Fall/Winter 2004 - 2005

Cyclocross biking gains appeal and interest in the
Methow Valley
by Ann McCreary

The array of recreation opportunities in the Methow Valley has always been one of the most attractive parts of living or vacationing here. And recreation options continue to expand and evolve in the valley. Biathlon, for example, has emerged as an organized winter activity in the valley only during the past couple of years.

Another sport that is gaining in local appeal is cyclocross biking. Also known as “cross” biking, it’s an activity that takes advantage of the uniquely varied terrain, trails and roads found in the Methow Valley.

Cyclocross bikes look a lot like road bikes and are about the same weight, but have bigger tires and lower gears than a road bike, says Mike McIntyre, who has a bike shop near Winthrop. “It has a more relaxed geometry, which makes it more stable and handle better than a road bike,” McIntyre says.

The bike is designed to ride on unpaved roads and trails, but it is a lot faster on pavement than a traditional mountain bike. “It gives you variety. You can ride on the road, on single track and gravel. You can get out on cross bikes and explore a lot of the roads that you normally don’t ride on a mountain bike,” McIntyre says.

"You can ride on the road, on single track and gravel."

Cyclocross is not as well known in the United States as it is in Europe, where it originated more than 50 years ago as a way for road racers to maintain their fitness through fall and early winter. In recent years, however, cyclocross is attracting a greater following in this country, says Joe Brown, a Valley resident who has competed for more than a decade in national and international cyclocross events, most recently with support from Kona Mountain Bikes of Ferndale, Wa.

In response to the growing interest in cyclocross, MVSTA has included cyclocross races in this year’s annual Bike Festival, Oct. 1-3. Brown says the introduction of cyclocross events in the Methow Valley fills a “big gap” in opportunities for cyclists here.

“I get the sense that it (cyclocross) is catching on in terms of a different bike and a different focus. I think the fact that MVSTA is willing to do this means there’s awareness and interest,” Brown says.

To encourage that interest, Brown is planning to conduct some evening and weekend clinics and training sessions before and after the Bike Festival. “We want to use the Bike Festival cyclocross races as the showcase,” he says. “It can give people a chance to learn and apply new skills.” Once people have mastered some of the fundamentals, Brown is planning some small local races in September and October “with an emphasis on fun more than competition,” he says.

The schedule includes Tuesday night training sessions through October, and weekend races on Sept. 25, Oct. 2, and Oct. 17. For more information, contact Brown at 996-8203.

Brown and other cyclists are working with MVSTA to prepare a cyclocross race and training course, which will be on the site of the winter sprint course at the overflow parking area on Sun Mountain.

Northwest cross riders approach a barrier. "The goal is to ride toward a barrier, dismount, lift the bike, and run over it with virtually no change in speed," Brown says.

A former mountain bike racer, Brown says cyclocross races are far more spectator-friendly. While mountain bike races tend to take a few hours and are held on courses in remote areas, cyclocross races are only about an hour long, and are held on a circuit course 1-2 miles long that is easily viewed by spectators.

The race course is usually a mix of surfaces – grass, dirt, fields, perhaps some short stretches of pavement. The terrain tends to be rolling, with some steep sections, Brown says. The races also include places where riders are forced to dismount and run with their bikes over obstacles.
“The idea is that you have a variety of obstacles, called barriers, set up to break up the race,” Brown says. “The whole idea is there’s some amount of running and some amount of biking. You can’t just put your head down and peddle faster than everyone else.”

It is the transitions from riding to running that sets cyclocross apart from other types of bike racing, Brown said. Making the transitions as fast and smooth as possible is critical to a racer’s success.

“If you’re on and off your bike 13 times in a lap, and you’re smooth in making those transitions, the technique part of it is really important,” Brown says. The goal is to ride toward a barrier, dismount, lift the bike and run over it with virtually no change in speed, and then mount again and keep riding.

Training for the event involves “breaking down every transition into really small pieces, so you’re not thinking about how high to lift the bike, where to put your feet, how to hold the bike,” Brown says. His training also involves trail running and time on his bike, as well as conditioning and stretching and working with weights to prevent injury during transitions.

The cyclocross racing season runs mid-September through December, which means races are often held in challenging weather. Brown recalls riding in a national championship several years ago near Boulder, Colo. in December. The ground was covered with a foot and half of frozen slush and snow. “On every lap I crashed,” Brown recalls.

For riders who aren’t interested in the competitive side of the sport, cyclocross provides a great way to tap into the variety of terrain in the valley, says McIntyre. Cross bikes offer the ability to devise routes that combine pavement, gravel and single track in a single ride. You can even ride all the way from the Methow Valley to Conconully on a combination of gravel and pavement – something you’d be less be inclined to try on a road or mountain bike.

McIntyre believes road bikes and cyclocross bikes are becoming more popular partly because the former mountain bike enthusiasts are getting older and less inclined to seek out single track. “They don’t want to get beat up so bad,” he says.

Cyclocross offers more flexibility in dealing with the terrain and weather conditions than other bikes, he says. “In bad weather we don’t ride our road bikes, we ride our cross bikes. They’re tougher and more stable. They’re very forgiving.”

For instance, you could ride over Boulder Creek all the way from the Methow Valley to Conconully, about half paved and half gravel roads, McIntyre said. That’s not a ride you’d be likely to try on either a road bike or a mountain bike.

A few years ago, mountain biking was the rage, both in the Methow and nationally, but the trend has shifted, and more people are choosing to ride on roads.

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During mid-summer, as the temperature stretches toward one hundred degrees, we make our daily pilgrimage out the back door of our home in Skykomish, down the bank to the river to seek solace from the heat. It seems an odd juxtaposition that our conversations always return to wood stoves, nightly snowfall, skiing, perfect blue-sky days, and perhaps most importantly, long Italian-style meals shared with family and friends in the Methow Valley. Of course, there is the inevitable outhouse dialogue as well, recalling heated debates on how to use the facilities in the most efficient manner while not breathing through the nose.

It’s difficult to imagine how we made the most of our winter vacations before discovering the Methow Valley’s Rendezvous Huts, a hut system made up of five unique cabins located along the superbly groomed Rendezvous Trail system. While each hut has its own rustic charm, they all offer the essentials for a comfortable stay without having to pack in a lot of extra gear: a wood stove for heat, propane lights and cook stove, ample cooking supplies, comfortable bunks and mattresses for eight to ten people, and a spectacular view. Visitors only need to bring their food, personal gear, sleeping bags, and a willingness to leave the daily grind behind.

With the arrival our beautiful daughter Mia nearly five years ago, my wife and I understood the importance of maintaining a healthy and active family lifestyle. One of our goals was that our daughter would grow up to view experiences like our annual hut trips as the norm, not just an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. I remember the first time I realized that Mia wasn’t playing house at pre-school, or wasn’t building a fort with the other children in her class, she was playing "hut". It was a quality moment as a parent, and I relished the fact that for her, skiing into (or being hauled into) one of the five Rendezvous Huts was just a natural and desirable part of our lives.

The pulk is indespensible if you are skiing with small children.

When my daughter was younger, and a lot lighter, we were able to ski to the huts with her in a backpack. As time went by, we came to the realization that this was not the best option for any of us. Shortly after, we began renting a pulk from Winthrop Mountain Sports. The pulk allowed us the freedom to pull Mia in a deluxe sled specially built for the task, while we skied. We’ve recently begun carrying her skis with us in the pulk and have been happy to find that she’s often eager to get out and cover some ground on her own skis. If the weather does take a turn for the worse, the pulk also has a full weather shield to keep her warm and dry and able to concentrate on the important things like books and snacks, all the while directing that we speed up or slow down!

Our family also takes advantage of the optional gear shuttle, so while we’re enjoying the ski in or out with only what we need for the day, our gear is hauled for us by snow machine. The gear shuttle is a perfect option for anyone who doesn’t fancy the notion of skiing under the burden of a fully loaded pack. In addition, choosing to have your gear hauled by snowmobile makes the Rendezvous Huts more accessible to a wider range of skiers. Even the most novice skier is free to enjoy predictably excellent trail conditions on their way to the hut.

Reflecting on our first few hut sojourns, it seems to me that we spent a great deal of time thinking about the trip logistically in terms of getting packed up, transporting gear, and staying on schedule. It was only over time that we came to appreciate that perhaps the best part of the adventure was the time in the middle, where we were simply spending our day at and around the hut rather than skiing into or out from it. For me, the beauty lies in the little details, whether it be crawling out of my sleeping bag in those chilly pre-dawn hours to get the fire going, putting on a fresh pot of coffee, or drinking wine and preparing an evening feast after a glorious day of skiing.

And the skiing is glorious! The extensive Rendezvous Trail system offers varied terrain for even the most seasoned classic or skate skier. With no shortage of elevation, and stunning views of the North Cascades, the skiing is figuratively and literally breathtaking. But– and this is important to note– novice skiers, too, will find sections of the trail system that will comfortably match their skiing expertise.

In addition to providing spectacular groomed-trail skiing, snowshoeing, or backcountry skiing possibilities, the Rendezvous Hut experience affords ample opportunity for quality time with family and friends. Last winter, my brother capitalized on an already perfect winter day by proposing to his girlfriend Phoebe. Whether it was from exhaustion from the previous day’s ski, or the overabundance of fresh mountain air, Phoebe agreed to become a part of our family and to let us become a part of hers.

Peter Stratman (aka Zio) proposes to Phoebe Slater at the Rendezvous Hut. She accepts.

As good as the Rendezvous Hut experience can be, it is important to keep in mind that despite the best of intentions, skiing into a hut is a true wilderness experience, and things may not always work out as planned. For example, on our first trip into Gardner Hut a few years back we made a variety of first-timer errors. Our initial and most potentially serious mistake was simply starting too late in the day. Anyone who has ever organized a family function can attest to the fact that it takes time and can be an experience likened to herding cats. When we should have been hitting the trail, we were still hauling and packing gear, picking up last minute grocery supplies in Winthrop, and purchasing trail passes. It was late in the day before we finally donned our skis and started on the trail. Even though it’s a been a few years since then, I can still recall the trepidation that I felt skiing toward darkness with my daughter bundled up in a pack on my back. When we finally reached the hut, it was well after dark with headlamps lighting our way.

Thankfully, our other errors of inexperience carried consequences not so serious. Those errors amounted to miscalculations of matters relating to our menu. Because we hadn’t counted on such a well-equipped kitchen, we brought food better suited for a Boy Scout camp-out rather than real food for a gourmet dining experience. Over the next few years we have dined on substantially better fare. Some of our finest culinary achievements included fresh cinnamon rolls, rosemary and potato pizza, and garlic and seafood pasta. The possibilities for gourmet delights are limitless! It all depends on the imagination and the willingness of those in your party to be adventurous in a hut kitchen.

Each year, as summer slips toward autumn, I find my thoughts turning to those cozy nights in the mountains. As the leaves fall, the days get shorter, the weather turns colder, and the snow finally begins to fly, we will be setting our sights on yet another Rendezvous Hut adventure.

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The Tour de France: up close & personal
by Linda Beebe

By now, most of you know the outcome of this year’s 2004 Tour de France. Lance Armstrong’s unprecedented sixth Tour de France is a feat never accomplished before, surpassing four other great riders – Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain, who all won five Tours de France.

Sandy Beebe gets some physical therapy from Pete Dickinson at the village fountain.

There was incredible hype for this year’s Tour, ince Armstrong won by a very slim margin of 61 seconds to his perennial runner-up, the very likable Jan Ulrich. Last year’s Tour witnessed a vulnerable Armstrong (a fact that humanized him to the French, great lovers of “la soufferance”). There is also “the curse of the sixth,” something none of the four other five-time winners were able to accomplish. And then there was Armstrong’s personal life: 32 years old, newly divorced, with multiple demands on his time between his cancer foundation, his icon status, multiple sponsors, and a rock star girlfriend, (Sheryl Crow). Surely all of this would take its toll on Armstrong, and the Tour contenders were chomping at the bit. Add to these factors the usual doping scandals that surface every year, and the Tour had it all – a three-week reality TV show that was took place all over France. “Survivor,” eat your heart out!

The logistics of this travelling bike race is mind-boggling. The three-week event takes 21 teams of nine riders per team throughout the country. Travelling with each team of racers is a supporting entourage that includes a team director, mechanics, cook, managers, team doctor, and masseuses. In addition to the teams and their staffs, you have the Tour organizers, journalists from around the world, security people, and the Tour caravan – a travelling parade of sponsors that precedes the riders,. It’s a moving bike race of 4,500 people and 1,600 cars travelling 3,429 kilometres (around 2,000 miles) over 23 days. This is the Tour de France. Enough to keep any organizer awake at night!

None of these people get the luxury of staying in the same place for any length of time. Riders, after finishing a day’s race, are shuttled to the area of the next start. Lodging can be scarce for such a large volume of people, particularly in rural France, and getting the riders to their next destination in a timely fashion can be a challenge. This year’s mountaintop finish on the Plateau de Beille was plugged up with thousands of fans trying to get off the mountain after the Tour was over. The winner gets helicoptered off, while all of the other riders are stuck coming down in cars and team buses, along with thousands of adoring fans. That day’s transfer was particularly long, with some riders not reaching their hotel until . “L’Equipe,” the French sports newspaper that chronicles the Tour, was full of reports of frustrated and tired riders with cramped up legs stumbling out of the team buses five hours after finishing one of the hardest mountain days – 205 kilometres with seven climbs totalling 16,000 feet of ascent.

And imagine trying to provide television coverage of an event that is travelling an average of 100 miles each day. French television has helicopters that provide the world video feed watched by 2.5 billion people. It also has two relay planes, five motorcycles for video coverage and two motorcycles for voice coverage. The motorcycle drivers take great pleasure in their finely honed skills of negotiating tiny towns, avoiding spectators, flying around tight mountain passes with some poor photographer hanging on the back, balancing his large camera and himself while trying to film the riders. It makes you question the sanity of anyone willing to ride on the back of these moving missiles for three weeks, in rain, heat, snow and whatever else Mother Nature throws at them.

And then there are the fans. When I first saw the Tour in 1994, I was amazed at all of the people lining the roads, in all weather conditions, just for the chance to see and encourage a bunch of bike racers. In the flats, people may wait for several hours simply to see 189 riders go by in a blur of legs, wheels and colorful jerseys. The mountain stages are more rewarding for the fans. Tens of thousands of fans climb these passes via bike, car or foot (roads are often closed off early that morning or the night before) to see the riders grind it out on steep mountain roads that humble even the hardiest. There the fans get their show – riders suffering, glimpses of sheer mental and physical willpower, the battle of the fittest, the breakaways, the grupetto (the stragglers), struggling up the harder sections long after the grimpeurs (climbers) have finished. The mountains give fans the chance to get close to the racers, yell words of encouragement, chase after them, wave flags, throw water on them, moon them, and unfortunately, occasionally boo or heckle a rider.

I can’t think of any other sport where fans can get this close to the athletes. The riders, for the most part, seem unfazed while riding though the sea of humanity that appears to part as the rider approaches them. Over the years there have been a few close calls between fans and riders, like last year’s stage on the climb to Luz Ardiden, when Armstrong hooked his handlebars on a spectator’s bag and fell, with one of his opponents behind him also tumbling. It was one of the more dramatic moments of last year’s Tour.

French gendarmes maintain order and calm during the race.

While waiting for the riders to come by, the fans are entertained for hours with an endless stream of official cars, team cars, the media cars and media motorcycles and the publicity caravan – a fast-moving parade of floats, cars and people who honk, wave, play loud music and reward the fans with trinkets thrown from their vehicles. Diving through the crowds to accumulate a stash of trinkets helps keep fans occupied while waiting several hours for the race to come by.

In addition to the amazing proximity that fans can have to the athletes during the Tour de France, it is also the only international sporting event that is free. Free to watch on the road, 15 million spectators turn up to cheer on the riders. And French TV provides extensive coverage, starting every day in the afternoon, followed by post-race interviews and VeloClub ( Bike Club) a TV bike talk show that features a recap, presentation of one of the teams and their directeur sportif ( team manager), some tech talk, and often an interview with the “chou chou,” (darling) of the moment (usually French, after all it is their race). And if that isn’t enough coverage for you, there is “L’Equipe,” the French sports newspaper that dedicates three weeks of extensive coverage of the Tour with interviews, analysis, large color photos and dramatic headlines.

Tour coverage in the US has been on the rise. OLN provides good coverage and overall interest in the Tour in the United States (most likely due to Lance Armstrong) has increased. Even people who don’t ride bikes or much care about bike riding know about the Tour. Despite the growing coverage, there is nothing for bike junkies like seeing the Tour in person. We have seen the Tour “live” seven times now, and each time it is a new experience. There are the crowds, the traffic jams, the long waits for the riders, and the bad weather, but this is what the Tour is all about. The Tour is ordinary people going to watch 189 men do something most of us have done – ride a bike – but they do it at an extraordinary level.

And you thought I-5 was bad! Cars and trailer line up for miles to catch glimpses of the Tour de France bikers.

For a rider, there are few experiences more fun and humbling than grinding your way up a mountain pass on Tour day with other riders. Many spectators who are awaiting the Tour’s arrival greet you with the same enthusiasm they would a Tour rider. Cries of “Allez, allez” or “Courage” keep coming, while other spectators look you in the eyes to check your suffer meter. After all, this is what the sport is all about – which rider can out-suffer the others.

For the more sedate, or the bike groupies, there is “Le Depart” – the start. A town or city vies for the honor of hosting a start or finish – to the tune of 140,000 euros. Hosting the start is boost to the local economy and also very prestigious. This is a unique chance to get up-close and personal with the riders. There are interlocking barriers three feet high between fans and the area reserved for team buses, but if you get a good spot, you can see a lot of the riders as they go to the official sign-in on the podium. My personal highlight was when we had positioned ourselves by a barricade and the U.S. Postal bus pulled up three feet in front of us. In addition to watching all the happenings with the U.S. Postal team, riders rode right by us on the way to the podium sign-in.

I thought that Tour experiences couldn’t get much better, but I was outdone the following year by a friend who had discovered that there were lots of people who had managed to make their way inside the barriers. So he waited for the right moment, hopped the barriers and proceeded to wander at will amongst the team buses, talked to one of the lesser known American riders, checked out all of the high tech equipment and saw some of the Tour's most well-known riders really up-close and personal. Now that was a feat! Like Lance’s six victories, that will be hard to outdo!

Sandy & Linda Beebe

For those of you who just happen to be in France and aren’t avid bike enthusiasts, but wouldn’t want to miss out France’s biggest annual sporting event, there is always the café or the small, uncrowded roads. Check out the itinerary for the Tour for that day, (the Equipe publishes the itinerary and the times the Tour will be arriving at the towns) pick a small little village they will go whizzing through, head there and you can usually avoid the big crowds and traffic jams. You can then strategically position your self in a café and watch the hoopla while sipping le vin. Or you can do “le picnic,” find an uncrowded spot and do it French style – a petite table, le vin, la baguette, le saucisson, (sausage) le fromage, (cheese) enjoy the countryside and la bouffe (grub) and be prepared to stop eating and drinking long enough to catch some trinkets and yell “Allez! Allez!”

The Tour is 101 years old and has taken place every year except for a few years during World Wars I and II. Each year there is a new hero, not always the winner. And each year, about 189 riders show up at the beginning of July to ride the sport’s biggest race, most of them knowing they will never get a chance at the maillot jaune (the winner’s yellow jersey). But to them, to ride the Tour and to finish, and maybe have the chance to win a stage, will be one of the major achievements in their short careers. Each year, the French and people from all over the world line the roads of France, waiting for a brief glimpse to cheer on these amazing athletes as they cycle across France in what many, if not all, consider the world’s toughest sporting event.


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Four Ways to Beat Your Buddy
By Peter Dickinson

Honest, I’m not competitive. There is nothing better in the Methow Valley than heading out for a ski with your buddies. You find yourself starting out alone on a ski, and run across your friends; a quick change of direction maybe, and then you’re sharing a love of the outdoors. I like to share.

Skiing at a fast pace causes your muscles to produce lactate acid. As this acid builds up in the muscles, their ability to contract is impaired and fatigue occurs.

But there is this hill ahead of you, the buddy starts picking up the pace, you draw alongside, and before you know it, it’s a race to the top. This happens in every sport, whether it’s being half-wheeled on a bike ride, or half-stepped on a run.

Usually I suffer the worst in these situations. As my high school coach used to say, “Peter, you may be small, but you’re slow.” But when I can come up against someone in the same neighborhood of the gene pool, I know I have a chance.

I have put together the top four tips to beat your skiing buddy. These training techniques will develop your aerobic and fitness abilities to their maximum. Lets hope your buddy isn’t reading this too!

KNOW YOUR THRESHOLD
Skiing at a fast pace causes your muscles to produce lactate acid. As this acid builds up in the muscles, their ability to contract is impaired and fatigue occurs. Luckily, muscles are able to “clear” or remove lactate while you are producing it. The balance point of lactate clearance and production is called the Lactate Threshold. This is vital information for your training. Performing intervals at the lactate threshold pace once per week will supercharge your fitness. Training above this pace can lead to early burnout and over training, with no benefit to your fitness. The second most common training mistake is training at too high a heart rate during intense training.
The first step is to measure your lactate threshold. You can do this yourself by performing a field test. This is done with a 20-30 minute time trial. After a good warm-up, ski at your maximum steady pace for 30 minutes. This will give you the heart rate that closely corresponds to your threshold.

Lactate threshold can also be done by an exercise physiologist at a sports testing lab. It involves small finger pricks to measure the lactate acid at increasingly faster running or biking speeds. Heart rate is measured at the same time. You come out of the testing with a lactate profile, and the specific training heart rate to maximally improve your fitness.

GO SLOWER
The number one training mistake is going too hard for most of your exercise. Going at a fast pace all the time trains your body to use carbohydrate for its fuel. Oops, it forgets that most of its fuel is stored in fat. This will cause poor endurance during longer adventures and actually blunt your fast speeds, as the carbohydrate is used up too early in the ski. Hmmm, sounds like the Atkins approach to training.

One of the major principles of training is that you get good at what you do. Doing most of your training at a moderately fast speed lets you get good at going only moderately fast. The goal is to get as fast as possible. This is best accomplished by judicious use of fast training, with the majority of training done at slower paces to allow for recovery, better endurance, and optimal use of your body’s fuel stores.

The solution is to strap a heart rate monitor on your chest, and don’t exceed 75% of your maximum predicted heart rate (220 minus your age) during your training. Most heart rate monitors have very annoying beeps that will tell you when you are exceeding this value. Save one or two days a week for a fast interval workout at your threshold heart rate!

HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE
Any amount of dehydration will degrade performance. Your muscle cells require good hydration to contract, your heart needs water-rich blood to pump to the muscles. All this requires water! Living in the Northwest with an espresso stand on every corner doesn’t help the situation! It’s very common to become chronically dehydrated throughout the day. Dehydration can’t be made up by drinking a quick water bottle before you hit the trails. Good habits include drinking a like amount of water for each beverage containing caffeine. Seven glasses of water during the day should keep the tank full.

TRAIN FOR STRENGTH
Ninety percent of power and speed arises from a foundation of strength. This has been evident in the winter sport of alpine skiing for many years. There is now a resurgence of interest in strength training for endurance sports such as Nordic skiing. This is especially true in the Northwest with its steep terrain. Hill climbing is helped immensely by strong hips, the flats are helped by a strong upper body. Strength training is accomplished by doing an exercise that provides enough resistance that you become fatigued at around 8-10 repetitions.

Simple movements that can be done at home include single leg squats. This helps train balance, and develops strength in the key hip region. If you have a pull-up bar, chin-ups strengthen the arms and backs, essential for double poling. Remember, it’s the journey, not the finish that’s important – as long as you get there ahead of your buddy!

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