'25 Breck Epic - day 2

On Friday I told Karel that my plan was to ride to Leadville CO (40 miles away) to check out the Leadville 100 MTB event. I rode by Leadville last time we were here but did not go into the town. With the event starting at 6am for the elites, I figured the first finishers would arrive before noon. Instead of biking first thing in the morning, I did a 44 min, 4.7 mile run. I find running very difficult here in Breckenridge because of the altitude so I include a lot of walking while I run. Around 9am, I headed out on my bike for my ride. While I was away, Karel did a ~90. min ride on his mountain bike and watched the Leadville coverage on YouTube. 

These pictures are all from the bike path system around the area. 20 miles of my 40 mile ride to Leadville were car-free on the bike path. I rode from Breckenridge to the town of Frisco and then to Copper Mountain. I then got on to the hwy and continued climbing until Fremont pass. Around 20 miles of continuous uphill. 

Although the cars/trucks were driving fast on the highway, I felt safe. When I ride, I carry a few things with me to help keep me safe. 

-Cycplus E-pump

-ID card 

-Garmin Varia rear light 

-Bike computer with navigation loaded 

-Dynaplug 

-Multitool 

When I go for long rides on my road bike, I like to wear my hydration pack as it limits stopping. Plus I don't have to worry about finding places to refill my bottles every 2 hours. It's also nice for holding a light jacket or gloves/arm warmers. The weather was a bit chilly this morning so I started out with arm warmers and gloves but quickly removed them after around 20 minutes. 

I had headwind for the entire climb up to Fremont pass and then more headwind while descending for 10 miles. This climb is really challenging as it's an uncomfortable 7% and a long grind for 10+ miles on the highway. 

2:36 and 40 miles (and 2500 feet later), I made it to Leadville, which sits at 10,000 feet. The male winner finished just as I was rolling in to town. The town was small but very cute with lots of old buildings and local stores. 

I hung around the area for around 30 minutes. 

I chatted with my friend Bill who is with Never Second (my favorite sport nutrition for running) and then made my way back to Breckenridge. 

I was super happy that the wind direction stayed the same and I had tailwind for most of the ride back. I averaged 15.5 mph on the way there and made it back in 2:16 at 18 mph. The 16 mile climb back was not as steep as on the way out. 

I made it back before 3pm for a total of 4:51 hrs, 81 miles, ~4700 feet of elevation and 16.6 mph. I still find the altitude to be challenging while exercising as I'm constantly feeling like I am working harder than I am but the views are absolutely incredible so I am not complaining. 

Karel and I watched the T100 pro race on YouTube and at 5pm we went to the rider meeting at the race village by the Beaver Run resort. Karel is feeling good and is looking forward to 6 days of backcountry riding and working through all the highs and lows that come with stage racing. 

'25 Breck Epic - travel and Day 1

 

In 2023, Karel completed Breck Epic. He finished feeling accomplished and slightly unfulfilled as he felt like he could have done better. 

Breck Epic is a challenging 6-day (Sun-Fri) mountain bike stage race held in Breckenridge Colorado. Breckenridge sits at 9700 feet so each stage of Breck Epic takes place between 10-12,000 feet. Within 6 days, riders will cover over 220 miles of backcountry trails. The race includes long climbs, fast descents and varied trail conditions. There are a lot of rocks! Even the best elite riders are known to "hike-a-bike" certain sections. Known as one of the hardest mountain bike events in the world, Breck Epic will test the riders in many ways. You need skills, fitness, endurance and a lot of mechanical luck. 

We are back in Breckridge for round 2. Karel is ready for a second attempt at Breck Epic. 

Our travel started on Thursday morning. We left for the airport at 4:50am and could not have asked for a smoother travel day. 

5:20am - arrived at GSP (our local airport). I dropped off Karel with our bikes and luggage and I parked the car in the economy parking lot. 

5:40am - through security (TSA pre-check) 

5:40am-6:45am - enjoy some coffee and food in the centurion lounge 

7:10am - board the plane. 

7:30am - flight to ATL

8:15am - land in ATL

8:30-9:15 - enjoy some food (and more coffee for Karel) in the Delta lounge

9:45am - 3 hour flight to Denver. 

10:45am - land in Denver. 

12pm - pick up TURO rental car in the Pikes Peak parking lot (via airport shuttle)

12:15pm - pick up Karel w/ the bikes and luggage and start our 2:20 hr drive to Breckenridge. 

En route to Breckenridge we stopped at Cuisine of the Himalayas. We went there two years ago for lunch as we were driving to Breckenridge as it's on the way and only 45 minutes outside of Denver in Evergreen, CO. The food was amazing (especially the Naan) and we couldn't wait to go back. Karel got the lunch Buffett, which he enjoyed so he could taste a little of everything. I got the Chana Masala w/ tofu. We also got a variety basket of Naan (SO good). We then made a stop across the street at the Bread Lounge to get some fresh sourdough bread (and a croissant for Karel). I drove 1/2 way to Evergreen and Karel drove the rest of the way. We rented an older minivan which wasn't stylish but did the job for transporting two bikes, two suitcases and our carryons. 

When we made the turn off the highway into Frisco, we stopped at the Safeway to pick up groceries. We made a big shop since we will be staying in Breck for 10 days. We finished the 20 minute drive to Breckenridge and checked into our Airbnb at Pine Ridge around 4:15pm. 

We are staying on the 4th floor of the building so we had to make several trips up and down with our stuff. Both Karel and I were a bit winded from walking up and down the stairs. The weather was warm in the 70's (although it feels much warmer with the sun being so strong). After we unloaded everything, Karel sat in the normatec boots for 20 minutes while I unpacked my stuff. Around 5:30pm we walked downtown Breckenridge to move some blood. The town was busy and just like last time, we felt good energy in the air. 

We had a light dinner around 6:30pm and Karel went to bed around 8:00pm. I did a bit of work on the computer to catch up after the long travel day and went to bed around 9pm. Neither of us slept great but also not bad. We woke up around 6:20am looking forward to start our first official day in Breck. 

Day 1 - 8/8

I was feeling a little tight from travel so I was looking forward to a morning swim at the local rec center. The last time we were here, the Breck rec center was being remodeled so I had to drive 30 min away to the rec center in Silverthorne in order to swim. I am so happy the local rec center is now open as it's only 1.5 miles from where we are staying. I payed for a 1-month pass ($69) as it was cheaper than a 6 visit pass of $100. 

Swimming at altitude can be very challenging so for my first swim, I kept with mostly easy swimming. I did 1000 WU w/ buoy, 500 kick w/ fins, 1000 w/ snorkel, 500 kick w/ fins, 2 rounds of (3 x 100 w/ snorkel tempo and then 4 x 50's no toys strong), 200 kick EZ CD for a total of 4200 yards. After the swim I sat in the outside hot tub and stretched out. I changed clothes and went for a run. Whereas I didn't feel too bad swimming, the run was another story. Leaving Breck is a net downhill so the first 3 miles of my run weren't too bad but the way back into town were exhausting. I added stops every mile and anytime I felt like my heart rate was increasing too quickly. It was a challenge to run for 6 miles but the views made it worth it. I tried keeping the run as easy as possible to make sure that my body didn't overdo it on my first day of training at altitude. While I was out running, Karel went on the mountain bike and did a 2 hour ride up to 11,000 feet. He explored some routes outside of our Airbnb and ended up at the top of Peaks 8 and descended down. 

Karel and I got some work done in the afternoon and around 3:30pm I headed out on my road bike to ride to the down of Dillon to check out REI to see if they had a Garmin charging cord for our watches (I forgot to pack one). The bike path system in this area is incredible. I biked through the town of Frisco and into the down of Dillon and I stayed on a bike path for all 18 miles. Thankfully REI had the cord. It was a nice 2 hour, 33 mile ride with beautiful weather and scenery. The weather was in the 70's for most of the day but felt much warmer. We don't have AC in our place but we have fans and it feels really comfortable with the window's open in the early morning and evening.  Karel went for a short run (3.7 miles) when I was out biking. 

Tomorrow I plan to ride my road bike to Leadville, CO in the morning (~2.5 hour bike one way) to check out the finishers at the Leadville 100 MTB event and Karel will do a short warm-up MTB ride before picking up his packet in the afternoon and then attending the pre-race meeting at 5pm. 

Lessons Learned from Cozumel

Lessons Learned from Cozumel

Nothing says vacation like a warm tropical island with ocean views. I thought we were going to Cozumel to spectate our athletes at the Ironman and to train in a beautiful location but we left with so much gratitude and joy.  I've had the opportunity to travel to several countries and places around the world but the places that I enjoy the most are the ones that I visit for a race. When visiting an international destination for a triathlon or bike event, I get to see so much more than simply visiting for a vacation.  When we travel, we usually stay in Airbnb's. This allows us to have plenty of space, with a kitchen to prepare our own food. Because of this, we are required to shop at the local grocery store - which is always an interesting experience. And when it comes to cooking or meal prep, we are forced to use whatever kitchen gadgets are in our Airbnb. When we have a rental car, we must drive like the locals, learning the road signs, laws and etiquette. Sometimes we have AC, sometimes we have a washer. Often times, we don't. Sometimes we have fast internet speed, sometimes it is very very slow or non existent.  Traveling can be an eye-opening experience to how others live, but only if you allow for the opportunity to live like a local.  During our week-stay in Cozumel, we shared an Airbnb with our 7 athletes. There were specific rules in our Airbnb like turning off the AC when you leave. Cleaning up every crumb because of ants. Always locking the front gate. Never drink from the tap water. Taking the trash out daily to the bin outside. Only flush what comes out of your body down the toilet (no toilet paper). We didn't have a microwave so cooking/boiling water was a bit slow in the morning. We were also limited to plugs for appliances. But we loved it all because it allowed us to live like a local. We didn't have a car so we walked everywhere (or took a taxi). We made several trips to the grocery for food and it was always fun to find different and similar food options. Some of the showers did not have hot water, which was fine after spending all day outside in 80+ F degree weather and high humidity. We experienced flooding due to the rain. We felt extremely safe walking around the island.  Cozumel is not a country but a municipality in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico. But if you only stay at the resort, travel via ferry or cruise or visit the beaches or touristy spots, you may consider it to be a well-established vacation destination. Although we had several comforts of home (we slept amazingly well), it was apparent that we take for granted things like water, electricity and sanitation services. Here are a few things I learned from our 7-day stay in Cozumel:  Life can exist without "necessary" items - dishawasher, garbage disposal, Amazon prime, microwave, washing machine, Starbucks.  It's easy to take for granted "necessary" items - clean accessible water and food, medical care, safe working conditions, shelter and education. People who have very little are often happier than those who have a lot. Far too many people align life around materialism. Your worth is not based on your money or profession.  The poor are frequently stigmatized and blamed for their poverty as it is a matter of laziness or irresponsibility. Most immigrants have a very strong work ethic. This is largely driven by necessity. Be mindful what you complain about. A little more gratefulness goes a long way.  Learn to live a simple life. Appreciate what you have.  If you are interested in a delicious recipe, check out these Gingerbread energy balls.