2024 Begins
2024 on the bike is going to be epic! Or at least in my mind, for me, given the time I have available, and the other priorities like the family and career but EPIC!
First, I’m excited to say the BFC Society, with some of the best riders and friends I know, is off the ground and running. A group of passionate mountain bikers who love to challenge ourselves, have fun, support each other and the community we love. We are not professionals, we are just BFC. That means we seek out big hard rides, we have fun along the way, and we embrace the challenge of pushing limits. Part of the goal is to get out of the comfort zone a little and hopefully encouraging others to get out of their comfort zone a little from time to time as well.
As a way of kicking off the season, we did a three-day “training camp” at Coldwater Mountain in Talladega, AL. What a blast, as we rode some great trails, ate some delicious food, and had a lot of laughs. We did some riding, covering around 75 miles in a few days (all trail mind you, no gravel connections here). Over the three days we covered almost all the trail there. It’s rocky, but not obnoxious, it’s flowy but not mundane, if you’re relatively close I’d highly recommend checking it out. We also had some fun competitions on and off the bikes. We even had a who could seat the tubeless tire competition with only one team actually competing but man did they win…..The Talladega Creekside Resort didn’t disappoint, it’s partially underground and questionable in some ways but a great place for a group, pretty close to the trailhead and generally quiet. 10/10 Would recommend.
Then in March I’m planning a couple big dumb rides. Those who know the P99 route (see some past reports here 2021, 2022, 2023) know that it’s a big ol day in the woods. Why do I feel compelled to go again? Yeah, not sure but maybe just to see if I can. Also, Chris Joice is going so it’s gotta be fun right? Then I think we’re going to ride Bikepacking.com’s “The Real Pisgah” route later in the month in one go. So that should be fun, that type 2 kind of fun. So, March is going to be endurance training. These are the rides I love deep down though, the rides where I feel like I can detach from life for a few minutes (not that I need to escape my life, I love what I’ve got, but it’s time for personal reflection or something like that).
May, we have the PMBAR, the best event in the world in my humble opinion, where Joe and I will team up again to race through the Pisgah National Forest, navigating, suffering, and having a blast. PMBAR, in case you don’t know is the Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race, and it’s a self-supported, self-navigated, 60+ mile race with 11,000+ feet of climbing (usually…). This will be my 10th go at it I think, I’m not going to link all the past posts on it but here’s last years . It’s brutal, it’s beautiful, it’s the essence of BFC. Joe and I did it as a team last year, and we had a great time, finishing in the top 5. This year, the field looks to be stacked, we have 4 teams from BFC I think, and all are strong and know the forest well, which makes a huge difference. PMBAR is an event I look forward to all year long.
But the highlight of the year will be in August, when we will travel to Switzerland for the Swiss Epic, a five-day stage race in the Alps, I think we’ll be climbing a lot… This is a bucket list event and I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to participate. BFC has three and a half teams going to Switzerland, and I’m stoked to ride with Wes again, the epic series stage races are all team(partner) events which is a cool format. This is going to be up there with one of the more challenging events I’ve done, and I’m feeling both excited and overwhelmed by the prospect of it. The race covers 339 kilometers and 10,850 meters of climbing (210 miles and 35,500 feet or about 170 ft/mile of elevation for those using the imperial units…). For me this is likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I want to make the most of it.
I’m thinking about consulting with a coach to help me prepare for the Swiss, and make sure I’m in the best shape possible. I’ve never actually worked with a coach before, but I think it could be beneficial to have some guidance and structure in my training. The time I can ride is limited and that part won’t change so I want to ride smarter not necessarily more. I really want to enjoy the experience, not just survive it, and to be able to ride with Wes not holding him back too much (the odds of me not holding him back a little are slim to none). Lastly, I want to be able to appreciate the scenery and not just stare at my Garmin wondering when it will end. So, we’ll see how that goes.
Looking forward to 2024
