TransRockies.com

[Simon]

Hi,



I found my partner for the 2004 TR via the singles bar. We didn't get a chance to ride together until the evening before the race started. Not unexpectedly our riding strengths were not 100% matched, but our telephone calls and e-mails gave us a pretty good idea of personality etc. We went from finishing dead last in our category on day one to 22nd overall in a field of 30 starters.



After hearing some horror stories about teams breaking up and people crossing the finish line swearing at each other, I think we did pretty well.



So what are my tips for finding a partner for this grand adventure?



1) Decide what you want from the TR, and be realistic. (Podium finish every day? A tour through amazing countryside?) If you are really competitive don't fool yourself into thinking that you'll be happy holding back. I had a hard time holding back when there were teams just ahead of us. But at the finish the team ahead of us in overall standings had a four hour lead, and we had no chance of catching them.

2) If possible, ride with prospective partners, and ride in all sorts of weather. How frustrated will you or your prospective partner get when slogging uphill through the mud?

3) Talk to you prospective partner and make sure that your characters are compatible. My partner and I were both pretty organized people (Okay, we were slightly fanatical.) and this was a good combination for two rookies. We still forgot things, but it wasn't something important like a jacket or sleeping bag.

4) Be realistic about how much you are prepared to sacrifice for your partner. (I ended up climbing most of the hills slower than normal, but on the downhills it was all I could do to keep up as my partner sucked me along is his dusty vortex.) If your partner is sick, or has a mechanical problem, are your prepared to walk the last 2 kms into camp with them? Will you push/carry your partner's bike if they are too tired? How will you react if your partner sees you suffering and offers to push/carry your bike for you? Can you sublimate your pride to the overall success of the team?



I'm sure there are lots of other great tips from other people who used the singles bar, and I look forward to reading what other people have to say.

[Crampy The Clown]

Where were you last year with this info Simon?



These are great guidelines. Not everyone will be able to find willing partners within their circle of friends or riding buddies, so the reality is that a race...challenge....epic like the TransRockies will require some match making.

I can speak from personal experience at the 2004 TR - I didn't meet my partner until the day before the race and we didn't get a chance to even go for a quick spin together. While I knew that there was going to be a difference in our skill levels and was ready to accept this, what I didn't count on was what a lack of personal connection would do to the racing.



Disclaimer time - the person I rode with is an absolutely incredible individual, whose wit and perspective was a blast to be around for the time we were together and I still am upset that I didn't get to spin more miles with her.



Anyway - I got into physical problems early on day one and what I think added to both of our stress was our inability to read the other person to guage exactly what they were feeling. This was compounded by an understandable discomfort with wanting someone you really just see you melt into a pool of tears with oh...about 575 kms left to ride.

I think the best partnerships are those where both people can call bullshit on each other as only good partners can - as well as know what the other person needs to hear to motivate them.



I'm not saying that Singles Bar matches won't work; they are a great way to find a partner when none are otherwise comig forward - but my advice is that every effort should be made to get out and ride together prior to the 2005 event.



And there must have been a bright side to the misery as I am returning for 2005. This is a once in a lifetime event that thankfully happens once a year and shouldn't be missed.

[Simon]

Well, I must admit that these tips about finding a partner were hard won lessons, and I would not have been able to provide any advice at all, let alone advice that gets positive comments, unless I'd ridden the TR myself.



I think that I may know who Crampy's partner was, and I can understand why they had some problems. Mental computability and physical compatibility are equally important and if one team member gets sick or injured then pretty much everything goes out the window. (If my memory serves correctly, I think I can remember Crampy turning around after just a couple of KMs of day 2. He was put out of action by cramps etc.)



When looking for a partner you need to talk, ride and then talk some more.



Good luck in 2005, and feel free to e-mail me for my tips for Rockies rookies. (Highly personal and thus of very limited usefulness.)

[Crampy]

Yep Simon, that's me. And it was more the "etc." than the cramps that finished me. :-)



Even is both partners are "out for the fun and adventure", that definition is really too subjective to be trusted. Doesn't mean that either side is wrong, that's just the way it is.



I am though all ears and eyes for any and all "anti-cramping" strategies folks have had success with.

[Simon]

I am a mountain bike racing rookie. I did my first XC race in the summer of 2003, and then got sillier until I did the TR in 2004. (And it can't get much sillier than that.)



So given my limited expereince, take my advice with a grain of salt. (To avoid sodium depletion?) It works for me, but that is no guarentee for anyone else.



I didn't have too many problems this year, but my plans for next year's race are.



1) More stretching. I plan to get up earlier and get more warmed up before each day's ride. I started a few days with my muscles too cold and stiff.



2) More drinking. Sometime when I rode the TR I found that I got almost too tired to drink. The old "drink before you're thirst, eat before you're hungry" maxim has some value. Easy to say, but hard to do.



3) Keep your legs warm. Looking at people like Paul Newitt (The Pedal magazine writer) and his partner Nels, they started with leg or knee warmers. Cold muscles are not happy muscles.



4) Keep your legs in motion. Even down the hills I tried to keep the pedals going around. On the Test of Metal there is a section of the course that is reknowned for causing cramping. A BIG uphill, followed by a fast downhill rip, a technical downhill section and then some up and down single track. In the single track, "Crumpet Woods" or as it is also known "Crampet Woods", lots of people have their legs just seize up.



5) Pay attention to your biomechanics. I had some problems with my the IT band on my right leg. This was aided by massage therapy and keeping my knees in while I rode.



This stuff will probably help me for next year, and may or may not have any positive effect for you. (YMMV)



Good luck for next year, and e-mail me if you have more questions.