 |
| They told me to use engine ice in the desert... |
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Got a decent 180 km of riding this weekend
I'm getting more and more comfortable on the new bike and I think we will be pretty good friends by the time we get to Africa. The handlebars feels a bit lower compared to my 400 even though I have risers on but maybe thats just imagination. Anyhow, I don't want to put any higher risers on than I already have so I'll just have to get used to it.
My plan is to continue to focus on riding all throughout February and then I will service and modify the bike and pack my rallybox in March. The truck with all the bikes and luggage leaves for Spain on March 20 so I have about three weeks to get everything sorted. The rally box contains everything I need for my bike during the rally. Filters, oil, spares etc. I also need to fit all my food and sleeping bag in there as well. That combined with a weight limit on the box means the packing of the box is a project in its own and it will probably get its own blog post later.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Training for the desert in subzero temperatures
Its at the end of January and there is still quite a lot of snow left here in Sweden in and around Stockholm. I need some time in the saddle so my plan is to get as much riding time as possible up until the rally in March so since it was a beautiful winter day today I took the opportunity to get some good riding on snow covered dirt roads.
Riding with spike tires on snow covered roads is actually quite fun and I can really recommend it if you never tried it before. The only real differences compared to riding in the summer is that you need to put on a lot more clothes and if it's really cold you might need to cover up the radiators with some duct tape or cardboard so the engine gets warm enough.
It was about -7°C today with a clear blue sky and nice, dry snow. I had to stop every now and then and warm up my fingers but apart from that it was great and I got a couple of hours of riding. This was my second ride with the new KTM 530 and I'm starting to get used to it now. It's heavier and got different motor characteristics compared to my KTM 400. I think I need to adjust the gear selector a little and I also need to experiment with some different size sprockets to find out what I will be using in Morocko. I spoke to my riding partner Carl and we are currently thinking of using 14/45, with the possibility of switching to a 13 front sprocket if we need to in the dunes. The plan is for us to have as identical bikes as possible so we can share each others spare parts.
The rally is getting closer but when there is snow everywhere and you are standing with your hands in your underwear trying to get the feeling back in your frozen fingers the dunes in Sahara feels very distant...
 |
| Pogies keeps your hands out of the wind |
It was about -7°C today with a clear blue sky and nice, dry snow. I had to stop every now and then and warm up my fingers but apart from that it was great and I got a couple of hours of riding. This was my second ride with the new KTM 530 and I'm starting to get used to it now. It's heavier and got different motor characteristics compared to my KTM 400. I think I need to adjust the gear selector a little and I also need to experiment with some different size sprockets to find out what I will be using in Morocko. I spoke to my riding partner Carl and we are currently thinking of using 14/45, with the possibility of switching to a 13 front sprocket if we need to in the dunes. The plan is for us to have as identical bikes as possible so we can share each others spare parts.
 |
| Clear skies, beautiful sun and cold temperatures |
Sunday, December 26, 2010
'Twas the winter before the rally
So, its been exactly two months since my last update here. That means I've been busy with life I guess. You know, all the stuff that we need to do in order to be able to go riding in the desert. Unless you are working as a tour guide in the desert that is. :)
Even though I haven't posted anything here lately I still have been busy preparing myself for the next rally physically. Endurance and strength is important in any race and the same goes for rallies. If you don't get tired physically, you will be able to stay mentally fresh longer. And that means safer and faster riding. I usually try to train about 5 days a week. Divided 50/50 between strength and cardio/metcons. Now I'm gradually starting to switch over to more cardio/metcons to focus on endurance and when the race gets closer I will be doing mostly endurance training.
I also picked up my new bike today. Sort of like a late christmas gift for myself. It's a KTM 530 EXC Sixdays with about 50 hours on it. I think the 530 will be a perfect bike for the Tuareg Rally. This year I rode a KTM 400 EXC and it was great because of its low weight and easy handling. The only thing it lacked was some power and top speed. It wasn't a big issue but since I'm aiming at improving my results next year every little advantage I can get is needed so the extra power from the 530 will be most welcome in the dunes.
I will be posting updates on the work I'll be doing on the bike to prepare it for the race. Some things I know I will be doing are navigation tower, larger gas tank, water tanks and checking and replacing all the bearings and wires. I guess I will be spending a lot of hours in the garage in the nearby future…
Happy New Year to all of you!
Even though I haven't posted anything here lately I still have been busy preparing myself for the next rally physically. Endurance and strength is important in any race and the same goes for rallies. If you don't get tired physically, you will be able to stay mentally fresh longer. And that means safer and faster riding. I usually try to train about 5 days a week. Divided 50/50 between strength and cardio/metcons. Now I'm gradually starting to switch over to more cardio/metcons to focus on endurance and when the race gets closer I will be doing mostly endurance training.
 |
| The new weapon of choice. KTM 530 Sixdays |
I also picked up my new bike today. Sort of like a late christmas gift for myself. It's a KTM 530 EXC Sixdays with about 50 hours on it. I think the 530 will be a perfect bike for the Tuareg Rally. This year I rode a KTM 400 EXC and it was great because of its low weight and easy handling. The only thing it lacked was some power and top speed. It wasn't a big issue but since I'm aiming at improving my results next year every little advantage I can get is needed so the extra power from the 530 will be most welcome in the dunes.
I will be posting updates on the work I'll be doing on the bike to prepare it for the race. Some things I know I will be doing are navigation tower, larger gas tank, water tanks and checking and replacing all the bearings and wires. I guess I will be spending a lot of hours in the garage in the nearby future…
Happy New Year to all of you!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tretimmarsenduro för "sega gubbar"
This entire blog post is an article published in the Swedish newspaper Folkbladet about the 3-Hours Enduro Race that I participated in on October 2nd.
SMK Kolmårdens tretimmarsrace blev en succé. Både på och utanför banan.
- Tror aldrig vi har haft så mycket publik, säger Peter Turesson, banbyggare och tävlande.
Den knappt åtta kilometer långa banan gick över crossbanan, samt en sväng genom närliggande skogen.
- Ett tufft varv. På förhand visste jag inte ens om jag skulle orka köra i tre timmar, fortsätter Peter Turesson.
Men han orkade nio varv och hamnade överraskande högt upp i den individuella resultatlistan.
Välmeriterade Linus Karlsson hann med tolv varv och vann klassen "Sega gubbar". Linus, från SMK Östgöta, ska i höst köra lag-VM (Sixdays) i Mexiko. [Six Days Enduro 2010 Daniel's note]
Hela 38 lag - och 76 förare - kämpade om segern i lagtävlingen och föga förvånande blev det Linus Fasth och Anders Sydborg som gick segrande ur striden. Andreas Carlsson och Pontus Bard kom tvåa.
Här körde man alltså vartannat varv under tre timmars tid. Många förare hade redan anknytning till SMK Kolmården och de som inte hade någon sådan fick lösa medlemsskap innan start.
Pär Andersson
View the original article in Folkbladet here.
SMK Kolmårdens tretimmarsrace blev en succé. Både på och utanför banan.
- Tror aldrig vi har haft så mycket publik, säger Peter Turesson, banbyggare och tävlande.
Den knappt åtta kilometer långa banan gick över crossbanan, samt en sväng genom närliggande skogen.
- Ett tufft varv. På förhand visste jag inte ens om jag skulle orka köra i tre timmar, fortsätter Peter Turesson.
Men han orkade nio varv och hamnade överraskande högt upp i den individuella resultatlistan.
Välmeriterade Linus Karlsson hann med tolv varv och vann klassen "Sega gubbar". Linus, från SMK Östgöta, ska i höst köra lag-VM (Sixdays) i Mexiko. [Six Days Enduro 2010 Daniel's note]
Hela 38 lag - och 76 förare - kämpade om segern i lagtävlingen och föga förvånande blev det Linus Fasth och Anders Sydborg som gick segrande ur striden. Andreas Carlsson och Pontus Bard kom tvåa.
Här körde man alltså vartannat varv under tre timmars tid. Många förare hade redan anknytning till SMK Kolmården och de som inte hade någon sådan fick lösa medlemsskap innan start.
Pär Andersson
View the original article in Folkbladet here.
Monday, October 4, 2010
3-Hours Enduro Race
This weekend I packed my gear, loaded the bike and took an hour and a half drive down to Norrköping south of Stockholm to participate in the 3-hour Enduro race. The race is a yearly event held by the local club SMK Kolmården. The race is simple enough: you race for 3-hours straight and the rider with most laps and shortest time wins. Last year was my first time at this event and I teamed up with Carl Hagenblad and our two-man team finished 13 out of 39 teams. This year they've added a one-man team class. Of course I couldn't let that training opportunity let me pass by so this year we decided to race by ourselves. Each man on his own. That means three hours of constant riding except for stopping for fuel or eating.
Ronnie Bodinger, whom together with me and Carl Hagenblad raced in the Tuareg Rally 2010, showed up with his brand new Husaberg. Ronnie is preparing for the Dakar Rally 2011 so he is trying to get some mileage on his two Husabergs. One of them will be his racing bike and the other one is brought for spares. I wish him the best of luck in his preparations and I'm sure we'll hear more of him as we get closer to the rally.
The start went fairly smooth and most of the riders were keeping a quite moderate pace except for the top riders, of whom most are competing in nationals so they are at a whole other level than the rest of us enduro wannabes, so I guess I was not the only one trying to find a pace that I would be able to sustain for three hours. After a couple of minutes I pass Ronnie whos bike had stopped. Later it turns out he spent an hour trying to get it running again so it wasn't much of a race for him.
Half way through the first lap I passed another friend of mine, David Åkerskog. David beat me by one place in the 4-days Enduro event this summer and he's been letting me hear it every time we've met ever since so I sure wasn't going to let him beat me this time. This is, by the way, another great thing that I really like about this sport. Most of the people I've gotten to know through riding are all very relaxed and friendly people. Sure, when the race is on we all get competitive and race as hard as we can, and of course we'll psych and rant each other before and after the race. But it's all done in a friendly tone and at the end of the day we'll all have a good laugh and a brew. And thats the beauty of it. True sportsmanship.
My initial plan was to only make one pit stop to refuel so I wouldn't waste to much time standing still but an hour into the race I started to feel the fact that my cardio isn't at its peak right now. (Which is according to plan since I'm planning on peaking in March when the Tuareg Rally will take place) So I decided that I would make two stops so I could fuel my body as well as the bike. At this point I was holding a pace that allowed me to do three laps in an hour.
The second hour went on pretty well but I started to get really tired at the end of my sixth lap when I went in for my second refuel. At least I was still keeping the pace of three laps an hour. I refueled, washed down a piece of a FlapJack with some water, told myself I could rest some other day, and rolled out for my third hour. By now my grip was suffering and it felt like I was riding at a painfully slow pace. Barely able to stay on the track sometimes.
I managed to get 9 laps in three hours and finished at ninth place out of 18 riders in the solo class and looking at the lap times it seems I was able to hold a steady pace throughout the race. Despite how slow it felt that I was riding and the end of the race. The day after I felt at least 10 years older when I woke up with pretty much every muscle in my body being sore. Luckily it wore off pretty quickly.
Lap times:
Lap 1: 0:19:27 (9)
Lap 2: 0:20:20 (8)
Lap 3: 0:21:20 (9)
Lap 4: 0:23:54 (9)
Lap 5: 0:22:42 (8)
Lap 6: 0:23:19 (8)
Lap 7: 0:27:25 (9)
Lap 8: 0:23:00 (9)
Lap 9: 0:23:10 (9)
Total: 3:24:37 (9)
All in all it was a good race and very well organized, and a perfect opportunity to get a lot of riding time and a good workout. Getting a lot of riding time is probably one of the best thing you can do in preparation for a rally. Feeling comfortable in the saddle and being able to drive fast and intuitively while still being relaxed will save you a lot of energy. When you're racing for one or two weeks you have to household with your strength and riding safe, smart, and effortless will get you a long way in a rally raid event.
Ronnie Bodinger, whom together with me and Carl Hagenblad raced in the Tuareg Rally 2010, showed up with his brand new Husaberg. Ronnie is preparing for the Dakar Rally 2011 so he is trying to get some mileage on his two Husabergs. One of them will be his racing bike and the other one is brought for spares. I wish him the best of luck in his preparations and I'm sure we'll hear more of him as we get closer to the rally.
The start went fairly smooth and most of the riders were keeping a quite moderate pace except for the top riders, of whom most are competing in nationals so they are at a whole other level than the rest of us enduro wannabes, so I guess I was not the only one trying to find a pace that I would be able to sustain for three hours. After a couple of minutes I pass Ronnie whos bike had stopped. Later it turns out he spent an hour trying to get it running again so it wasn't much of a race for him.
 |
| Turn left for shifts and the pit. Right if you're a loner. |
My initial plan was to only make one pit stop to refuel so I wouldn't waste to much time standing still but an hour into the race I started to feel the fact that my cardio isn't at its peak right now. (Which is according to plan since I'm planning on peaking in March when the Tuareg Rally will take place) So I decided that I would make two stops so I could fuel my body as well as the bike. At this point I was holding a pace that allowed me to do three laps in an hour.
The second hour went on pretty well but I started to get really tired at the end of my sixth lap when I went in for my second refuel. At least I was still keeping the pace of three laps an hour. I refueled, washed down a piece of a FlapJack with some water, told myself I could rest some other day, and rolled out for my third hour. By now my grip was suffering and it felt like I was riding at a painfully slow pace. Barely able to stay on the track sometimes.
I managed to get 9 laps in three hours and finished at ninth place out of 18 riders in the solo class and looking at the lap times it seems I was able to hold a steady pace throughout the race. Despite how slow it felt that I was riding and the end of the race. The day after I felt at least 10 years older when I woke up with pretty much every muscle in my body being sore. Luckily it wore off pretty quickly.
Lap times:
Lap 1: 0:19:27 (9)
Lap 2: 0:20:20 (8)
Lap 3: 0:21:20 (9)
Lap 4: 0:23:54 (9)
Lap 5: 0:22:42 (8)
Lap 6: 0:23:19 (8)
Lap 7: 0:27:25 (9)
Lap 8: 0:23:00 (9)
Lap 9: 0:23:10 (9)
Total: 3:24:37 (9)
All in all it was a good race and very well organized, and a perfect opportunity to get a lot of riding time and a good workout. Getting a lot of riding time is probably one of the best thing you can do in preparation for a rally. Feeling comfortable in the saddle and being able to drive fast and intuitively while still being relaxed will save you a lot of energy. When you're racing for one or two weeks you have to household with your strength and riding safe, smart, and effortless will get you a long way in a rally raid event.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)