DesertNomad

This year for my Lake Georgetown triple at 8:48:00 moving, I rode a Teravail Kennebec Durable 29x2.6 front at 15psi and a Maxxis Minion DHF 29x2.5 EXO TR rear at 19-20psi. I rode the same set up for my 7:29:00 50.3 mile death-march of the barton creek greenbelt. I have done both the above rides prior on 29x2.35 Ikon Maxspeed 3c EXO TR (as well as an EB) front (22psi) and back (24psi). While the Ikons climb faster and roll much faster on hard pack, pavement, and smooth trails, I am really loving the beefier tires at the moment. The Teravail Kennebec blows me away as a front tire. It is unbelievably stable yet rolls very fast regardless of how rough/rocky the terrain is. The bike is an Intense Carbine Factory running in 160/140mm.

First off, most teams want to see a racing background, pedigree, and some successes and even that is not a promise of getting a spot on a team. It can be very competitive. If you have a race resume, then that is a step in the right direction. Usually, it's the team that finds you, not you finding the team. See above - they look for success stories that show promise. Race teams have sponsors. Sponsors want to see their logos on jerseys and apparel worn by their race team members. They especially want to see them on a podium, and/or plugged in social media. You have to be ready to be a brand ambassador for the sponsors of your team. The benefits vary based on how hard core the team is and how badass you are. Most local shop teams will offer cheap or free pre-race tunes, discounted labor rates, and discounts on stuff purchased through the store. Accessory industry sponsors will offer deeper discounts on their product and may even supply you with things to use in races for free (but they may want the stuff back at the end of the season). Bike/frame industry sponsorships are very hard to come by, generally require the rider to race and podium at the pro-level, but can include insane discounts, free bikes to ride, travel expenses, or even a full free-ride plus salary if you are hard core enough. Race teams though will require you to attend a certain number of races per year and will have must-attend events. They can be very demanding in terms of training volume too. They will not care much if you are by yourself on the podium or not - they just want the sponsor exposure. There are also clubs to join such as Mafia, TRG, etc. They usually have a low event requirement if any, lesser discounts, but a wider range of industry partners. The Peddler is looking for racers right now by the way, but of course have their list of requirements. They are in Cedar Park. Just remember that racing for a team requires a level of commitment that can completely suck the joy out of cycling to where racing and the training become a fulltime job, rain or shine, and riding with friends or just for fun does not fit in the plan.

The ability to be efficient in the rocks and stay on your bike through the chunk yet know the dozen or so spots where walking is probably a better plan are very important.

Not like he’d give us the time of day anyway. My sentiments on the LA story are mixed. While he did dope and did lie and did treat some good people like shit, he also put in serious saddle time training to win 7. Juicing alone doesn’t buy you 7. The insanely intense training still has to happen.

LA is banned for life from any usac sanctioned event. Pity. I’d love to see Jonny Moto drop him in the gnar on rattlesnake.

https://www.facebook.com/events/938370106346555/ Similar to the one in March of 2017 - the kitchen sink route of the largest of local trail networks.

Like the time I was the RD for the TMBRA race and someone changed the arrows at RGOG to create an endless loop through the rock garden...

They have a broken water main and had to close off that portion of the roadway loop.

I am glad everyone had an experience worthy of reminiscence. I won't bore anyone with all with my stories of how the sausage was made. I will say that this year's DS was the 8th sizable race/event I have spear-headed and I feel was by far the best for the participants. The rock trophies, originally conceived as a low to zero-cost trophy alternative mid-event at the 100km of Muleshoe in 2012 have become an important momento for so many. No one posted up any pictures or mentioned the swag they won - it's the rocks and the number plates. It's also rare to see write ups for any TMBRA event, but we see them for the Enchilada Buffet and the DragonSlayer - because they are HARD. Like 512 said, the attrition rates speak to the fact that there are no promises of finishing. Without the volunteers like JW and TD and more - along with the incredible sponsor list - and especially without participants like you guys - it could not happen. It is impressive to see the finely honed athletes blast a sub 2:45 single lap or a sub 9 hour triple. No one gets to that level without thousands of miles over a few hundred hours of training. What I like though are the weekend-warriors who show up to ride two or three laps and really have no business in terms of preparation of doing either distance - but they do it anyway. They enjoy a victory many will never realize. Their two or three laps would be like John Russell or Jason Smith finishing five, six, or more laps. There comes a point at which their glycogen levels are tanked, their body refuses to process nutrients, they have nothing left physically to give, but they keep riding. They ride on heart and guts alone. In those hours in the twilight leading into the dark, long after most have finished and gone home, they find out something about themselves. They find they are strong in a way that no amount of training or preparation can provide. And they finished a changed person. Manuel S finished this year with 50 seconds left on the 13:30:00 clock. Across an hour ahead of him, a half dozen other riders finished what they may have initially deemed impossible. Some rode together and some rode alone. Michael W finished with his son Tim. Last year, Michael had to abandon his final lap with five miles to go. He could not pedal anymore and could not even walk without collapsing and was dangerously close to a long stay in the hospital. That was the year we had colored ribbons on the handlebars to mark the distance you planned to go. Michael left that ribbon on his bars for the entire year to remind himself of his failure to finish that third lap. When he finished this year, he came across the line shouting out and requesting a knife to cut that bit of ribbon off his bars. Stories like these of victory and defeat, these epics of human fortitude of heart and soul, are what keep me wanting to put on sufferfest after sufferfest. It's why the DragonSlayer will return in 2019 - bigger, badder, and harder than ever. Oh and on a side note - this event was just what this trail needed. I rode a lap today to pull all the signs and I have never seen the trail in better shape. It is well-defined, hard-packed hero dirt for 99% of it. a total of 257 laps ridden inside of 14 hours will do that I guess. The cold little water crossings are things we will miss mid-summer and the seeping bits will seep until April from all the October rains. Really, those are the only instances of trail issues. Thanks again for coming out to suffer! -TEG aka DN

I will take some last minute entries at registration tomorrow morning. Get there early and HAVE YOUR USAC MEMBER NUMBER and $20 in CASH ready to go. Sign a waiver and you are good. You probably won’t get a number plate cause I will run out and you won’t get a goodie pack but you can come try for the swag which amounts to around $4000 total. You can also qualify for the jersey if you are hard enough. Rule numbers 5 and 9 will be in full effect.

There is no bad weather for riding a bike, only bad clothing choices 😉

Registration will not fill up this year. Sorry you cannot make it out!

the SSlayer segment which someone made last year starts at Russell. That is why it did not register.

I rode there last month and was impressed. That is what happens when 30 million dollars come into play from a charitous corporation which then partners with local builders and government to create something really special. Austin area could learn a lot from them.

The drink mix was Hammer Nutrition Heed. There will be more of it again this year. You will be able to fill up at base camp. They sent me a ton of stuff for the event. As for riding between now and then: 1. Do a 2 hour ride on Wednesday of 18-24 miles on trail, or less than double that on road, staying zone 1-2 pushing at times into zone 3 to get over rollers. Stay well clear of threshold efforts. 2. Thursday would be a 1 hour recovery ride on flat terrain staying in zone 1. 3. Friday take a day off the bike with minimal activity. 4. Saturday first thing in the morning, entirely on mostly flat terrain, ride 15 minutes building slowly into mid zone 2, then "ladder" sprints of 10 seconds, 20, 30, 20 and 10 seconds with 3 minute recoveries in between. Then a 60 second full effort with a five minute rest then a 45 second full effort finishing with 15 minutes spooling down into a zone 1. This is a low "training stress score" workout that will get the junk out of your muscles and system. 5. Finish each ride with a quality recovery shake. I use First Endurance Ultragen.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1959719630?share_sig=82AAC17D1541978132&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ios_share Now it's your turn. Next Sunday! Register on USAcycling.org No license required.

Tomorrow’s preride is cancelled. One day is not going to be enough to dry out the trails after last nights rain event.

What Jason said. I lack the bandwidth to post to every social media outlet so I keep info releases mostly to just Facebook. If uou you have not signed up, now is a good time. We are projecting a sell out.

Finish lap two. Start lap three. Get a mile or two past Crockett gardens. Way back is the way forward at that point. Finish lap three.

It's the same Fondo cut the EB jersey uses. It's sort of a go between. It's an ultra-marathon event so an XC type jersey is a good fit (no pun). We should have sizing demos available at the event to try on. Short sleeve jerseys only as we are trying to keep costs down. A t-shirt is in the works and a long sleeve option isn't a bad idea, but no promises just yet.

Here are the finals almost done. Our protos will be out in a few weeks.

The DragonSlayer is in need of a few brave volunteers to assist with things like set-up/tear-down parking control, registration, restocking water stations, etc. You will be fed something and given something to drink. I don't know what yet but should be tasty. Best of all, your help will be greatly appreciated. The event is November 18th and will run all day, though not everyone will be needed all day or all the time. I am looking for about 12 people. Post up a comment or message me or the page (https://www.facebook.com/EnduraRaceLLC/). Todd Denham (the 6-lap of the Dragon in 24 hrs ultra rider) will be in touch as he has agreed to be the wrangler of volunteers.

There are 106 registered now and available spots are running low. If you are planning on riding this, but have not registered yet, might I suggest now is a good time? https://legacy.usacycling.org/register/2018-1939 We also have some jersey prototypes. The finals will be very similar. One version for each ride distance completed (1, 2, or 3 laps). Pricing will probably be around $75.