Ragnarok 105

First of all, the flood in Fargo came through in full force but again the city managed to divert the waters without any sustainable damage or miss fortune.  The original predictions of +40 feet were exaggerated and the water maxed out at 38.75 feet and has since started going down.  You can't say that for the poor people that live north of the city as they are getting pounded with overland flooding and all kinds of trouble.  All of the talk about diverting the water does not make sense to me.  There is no way to make everyone happy north, south, east or west of Fargo, it just won't happen.

 Check out the previous blog and see the comparison photo of 2 weeks earlier.  You can see the river in the back ground rolling through at 38 feet.  Mike Astrup and I toured this area on a run last Sunday and the water is touching the big bags in just a couple areas.

Lake front property just 1/2 mile from our house.  3 years in a row of battling the Red River of the North in which the city has learned a ton.  The 3-ring binder that mayor Walaker carries around with all his flood information is worth it's weight in gold.
It is amazing to see how the people of this area work together to get things done.  I can remember when Katrina hit New Orleans.  Those people did not have a clue in how to get things done during adversity. We get it done up here without bitching and moaning.  Makes you proud.

Last weekend John Struchy and I traveled down to Red Wing, MN for the Ragnorok 105 gravel road bike race.  In short there is a series of gravel road races that are grass roots events that focus on long distance suffer fests for dedicated cyclists.  Grass roots is an understatement.  You learn about the events through the internet and have to send in a 3 x 5 post card in order to get the chance to be drawn for one of the limited number of starting positions.  The best deal about it is the event is FOC "free of charge".  No support, no swag wagons, nothing but a series of directional instructions and a smile. The Ragnorok 105 is limited to 105 riders.  Originally I was not one of the first 105 and was put on a waiting list.  After a couple of weeks I checked the web page and learned that enough riders had bailed out that I was in!  I did not know what to expect but was looking forward to a great day on the bike.

Struchy and I stayed in a sweet motel in Red Wing, my kind of place for sure.  Nothing better then a drive to the door arrangement which makes it easy with bikes and gear.  Check out the hills in the back ground.  Red Wing is on the banks of the Mississippi River, the topography is awesome!

The pre-race meeting.  A big shout out to Jake Huot and his crew for putting on an excellent event!  I was seriously in my environment, no posers in this crowd.  Everyone clicking in knew that they were in for a long day in the saddle, were passionate about bikes and everything associated with bikes.

The gravel roads throughout the day were in mint condition.  I am use to class 5 gravel that piles up on the side of the road and very hard to pedal through.  Not in this part of MN, very well maintained.

Check out my dash board for the day.  The directions are supplied by the organizers and give you "tulips" that indicate the distance to the next turn, any specifics or distinct indications of the turn and which way to turn.  I did not have a clue what I needed and counted on Struchy to fill me in on what should hold down my directions and it worked great.  I received a lot of compliments on my handi work.
Kriston gave me a Garmin 500 for Christmas and it worked flawless.  More information than you could ever believe.

The first rest stop of the day at mile 40.
Ok, here it goes.  I have been training all winter and was not worried about my physical ability to knock off 105 miles this early in the season.  The weather was good and I had no excuses for having a bad day.
At mile 30 if a Suburban or a pick-up would have pulled over and asked me if I wanted a ride I probably would have taken it.  I had NO legs at all and my mind was playing the day out to me in a very negative way.  I knew that "racing" was not going to happen so early in the event I went into survival mode - just keep the wheels moving.
I know how and when to eat in a marathon deal like this, first mistake.  I waited to long and started bonking before the first check point at mile 40.
I literally sat on the pallet in the photo and ate a peanut butter bagel and got my shit together before heading off for the next leg.
The next check point was at mile 84.  Between mile 40 and 84 I made four mistakes in directions.  The first was my own fault, the next 3 were my fault but I was following other people and went the wrong way with them.
After finally making it to the second check point I stopped at a convenience store, topped off my water, had another peanut butter bagel, waited 10 minutes for a train and took off for the last leg of the day.
At mile 70 and after a long technical climb I heard what I thought was a stiff link in my chain.  I know better then to throw down big time torque at this time but it was too late, my chain wrapped around my derrailure twisting things out of shape completely.  I had a chain breaker and went to work doing what I could to get rolling.  Things were twisted up, my pulleys had teeth missing and I lost 4 links of my chain but I was moving.  I had 4 gears and was able to pedal what sounded like an egg beater but it was all good.
I have no idea how I finished due to the results not being posted as I write this. With the wrong turns, long picnics at the rest stops, a train and a mechanical I am estimating that I lost a good hour of my day.  Struchy finished in 7 hours, it took me 9 hours.  The hills were relentless!  I had a blast!
I have done a lot of endurance events and crazy adventures but this day ranked right up there in being one of the toughest.  My mind was playing games with me in more ways than you can imagine.  Once I ate right my legs came around and I was happy with how I climbed.  I met a bunch of great people and caught up with friends I have met over the years at other races.
Would I do it again?  Not tomorrow but I would consider again for sure.
What a great event and great day.  Struchy is just as crazy about bikes as I am and we had a great road trip.