Bend’s Big Fat Tour is in the memory bucket

Sunday evening back out @ sleep spot outside Bend hours and a day after 2 testing rides and 2 shots of Scotch with my left leg threatening to cramp.

Friday I prepped for the epic 75 miler. I planned on what clothes to wear for 20 degree temp warming to 60 then chilling as the day waned. Plus food & electrolyte replacement. The alarm went off @ 5:00AM. I made the bus just after 6 & sat inside enjoying the heat. It was dark and below freezing. Bus seats 2 abreast. Just riders are passengers. I had an empty seat next to me. B4 is was filled I remarked to who listened that I felt like I was on an airplane and I was hoping that the person to sit next to me was thin, and possibly a great woman. Nah, we were all men and thin. Steve sat next to me. He told me he read the Bike article about me.

Bus drops us off @ Dutchman Flats near base lodges on MT Bachelor. Skies have lightened but ground is frozen. We rode clockwise around Tumalo Peak. The west & north sides were in the shade allowing the single track to remain frozen. Narrow tree steering around trail. This is the epic ride. Riders are pumped and getting after it. At issue was the trail was tight single track and the rider ahead owned the trail. The trail climbed and riders’ temps climbed. Many riders stopped to shuck layers. I was just right w/ 2 long underwear tops, Pisgah Stage race jersey, a wind breaker, tights, over shorts, long fingered gloves, and an insulated helmet liner.  After I warmed up I stopped and removed the capillene top. early part was a piece of Flagline I had not ridden. The route moved into the sun. On a soft sand corner I swung wide and broddied sliding on my right side. No harm.

We arrived back @ start & crossed the road… because the route went that way. Some new trail had been cut in to keep us off the pavement. Much of the trails to me appeared to be laid out by a drunk stumbling thru the woods. Constant turning w/ mixed in short ups & downs. Trail joined the Metolius-Windigo trail tracking around Bachelor. Pumice rocks.  Next was a this season new section that  wandered all over as it climbed up a butte. Soft dirt robs energy. By now I am way back in the slower riders and keeping ahead of the cutoff times.

I ate several Clif bars, a peanut butter, honey, Nutella sandwich. Way early I took a pull on my hammer gel flask. It was in an outside pocket of my pack. @ 30 degrees it was not happy squeezing out. I put it in the main pocket of a food bag on my handlebar. Putting it here meant that I could squirt while I rode. Sometime later I went for a hit and the flask was gone. i checked my pack & pockets to no avail. My conclusion was I did not put in the food bag.

The trail dropped off the butte heading home. Except a bonus lap was thrown in adding 12 miles and riding another newly cut piece of trail, Tiddlywinks that was loaded w/ soft dirt table tops & berms. I hardly see a rider. The trail is marked w/ orange tape w/ “trail” printed on it. Intersections are marked & sometimes on long sections a random piece to indicate I was on course. The trail “Funner” climbed up but some sections were part of a downhill run. I walked up the steep sections. I popped out of the woods into aid station 2 confirming I was on course.

More riding to last aid station. hardly any riders. The race official hollers, “You have 10 minutes to leave to aid station or get pulled.” About 8 miles are left to finish. The last 8 miles have some of the nastiest tech stuff. I pleased myself as I rode many of the moves previously I walked. Trail dumps out @ Phil’s TH then a 5 mile road ride back to parking lot.

Computer battery died @ 67 miles, 8 hours 32 mins riding, catch this: 7152 calories burned, and 7090′ climbed. I started my watch @ start, at finish I was out for 10 hrs 23 mins.

I needed a shower. I quickly loaded up w/o stretching and drove to bend’s public health club. I shuffled to the door and pulled it open. It was locked. Closing time is 6:15 and I am @ 6:17. Attendant wouldn’t open it for me to take a shower. I would ahve been steamed if I would have been under a shower.

Dinner @ beer are @ Deschutes Brewery. Place is hopping w/ riders and a loud band. People are screaming to communicate. I am spaced out from ride effort. I eat a piece of Veggie lasagna, a bit of Caesar salad and only had interest in 2 beers.

Paul Thomasberg was one of the originators of the tour. Paul was a pro mtn bike racer back in the day. We shared “The Boss” 100 mile mtn bike race back in perhaps 89. I Introduced myself to him but he said he knew all about me. He has a Sprinter also and checked mine out.

Several other riders conversed because they read the article. A guy & wife sat next to me. They were thrilled that they got to meet me because they took pictures of my van @ Baker Creek near Ketchum.

I left about 8:30 and drove to Tumalo SP for a $2.00 shower that never closes. Then drove another 20 miles to out of Sisters sleep spot across the road from where I stayed b4. I backed up and into road construction debris. I was almost stuck. Tires found traction to escape and I made it into a level spot.

I layed down in bed and fatigue hit. Muscles started telling me how sore and itching to cramp. I hurt.

Sunday’s ride is west of Sisters which is why I camped here. Another beautiful day, just below freezing. I drove into Sisters to bike shop to buy another Hammer gel flask.

I drove to TH getting there early. Riders started filling the parking lot up. A Sprinter pulled in next to me. I met Nick who just bought an ’06 like mine and is figuring out what to do w/ it. I talked w/ several other people and lost track of time. I just managed to catch the tail end of the riders meeting.

We all took off at once. Maybe 150 riders. Big logging road uphill @ start separated the bunch, w/ me trying to find a gap between groups. Today’s ride was mostly thru an old burn. Several riders talked w/ me on the climbs. I huffed and puffed my way. Early part was a mix of logging road climbs and ST descents. Ride was 23.98 miles. 13 miles from the finish was a double track, 8 miles climbed 2100′ vert, almost all uphill. My body started talking back. Trees thinned as we climbed from the burn or logging enough to see vertical terrain. One peak stood out. I vigorously hoped that the trail would skirt the peak and find the downhill to the finish. I caught the flash of a rider on the skyline almost @ the top. Shit! Gotta go up more. I walked several of the pumice sand sections to conserve energy. The top part was red pumice rubble. AT the top I joined a bunch of other riders as more continued to join. The faster ones were well gone. Several rdiers asked about my adventures.

Downhill was almost 5 miles all down. Upper part scratched thru manzanita brush growing over the trail. Trail tread was the pumice gravel. Made my biggest step up todate over a root. Felt good especially so late in ride.

Ride was 23.98 miles in 3 hrs 37 mins, burned 2382 cals & climbed 3998 feet.

Hung around for post ride beer & food; met some more riders. Drove to Tumalo SP for $2,00 shower. I asked the GPS to find a saved intersection on Skyliner. It took me the country way bypassing metro Bend. Back @ same sleep spot.

Tomorrow is a rest & chore day. A chiro appointment @ 9:00. A bike shop replacement for my rear derailleur cable because I rolled a stick up that jammed my derailleur and snapped a zip tie and herniating the cable housing. At first my shifting didn’t happen. I fussed w/ the housing and got the shifting back on click. I was afraid that the housing could fail allowing the cable to bulge thru. If so, I would have been riding a 3 speed using just the chain rings. I meet w/ Melaine from Cog Wild in the PM.

My new brake arrives in Bend on Wed. Forecast for Thurs calls for precip into the weekend.

I plan on ridng Waldo Lake on Thurs then down to Oakridge for weekend.

I will enjoy a rest day. i am hammered.

What I experienced this weekend as a festival was fun. Riders talked and were polite. Many of them said hello. My van was quite the attraction. At the nationals @ Sol Vista nobody said hello. Racers are a different species.

Off to bed. May I not cramp.