Adventure Bardsley: July 2012

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Butte 50/100 - "The most difficult 100 mile mountain bike race in the country"

Jen at mile 30?

http://butte100.com/

Click here to view 2012 Butte 100/50 Teaser made by Jon Wick.

John and Jen Bardsley at race registration

The Butte 50/100 - insane cross-country mountain bike race on the Continental divide. It is known as the "The most difficult 100 mile mountain bike race in the country"

I raced the 50 this year for the first time, and it was epic.

That is a word I use often, and not usually does it really hold the meaning....but this course truly is E.P.I.C!

It took me 8 hours to complete. I was on my bike racing from 9am until 5pm.

Holy crap - I am so so so sore.

What is amazing to me is the way the body reacts to that kind of treatment. Riding over 10,000ft of mountain back-country trails, I just kept putting fuel in - and my body kept going. The key for me in this race was the science of intake. Every time I ate a Powerbar, Cliff bar, Hammer gel, Heed Water, or Salt-tablets then my body would instantly feel better. Honestly, it was like pushing a button to ON.

Butte 100/50 staff at the Finish

Missoula Girls Represent! Kelly and Jen after race

What is strange is how your body starts to reject food. WERID! You really don't want to eat anything when competing in such a long endurance race. I was getting nauseous and my stomach was twisted up on the hard Basin Creek Climb - in fact I was cramping in strange places other than my hamstrings and calf muscles too. One cramp actually occurred cornering a steep section and I ended up wrecking and laying there with both legs seizing in pain, not able to even bend them. Thankfully, a rider came along and asked me how many Salt-tables did I take so far...."only 2" I said. Ops - this revealed that this was my first Butte 50. She told me to take 2 every hour and eat with food so I would not get nauseous.

Amazingly! That it worked - and I mean instantly. After stretching and taking a few minuets to eat and re-group, I felt really good for the rest of the 25miles of the race. In fact, i road harder having the nutrition figured out. THANK ANDREA from Missoula!

One of the coolest thing about doing this sort of event are the people. For one, the Volunteers are awesome.

Also, there is a sort of kin-ship on the course when you are hammering away 20miles back in the wilderness. I wore funny pink socks that had pom-poms that dangled while racing. Some guys were calling me "socks" and asking about "wind-resistance" - good ice breaker when suffering collectively.

Tinker with his Race Number at Registration 2012

Another awesome moment is when Tinker Juarez passes you on the course. I love that when he went by me all the guys ahead were all cheering for him too all the way up the hill.

Tinker is a Pro that rides for Cannondale. His presence at the Butte 100/50 is so great. First of all, he is so humble and such a beast on the trail. This year he won the 100mile race and beat his time from last year by over an hour! (8:22.41) That is like my time for the 50 !!!! ha ha ha - Thanks for coming to Montana Tinker!

http://www.tinkerjuarez.com/

Riders at the Finish

Our old friend Mike B. from Butte with his daughters after 100 - Good Job Buddy!

It should be noted that my man John raced a full hour and half faster than me ! Ha ha - so amazing.

John's time was 6:45 and he came in 20th for the men. Pretty impressive since he wasn't on his bike until June this season. (Why? Because he was in Finland doing Math Research for a month - John's a math Professor at UM).
I ended up taking 8th in the women's open division with a time of 8:11 - stoked to make top 10!
A big "Cyber High Five" to my women's team MT ALPHA - these ladies came to represent!
Jamie Terry took 1st in women's 50, Heidi Gaskill won women's Elite for the 50.
WAY TO GO Ladies!

At the Finish - John replenishing responsibly and Jen with Beer. Thanks for the Custom MUGS Organizers!

Cool finish line with Posters of past year images

John's race number

Results

Volunteers at Race - Thanks guys!

Butte 50/100 mile race - Highland Mountains, Montana
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HOLD THE PHONE!!!

Bikes in Butte!
DID YOU KNOW?????
Same weekend in Butte is Evel Knievel days! Here are some of my photos of all things "Bike" at Evel days

Cool Bikes Man! Evel Days in Butte, Montana

http://www.knieveldays.com/

Uptown Butte during Evel Days (BMX) 2012

Bikers preforming BMX tricks at Evel Days - Highland Mountains in the background of Uptown Butte.

BMX on Broadway during Evel Days 2012

The Exploding Man on Broadway - Evil Days in Butte Mt. 2012

Alex - Wam Bam Dirt Jump Jam! Fernie, Canada

Check out this video edit of Alex Bardsley rocking his first Dirt Jump Competition in Fernie, BC.

Big Thanks to everyone that supported Alex this season in his efforts with Free Riding.

Check out his website for more info;

www.alexbardsley.com

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Training for the Butte 50 Mountain Bike Race

The Butte 50!!!!!
So this is my first ever big big big bike race.
I have been racing mountain bike since 1993, but I have never trained for such a bad ass event. Sure I have ridden 50 miles before on my bike and done races that are intense, but the Butte 50 is another breed. What makes it different is the elevation gain and loss within those 50 miles. It is literally like racing up and over 6 mountain peaks. The course consists 11,459ft of elevation GAIN in a single day. The single track consists of serious technical loose granite and dense wooded single track along the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). The 50 mile race is sometimes referred as the "South Loop" because the 100-mile Race begin on mile 53 north loop before heading south on the the south loop. It is all very beautiful, however I wont be viewing the sweeping views of the Highland mountains, I will instead have my head down and keeping my breathing consistent. My goal is to not blow up. Although my husband won this race a few years ago, I just want to finish strong, ride my best ride and have fun.

The last section of the race after the notorious Basin Creek Climb is going to be my "happy place" because I know that when I make it to that point with some reserved energy, then I can rock the last 20 miles of the race. I used to live and Butte, and my fave ride of all time in Montana is the Beaver Ponds which is the last section of the race. It is a cherry ride with flowy roller-coaster single track with enormous granite boulders that erupted about 60 to 70 million years ago. (The Boulder Batholith)

On top of the world - Jen on a training ride at 7651 feet (2332.02 meters) above Sea Level. Near Sheep Mountain outside of Missoula Montana in the Rattlesnake Wildrness .

Jen's Training!

Starting in May

2 weekly rides with Women's Team MT Alpha on Tuesday and Sunday. https://www.facebook.com/MtAlphaCycling
Start 3 hour rides on weekend

In June (my husband was in Finland for a month, so I had to be self motivated)

2 weekly rides with MT Alpha http://www.mtalphacycling.com/
Race weekly series on Wednesday nights at Marshall Mountain Missoula XC on facebook
Race Homestake Pass mountain bike race
Weekend 4 hour rides

In July

2 weekly rides with MT Alpha
Weekend 5 -6 hour rides with John. Examples for one long ride - Start from Missoula, ride up Overlook, down Ravine trail up to Snowbowl and up Beargrass highway then back down to Missoula - YUCK!
Do the Wednesday night Super D downhill series
Last week ride Sheep Mountain twice (26mile loop with 7mile uphill to peak).

*Also! I did not ride at all in the spring since I was consumed with finishing my BFA at UM.

Bears - it should be noted that I encountered 8 bears this season while riding - all were "good bears and either just looked at me, kept eating huckleberries or ran away.
I only had one Mama Bear stand up and woof at me up near Snowbowl, Mt. She had two cubs and would not budge. Luckily a worker at Snowbowl was chopping wood and heard me making a racket banging metal on old snowmobiles in an effort make the bear leave........He rescued me and put my bike in his pickup so I could get by her and back down the Mountain. She barely moved an inch off the road when we drove past.