Fueling Choices for a Big Ride - Aaron West

On one of my early centuries, I mistakenly thought I could get away with having a big lunch midway through the ride, and nothing else. That was a learning experience. When I hit mile 95, I lost every last bit of energy. It was a major bonk. Those last few miles felt like another 100, with every hill feeling like a mountain.

Since that day, I have been determined to never let it happen again. On the other hand, the last thing I want to do is eat too much, and not benefit from all the calories burned on the bike. Through a lot of experimentation, I have developed a routine that allows me to stay properly fueled and fits with my tastes and preferences.

This post is about the stuff I like to eat before, during, and after a big ride. Like with anything, your mileage will vary (pun intended). My tastes may not be the same as yours, so I welcome feedback from others.

Breakfast Before the Ride

I like a good-sized breakfast that is high in carbs and protein, preferably at least two hours before I ride.

Eggs – I’ll usually go out of my way to eat an egg-based meal. It can be either a small omelette, or even a boiled egg or two. Eggs are great sources of protein.

Yogurt – I prefer yogurt to fruits, probably more because of the acidity content. I’ll usually have a container of a light yogurt.

Bagel – I love bagels, but pretty much the only time I’ll eat them is the breakfast before a ride. They are pure carbs and I’ve noticed a difference on the bike. A little bit of cream cheese is a must, but not something to overdo.

Coffee – This is a given. It probably doesn’t help with my fueling, but the caffeine is a must. My preference is a latte or cappuccino with almond milk.

I try to avoid heavy sugar-heavy dessert items. That means no donuts or muffins.

(Update: Some high-level riders have suggested a light breakfast since most riders will be pretty heavily carbloaded by the morning of the event.)

Immediately Before the Ride

I like to eat a little something light within an hour of the ride. I should have plenty of fuel in my body from the breakfast, but this seems to hold me over just a little further.

Bananas – I love me some bananas. I’ll have one or two before the ride. The carbs help with fuel, and the potassium can help prevent muscle cramps.

Clif Mini Bar – I’ll only eat this if bananas are not available. It is small enough (100 calories) to not weigh me down, tastes good, and has some helpful ingredients.

During the Ride

This is the area where I have experimented the most. I prefer my food to be portable, tasty, that is easy on the stomach. Fuels I have used in the past that I no longer use are Power Bars, regular Clif bars, energy gels, Honey Stingers, and countless more. I have moved on from these because they are either tough to eat while riding, messy, or both.

Clif Shot Bloks – This is the perfect bike fuel for me. For the last year, it is pretty much only thing I will carry on a long ride. The best part is I can eat it while on the bike. A pack of six bloks sits comfortably in my jersey pocket. I can open it with my teeth, and will squeeze out 2-3 bloks at a time. They taste good, can be digested easily, and are easy to measure. Since a full pack is 200 calories, I know that I need to eat at least one pack every two hours for minimum fueling.

Sports Drink – I know there are lots of options for this. I most commonly use Gatorade because it is easily accessible, but I can also use Skratch Labs, Powerade, or a home brew. On a long, difficult ride, I like to fill one bottle with ‘high test’ sports drink, or full Gatorade. The other bottle will have a diluted, light version, usually some Gatorade Low mixed with water. The full Gatorade can take a toll on my stomach, but I will rely on it for difficult riding (like climbs), and the lighter stuff for hydration and electrolytes.

A Meal – This is the tough part. I like to eat something substantial midway through a difficult, long ride. Last year on the Assault on Mount Mitchell, I tried having a Subway sandwich before the climbing began. That didn’t work too well because it took too long to eat, especially when my stomach was not settled. Usually I will try to eat some sort of substantial lunch-like whole food. I am still experimenting with this.

(Update: Some top riders suggest that you have solid foods early in the ride, then get to the gels and such toward the end.)

After the Ride

This is the tough part. If it is an organized ride, I don’t always have a choice. I have to eat what they feed me. Below are my ideal food types.

Protein drink – This is for immediately after the ride. Since usually I am mobile and cannot store my own, the drink varies by what is available. Ideally I will have some sort of drink that has between 15-25g of protein. A Muscle Milk or something like that will do the trick. Chocolate milk works too.

Something Mexican – I’m a sucker for Mexican food. Not only does it taste awesome, but it has a healthy mixture of different types of ingredients. This is my post-ride meal of choice if available because it usually has some grain, carbs, animal protein, and calcium (cheese!). I try to avoid anything fried.

Sub Sandwich – A whole wheat sub with veggies and meat is a good option. It is substantial enough to fill the hunger hole, while not being too heavy or unhealthy.

A lot of rides will serve stuff that is tasty, but not the best post-ride meal for me. I’m looking at you, pizza. Sometimes I’ll ‘suffer’ through it and eat what they offer, especially if I have raging hunger after an exhausting ride. On a few occasions, I have bailed on the post-ride meal and picked up a Subway or Chipotle on the road.

So what type of foods do you prefer?

Training Rides and Climbs - Aaron West

In my opinion, the best way to get better at climbing is to climb, pure and simple. Whether you do that on your own, through training rides or organized rides, doesn’t matter as much. What matters is that you put in the work.

The Freewheelers have a series of official training rides, but they are mostly self-managed by the cycling community. Richard White is especially instrumental in putting them together. A good way to keep up on them is via the eRide (free) and Freewheeler (members) mailing list, where all the details will be posted.

The core group of people who put this together are fellow mountain goats, the same ones that do a lot of the more difficult climbing rides in the southeast. Many if them have done Mitchell several times, and they know what they’re talking about. The groups are usually divided up into A and B riders, and occasionally there will be a C group for the beginning riders.

The Saturday ride is usually the long ride for the week. They will get progressively more difficult in the weeks until Mitchell. 

There are two difficult rides they’ll do that are worth mentioning. One ride will start from Table Rock State Park, will head into Rosman, and up Highway 215 through Balsam Grove to the Blue Ridge Parkway, then back through Brevard. It’ll be around 1000 miles with 8,000 feet of climbing.

Another 100 mile/8,000 foot ride is from Landrum to Tryon, up the Saluda Grade, before heading back via Caesar’s Head Mountain.

Many of their adventures will occasion on the Tryon/Saluda area, and throughout the series, they’ll hit most of the signature climbs in the area. They’ll also mix it up flat and fast rides to make sure people get a variety of training options.

If you want to go it alone, there are options. First of all, note that climbing and descending can be dangerous. You should know your own ability, and be as familiar with the area as possible. Plan for your rest stops so that you don’t run out of fuel.  You can find routes at Spartanburg Cycling and SteepClimbs.

The Ride ...

On an early Monday morning in May, spandex will invade downtown Spartanburg. The riders will start arriving in pitch darkness, some showing up the morning of the event, most staying in nearby hotels like the Marriott at Renaissance Park that hovers over the starting line. 

Some will scramble to get their packet, and get everything settled on their bike -- from pumped tires to the number that sticks to the frame. Others will have already prepared the night before, and will casually chat in front of the convention center, waiting for the moment to get closer. 

As the sun begins to peer through the horizon, the riders will slowly mass at the starting line. Eventually it will be over a thousand crowded together on North Church Street. The slower, casual riders will wait in the back, while the racing teams and A cyclists will try to get as close to the front as possible.

All of the riders face a gigantic countdown clock. As the sun lights up the street, the countdown gets closer to "go" time. The energy is palpable at the last minute. The riders will audibly count the last remaining seconds together, followed by a chorus of cheers, and a thousand clicks as the riders clip into their pedals.

As a number of people told me when I first attempted The Assault on Mount Mitchell, it is a rite of passage for any serious cyclist in the southeast. It is an event that people should conquer at least once, if nothing else than to just say they did. Many, including myself, will argue that it is the toughest ride in the southeast, but can be successfully completed by just about anyone with the proper time, training and preparation.

It is also one of the oldest events, founded in 1975 by John Bryan, who got the crazy idea to try riding from Spartanburg to the top of Mount Mitchell, the highest point in eastern United States. It has grown dramatically to become a massive ride and a cycling tradition. 

It is really two rides. The ride to Marion is a little more than a metric century that gets progressively more difficult. The second part is pure climbing, gutting it out until you get to the top. From Spartanburg, the ride starts out fast through flats and rolling hills. The first real challenge is Bill's Hill/Mountain, which is where a lot of the packs will begin to break up. After that is a rolling mess until riders arrive in Marion.

Many will end their ride there, and that's fine. Just getting to Marion is no cakewalk. The remainder will set out on Highway 80, navigate the switchbacks and steep grades before grinding it out on the Blue Ridge Parkway for miles and miles, finally arriving at Mount Mitchell State Park. After a few more miles of climbing, riders will arrive at the finish line, most of them thrilled to have completed such an adventure, while sore from all that it took to get there. The fastest times will be around 5 hours; the slowest as much as 12 hours. 

Are you ready?

Aaron West

Welcome back!

Welcome back to the Mitchell blog!

Although this place was on hiatus last year. I've been asked to dust, sweep, vacuum, and get it ready again for the 2013 Assaults.

First, a bit of housekeeping. The Assault on Mount Mitchell and Marion will take place on Monday, May 20th, 2013.

Freewheeler members will get the first opportunity to register on February 1st at 7:00am. Members should have already received pass codes via email.

Registration will open to the public on Friday, February 15th at 7:00am.

You can find further details at the Assaults website.

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Many of you may remember me from blogging my first Mitchell attempt back in 2011. In fact, my recap is the last post published on this blog. Many of you may also know me from my other home at SteepClimbs.com, where I blog about Mitchell and many other adventures in the southeast.

The moment I finished my first Assault, I wondered what I was thinking in the first place. This thing was hard, and I could barely feel my legs. The next day, as I reflected on my accomplishment, I felt something completely different. You could call it a sense of pride or satisfaction. The journey was over and I had won. Despite the hard work that led me to the top of the mountain, I knew I could do it again. Furthermore, I knew I could do it better.

I trained in the off-season with the goal of improving. Somehow I managed to beat my first time of 8:05 by nearly an hour to 7:07. Again, I was proud, satisfied, and immediately pledged to beat 6:30 the next year. You can read my recap here.

Things don't always work out the way we want. Late in the year, I suffered a stress fracture in my hip. At first I thought it was a hip flexor strain, which I treated with Aleve, ice and rest. I even completed other mountain rides, not knowing I had a broken hip. Eventually, after a lot of trial and turmoil, I got the diagnosis.

This year is different for me because of the injury. I still have the itch, but I have yet to scratch it. I have been off the bike for six weeks now, and will stay off the bike at least a couple more, maybe longer. At some point, I will get back on the horse, but only when I know I am healed and will not cause further damage.

When Mitchell registration opens, I plan to pull out my credit card as I have for the last two years. Since I won't have an off-season to get myself in shape, time goals are out the window. All I care about is finishing, whether it takes six hours or twelve.

We all have our stories. Many will try the Assault for the first time. Many more have already done it, and will try to beat their best time.

My plan is to talk about my progress, hopefully get some others involved, and point out options for people training. There is already a ton of valuable content on this blog and others that will help us accomplish our goals. Since this blog is for the riders, I encourage feedback and suggestions. This blog is for all of us to reach the same goal.

Happy Training!

Aaron West

My Assault : Aaron West

After months of training and preparation, the day finally arrived, my first attempt at the Assault on Mount Mitchell. Despite being new to the sport, I had trained well and was fairly confident of finishing strong. I had passed an earlier test and knew I could handle that amount of climbing, plus I had a detailed nutrition and fueling plan that had already worked well on other rides. Still, when looking at the elevation chart and hearing the horror stories of Highway 80 and Mount Mitchell State Park, I was not completely sure. On top of this, during the week prior to the ride, I found myself with a bit of left knee pain. This caused me to taper more than I had planned and I was concerned that that the pain could become worse when I reached the heavy climbing sections.

We left Spartanburg Auditorium in the early morning, under a cloudy sky with the threat of rain later in the afternoon. Not knowing how I would perform, I started right around the middle of the crowd and paced myself with the closest pack. There were some early mishaps, a couple crashes, some sudden stops, but it was mostly a painless beginning. My group kept at around 18-20 mph for the flat, early sections. I could have pushed harder, but I was fine with an easier ride to conserve energy for later.

The first challenge was Bill’s Mt., a short mile-long somewhat steep climb, which served as a good early way to test my legs and see how they responded. The knee had nagged a little in the early going, so I kept it conservative on the hill, spinning easily in my lowest gear. Afterward everything felt fine and I was able to pick up the pace a little bit. The group had separated after the hill, so most of my trip to Mt. Marion was either solo or with me in front.

I arrived at Mt. Marion in 4:15 and feeling good. This was towards the high end of my expectations. I was pleased with the result, but also knew I had room to push myself. At the Marion rest stop I consumed some fuel and caffeine, put on headphones, played my MP3 player, and kicked it into another gear.


I knew that the early portion of Highway 80 was relatively fast before the steep climbing in the last few miles. Feeling great, I decided to ride the section aggressively. I picked up the pace and found myself passing a number of riders. My confidence continued through the tough switchbacks and I made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway still feeling strong, albeit a little tired. I knew that things were going well when I heard people talking about potential seven hour timeframes. At this point my competitive juices started flowing. I transitioned from thinking about completing the race to meeting a time benchmark. My goal at that point was to complete below eight hours, which seemed possible, likely even, from where I stood at the rest stop.

Things changed on the parkway. Unlike Highway 80’s switchbacks with varying grades, the Blue Ridge Parkway is just a steady, gradual incline that ranges from 6-8%, broken up only on a couple of occasions, one of which is a two-mile downhill. On the parkway I got into a grinding mentality. I let the gorgeous vistas and my music distract me as I simply moved the pedals and carried myself towards Mitchell. This climb should have been easier, but for some reason I slowed down and found a number of other riders passing me.

At some point the clouds gave way to a light, intermittent rain that was more of an annoyance than a hindrance. With a moderate temperature, I was not complaining. It could have been much worse. The rain had mostly stopped by the time I reached the downhill, which I approached conservatively because the road was wet and the temperature cold. I had heard often that the muscles tend to cool down during the downhill and cramps can set in. That wasn’t the case for me. Initially they felt stiff, but once I got them moving, I settled back into my upward grind.


When I reached Mount Mitchell State Park, I knew I was almost there. Still pushing for a good time and finding myself adequately fueled, I skipped that rest stop and made my way towards the summit. As we climbed Mitchell, an enveloping, misty fog covered us. It gave the appearance and feeling of rain, but it was more of an ever-present mist. As we climbed further upward, the temperature dropped downward into the low 40s It was a wet, cold, not very pleasant feeling. The climbing is much tougher here compared to the parkway, so it became another, slightly more painful grind of hills ranging from 8-12%.

I kept plugging along and found myself noticeably tired. When the climb leveled off, I thought I was at the summit. I gave everything I had and sprinted to what I thought was the finish line, only to be met by another, steeper hill. This one hurt, but I persisted and made it up. I crossed the finish line in 8:05, tired, weather weary, disoriented, but mostly elated.

Mitchell Accomplished!

Strava link
Google Maps link

Aaron West
SteepClimbs.com

Pre-Loading for a Big Ride

Now that I am in taper/rest mode, with the big Mitchell ride just around the corner, it is time to prepare for how I am going to fuel the ride. Fortunately with all the century rides I have done over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to experiment and find a formula that works for me. As with anything, your mileage may vary. I know someone who eats an entire pizza the evening before a long ride, which I would never do, but it works out perfectly for him.
Initially I did a traditional carbo-load without much thought as to what I was eating. I would scan labels of anything in my fridge or pantry. If it had carbs, I would eat it, probably an extra 1,000 to 1,500 calories worth. This would give me plenty of energy to burn, but was simply too much. I would feel heavy, bloated, and it would affect my performance. Not to mention, after burning thousands of calories on a ride and eating somewhat normally afterward, I would end up gaining weight.

For the last few rides, I have settled on something I like to call ‘pre-loading’ rather than ‘carbo-loading’ because I am not adding much food to my diet. Instead I am shifting around what I eat so that it appropriately fuels the ride. Note that I have come to this plan through the guidance of a registered nutritionist.

Mount Mitchell Plan
The ride is on a Monday, so beginning perhaps Friday or Saturday, I will start to add a few extra carbs to my diet. Here I’ll start with items with a low glycemic index. You can find numerous listings on the web. Here is a good one. I will probably have some healthy legume and healthy fruits. Based on my tastes, it will probably be chickpeas, grapefruit and peaches. Foods with a lower glycemic index will store over a slower period of time, so by the time I need the extra energy on Monday, they will be waiting for me.

Aside from these additional carbs, I will eat normal, healthy meals throughout the weekend. This will consist of around 2,000 calories per day spread over several meals a day. Usually my training diet would have 50% carbs, but with the additions, it will probably be as much as 55-60%. Most of my fats will come from healthy sources (nuts, avocado, olive oil) and I will include lean protein from chicken or fish sources. I will mix in several vegetable and fruit portions, preferably around six, and take one multivitamin and fish oil pill daily.

Sunday night will be a little more like traditional carboloading, but without adding all the extra calories. On Sunday night I will make sure to have some sort of healthy high glycemic carb, which should be ready to hit the bloodstream first thing in the morning. Whole wheat pasta or brown rice will be ideal. Since I’m going to be eating with the Freewheelers, it will probably be pasta. In the past, I enjoyed the most success when I had Carraba’s prepare me a whole wheat version of their Chicken Marsala. It was delicious and I felt terrific the next day. Before going to bed, I will add a small carb snack. This will probably be a banana or a couple fig newtons, maybe both.

The morning before a ride I will usually have a healthy but easily digestible breakfast. Usually a boiled egg, Lara bar and banana would work, then I will pre-fuel for the race with a Clif bar. Mitchell starts very early so I’ll have to change my plan. Instead I will skip a breakfast of any substance and just have the Clif bar and a banana. This and the food stores from the past couple days will get me going, but since I did not significantly add carb calories, I will need to make sure to eat good carbs along the way. Many of these are going to come in the form of energy gels from my dispenser as I ride. At rest stops I will pick and choose from what is available, which will probably end up being bananas and fig newtons or similar snacks. At some point throughout the day I will want something a little more substantial, probably a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This will go along with sports drink that will provide enough sugars, carbs, and electrolytes to keep me fueled and hydrated. As long as I continually fuel myself along the way, I should not run out of gas regardless how difficult the ride is.

by aaronwest
http://SteepClimbs.com

Final Phase

It is hard to believe, but my ascent up Mount Mitchell is a mere 24 days away. While the training has not been easy, it has mostly been a good time. I have thoroughly enjoyed pushing myself during rides, trying to stay with the lead pack and/or rider. This has been the case on large organized event rides and small weekly group rides. I have met some great people who have been working towards the same goals. We have exchanged a great deal of tips and encouragement throughout the last few months. The best part of the training has been the mountain rides. I have enjoyed those so much that I hardly think of them as work. There is nothing like the thrill of descending a steep mountain into a series of downhill, rolling hills.

So where to from here?

There are still a couple big training rides remaining. This weekend I will be doing the Tour de Lake century ride. It will have a few hills, but will seem relatively flat compared with the roads I have been climbing in the past few weeks.

The next weekend will be the Tour de Cashiers. Of all the rides, this will be the most Mitchellesque. I am told there are a couple massive climbs along the century route. They will undoubtedly be tougher than anything Mitchell throws at me, but the overall elevation will be a tad lower, around 10,000 feet climbed compared to the 11,000 up Mitchell. A good friend of mine did both Mitchell and Cashiers last year and he felt that Cashiers was more difficult. In fact, his ride time for Mitchell was 30 minutes shorter than his Cashiers time. To top it off, there is a time cutoff to complete the century, so there will be no easy riding next weekend.
With just a few weeks away, the major training period is pretty much over. These legs are what I have, and hopefully they will be strong enough to get me up the mountain.

A few weeks ago I talked about weight management and how I was really trying to maintain weight, while building muscle mass and properly fueling myself on rides. That will change in the next few weeks as the peak training subsides. Now I am going a bit lighter, trying to shed a few pounds to make climbing easier. I am at 149 now and would like to get around 145, if not lower. The more I lose, the easier Mitchell will be. For now I am using weekday rides to shed weight. I still fuel myself, but with lighter calorie options. With my normal eating habits, this results in about a 500-800 calorie deficit each riding day, which should translate to at least 1 lb loss per week.

Aside from the remaining rides, I am going to be taking it easy. I will still participate in weekly rides, even in the week prior to Cashiers and Mitchell, but the hammerfests are over. I will just concentrate on easy spinning and not speed. I will want my legs to be fresh when needed.

The clock is ticking, but I am ready as I can be.

-Aaron West
http://SteepClimbs.com

Assault on the Carolinas 2011, Brevard, NC

The Assault of the Carolinas is now the largest ride I have attended, eclipsing the Charleston ride last week. There were 600 pre-registered and who knows how many signed up the day of the race. There were probably just shy of a thousands riders out there. While there was a threat of some rain later in the day, the weather turned out to be great. If anything, it turned out to be on the warm side, especially later in the ride during the difficult climbs.

The city of Brevard, NC really pulled out all the stops and made this seem more like an event. They had some jammy music playing before we left and live bands as we returned. They had police directing traffic at all the major intersections, giving us two-wheeled adventurers the right of way. Best of all, they had pleasant, enthusiastic volunteers at the rest stops, letting us know what was coming up next. It was an impressive event and extremely well-organized. Hats off to Brevard and the ride coordinators for doing such a fantastic job!

My goal was to finish with my pride intact this time. The last mountain I attempted, White Oak, had put a chink in my armor. I made it up the mountain, but only after a struggle that included me walking for some small portions. I knew that Caesar’s Head would be a longer climb, just not nearly as steep. My goals were not too ambitious. I simply wanted to survive without stopping, walking or even unclipping my pedals for the entire distance between the bottom of the mountain and the state park above.

But first there was Walnut Hollow road. This little devil showed up early on, after about eight miles on the road when I had just barely warmed up. To be honest, this was the one I was worried about. There was a lot of murmuring before the ride and I had heard it was about 1.2 miles in length at a 12-15% grade. Fortunately my fears were overblown. It was steep in certain sections, especially right in the middle of the climb, but it was book-ended by more moderate climbs of about 8-10%. It was still no slouch and not easy to conquer, but not nearly as bad as I expected. I made it up to the top without too much of a struggle. If anything, it put me into a climbing frame of mind.


After Walnut Hollow there were some decent climbs. Nothing as big, but there were some prolonged 8% inclines that kept us honest and made us work. All that effort was worth it for the gorgeous descents that followed. These were not the scary, white-knuckle free falls like I experienced after White Oak Mountain. Instead they were gradual drops with long, winding turns and only a handful of corners that required slowing down. I took it easy on the descents, primarily coasting and enjoying the breathtaking scenery, not wanting to push it in unfamiliar country when I am not experienced with the terrain.


Then came Caesar’s Head, and with it came sunshine. In other words, it got hot and quick. It hit right as we were about to begin the road upward. The wicked sunshine was punishing and made for a brutal climb. I was pleased to see some cloud cover about two thirds of the way up to help cool off.

The path to the top of the mountain is seven miles, but the majority of the climbing is done in the last 5-6 miles. It was steadily an 8% grade on the way up, and then we had a little reprieve about halfway up where it leveled off and even went downhill for a short while, but that was not to continue. The last stretched seemed the toughest, and there were many sections that I pegged at a 10% grade or higher.


I was winded after mile one, wondering why in the world I had decided to try such a ride. A lot of people stopped at the side of the road; a few walked their bikes; some even went back downhill, apparently giving up. I kept chugging along, slowly but deliberately, making my way up each bend. Even though I started to feel my quads and hammies burning, they continued to spin and pull the rest of me up. The climb seemed to be endless, mile after mile, turn after turn. A number of times I looked up and saw sky, thinking I was finally about to reach the summit, only to turn the corner and find yet another set of hills. I expect these are the same types of tricks Mitchell will play on me in a few weeks. When I finally saw the sign for the top of the mountain, I felt energized. I even picked up the cadence for that last burst, so eager to complete the achievement and celebrate with cooler water.


Veni, vidi, vici. I made it up the hill and felt great. Not only had I beat Caesar’s Head, but I had not stopped. Even better, I don’t recall anyone passing me on the mountain, but I must have passed at least 50 people on the way up. While I cannot say I ‘felt great’ during this climb, I performed far above my expectations. It shows how far I have come in the past few weeks.

The remainder of the ride was mostly downhill and exhilarating. I spent most of this period solo and into a headwind. This slowed me down during the flats, but I didn’t care. This was nothing compared to what I had just undergone. Those last 17 miles until the finish line felt like a victory lap.

Garmin Link

- Aaron Westhttp://steepclimbs.com

Carry That Weight

It doesn’t take a rocket science to figure out that the lighter something is, the easier it’ll go up a hill. When I first saw the Mount Mitchell elevation chart, I felt heavy. When I spent some time watching YouTube ride videos, I felt even heavier. Even though I wasn’t necessarily overweight, my first thought was I needed to lose about 5-10 lbs before attempting the mountain. My thinking has since changed.

I was a much heavier man this time last year. I had been a member of a gym and had worked out relatively frequently, running occasionally, doing time on the elliptical, occasionally grabbing some weights, but was never able to make a dent in my weight mostly due to poor and ill-informed eating habits.

Over the spring I did some reading and dedicated myself to dropping my waistband. Mostly I counted calories, which is something I recommend everyone do, athletic or not. I used the MyNetDiary website and iPhone app, but there are plenty other resources online (another example: TrainingPeaks). The diet was successful and by the summer I had dropped a lot of my excess weight. That is when I got back into running, and, as already discussed in this blog, got hurt and bought a bike.

Most of my weight loss was finished by the time I started cycling. I still counted calories, which I continue to do today, but dieting was a thing of the past. I still lost another 5 more pounds throughout the summer and into the fall just from actively riding, but have mostly remained in the 148-152 range since then. At my heaviest, I had probably been around 185 lbs.

I made my training goal for Mount Mitchell to drop another 5-10 lbs while increasing muscle mass. I mostly kept up my good habits over the winter and did not gain weight. Once I started eating in tandem with my training program, I found this to be a tall order, not impossible, but extremely difficult. The fact of the matter is, you have to eat to build muscle and fuel a workout.

I hired Kelli at Apex Nutrition, who has transformed my eating habits and it has showed with my performance. At first we started with a low number of calories, which turned out to be too low. I was hungry all the time and this was affecting my rides. Even with proper fueling, I would be hungry early on in rides and longed for the end so I could chow down. Since then I have modified my goal to maintain my current weight while gaining muscle strength.

After having a little bit of experience this year with training and dieting, my way of thinking has changed in terms of weight loss and the bike. Don’t get me wrong, riding a bicycle is a terrific way to lose weight for many people. Actor Ethan Suplee just revealed that his dramatic weight loss came on a bike. You can burn large amounts of calories just by spinning at a reasonable pace for extended periods of time. I have found, however, that when trying to dramatically improve performance, it is better to save the diet programs for the off-season or after the goal has been achieved.

150 is a great weight for my height. If I dropped to 140 as originally planned, I would probably be thought of as skinny. While dropping a size or two still would help, I have learned that dropping another size or two will not be key in getting me up the hill.  My power, cadence and fueling will be far more important.

- Aaron West
http://steepclimbs.com

My Marquis de Sade

This was my first real ride in the mountains. Last year’s Tour de Leaves doesn’t really count since I did the “lite” version. Some friends and I had made a few half-handed attempts to get up to Saluda that didn’t work out. And this was no ordinary mountain ride. It is considered the toughest of all the Mitchell tune-ups.
Even though I had done some research, I really did not know what to expect other than it would be the most difficult ride of my life. My ultimate goal was simply to finish. After all the training over the last few months, I expected this would not be a problem. The other goals were to take the tough route each time (they had mild alternates to all the steep climbs), to not stop during the toughest hills, and no matter what to not walk my bike up any hills. While I did finish and go through the entire Marquis de Sade course, I failed on the latter two.
The morning was beautiful with a sunny forecast all day and a high around 80. Approximately 300 riders left North Greenville College at 8:30am. I started out slow, not wanting to push early and tire myself out. To my surprise, the course welcomed us with a big hill right away. At the beginning of the climb read the words “GRUNT” on the pavement followed by a smiley face. I could practically hear the Marquis laughing at me. The hill was intense and I saw many riders in front stop their bikes midway, a few of which turned around midway through the hill and opted for the grunt-free alternate.  For me, this was a wake-up call. I had to be on my toes to complete this course. At the steepest my Garmin was showing a 16% grade and I had to tackle it on cold legs.  I had to stand for most of the climb and my heart rate shot through the roof as I made it up the hill. I thought, they cannot all be like this, can they?
The first big climb was the Greenville Watershed, which was modest in comparison to what was to come. It was long and the grade ranged from 4-6%. I had an easy time with this one.  There was gorgeous scenery throughout the climb, so I simply enjoyed the nice and easy spin in the cool morning weather along the waterway.
Greenville Watershed:

With that one out of the way, I looked out for the menacing White Oak Mountain. After an exhilarating downhill on the other side of the watershed and some rolling hills, we rode into Tryon getting closer and closer to the big mountain.

White Oak Mountain was everything I expected and more. It was, in a word, insane. The MapMyRide version I saw showed an 8% average grade. Don’t think so. According to my Garmin, it was more of a 10-12% grade with spikes of 15% scattered throughout. This beast continued for about 4.5 miles without letting up the entire time. Ouch, my quads said, along with other 4-letter words that will remain between me and the mountain. Fortunately I had a rider friend taunting me from above, yelling “C’mon Aaron!” occasionally. At times I wanted to chuck Clif bars at him, but it did help motivate me up the mountain. I made it up, but it beat me in it’s own way. I stopped more than a couple times to let my heart rate drop. I even walked the bike up a few sections. I reached the top, but probably walked about 1/5 of the entire climb.
White Oak Mountain:

Why did I partially fail? First, this mountain was simply too much for me to conquer without resting. I may never be able to do that. Second, I found myself less than hydrated because of some bad luck at the rest stop. My bottles were not sufficiently refilled and rather than drinking on the way up, I conserved and drank too little. Had I been hydrated I probably would have still needed to walk part of it, but the ride may not have been as punishing.
With White Oak out of the way, I felt pretty charged. This was the big one and any doubts about finishing were gone. I picked up the pace along the Green River Cove. The end of the road would be the last of the major climbs of the day. As expected, this one went a lot smoother. It was certainly no slouch, far from it, but anything would feel easier after White Oak. For me, the switchbacks were difficult to navigate. I found myself wanting to take the turns wide, getting in the other lane, but of course I had to be careful of the handful of cars that were also winding their way around the road. I still took a couple breaks and once walked the bike a smidge, but this time I did not have to. This hill was within my capabilities.
Green River Cove Rd:

The ride back should have been nice and relaxing, especially down the Greenville Watershed, but mother nature had other plans. Rain came, lots of it. It followed us all the way to the watershed and down. We contemplated skipping the last major climb, Callahan Mountain, but as noted before, my plan was to finish the entire course. After about 20 miles in heavy rain, we got a little break, which I treated as a sprint the last few miles. This was a good test of the legs and they responded. I was able to keep at a fast pace throughout these rolling hills until we got back to the starting point.
This was a major accomplish for me and now I am certain that I will be able to conquer Mitchell.
Stats from phone:

by Aaron West
http://steepclimbs.com

Marquis de Sade Preview

So this Saturday is the long-awaited ‘Marquis de Sade’ ride. Those who are aware of the historical figure
will understand that this is no ordinary ride. The Marquis was fond of a sort of wicked, deviant, sadistic form of pleasure, which could easily compared to some idiot (me) who decides to ride their bike up a mountain. In other words, this one will hurt.
The ride begins at North Greenville University in Tigerville, SC and hits the biggest climbs in the vicinity. There are three specific climbs that I’ll be feeling Sunday morning. There is the Saluda Watershed, Green River Cove, and White Oak Mountain, otherwise known as “the one that keeps on going.” The course for this year has been posted and it appears the total elevation is not as much as originally advertised. There are only 5,700 feet of climbing compared with the 8,000 I expected.
Needless to say, this will be the most difficult ride I have yet attempted. This will be the measure to find out how well, or how little, I have trained. I’ll admit that over the last few days I have been a bit scared. These roads are daunting, and when viewed on YouTube, they look nearly insurmountable. Today I feel a little more confident because, with the help of others, I have a strong plan of attack.

First off, I have not been on the bike since Sunday. I had planned on doing a slow, short ride yesterday, but the weather had other plans. I will likely do this tomorrow instead, but the pace will be so slow and most will be downhill, so this will do little more than keep the muscles loose.

I am eating well this week. So far I am maintaining three balanced meals that include protein and the good kind of fat, and the appropriate mixture of carbs, calcium, and all that other good stuff. Since I am not riding too much, there is no need to “carboload” although I will probably have an extra serving of carbs both tomorrow and Friday night. More importantly, I have a plan for the ride. In short, I will be regularly feeding myself either via liquid or solid. There are only two rest stops, so I will be carrying a decent sized fanny pack with gels, Clif bar minis, and maybe a couple goodies. The rest stops should have more substantial offerings to keep my belly full.

One of my poorer tendencies is to try and ride with the pack rather than slow down and pace myself. That is my competitive instinct. I always want to be the front runner and take the wind, and sometimes I am strong enough to do so, but in this case I will want to take it easy and not push myself. I will ride at a reasonable pace during the flats and will spin up the hills. The course will be plugged into my Garmin so I don’t have to worry about getting dropped or lost. Speed is not a factor for me. I would like to conquer it in five or six hours, however ambitious that is, but since I will be taking my time, the more likely scenario is 7-8 hours including stops.

The videos below show the three hills through the eyes of a motorcyclists. There probably are bicycling videos out there, but who has time to watch those?


White Oak Mountain - The grandaddy of them all. This is over 4 miles and according to the course map, the average grade is almost 8%. This video perhaps does not do the road justice because it is going down, making a number of the hills look more less challenging. Trust me, they will look like hell going up.

Green River Cove - This is like White Oak’s younger brother. I believe it is half the distance and overall not quite as steep, but this is no slouch. This one will be even more difficult because it will be at the end of the course, after my legs have been ‘white oak’ed to death.

Saluda Watershed – After looking at the other videos, this one looks like a cakewalk. It is a lighter grade, around 3% and I think the steepest is 6%, but it goes on awhile. This is the first of the climbs and frankly does not look like much worse than what Fort Jackson throws at me.
(image credit: Bob Scofield)

-Aaron West

Read More @ http://steepclimbs.com