With Cheyenne Mountain State Park race promoter Andy Bohlmann will have put on 100 races. That is no small feat and something that I myself am extremely thankful for all his effort. Having lived in Colorado Springs for only four years now I was able to participate in the last part of this run to 100. In the years I have been involved I have had nearly every experience from winning, losing, wrecking, and tons of smiling. The fact that I can have all these rich experiences aboard a bicycle all from sleeping in my own bed and often working my job all day before the races, provides immeasurable value to my life. I know I always beat the drum of the importance of local racing, but there simply isn’t anything I like better than a regular day of life with a bicycle race thrown in. If it were up to my I would like to see Andy hit 200 races!

I guess it is fitting that the 100th race is a 5 lap – 50 mile long haul at CMSP. If you haven’t tried your legs in a long race this year this will be the perfect opportunity. For me this is my 3rd weekend in a row doing a 50 mile race, and it will be my 7th race at this distance this year. That doesn’t make 50 miles of offroad racing any more or less daunting. All of these are long hard days of pedal pushing. Short enough that it is not just a survival crawl but long enough it is really a challenge. Nutrition and pacing are extremely important in these races. I know it sounds goofy and trite, but I really find that the best pace for 50 mile racing is the top end of where you are having fun. If you break over to more pain than fun, you are not going to have a good day. Fun is fast.

From nutrition perspective people do tend to overeat in races of this distance. In general we are talking about somewhere between 3:30 – 6:00 hours of racing, and although you are burning through a lot of calories this is why our bodies store fat! Let yourself use what ya got! Don’t bog yourself down by eating too much. I find that drinking 200-300 calories an hour and eating if I feel hungry, seems to be pretty spot on plan. Everyone will have something they find works well for them, but if you are looking for a home base to get started testing yourself at this distance; I would start with 200-300 calories an hour and gauge what you need from there. You can enjoy a nice big meal afterwards.

Long MTB races are a big challenge. They are extremely rewarding to finish and are a great milestone for you in your development as a MTB rider. I suggest coming out tomorrow to CMSP, join in the miles of dirt, and celebrate 100 start and finish lines for the Captain of Sand Creek Sports, Andy Bohlmann. Congratulations Andy!