Yak Stage 2 (day 3) ... Spinning out.

After a transition stage group ride yesterday of 50km with a healthy serving of both up and down we found ourselves in Gorka.. the old capital of Nepal.

Stage 2, Gorka to Besi Sahar, 60km... the days stage was sold as a half and half, jeep track and sealed tarmac rode.. on paper it didn't sound too tough although with that much tarmac involved it was never going to be a singlspeed friendly day and best i could hope for was to minimise losses.

The day started with a descent of around 6-7km, not too rough but pretty rutted as rain has carved the surface into multiple channels to choose from... the jeep track flowed from reddish clay, to grass then into villages and back onto the familiar dusty brown surface of the last 2 days...




The first proper carry of the race came after a footbridge crossing which led onto a set of stairs.. with the Swedish guys, Andreas and Martin, just behind me on the trail as well as in the race overall i tried to run the first flight of stairs which quickly turned into a brisk walk and then to a slow walk...

Cresting the stairs the trail then wound undulating down the valley finally ending in a steepish climb to up and over down into the next valley... the going was a fast as my gearing allowed but still painfully slow... geared too high for some of the ups and too low for the flat.. the curse of the singlespeed rider.



My only salvation was going to be the easy tarmac section... 30km was going to be slow but manageable.. and at first it was pretty easy going if a little slow.. the road was either gently uphill or downhill and progress was acceptable.
As the tarmac continued the frequency of the ups and downs tightened and the downs were steeper and so were the corresponding ups.. with no ability to capitalise on the downhill spinning out the gear i had to bear the full brunt of every climb and it started to take toll.

The morning had started with a poor breakfast selection, well what did i expect ordering chocolate pancakes in Nepal, and the soon the lack of food was apparent. I had managed the first 2 days on nothing but fluid and felt fine but today i gradually ground to a halt and an SIS Caffeine gel was taken to try and salvage the situation.

The road signs indicating the mileage to Besi Sahar were only every 5km and weren't coming fast enough... i rationalised the distance to training routes and rides at home which is always the sign of suffering.. even the sight of the big mountains couldn't lift my tempo.

Gradually i reached the base of the last climb before Besi and ground slowly up to the finish.. maintaining my place in the overall.. gaining time on the riders who were behind but losing to those in front.

So far the riding has been pretty tough, the Nepali foothills are very steep in places and relentless in there delivery of height gain... the scenery has been immense.. the people so friendly... the Hike a Bike starts tomorrow on the way Tal.. 30km riding followed by 10km steep hike:( ouch.

Yak Day One.... a glimpse of the pain to come.

I never viewed my participation in this event as a ‘race’, I knew the local guys had the event sewn up as although we can match them on the flat and the climbs when you limit the supply of oxygen we have no response.

So with this in mind I have no idea why I couldn’t sleep last night, I had my usual pre race nerves and spent most of the time going over what little I knew about what lay ahead. Everything usually feels better after the first stage.

The race day started with a group ride to Dubar Square for the official welcome from the President of the Nepalese MTB Association, Chhimi Gurung, and the ‘Gary Fisher’ of Nepal, Sonam Gurung, the man who brought the fat tired back to this part of the world.



The turnout of Nepalese riders was fantastic with 50 strong riders coming out to join the band led procession through the streets of Kathmandu to the official race start on the outskirts of the city to the base of the first climb.

From the start the local favourite and current Nepalese Mountain Bike Champion Ajay Pandit went off hard, out of the saddle attacking the tarmac climb... I optimistically moved up alongside him and for the first 500m rode wheel to wheel until traffic stopped play... well for me at least... while I tried to negotiate around a van in the road I was passed on both sides by other riders.

The climb tarmac with a often changing gradient making getting into a rhythm impossible and with no option to adjust the gears to suit the slope I had to muscle the stiffer slopes and breath hard and recover on the easier stuff... the climb lasted about 6km before levelling into a traverse across the hillside on undulating jeep track, jeep track roughly translates as pretty rough going.



When the undulating jeep track reached the saddle between 2 hills we crossed and started the sizeable descent down to the valley floor but not before getting a glimpse of a fantastic view until the trail demanded full attention ... 18km of fantastic descending through villages, passing buses, cars and motorbikes... every km I thanked DT for supplying me with some suspension forks for this trip.. The trail switched from rocky to sandy, tight corners to flat out straights... dodging locals, goats and dogs.



On the valley floor the jeep track followed the course of the river... the going was pretty harsh and the 32/18 gearing I was thankful of on the first climb was now stopping me going fast enough to get on top of the bumps.. All the time I was convinced my slower than geared progress was going to see me getting caught by one of the other riders.

We passed under a large suspension foot bridge and not long after that turned and crossed another bridge popping out onto a tarmac road... again I felt under geared but pressed on as hard as I could until one of the volunteers signalled the turning for the last climb to the finish at Nuwakot.

This climb was on some awesome dry red dirt... the real heat of the day was now bearing down and it wasn’t long before I was forced to give up riding in favour of a brisk push... the climb would probably be singlespeedable but this being the first day I was picking my battles... this climb as the first was pretty lengthy at around 7km.. as it eased off I was able to turn some pedals and as we reached what looked like the top I made sure I rode more than I had been... after 3 hours of riding I reached Nuwakot and the finish line.

A good opener to what looks like is going to be another amazing experience on the bike.... stage stats of 11km ride to the start... 45km stage... just under 1000m of climbing and 1300m of climbing.

The tea house accommodation as I type is offering some amazing views and time to prepare for tomorrows transition stage to Dhadingbesi followed by jeep transfer to Gorka.

Singlespeed Capital of the World

Not much to do at the moment but wait... i'm always worried of too much activity pre race in case of any bike or body mishaps which would take me out the race before the first day begins.

Instead today was spent building and checking my bike then taking a walk around the surrounding streets, the number of singlespeed bikes in Kathmandu is amazing... its not niche here its norm. Fair enough most of those are rikshaws and the rest are 'make do or mend' modifications to keep a vital mode of transport working but all the same its making me feel better.






We have a good bunch of riders assembled... discounting the sub 50kg rider category occupied by all the Nepalese riders we have a few brits, an Australian and a Swedish duo includng a previous Eurovision competitor.



The afternoon was finished with hiking the bike to the Monkey Temple... which pretty much is as its sounds.. a Temple with Monkeys.... i managed to come away with bike intact but Col annoyed a monkey and got a smack on the foot as a warning:)






Race registration tomorrow and then the day after we can start turning some pedals.

Over the first hurdle

Before any International racing can take place there is always the worrying matter of getting there in the first place.



Bikes have to be packed, gear has to be checked and double checked, you have to remember to smile extra nice at whoever is checking you in in the hope that they didn't see you struggling to lift an overweight bike bag..

Well the first hurdle is over and I'm in Kathmandu.




The journey was pretty uneventful... a mad dash around Nottingham to get Col some basic immunisation then a stress free flight and we are here.

The flight offered time to reflect on how I didn't do the planned dieting I said I would after Arrowhead and the lack of callouses on my hands indicate that maybe I haven't been able to get the miles on the bike that I would have liked but all that means is I'll have to work that little bit harder but I'm quietly confident I can suffer through and get a finish... may even enjoy some riding on the way.

One thing I know for sure is I will be limiting my time riding a bike on the streets of Kathmandu... driving here is manic at best and lanes and rules are seemingly non existent... self preservation will be the order of the day.




Food is good at the Kathmandu Guesthouse so plan is to eat and drink up for the relentless climbing in the forthcoming week.





Bike building and Monkey Temple tomorrow:)

Deja Vu.... Packing again.

The spare room bed is again covered in gear waiting to be packed into the bag... jerseys are folded, energy bars have been organised and spares have been accounted for.

I'm now 2 days away from leaving for the next challenge.. the highest race in the world.. Yak Attack, organised by Phil Evans of Extreme World Challenges. (http://www.extremeworldchallenges.com)



I'm getting pretty good at this packing lark now... well I hope I am... I'm finding It hard as always to get excited about what lies ahead and I know I won't relax until me, my bike and my luggage are safely in Kathmandu.

But every now and then between the constant organising I get a chance to look forward to the riding ahead... this is the roof of the world.. riding unlike anything I have done to date.. not only will I have to battle the competition, the climbs, pushing the single gear I am going to have to get involved with a totally new problem... altitude... can I literally breath thin air?? 2 weeks from now I guess I'll have an answer.

Arrowhead 135.... the race..

4.00am... I'm wide awake... I've never really suffered from jet lag but on this trip it had been killing me, its race morning and with a 7am start to the race I was kinda glad of it... at least at this time it was proving useful to be awake and organised... the night before however I had struggled to even touch my food with a bad combination of nerves and tiredness.

Before that ill fated attempt at carb loading for the task ahead I had been to the pre race meeting... as I looked around it was a real who's who of snow racing... Oatley, Pramman, Basinger, Andre, Farrow, Gray... all the old hands of snow racing were here and moods were high. Even a welcome letter from the Mayor couldn't settle my pre race nerves which were amplified tenfold by the experience in the room.

My bike had literally been packed ready for 2 days... as soon as I had got my gear checked at sign in I had come back to the room and loaded it up followed by the obligatory spin around the block just to make sure all was well... the front rack looked a little bent after the flight but it wasn't causing any problems.

I had bought an egg and sausage muffin and a selection of doughnuts for breakfast as I had been reliably informed that fatty foods were king when the temps are low... what came out of the microwave after putting in the muffin package was inedible so it was a few doughnuts and a lot of water.

The race start was luckily not far from the Voyageur motel... the sight of rows and rows of fat tired bikes with flashing led lights was a true sight to behold... the temperature was low.. Apparently -30 degrees Celcius... we were called over to what was a vague start line and with a voice from the dark shouting “its 7.03am... we better start them...” we were off and onto the first section of trail.



The Arrowhead trail this year was apparently in good shape... at its widest point it’s probably almost 6m wide narrowing to maybe 2m in places, every now and then the overhanging branches of snow covered trees forcing you into the centre of the trail away from the good line... the first section was so straight you could see the long snake of riders stretching out into the old morning… as my eyelids and eyebrows froze I maintained a steady pace holding wheel after wheel of fat tired pace makers... I was glad my front bag obscured my front tyre as up against the much larger fat bike tyres I may have got an inferiority complex… the more experienced hands had gone off so hard they must have been over a km ahead of me after not so long on the bike but my head was in it for the long game.. I had a time in my head I wanted to achieve and a DNF was not an option with this being the first of a trio of big races for me this year all interlinked.




I warmed quickly... my Montane gear, Dogwood Pogies and big boots were working well... people were already off and periodically running to force blood back into their feet and warm them... I could just sit and pedal my pace unaware of the hostile temperatures surrounding my exterior.

The bike was riding pretty well... the trail on the whole was 'skinny' tyre friendly (any tyre under 3" in this world is considered a 'skinny') but occasionally you would find some soft snow and the bike would slide out and force a body contortion to keep it upright... mentally I had split my race up into four quarters with a checkpoint signifying the end of each quarter.

During the first section before the Gateway store checkpoint I was slowly eating my trail mix (a mixture of chocolate and yoghurt coated nuts and fruit) by placing a few pieces into the side of my mouth and letting it thaw before chewing... I had made the mistake of exposing the bite valve on my hydration pack to the cold and it had punished my mistake by freezing so as I stopped to take a drink from the insulated bottle in my frame bag I tucked the hydration pipe down the front of my salopettes to let my body heat melt the blockage.

At a major road crossing I passed Jenn (Hopkins), Jenn had lucked out and had been sent by Madison to follow my effort meaning she had to put up with not only my pre/post race moods but also the bitter cold of Minnesota. I had really started to get into this race... The trail had started to wind a little more so there was less distraction from riders ahead and you could just ease back into your own world... enjoy the trails... My only nag was that I was finding it difficult to find a good hand position on my Titec H bars that didn't hurt... I was reckoning my bars were too low and too much weight was being transferred onto my palms*... I pressed on.
*(still can’t feel a portion of my hands through restricted blood flow )



The Gateway store was the first checkpoint and was about 35 miles in... There was a big row of bikes outside when I arrived... amazingly it had taken 6 hours to get here although it felt a fraction of that.
I had a strange combo of hotdog, chocolate and an apple... I’m always amazed by what the body craves doing stuff like this... I wasn't here long before I was being encouraged by Jenn to press on so I filled the bottle and pack with fresh fluid and got underway again.

I knew the section I had ridden was real flat but this would soon come to an end and give way to rolling hills... the problem with hills was that they were rarely rideable and pretty short… A lot of mounting and dismounting and some super sketchy descending with some near miss tank slappers till I adapted hanging a foot off the pedal which seemed to give enough stability to gather controllable speed on the downs.

This section to the just past midway point, Melgeorges Cabin, was about another 35 miles but with the hills seemed to take a lot longer... I was soon into the rhythm of descending the downs and pushing the majority of the climbs... I hooked up with Ken Krueger, an International Falls local and taking part in his 4th Arrowhead with a finish in his previous 3 so we chatted about what was ahead until his fat tyred bike allowed him to open a gap and slip up the road... 4 hours into this section it became dark and the temperature started to fall.. I already had my Alpkit Gamma head torch on my head so not wanting to stop and get cold swapping to my Light and Motion Stella I just used what was to hand... and it worked just great.

As I flowed down a descent past some snowmobilers (snowmobilers are a big feature of this race as the Arrowhead trail is a state snowmobile trail but come in 2 forms.. the Good.. these guys are out on the trail at all hours making sure we are good.. the Bad.. these are non race related trail users that slide the corners at great speed and scare the crap out of you) I noticed a pannier bag on the floor... realising it belonged to Ken I managed to strap it to the front of my bike with a bungee cord I had packed as a very last minute edition to my frame bag… I already had so much weight on the bike I doubted I would notice anymore and I imagined how sick I would feel to get to the finish minus some of the required kit and getting a DNF.

As the miles passed the frequency of the hills intensified... I got told after the race the Alaskan guy Billy (arcticcycles.com) and his friend Bob had had a conversation about how crappy the little short sharp hills were and Bob wasn’t loving them, Billy made the statement "these hills aren't so bad... a 100 of them would suck though" :) about 101 hills later Bob wasn’t amused.

On a long slow push I caught glimpse of a flashing led light halfway up and it wasn't long before I managed to pull up to Ken... amazingly he hadn’t noticed he was a pannier bag down and was VERY happy to get it back although I declined his offer to keep hold of it and give him it back before the finish... I left the bungee in place and it now became a handy map holder… thanks for the 5 bucks to buy a beer Ken.

As we reached the 5 miles to Melgeorge sign myself and Ken were caught by the Alaskans Billy and Bob, their bikes glowing with fluoro tape in their rims, it was an impressive sight as they road almost on top of each other they were so close.. It was a good motivator to keep up with these guys and it didn't seem too long till we popped out onto the pan flat frozen Elephant Lake... first frozen lake I have ever ridden.
The checkpoint took a tantalizing long time to reach but was worth the effort.



As I stepped into the big warm wooden cabin I was immediately offered grilled cheese sandwiches, soup and hot chocolate... all were gratefully accepted. As I stripped down to base layers I got to dry out all my gear while change to a fresh base and rest up for a short while. Jenn was here and made sure I was taking fluids as I waited for my outer layers to dry. The pull of Melgeorges cabin was overwhelming and difficult to break away from...a lot of riders came in as I ate and many had the intention of climbing into a bed until the morning. I knew I would be better to press on continuing my steady pace... I had reached Melgeorges in just under 14 hours since the start and had spent just under 2 hours getting myself fed and ready there.

At just before 11pm I made my move... filled my water carriers, put on the freshly warmed layers and slipped into the night...I stuck on my iPod for the first time to ease me into the night as I knew there was a big gap in front of me and not many riders following me down the trail for a fair few hours.. volume low and only one ear to keep it safe.




It wasn't more than half an hour after leaving the checkpoint that I felt riding on the flat was harder than it should be... I then realised my worst nightmare had become reality... a flat tyre. I knew Shaggy had suffered this fate at last year’s Iditarod and I was dreading such an event to happen to me as after all changing a puncture is crappy at the best of times but lower the temperature to below minus 30 Celsius and it becomes a whole lot more horrifying a task.

I thought the most sensible thing I could do would be to walk to a trail shelter, these are 3 sided wooded buildings approximately 8 miles apart on the trail and usually stocked with materials for a fire, there I could either get some sleep or get a fire going and change the flat in relative comfort. I began to push the trail.

A snowmobiler stopped to check me out and as he was happy enough with my positive mood he told me I wasn’t far off a shelter so I pressed on... I walked for an hour and a half with the promise of a fire driving me on knowing if I settled for a snowy bivvi and then discovered the trail shelter not far along the trail I would kick myself... after this push I was caught by a rider who also reassured me that the shelter was not far off... after another hour and a half still driven by the thought of a good shelter I finally found a trail shelter. No wood for a fire:(.

I went with the plan of getting into my sleeping bag and resting till light and warmer conditions for tube changing... unfortunately pushing my bike had lowered my body temperature too far although while moving I felt comfortable as I took off my outer layer and climbed into the bivvi I started to shiver uncontrollably.. I put on a brave face as the original snowmobiler finally caught up with me and apologised that it was further than he thought but worry was creeping into my mind as people have succumbed to the cold in this race and I wasn't getting any warmer.

At this point I made a very positive decision... I got up... my outer layer and gloves had frozen solid so I dug out my spare jacket and mittens... with these on I started with some jogging and windmills on the trail to get some blood flowing... I then systematically changed my flat... every little action was interspersed with windmilling and jogging to keep a comfortable temperature... hands sticking to metal rims and metal pump... it took me an hour to get the tube changed and get everything packed and back on the bike, taking time to eat some food too.

I left pretty happy with myself... I had taken a situation that I felt was gonna end my race and had turned it around... I had faced the worst thing I thought would happen and with some clear thinking I had overcome this problem and was back making progress on the trail... albeit pretty slow progress as the hills came thick and fast.. all short and steep forcing sometimes to take a break midslope.

This section between Melgeorges and the Tipi at The Crescent bar and grill was only supposed to measure 40 miles but it was brutally relentless... time went on and on and every time a recognisable feature on the map was reached it was only to reveal the terribly slow progress.

The night sky was absolute perfection... no light pollution... no clouds just a perfect selection of bright stars above the trail forcing every now and then me to stop and switch off my headtorch to take it all in.. Although never for too long as thoughts of wolves out on the trail was always in the back of my mind...

As the night lifted and gave way to a warmer day the trail still continued with no sign of the next checkpoint... eventually the Wakemup Hill came into sight... I knew this was the last vertical obstacle on the course before flat trail all the way to the finish.

Wakemeup was brutal, it was definitely a push with 3 stops mid slope till it was crested and no time to enjoy the view at the top I slid the backside of it and ploughed on to the Tipi checkpoint.
That section alone with complications had took me near 12 hours.



At the Cedar Bar I ordered an unusual Red Bull and Dr Pepper combo which turned out to not be such a bad choice as it was like rocket fuel and revitalised my tired body as much as the knowledge that I had only 22 flat miles on well packed trails left to ride.

As I left the checkpoint and reentered the trail I was more than on top of my gear... I was now riding in just base layer up top and my Alpkit wooly bobble hat was off and I was cranking in a euro ski combo of salopettes, headband and sunglasses, the shame... but least I was comfortable and no one was there to witness it... the trail was totally as described… Flat and fast.



Not long after making the turn for Fortune Casino I ran into Jenn on course dutifully braving the cold as she had done the entire race to keep the finger on the trigger and document the first of this year’s challenges for me... she let me know I had about a mile left so I got going to lay this race to rest.



One final big crank up a short climb I was determined not to get off on saw me cross the unmanned finish line... 31 hours 40 minutes... a huge day on the bike by any measuring stick.

I rolled round to the back of the building to be let in by Dave Pramman, 3rd place finisher, who had been there for a LONG time and his congratulations for getting a finish meant alot… he is a quiet guy but you get that feeling he is a machine on the bike.

This race was the one of the Big 3 I plan to do that I feared the most and by no means was it a walk in the park but I walked away with a new found love of this winter racing... it requires so much more than a good set of legs.. You have to come to these events with your mind, body and kit dialed... finishing is never a given and you constantly have to adapt to the changing snow and weather conditions.

I enjoyed this event immensely... the race volunteers were second to none and a real driving force behind the riders... the riders themselves were always supportive and helpful on and off the trail... and finally the location was inspirational... I'm sure I'll be back.

Big thank you to Genesis Bikes for backing me with not only bikes but helping with my expenses, Montane for providing me with warmth during this race, Alpkit for my bags and sleeping gear, Jenn ( it must of been cold out there), the Arrowhead Organisers and Volunteers, the local Police at all road crossings for ensuring our safety, Jerald at the Voyageur Motel for not only providing fantastic accommodation but going beyond the call of duty and running racers back to the start after they had finished... and finally Grace who puts up with me doing these crazy things even though I know she worries sick about me.

One down... Two challenges to go... countdown to Yak Attack begins

I'm done.

Just a quick post to say i'm done.... i got finished yesterday.

An amazing experience, got to be the toughest race i have ever done to date but the best experience too.

Took 31 hours 40mins, had one puncture and even managed a little bivvi action on the trail.

Will get a full blog report up asap but now there is a big stack of pancakes somewhere with my name on them.