The Dirty Water 500km
Logistics of point to point races are always challenging. This was going to be entirely self supported. I had no one on route to save me and had to rely on resources on the route. There was no drafting and I was by myself for 95% of this ride. Getting to the start was the first challenge because no one was going with me. Its hard to believe not many people want to ride their bike for 315 miles. I asked all my team mates and friends if they wanted to come with me and all I got was "are you crazy?". I planned on picking up a Hertz car rental in the Toledo airport then driving down to South Point the day before. Then I had to drop of the rental at the Hertz in South Point and get a uber back to the Comfort Suites. In the morning I still had a 5 mile ride to the actual start and had to ship my normal clothes via USPS back to myself at home. Sometimes the best plans can crumble in your face and you can admit defeat or press on.
On Thursday I went to pickup my car rental at Hertz and learned that they are now closed. I was thankful to my friend and team mate Nick for shuttling me around. In the end, Hertz in Bowling Green pulled through and I had a nice Nissan car Friday morning. I arrived in South Point at about 4pm and the hotel was great. I checked out the start and dipped my rear tire in the Ohio River.
I even had the rental returned by 5pm and an Uber was available. The drivers of the Uber informed me that I did pick the best hotel in South Point because the one closer to the start was short of a drug infestation. I guess South Point has a drug problem with a lot of heroin it was interesting to learn. The drivers did think I was absolutely crazy after I told them that I wanted to ride my bike to Lake Erie, haha. I capped off the evening with a nice dinner from Bob Evens. However my driver from door dash was 20 minutes late, he had trouble finding the hotel, even though I put it in the address. I was happy to find out my food was good and I didn't wake up with food poisoning. Its always a fear of mine eating something that I didn't prepare myself the night before. I always think of Michael Jordan before game 5 of the Utah Jazz where he supposedly had food poisoning from a late night pizza and ended up still winning the game. I ended up calling the race director since I wasn't at the start and was concerned about the fog in the morning. It was nice to talk to Anthony and hear about other people that were joining me. I made sure all was ready for the morning and attempted to sleep around 830pm. The people in the room next door thought they had a full fledged sound system watching movies till around 12am. I didn't say anything because I thought that could make it worse. I slept okay with ear plugs but wasn't worried because I had good sleep all week.
The Salsa Warbird ready for battle. Thanks Mountain Man Sports!
Bike Setup:
Its a 2019 Salsa Warbird gravel bike. I ran Panaracer Gravel King SS+ 35mm tires. Jannd frame bag, revelate top tube bag. I used the bottles one bottle on the fork and the one on the down tube to store Infinit powder. I didnt carry much actual food because I was going to pick that up on the ride. I had 13 hours of Infinit packed and used at least 11 hours of it or 3300 calories. I carried a emergency blanket, minor first aid kit, rain jacket, arm warmers, knee warmers, and long finger gloves. For navigation I had the Garmin Edge 830 with the charge pack. The 830 still had a full battery when I finished and the charge pack had 25% left. My headlight was mounted under the Garmin charge using a gopro adhesive mount. Its a Lezyne 1100i and I had two external batteries for it. On my helmet I had the Niterider micro 850 and a spare 850. The strategy was simple when a light ran out I brought out my spare and charged the dead one via Anker power banks. I never ran out of juice and the battery pack or light charged before the running one ran out. I actually had 3 power banks because I needed to charge my Garmin Varia radar too. It lasts for 15 hours but I really like having it on at night because being more aware when fatigued is never a bad thing. I had a Camelbak Chase vest with 50oz of water and my Garmin inreach for tracking and emergency services if cell phone service was not available. If you are curious on anything else or my setup just let me know.
I woke before the crack of dawn at 3:15am. I had my Starbucks instant Via coffee, some instant oatmeal, and Bob Evans banana bread. I packed my usps box and gave it to the front desk. I was on my bike by 4:15am and started my journey to the start. It was quiet on the roads and that is something I really enjoy night riding. People are always worried about riding in the night but by my experience its the safest time to ride a bike. No one is on the road because they are sleeping and people see me with my Christmas tree of lights.
I was happy to see about 30 people who were just as crazy as I at the start. Anthony said a bible verse from Isiah and we were rolling at about 5:03am.
Isaiah 40:31 - But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
We had a police escort out of town which was a great thing since we rode on a busy highway with a lane closed at the start. There was a bit of drafting going on in the beginning but that stopped after the hills came because I was by myself and didn't know what was happening out front. This ride I planned to just ride by feel and not worry about power. All I watched was the course, speed, and heart rate most of the ride. The first planned stop that I had was Oak Hill at mile 50.5.
A pictures of a enhanced section:
For a ride like this you have to follow the route in its entirety with no deviations. Right before Oak Hill the route told me to go off the main road into some double track. I was like well.....
I went 100' into it and the double track ended. I was standing there looking at a jungle with 6' tall weeds and vegetation. I look at my Garmin again and it says go through the jungle. So like a dumb ass I start forging through this jungle. I go about 20' and am covered in burrs and finally figure out this is a route design error because the race director would not want us destroying vegetation. After coming out and back onto the main road I see another rider and tell him that is not the way he was thankful that I went in it first :). I arrived at Oak Hill around 9:49am beaten and tore up. This moment would mess with me for the next 100 miles. I went to the Family Dollar and picked up some trail mix, rice crispy treats, and a big cookie.
The burrs I had fun pulling off while riding for the rest of the race
I arrived in Nelsonville mile ~114 at about 3:30pm. I stocked up on more food and enjoyed a steak and cheese sub. By this time I was noticing issues with my bike that I worked on. My rear derailleur was having a bit of difficulty going into the 34t on my cassette. I adjusted the b-screw and all was well. I usually run a 11-32 but with all the climbing it was nice having the 34t. My left shoe and pedal had some play. I ended up tightening the tension on the xt pedal almost all the way and that made it better. The cleat probably needs replaced but even though I had an extra cleat I was just going to deal with it.
My original planned next stop was Frazeyburg which would have been about 70 miles. Considering the amount of climbing slowing me down I figured it would be best to target East Fultonham at about 47 miles. At this stop I already had 5000' of elevation and it was just going to get hillier towards Mohican. I called Roseann and my Dad who was tracking me. I filled them in on my my plan and took off.
I have to say the route was beautiful with the fall colors starting and super painful at the same time. The gravel that was picked was dry and pretty rocky. Since it hasn't rained much everything was loose. My tires were a good choice between road / gravel but if I wanted to preference the gravel I would have rode my 43s, some favored a mountain bike tire. However you will never have the perfect tire for all conditions. On the way to East Fultonham I was able to meet up with some of the other riders who stopped at New Lexington. It was nice to learn that Jill White got into the DKXL too so hopefully we will see each other next year. She also has been on the front lines fighting Covid this year, she is much respected. I rode with the race director for a bit too, Anthony is a great guy and positive.
I had to stop to catch this beautiful sunset on a beautiful road. This is what its all about.
Here is Jeff!
Here is Jill, soon to be a DKXL finisher!
The stop in East Fultonham was Hartley's Grocery Pizza. It was mile 157 and 14 hours 22 minutes into the ride. The owner was nice and made me a ham and cheese sandwich and I filled up on water. I have to say this sandwich tasted so good. Salty ham is a amazing thing in a endurance event.
It reminded my of my trip to Switzerland and Jimmy from Two Tyred Tours feeding me ham on the top of Nufenen pass. To put this Dirty Water ride in perspective at this point I was only half way through the ride and had 10,500' of climbing. When I rode with Roseann in Switzerland we climbed three mountain passes and had the same amount. Tell that to anyone who says Ohio is flat. The part I live in is flat but Ohio has some punchy climbs.
Furka Pass
Nufen Pass where I was fed ham
Gotthard Pass
After dreaming about Switzerland with my sandwich the darkness was upon me at 8pm. I turned on my lights and was ready to roll again. The next planned stop was short at Frazeyburg. It was only 30 miles but had a lot of gnarly gravel sections in the dark so I don't have any pictures. I passed a house that everyone was out partying and they were screaming at me asking what are you doing. I stopped and filled them in on the DWR500km. They were having a birthday party. Maybe they will be there next year! Frazeyburg was the last stop that would be open until early morning depending on my speed. I arrived at Frazeyburg at 11pm and called my Dad.
Yardsale!
I made sure to load up on food because I wouldn't be able to stock up until at least 430am depending on speed. I had a pizza sub at the gas station with Anthony and it was heavenly. I was with a nice guy named Jeff too. So the issue was nothing was open on the route at this point unless I wanted to go off route. My plan was that I would go 4 miles off route to Danville to get water if I couldn't find something on the way. It was about 75 miles to Ashland with the next 24 hour spot to refuel.
I rode with Anthony for a couple miles and we shared a pretty enhanced moment. We were both descending a fast gravel decent. I got in front of Anthony because I felt comfortable and sent it. I come blazing down this road and off to my left there was the biggest Pit Bull I have seen. All I hear is ROOOOOOF in the most aggressive bark ever. I look over and the dog was chained up. Poor dog living on a chain outside at like 1am but thankful that he didn't chase me. Then Anthony catches me and say Mike holy crap. Anthony then lets me know as I was flying down the hill a deer came full speed across the road behind me and in front of him. Anthony got right past the deer before collision and then the pit bull comes out at him. Lets just say he was awake and alert at that moment!
A moment to talk about my biggest fans on this ride. They were dogs. I was chased a couple times and used all my skills to avoid hitting them with my dog spray. Yes I carry dog spray and you should too. I use the Sabre dog spray its supposed to not harm dogs. I had to use it on one dog because he was coming for me. Another technique that works is to be quiet and if you don't have time to spray because they are in full chase. You let out a huge yell or scream right when they get close. Thanks Neal, it worked. I did come across friendly dogs too. I was on a nice gravel road by a house and I saw two puppies and like 3 other dogs, they all sat nice and just let me pass. They were so cute, I love dogs, but hate dog owners that don't care for their dogs. Anyway back to the ride.
Anthony was going to camp so we parted ways around mile 200 where a church let people camp during the ride. This section was by far the worst. It had the most climbing per mile until you reached Ashland. I was climbing, riding gravel roads, and just pushing through. I was hoping I would not have to go off route to find water. Then I was in luck. I rolled into Newcastle and noticed the Fox hole. The Fox hole is a strip club. I thought about it for a moment hmmmm. Should I go in? I bet they have water. I kept slow rolling keeping my eye open and notice two beaming bright vending machines at the Farmhaus! This was at mile 206 at 2:00am. I made sure to have cash if this opportunity presented itself. I sat in their nice chairs and put my knee warmers and arm warmers on because it was getting chilly. I knew that I was set because at my current pace I could stop at the Marathon at Perrysville which was about 38 miles.
Around 4am I rolled past some guys having a campfire and they gave me a wonderful F you. Some of these people were nice and some did not like you riding around shining a headlight places. I kept on pedaling and by this time I am starting to have negative thoughts. I was thinking this is hard and why am I doing this etc. Something that kept me going was thinking of Todd Poquette the director of pain at races like the Crusher. His son was having difficulty during the 50 mile version of the Crusher. Todd said "Are your legs broken" No... "Is your bike broken?" No "Are you dying?" No "Are you bleeding" Well Todd I was from the bushwacking but that has stopped! That was my mantra for the rest of the ride. It kept me going. This was the hardest part of the ride going through Mohican area in the dark. If you have never rode around Mohican I tell you to go climb "big hill road". Its a legit 22% loose rocky climb. There is no ambient light around. I was not afriad to take my bike for a walk a couple times and just snack. There was actually sand at Mohican because it was so dry. As soon as I made it away from Big Hill road I was in a better mood. I approached the Mohican state park and was ready to go down the same climb Roseann and I half everested. I put my lights on full blast and had 1,950 lumans blazing. I flew down the hill to the covered bridge and found someone else! Chris Hicks had took a nap in the grass by the covered bridge and I caught up to him right after his nap. We rode all the way to Perrysville, no drafting, just conversation about this section and how bad it was.
We arrive at Perrysville mile 244 at about 6:48am and have coffee and breakfast sandwiches. I am over joyed that we only have about 70 miles to go and the sun is coming up. Another rider named Matt shows up too. I took some time to snap a picture.
Matt, Chris, and I just talk about how nuts the last section was in the dark. Insanity. The next stop is Ashland and then its only 54 miles to the finish. I planned to call Roseann in Ashland. I finish my coffee and breakfast sandwich and get rolling. I don't know if it was the food and coffee but I felt great and just start hammering it. There were more and more climbs on the way there but it was great to have daylight so that lifted my mood. I never seemed to stop climbing. Ashland came fast at 9:00am. I filled up my water and didn't get any food because I figured I had enough. I let Roseann know I think I will finish around noon or later. I take off and enjoy tailwind any time I am going north. However the race director does a great job of routing you away from a straight north path to some extra gravel roads or a climb. The last 40 miles were tough even with the tailwind. I start to think I am bonking and its getting hot. My feet start to feel like they are on fire and everything is getting harder. Even though it was the easiest part on paper I was in the hurt locker at this moment. The miles go by slowly and I just keep thinking about getting to the finish. 10 miles from the finish I see a BP, stopped, and took a nature break. I reach in my back pocket and remember I had a apple pie pocket thing that was 490 calories. I was thinking I hope this doesn't go bad sitting in my back pocket I bought it in Frazeyburg. I say hello my pretty and eat it like it was the best thing I have seen. I was bonking because that brought me back to life.
The last 8 miles went by fast. Then out of nowhere I hit two 20% plus grade hills that the race director did not want us to miss! The last 2 miles into Vermilion were great. I was really proud of myself and couldn't believe I just rode across Ohio in 32 hours 10 minutes~. 314 miles 20,750' of climbing. I rolled in and got to the lighthouse. I see Matt and Chris first and they give me an applause. Then I call Roseann and she comes by with my Father in law Jim. This was the furthest by distance I have rode including elevation gain.
Results I was 6th!
Strava ride Data.
Dipping the front tire in Lake Erie
This ride was hard and I have done a couple epic rides. The weather was fantastic and that made it more manageable. I tried to write this blog as soon as possible so I didn't forget anything. Everyone I rode with was great and doing hard things is fun with friends. My bike performed flawless and I was happy with my whole setup. I wouldn't have done anything different except eat more towards the end. If this was an actual race I would have worried about my stopped time more. It was more of just a ride to me than a race. I was to sincerely thank Anthony Bunt from Ashland Bike Company for putting this route together. I have done a ton of endurance events this year it has been nice to complete hard things. This gives me confidence for DKXL if it does happen next year. I am not riding over 100 miles until at least March of next year. Its break time and I have had a great time on the bike this year. This was icing on the cake. Thank you everyone who has supported me before, during, and after this ride. Especially Roseann and all my family. Thanks Matt Acker for the advice this year and the MORE to challenge me. Thanks Todd Poquette too for Crusherex to give us something to train for.
Picture of my bike after and then clean.
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ReplyDeleteLooks like an awesome ride. Thanks for sharing.
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