by Jess Evans
July 19, 2018

Bike packing is a separate activity from Adventure Racing, but I have found that bike packing has helped me to become a more successful Adventure Race and especially an Expedition Adventure Racer. I have bike packed two thirds of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (also known as the TDR) which starts in Banff, Albert and ends in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. I hope to finish the last 1000 miles later this year.

With bike packing, you need the gear, the logistics, the endurance, and the mental discipline to keep going day after day. Two excellent sources of bike packing are bikepacking.com and adventurecycling.org

I have a wonderful friend, Tracy Burge, who introduced me to bike packing. She started me out slowly with 3 or 4 day long road biking trips in Ohio. Then we hit the big one with the TDR. She completed the route in 2012 and was excited to share it with her friends. I had to get all the bike packs, which I purchased from Revelate.

Then I purchased my maps from Adventure Cycling Association. I trained for a few months and then felt somewhat ready. Two things I was not quite ready for was the altitude and the endless hours on the bike.

When you are bike packing, especially through wilderness or remote areas, you must plan ahead to make sure you have enough food and water to get to your next supply location. Each evening we would pull out our maps while we munched on our gas station supply of food and determined how far we were going and where we could stop to resupply. We had a water filter with us, which allowed us to stop at any mountain stream for water. However, we had to make sure there was at least one stream we would cross over the next day to supply us with water. Only once did I run out of water, near Yellowstone National Park. Luckily, a stream was not far ahead and I re-supplied without too much suffering.

You also need to carry bike tools and some accessories just in case something breaks. You hope you do not bend a derailler hanger on a rock, which luckily, we did not. But we did have a part of a bike seat break near Whitefish, Montana and had to stop for a while to get that fixed. It is super nice that most larger towns have at least one bike shop open. Also, the bike shops along these common bike packing routes are accustomed to riders rolling in right off the trail to get assistance and get on their way. You will look the part of a disheveled, dusty mountain biker strolling into the shop while on the TDR.

Bike packing is fun and a great way to see our beautiful world. I am looking forward to finishing the TDR with some great riding friends later this summer.

by Jess Evans
July 16, 2018

Many of you have been receiving those exciting and enticing messages about The Frog from Cecil McFarland. He has certainly created the suspense for this race. He has designed this year’s second Unbridled Race, and the anticipation is building.

From reading his messages, I gather only a few things.

1) There are two dams somewhere on Green River Lake.

2) If you only find one of the dams, you are lost.

3) The single track riding is excellent.

4) Racers will be on a majority of the 50 miles of trails around the lake.

5) You were super smart if you registered before April 14. You were fairly smart if you registered before June 16. You are still smart if you register before July 31, just not as much as your earlier cohorts.

6) They are trying out a new navigation system where words are used to hint at the locations – for example the start/finish is at spooks.jigsaw.roses (I have no idea what that means.)

This is Cecil we are talking about, so expect a little craziness.

The Frog is a 12-hour adventure race at Green River Lake in Kentucky. Race takes place Saturday, August 4. Registration closes July 31. Make sure you register to get in on all the crazy fun Cecil is planning.

by Shawn Lemaster
July 12, 2018

These tiny little things can bring the fastest of racers to a hobble. At the very least, they can greatly hamper an otherwise enjoyable race. On the other extreme, they’ve forced many teams off the course completely.

By necessity, I have become my team’s blister guy. I have incredibly soft feet, like those of an infant. It’s embarrassing. I have learned however, through many years of trail & error, how to significantly prevent and treat these suckers.

Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix 3 paragraph blog post that’s going to get you there. It starts with selecting the perfect socks & shoes, building up your feet through training, addressing hotspots early on, and eventually popping and taping blisters that actually form during a race. That’s what this post/video is about – taping blisters on course.

I’ve done it several different ways, and I’ve seen it done a host of different ways during long races by the medical staff treating foot after foot at the TAs. The way I demonstrate in this video is pretty much the “accepted” way to tape by the experts. It includes a few frills that you may not take (due to time or materials), but I’ve found it is the most effective.

If you’re prone to blisters, have an untested distance coming up, or really like touching other people’s feet, then learn how! On the other hand, to prevent blisters in the first place and learn about all things feet, consider reading Fixing Your Feet. It’s the bible of foot care.

by Jess Evans
July 10, 2018

In less than a month, I will be joining the team “Only MOSTLY Lost” in the Untamed New England 4-day expedition race in New Hampshire. (Side note: 361 Adventures will be racing there too!) This will be my first time to New England – clearly the best way to see the region is to do an adventure race. When I return, I will gladly share the race stories in blog posts, but in preparation for this event, I thought the name “Only MOSTLY Lost” may need some explanation.

For those of you who grew up loving the movie “The Princess Bride”, (like me) the very fact that I have to “explain it” is sacrilege. But I suspect, there are some out there who are not familiar with this very important and iconic movie. (Disclaimer: I am NOT a movie critic by any stretch of the imagination. Therefore, if you know of or have seen “The Princess Bride” and thoroughly hate it… well, sorry.)

In the movie, the great hero, Wesley, goes on a long distance journey to save his love, Buttercup. The “Only MOSTLY Lost” team is going on a long journey too, but it is unlikely we will save anyone. Sadly, our brave hero is killed by the evil Prince Humperdinck. The hero’s forlorn friends take him to the great, although bitter, Miracle Max who was fired by the evil prince. Miracle Max states wisely that Wesley is not all the way dead, but only MOSTLY dead. Therefore, he is still slightly alive. Miracle Max is able to bring Wesley back to life, and Wesley saves his bride, the castle, and frankly, all the land.

What does this have to do with my team? Not a heck of a lot. We are going on a journey, but that is about as similar to the movie as it gets. We won’t have a goal of saving a princess. We won’t run into an evil prince that tries to kill us. We won’t get lost in a fire swamp with Rodents of Unusual Size (well, this one could happen…) We won’t meet a great miracle worker who is bitter about his last employment circumstances. BUT we are “only MOSTLY lost”, therefore, never give up hope thinking we are completely lost. There will always be a small inkling of “found-ness” in our thoughts and steps.

If you are racing, I look forward to seeing you there. If not, follow all your favorite teams at the Untamed New England website. They are going to have trackers on all of us.

by Jess Evans
July 2, 2018

July is the vacation month for many families in the United States.  We will be at the lake boating, swimming, or paddling.  We will be on the trail walking, running, biking, or trekking.  We will be in the mountains climbing, hiking, bike pushing, or bush-whacking.  We will be drenched in sweat or soaked from the rain. We will be slathered with sunscreen and bug spray.  This is what summer is all about.  My July vacation will be in New Hampshire at the Untamed New England Expedition Race, where I will likely experiencing all the above.

For the month of July there are 8 races in the United States and 1 in Canada. You will find races in Ontario, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Kentucky, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Colorado. The East still dominates the adventure race scene, but the West is revving up with more races to come at the end of the summer. As I seem to say a lot, it is great to see all these races around the United States bringing new and old racers to beautiful areas with the goal of challenging their bodies and their minds through well organized adventure races.

Have a great adventure racing summer!