Testing the Gear and Body

It was a good week getting things sorted out for the Yak Attack. I had another full week of training and work but the fatigue levels are were they should be, something i will really need to keep an eye on.

I think chronic fatigue is one of the biggest detriments for athletes. When you are new to a sport or training regime it easy to realize gains but this doesn't mean you should. A steady progressive march towards your goals is better than binge training. I have written down my plan and i am going to stick to it. Can I do more each workout, yes, should I? No. i am going to build right up to the last weekend and take a break and taper. I have rest weeks built into my program and rest days that I will adhere to. I can't afford to get sick or injured in the next month. I just wrote that for 2 reasons, one so that i remember to do it and 2 to maybe share that everyone, even the coach takes rest time. "trai

Last weekend was the first big back to back days. Saturday I rode tempo to Bragg Creek and back. Beautiful, warm, blue sky day. Which can only mean one thing-Chinook winds!! i just kept thinking about how bad the winds might be in Nepal in the steep river valleys. Amazing how perspective changes everything. Didn't even care about the head wind.

I had just explained to my cycling class the benefits of Tempo riding and how we used to do the "Tempo Challenge" on cold Saturday mornings. we would break it up into 20 minute intervals and I would provide a buffet table of snacks and drinks. the big challenge was to get to 120 minutes of Tempo and that was my goal Saturday. Felt good going out and coming back, must of been to power snack at Cinnamon spoons.

Sunday Alana and I were off to Canmore to get me some 45Nrth Wolvhammer winter biking boots. Lots of the Phat tyre crowd, including Kate and Greg have these and go on about them. A stop into Rebound cycle a consultation with Technical Adviser Ryan Draper and I was off with a size 44 and some awesome BarMitts. Thanks for getting me set up for the cold weather!!

Alana and I decided to hike Ha Ling Peak with the new Yak Attack Back Pack (fun to say twice, go on, try it)

 Good thing I won't have to worry about tress in Nepal!

 Ahh this is more like the Yak Attack!!

 Looking down Goat Creek towards Banff, no you can't actually see Banff

About 1.5 hours up, will be more like 3-4 on stage 7.

My coach making sure I didn't turn around too soon, cracking the whip on the poor Mule!!

Minutes old and comfortable as all get out, Thanks Ryan and Rebound!!

On our way out of town we dropped by to say hi to Greg and Flora and they sat us down and made real cocao and organic corn chowder!! It's nice when your friends know exactly what you need.

How to train for the Yak Attack

In this Episode Jeff will try to shed some light on how to train for a race in Nepal where they describe your day, not in % single track, double track, or road, but in % rideable!

It looks like this race is divided into 3 different flavors, the first 3 days are at an altitude similar to Calgary so will be pedal spinning racing. the next 4 days, one of which is an acclimation day, are survival. This includes the 17,760 foot pass! and a lot of hiking. Then it appears we just go down hill until a group ride on the last day.

Our Canadian Cartel is Erik Bakke, Kate Aardal, Gerry "The Ger" McQuaig, and myself. Each of us has a lot of stage race experience but they are starting to freak me out with all the prep they are doing. UV bottle here, GPS maps there, Back pack where??? (more on the back pack below). Gerry is in perpetual fitness because he just never stops, Erik only needs to stop work at his high paced job and he gets in shape, and Kate is finishing her 3rd or 4th training camp, or something like that. I spent most of last summer and fall working so I did not get into my usual level of Base fitness. Cross was good because I could fake my way thru a 50 minute workout and a 1 hour race, but a 3 hour ride?? Let me tell you how that went....

2 Saturdays ago Erik, Kate and myself left Cadence at 9am and it was -9C. Dressing for the +3 high we were all a little cold to start and Kate wanted us to see how great of form she had developed down south. Erik and I held on and we enjoyed a nice 2.5 hour ride to Cochrane thru some of the back road, cross field, up coulee, down stream bed routes they make up.

By the time I got to Cochrane I was shelled, done, burnt, bonked, tired. I ate light but had 2 coffees with lots of cream and off we went. Blue skies and a west wind. Ah, that west wind held the snow and cold they were forecasting. Started as rain to get you wet, turned to cold and snow to freeze you and pushed you so hard you geared out so you couldn't generate any heat. Kate actually coasted for 5km without pedaling, even on the ups. Made it home, napped, ate, napped, ate. slept. Did not go on ride Sunday.

During the weeks I have been up early to make sure i can get my workouts done. They are pretty simple and short but that makes them attainable. Monday is 20 minutes at threshold, Wednesday is Tabattas ( high end 15 second intervals), Thursday is the class I teach in Currie Barracks and then its Saturday agian.

Last Saturday, when it was +9, Ryan Young and i headed out for a ride. No plan just a ride. We did some good tempo, met up with Warren Muir, had a lovely chat, met a new friend Gabrielle, who drafted us but did buy us a coffee in Bragg and then cooked it home. Eat, nap, eat, nap, eat, sleep.

I am trying to get in leg strength, Threshold, and tempo rides in hopes my body remembers what it can do.

What about the hiking Jeff??? Yes, the hiking. Well no use going hiking unless i am carrying my bike right??
So I have plans to go this weekend and this is what Alana and I have created.

I bought, cut and heated some plexi-glass to form a cradle that slides into the bladder poach on my Camel Back!!!! It is light weight, custom made to fit, and allows me to get the bike on and off without too much trouble. Also allows my hands to be free so I can get my hands out for the eventual fall that will happen.

Prototype ready! i will let you know how it goes.

Yak Attack 2014

What he is writing again?? Yep, it recently came to my attention that while being incredibly bored at work a few of the people in my cycling class read my blog. So I will try this again, thanks Jerry and Scott.

This blog started with my first trip to South Africa to do the Cape Epic in 2007. Fitting that I start writing again while preparing to go out and do another silly race over seas, the Yak Attack. It is a mountain bike race clockwise around the Annapurna hiking trial. How the H#$L did I hear of this?? Well, our good friend and adventure race star Carena Dean did this same race a few years back. She raced and her husband, Jeremy, hiked and took photos. Carena's blog.

The seed was planted. Move to Spring 2013- Craig Stappler suckered 8 of us to do the Water Valley 210. Jeff's account of his first WV210. Another merry day on the cross bikes covering 210km of pavement and gravel, with a 60 km stretch of no support. Riding beside adventure man Erik Bakke we talked of plans for the summer. Alana, my wife, and I have been looking to shake things up a bit and take a break from the multiple stage race summers. Erik took this away and came back with the Yak Atack. I said yes. Why?? Must have been drinking or just finished a set of hard intervals, either way I was out of my head.

I paid the deposit but was going to pull the plug several times but Alana, who has hiked the Annapurna circuit, kept me in the game. Promises of adventure, views, great people, scenery, riding, vistas, foreign lands, landscapes, yak butter tea............. So I am going because I think i may just find the reason I started this crazy game, ADVENTURE!!.