatigue that you can continue to ride strongly day after day, with only one night for recovery between races. Since you’ll also be doing all your moving and setting up housekeeping in a new venue each evening, recovery opportunities are really minimal. That means that rather than just getting to the point where you can do the daily distances, you would ideally get to a point that the daily distances feel pretty trivial. That is unlikely to occur, so the next best is simply doing as much endurance time as you can to build the biggest base possible."

I really like the part about the daily distances feeling "trivial"... Somehow I agree that this is not likely to happen!

Happy trails

2007-01-21T09:22:00.001-08:00

The camera phone is going to be great for sending back pics of lions, zebras, wildabeasts, and suffering cyclists... for now its just fun to show off some of the beautiful rides I have been having lately. The temps are back up too... today I got a bit hot in the full length leg warmers, beanie, and multiple layer long sleeve jersey - what a nice change!!

phone blog

2007-01-20T17:03:00.001-08:00

Well if this works we may be able to post from the road! This is the first attempt at a message sent from the phone. Pic is from my road ride over Mt Tam a couple evenings ago...

Tom sets sights on Guiness Book after Cape Epic...

2007-01-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

Tom sends me the article below and says... ha, after this winter in Seattle and our Cape Epic race... I can probably kick this guys butt. Besides look at this last sentence, "Hood took a few brief power naps along the way. Guinness Book rules allow a five-minute break for every completed hour of cycling."
I mean really! What kind of record is this???

BURR RIDGE, Illinois (AP) -- George Hood may have pedaled his way into the Guinness Book of World Records on Saturday night.
The 49-year-old Aurora resident began riding a stationary bike at the Five Seasons Sports Club in Burr Ridge at 4 a.m. Wednesday and surpassed the previous record of 82 hours by 8:28 p.m. Saturday. He stopped several minutes before midnight after completing his goal of 85 hours.
"He's very grateful -- and very tired," said Matt Baron, a spokesman for Five Seasons.
Baron said Hood was talking and thanking his supporters right up to the end, but was taken by paramedics to a hospital as a precaution after he got off the bike.
"He'll be under observation for a while, and they're going to administer fluids," Baron said.
The record of 82 hours was set last year by Brian Overkaer of Denmark.
Getting Hood's accomplishment into the Guinness Book may take several weeks as officials need to certify it, Baron said.
As Hood neared the 82nd hour -- and spun more than 1,000 miles -- he sped up.
The Drug Enforcement Administration supervisor and 23-year federal law enforcement veteran had been averaging 12.7 mph. Coming down the final stretch, he cycled at 13.5 mph.
About 200 people gathered at the club to cheer him on.
Hood hoped the feat would help raise thousands of dollars for the Illinois chapter of COPS, an organization that helps the families of slain police officers. Illinois COPS president Jennifer Morales has said Hood could be the largest single fundraiser the local group has had.
Baron said Hood raised $25,000 for the group -- $5,000 more than his goal.
Hood took a few brief power naps along the way. Guinness Book rules allow a five-minute break for every completed hour of cycling.

Some rewards for the early mornings....

2007-01-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

At least the views are beautiful on these 6am rides... What you can't tell from these pics is how cold it was!! Temps were in the high 20's to low 30's - brrrrrrr. I have to echo Tom's comments on our serious disadvantage of having to train through the winter for this epic adventure. Those boys down in South Africa are surely working on their cycling tans right now.

These pics are from a ride around the Marin Headlands and up to Mt Tam. What a beautiful place to live!!!

Keep updated to what is going on!

2007-01-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

I just found a great service from FeedBlitz that allows people to sign up for an email feed to get updates whenever we post to our blog. This should be great once we are out in the "bush" of South Africa... Check out the box on the right - add your email and follow the directions if you want to be kept up to date!!

Training: Seattle-style

2007-01-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

Well this is my first foray into the world of blogging. Jim has insisted that I post a dispatch from the pacific NW. I have been extremely jealous of those folks training for the CE in South Africa. (Actually Jim has been training in sunny weather down in SF. . . ) Their summer is in full swing, their biker tans are probably already evident and rain is a mere afterthought. But to those of us in the northern hemisphere, training during our winter is a bit of challenge. Couple that with the fact that I live in Seattle and that it's been one of the wettest winters I can remember. My new salvation: skate skiing. What? Cape Epic is a bike race? No matter. Skating takes me away from the wet road and trails and lets me explore the solitude of the mountains. My legs this year feel quite good on the hills--most likely due to the new skis my dad got me for x-mas. Thanks dad. Plus I'm told that lots of mtn bikers skate in the off season. Unfortunately this is technically not the off season for me, with the CE exactly 75 days away.

But back to the rain. It has been relentless. Those guys training in Africa may have the tans, but I will have the mental fortitude of a thousand men. I'll let the cold wet dreary miles take their toll and when I get in the sun the miles (er kilometers) will be as enjoyable as ever. So without my riding buddy today I was forced to do something that I never thought possible: I rode for 3hrs on the trainer. I never want to do that again. I am a bit skeptical of riding on the trainer and whether it builds fitness. Seems like suffering outside in the elements does more to work your body into shape than any number of hours on the trainer. Like I said, this feat will not be repeated. Next week it's the mtns or bust. However, I have to believe that mentally, 3hrs on the trainer is the same as 5hrs on the road. At least that's what I'm telling myself. So below is a picture of my basement torture chamber.
Notice the fan blows only on my seat. In theory that simulates the wind blowing through my pants and ultimately keeps my butt somewhat dry. So far I have not had any saddle sores while riding on the trainer. This little bit of advice has worked wonders. That's all for now. Pray for sun. Or at least cloudy skies.

December training recap

2007-01-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

So, the official "Cape Epic" training is almost a month old. Looking back, I really only took the first week of December completely off.
Here is a recap of the totals for the month:
Week of 11th - 8.25 hrs, 124 miles
18th - 12 hrs, 184 miles
25th - 15.5 hrs, 177 miles (started weights this week and also had a 2hr xc ski workout in while visiting the bro in Boise for Christmas)
Epic training plan totals:
35.75 hrs
485 miles

Look for a bit more volume in the January recap!!

Some serious press...

2007-01-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't know it would be such a prominent feature!! Thanks to the BBC for keeping me in the limelight.... Now I just have to figure out how to deal with the pressure of finishing this thing for the TEAM!!!
Here is the latest promo in the January newletter http://berkeleybike.org/pneusletter/jan-07.pdf Check it out....

Bike fit and stuff...

2006-12-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

I just found a new resource right around the corner. I found Endurance Performance Training Center as I was researching the Wobble Naught bike fitting system. I figured that 8 days of hardcore racing would be much more comfortable if I was precisely fit on my bike! I went in for the bike fit on Tuesday and had both my mountain bike and road bike dialed in. Yesterday I put in a 2 hour spin ride on the road bike, and, so far its feeling pretty good.
Endurance offers a lot of cool stuff for endurance athletes! I was impressed walking in... In fact I am going back next week for some intense "physiological testing". They will put me on a trainer and hook me up to a tube... the results should give me an idea of my base fitness and some parameters to base my training on. Should be fun.

2006 Season comes to a close with a podium

2006-12-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

Master Men 35+ B's

5th place in the final race

4th place in the Pilarcitos Series

I think it may be the Accelerade! Thanks again Steve for sponsoring the Cape Epic adventure.

Well, the 2006 season is officially over. I am taking about a week off to "recover" both physically and mentally from a long season. After my short little break it will be time to shift into endurance training mode which will mean many hours of riding my bike. I am actually already looking forward to a new direction and the chance to get out and just ride! It will be strange this year as I am giving up my swimming and running to really focus on cycling.

LSD...

2006-11-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

JD - Feeling the effects...

That's what we used to call it back when I raced on the Cal Poly Wheelmen... Though it does have some euphoric effects its not the drug you are thinking... Long Slow Distance rides are fun sometimes social outings that remind me why cycling is so much fun. I had the chance over Thanksgiving to get in one of my favorite rides of the past. JD and I headed North out of SLO, up through Morro Bay, to Cayucos, up the dreaded Old Creek Road climb, to Hwy 46, back down to Hwy 1, and then all the way back down the coast home to SLO... 70miles and 4hrs of LSD - Nice...

Nice views down the coast from Hwy 46

Team kit design is about done....

2006-11-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

Disregard the black lines.... some sort of templating thing....

Maui - Xterra Worlds

2006-11-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

Maui North shore - looking very inviting!

40 - 44
=======

swim bike run total
1 Tim Johnston : 26:13 01:50:33 00:54:24 3:11:10
2 Johan Neevel : 22:44 02:06:22 00:56:59 3:26:05
3 Mark Gavach : 26:04 01:57:03 01:04:28 3:27:35
4 Roman Medek : 27:09 02:04:10 00:56:23 3:27:42
5 Michael Halstead : 24:18 02:03:10 01:00:55 3:28:23
6 Bill Parks : 25:59 02:03:50 00:59:11 3:29:00
7 Piers Pirow : 22:18 02:02:12 01:04:57 3:29:27
8 Paul Leitch : 25:52 02:01:21 01:04:25 3:31:38
9 Todd Gottfried : 28:36 02:03:49 01:04:35 3:37:00
10 Paul Cusick : 24:49 02:05:20 01:07:21 3:37:30
11 Jim Long : 22:52 02:07:36 01:07:15 3:37:43

Not too bad considering it was the "World Championships" - out of 60 finishers in the age group, was 120th overall of 474 finishers (I think about 550 starters?).

Ready to go...

Hamish Carter of New Zealand won the race with an incredibly fast time of 2:42:36 - almost an hour faster than me... sheesh. I liked his post race comment about the course though: “That course wasn’t meant for human consumption” were the first words Carter spoke after crossing the line. “It’s honestly the hardest, meanest course ever. The rocks and the hills don’t go away. You get rid of them on the bike and you get stuck back up there on the run,” said Carter, referring to the more than 3,000 feet of climbing on the bike and run up the dormant Haleakala Volcano. Seth Wheeling added to the commentary with "...that first sand section is ridiculous. There’s no line at all. The run is so bloody hard, it’s just a strong man’s run. You get off the bike and your legs are just shot and they shove you right up that hill and then to add insult to injury that beach is just unbelievable. I can see that this is the premier race and why it’s the World Championship.”

Swim, bike, run, leid...

The Cape Epic 2007 route has been announced:

2006-10-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Knysna - Lourensford
Total distance: 886km
Total ascent: 15045m

Day 1 - yikes....

Finding some interesting info on the www.

2006-10-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

As I research this upcoming trip I keep finding blogs and photos from last year's Epic. Some are pretty descriptive and in some cases are scaring me a bit! I will try to link some of the better ones here:

Some Cape Epic sponsors are coming together...

2006-10-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for their support in our African adventure!!!

Special thanks to Jen for her incredible artistic talent in designing our team kit!

a nice definition of cyclocross

2006-10-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to boxedbee for this nice definition of cyclocross...
For my peeps who don't know what cyclo-cross is....let me explain. Imagine you're being chased by three guys with clubs who are just a bit slower than you and intent on having a little ultra-violence fun for the night. They are slow enough to not catch you as long as you keep running as fast as possible, but you can't stop or rest or even lose them because they are always breathing over your shoulder. Do that for an hour.

An old post about a good trip to Moab

2006-10-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

(from Feb 06) MOAB - Tom Hayes, my Xterra buddy from Seattle convinced me that I should meet him for a little training camp in the high cold desert. What a kick... Two guys who just want to do a little riding. I blasted out of work early last Thursday for a quick flight to Salt Lake. Tom picked me up and we headed out to harass the yahoos at Kinkos that were struggling with the simple task of copying (isn't that what they do??) some work documents of his. Once the last minute work obligations were out of the way we spent a lovely night at one of the nicest hotels in Provo Utah - yeehaw. The next morning presented us with one of the biggest challenges of the trip: finding a good ole cup of joe. I thought that Mormon issue with caffeine was just a stereotype.... ha. Even Starbucks with their global domination hasn't cracked that religious resolve. After stumbling upon our best bet - a Noah's Bagels with halfway decent coffee, we hit the road for a beautiful 4 hour drive south to the motherland of mountain biking.

No, I'm not really grumpy... though it was a bit of a climb to get to this point.... This is the top of Hurrah Pass... I guess that's what you say when you get to the top?

Tom, psyched to be in sunshine.... I did tell you he is from Seattle? Here prepping for Slickrock trail.

After a quick stop at our respective shops - I picked up what would turn out to be a rather fun Gary Fisher Cake as a rental - we rode out of town towards the famous Slick Rock trail. Tom kept telling me that I was putting on too many layers and that I would start sweating like a pig on the first climb out of town. Good thing I am a bit stubborn as the added gear not only saved my skin from the piercing cold wind but from a nasty slide down a particularly steep rock face. What a blast ripping up and down all those whoop-de-doos of solid rock. The views of the snow covered LaSalle mountains were incredible! Killer was the brutal wind we experienced Friday afternoon. I estimate 40 knots on some of the ridges? Both Tom and I had trouble staying upright at times!
3.5 hrs of riding Friday was a great start to the weekend! We celebrated with some good local brews at the Moab Brewing Co - that and a hearty pasta dinner!
We had an epic ride planned for Saturday and that's just what we got! 6 hours door to door - it was the longest ride I have done in a long time! This incredible ride started from town, went out past Amasaback, to the top of Hurrah Pass, down to Jackson's Hole (there was a bit of route finding involved here), up Jackson's ladder (I think that's the name) - a hike-a-bike straight up a cliff!!!, then down Amasaback, and back to town...... wow. That evening we added to the beer and grub a nice soak in the hotel spa...
Sunday Morning we were both beat. A casual spin was what we wanted to finalize the weekend. The only problem was timing - we had to go early. Early + Moab in Feb = 13 degrees Fahrenheit.....brrrrrrrr. So, we shivered our way through a 1 1/2 hour ride along the Sovereign trail.
All in all a great weekend escape!

My first win

2006-10-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

4th cross race of the year... I won! Nice feeling... Velo Bella's Tiki Cross in Santa Cruz, Master men 35+ B's. Here are a couple of pics from the B's race I did later:

Ahhh.... California cross racing - gotta love that dust.

Me having too much fun - actually - getting heckled from the sidelines by Fred Huxham...

Indian Summer training ride

2006-10-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

View down towards Mill Valley, to Sausalito and SF

Rocky Ridge fire road

View towards Alpine Lake from Rocky Ridge fireroad

What a glorious fall day!! Though I was planning on heading into the office, I technically had the day off. With a perfect Indian Summer day shaping up the office plans went out the window. Hard to believe they have already been getting snow back East!! It was shorts and short sleeve riding weather - probably in the 70's.

My planned long ride ended up at 4hrs and 48 miles with a bit of climbing. As typical, I started out the front door (Sausalito) and headed North up the bike path to Mill Valley. From there I head up West Blythedale to Railroad Grade fireroad. This gradual climb takes you all the way up to West Point Inn and then on up to East Peak. From there I rode the paved road towards Mtn Theater where I turned off right on Rocky Ridge (I think) fire road and followed that down to Bon Tempe and Alpine Lakes. From there it was out the paved road towards Bolinas Fairfax Rd. I took a right down another fire road to 5 corners and then left on Concrete Pipeline out to Bolinas Fairfax - then took a right and headed down into Fairfax.

There were tons of people out enjoying the sun in Fairfax and San Anselmo today!

From Fairfax it was down the paved roads to San Anselmo, and Ross, then I headed back up onto the trails through Natalie Coffin Park and Phoenix Lake. Up Up Up again! The route from there was pretty traditional up to Alpine and Bon Tempe Lakes, around Bon Tempe, up Eldridge Grade, down to HooKooEkoo, across back to Railroad Grade, and then out to Panoramic Hwy and Mtn Home Inn. A little more road riding took me to Hwy 1 and Miwok Fireroad. Miwok leads up and over and down practically to the beach at Tennessee Valley. From there it was a short spin up the valley, back onto the bike path and home!

Xterra Nationals

2006-10-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

5th in age group, 68th overall .... 3:13.46 - ten minutes faster than last year!!! What a beautiful weekend of racing and running into Xterra buddies...

Custom team kit???

2006-09-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hows this for starters? I think the colors are off though.... supposed to be Navy and orange??

Two more tris

2006-09-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday is the Xterra National Championships up in Tahoe. It is my second to last triathlon this season... and perhaps one of the last for a while. After that it is the World Championships at Makena Maui... more in a later post.
I am thinking of concentrating on my cycling next year, especially since I will be starting out the season riding so much in preparation for the Cape Epic.
I was running up on the Yolanda trail yesterday evening thinking that I might even miss running if I didn't do tris next year... what a difference from when I despised the run portion!
Tahoe is one of my favorite Xterra venues. The race takes place on the North shore in Incline Village. We swim two triangular laps just off the beautiful Hiatt Regency beach, then run across the street to the town park transition area. The second leg of the race is an epic 22 mile mountain bike loop - one of the most beautiful rides I have done. We take off and head up Tunnel Creek Road - a long, steep, sandy fire road that climbs about 1600ft to the Flume Trail, then we head off on the singletrack flume trail - a 4ish mile twisty narrow trail on the edge of a cliff! The views, when you dare take them in, are incredible! From that altitude, Tahoe is amazingly blue. The flume trail can be tricky - especially if you get behind a timid biker that doesn't want you to pass.
After the Flume trail we climb up to and around Marlette Lake - another beautiful alpine spot surrounded by golden aspen trees. Too bad at that point racing takes precidence over enjoying the scenery. After Marlette is another brutal climb - for some reason this one, though shorter, seems harder than Tunnel Creek. Once you top out at Marlette Peak - 8700ft, it is a mad dash down a twisty bumpy technical singletrack to the top of Tunnel Creek Rd. Then a bombing all out flight down the sandy fireroad - endorphins fly here!
Once back at the transition, its into the running shoes for a 10k through the woods. Luckily for me this course is fairly flat. Even flat, at 6200ft elevation it still feels hard!!!
Xterra puts on an incredible event with an almost festival feel to it. The finish area is set in a grass field where there are tents, swag, food, music, a climbing wall for kids, bike wash, etc...
They have a big dinner Saturday night celebrating the Xterra season. Age group champs are crowned, a fun inspirational video is played and everyone carbo loads!
Should be fun...
I'll let you know how I do.

I'm gonna try...

2006-08-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

To keep a log of my preparations and experiences with the 2007 Cape Epic...

Tom Hayes and I have been accepted as a team to compete in next year's event! Our Tentive team name is LuckyUS - hopefully we will be...

Stay tuned here for more on what should be a great adventure!