2019 Laramie Trail Epic

Greetings y'all! It's only been a few years!

This past weekend I rode in my first race since 2016, and even then, I was just doing a few CX races in Tennessee. I have been struggling with a constant knee issue for over 4 years now. I am managing it better than ever throughout alot of effort and care I've learned over the years. I basically have zero cartilage left in my right knee and barely any remaining in my left knee- it causes alot of issues, but what can you do? Life goes on!

I've been riding a decent amount this summer, more than I have over the last few years. So, I thought i'd throw my hat in the ring and race. I have a dear friend Natalie, she and her husband live in Laramie, Wyoming and during a visit- I saw the flyer in a coffee shop. And I looked over at my wife, Carmen, and said, "I'm gonna do this!". So, I did.

The Laramie Trail Epic is a 62 mile, 2 lap 31-mile each loop race consisting of an acclaimed 8300ft. of climbing, I think that is high, but the climbing is stout none the less. The coolest thing about the course was it is 100 percent dirt. Most of the race is singletrack, but there's a bit of dirt road in there too, which makes downing fluids and food alot easier, so thankful for that!

The race started a bit more mellow than I anticipated, I upped the pace a bit on the first little roller and had very little response so I cooled it back and sat on Ben Parmen's wheel headed into the woods. Ben has had a flawless year and a better guy couldn't have won this race. He is such a good rider and even though I just met him for the first time, I can tell he is a good soul. I was marking Ben's wheel because I came to race and honestly believed I could beat him. I asked a few mutual friends where he was the strongest, so I knew what to expect and well, I was met with unanimous, "He doesn't have a weakness"! Ben was so strong on the descents, I was staying with him with more ease than I anticipated but it was also catching up to me. I'm a small guy at 5'8'' 125 lbs and I was working harder in the DH than the uphill. I eventually just had to let him go. I had a feeling I'd never see him again and I was right, so a MASSIVE congrats to Ben, dude earned a great victory.

I settled into my own pace but was soon met with severe back pain for about an hour straight. I was able to slow down and stretch it out, I was doing this about every 2 mins for nearly an hour! I even stopped on a few hike a bike sections and laid down to stretch it out. Luckily, this was helpful and once I was passed by Ben's friend, John, I was extra motivated to not lose another spot! I pushed hard until the end and was lucky enough to come in 3rd overall. I can only think my back spasmed due to the fact I haven't been pushed that hard or raced in so long, I was just tense overall.

This race has stoked an old flame, so maybe Ill go out and actually train and do some intervals and race again soon! I kinda have the Kokopelli ITT on my mind, perhaps I will go for the record in September! Who knows!

Take care and thanks for reading.
I'd like to say a special thanks to my wife, Carmen for being so cool about me racing again after all my health issues, throwing out my back this past winter and my knee, etc... I only have one body and I think racing again makes her a bit nervous. But I've already come to terms with needing a knee replacement at some point anyways, might as well make it sooner than later! haha

-KAT

You're just a face with no name.

It's been forever since I've written in this damn blog. I've always struggled with this blog and for good measure, I hate talking about myself. Truthfully, I've always struggled with racing and trying to "go pro" or "taking it to the next level". Let's be honest, racing is selfish. Training is selfish. I have definitely fallen victim of putting my racing and training above all other things in my life. Most people, and a lot of these my friends, family and supporters are proud to see me take action, take chances and live life to the fullest. I had an overwhelming amount of support in my move to Colorado now nearly 2 years ago. I'm just not so sure I really care about being THE fast guy anymore. It quickly started to fade while living in Colorado, riding and having huge all day adventures on the bike rapidly became more fun than racing.



I was simply enjoying experiencing new things, things a kid from Mobile, Al would never dream of exploring. I even wanted to pursue road racing and ended up without a road bike and only owning a mountain bike for a year. It's crazy to think how quickly things can change so fast. Without risks and opportunities taken, what will we ever learn about ourselves? I learned I have lacked a major sense of balance in my life. I was blind to most anything aside from cycling. I haven't raced since Nov 22 this past Fall, and trust me, the burning desire to toe the line is in me like the brightest fire. On the other hand, I'm happy off of my bike for the first time in years. I am happy working, I'm not losing my shit if I only ride an 8 hour week. I am enjoying my company of friends and family like never before. I am no longer living for the next big adventure as if it is the blood to my existence. I have always been a black and white kind of thinker. There is a reason most elite athletes are type A personalities, I have never claimed to be one of those, but I do see things in very little grey, it is or it isn't. For the first time since I decided I wanted to be the fastest guy around on my bike, I am living my life with grey, and it has never felt so good. Letting go of the desire and motivation to constantly ride, because I will admit it, for the longest time riding was an unhealthy addicition, and that's not easy to say. I often think if I will ever be able to shake the craving for riding 30 hour weeks. Or will I now enjoy and appreciate my life all the more on the days and times spent when I am out for 100 mile rides.

2014 Oak Ass 100, Bham Alabama

I've been burning up I-65 the last two weeks. I've been between Nashville and Mobile a bunch preparing for my move back to Nashville, interviewing for jobs etc... It's been great because I was able to pre-ride Oak Mtn alot and re-familiarize myself with my old training grounds for this race. Oak Mtn is amazing. There is a TON of  good riding there, we didn't touch all of the dirt to be had there but Chainbuster's and Co. made sure to set up a killer 25 mile course we would complete a total of 4x for a sure fire 100 mile, painful race!

The race start was MUCH faster than I anticipated for a 100 miler. They started the 100 milers with the 50 milers, so while I was doing 4 laps, some of the guys/gals would only do 2. I got on the front and set a decently hard tempo hoping I could get the hole shot with ease... Brian Toone(100 miler) quickly swung to my left like a rocket, Ty Magner(50 miler) would ultimately get the hole shot. I was 5th into the woods. I wasn't sure all that were ahead of me, but I did know Craig Evans(50 miler) and Justin Lowe(100 miler). The pace was high leading into the double track fire road climb. Craig got on the front for the 3 mile climb, there was about 7 of us total leading charge behind Craig's pace. Craig's pace was perfect. He was going hard enough no one attacked but easy enough I was able to recover and attack for the KOM at the top of the climb. I went about 75% max effort with only 2 guys to chase me for the KOM, I eased up and took the KOM with more ease than I was expecting.

Ezra Lusk(50 miler and eventually winner of the 50), Gordon Wadsworth, Barnabas Froystad and myself would break away from everyone else at this point leading into the most technical section of the trail, Jekyll and Hyde. Craig would have been with us, however he ended up having 3 flats!

I led charge on J&H and the rest of the first lap. Going into the 2nd lap, I sprinted with Barnabas in-tow to get onto Gordon's wheel all while scarfing down some food. Barnabas took lead and holy cow his pace was furious! He was laying it down! Going into the fire road climb the second time, our split was actually faster than lap 1. Gordon was on a SS and Barnabas was on an Epic. Much respect to Gordon, dude was CRUSHING it on his SS. I know a lot about Wadsworth through the grapevine of his much respected and good reputation in the MTB endurance world. No doubt both he and Barnabas were stellar dudes and fierce competition.

I had a big advantage in my corner. My great friend Andrew Sorey gave up his weekend to come support me in the race. I took that advantage with a very fast pit leading into lap 3. Andrew had me bottles and food in a matter of seconds and I was off. I never actually had to get off my bike the entire race thanks to his help in the pits, thanks Sorey!!

I used the 2nd lap to study how Gordon and Barnabas were riding. There was no question they were both super smooth(smoother than me) and I only felt like I could recover on the climbs. So come lap 3, I had a gap with my fast pit and I rode the climbs as hard as I could and recovered everywhere else I could to the best of my ability trying to stay off the brakes and keeping momentum.

I had another fast pit coming into lap 4. Sorey lubed my chain, gave me a Coke in a bottle and I was off like a rocket. I started thinking I may have the win at this point. On top of the fire road climb, I had a huge sensation of fatigue that I wouldn't shake until riding J&H the last time. I really had to use the bathroom. So..... I did just that, haha. I felt much better after that! I was nervous to give up any time gap I had, but when you gotta go, you go. I was also really hot. I'm not sure I have re-acclimated to the humidity and heat in the South. I rode to the finish with my bibs off my shoulders and my jersey unzipped.

I was lucky to take the win. It was hard fought and I am very blessed with great friends and a family who support my racing shenanigans! Special thanks to John K and Chainbuster's for the top shelf event and professionalism and to Barnabas and Gordon for the killer competition and sportsmanship.

Until next time.
-KT

2014 Chainbusters 12 hour Nite Nationals

I heard about this race a few months ago. I'm not sure if it was Mike Bergen or Bec Bale that told me about it but at the time I was living in Colorado. Even though my parents live only 3 hours from Auburn, Alabama(where the race was held), I wasn't sure I could make the event. No doubt, the payout was attracting the attention of endurance racers all over the Country, I am a little bit disappointed in the turnout especially considering the professionalism and high stoke level of Kenny and the Chainbusters gang, I've raced all over the Country this year and they do it up right! I haven't lived and worked in Colorado for about 3 weeks now, I just so happened to be visiting my family in Alabama. I hit up a friend, Brian Toone to see if he was interested in a long ride this weekend and he told me/reminded me about Nite Nationals, I'm glad he did! Unfortunately, he wasn't able to race.

My parents came to support me for the race. They haven't made it to a race in about 2 years. I was super excited to race in front of them, I've gotten alot faster since they last saw me race and I love to make them proud, so there was extra motivation there for sure. This pic is prior to the start, my Mom helped me mix bottles and lay out food.

The race started at 9pm and was to end at 9am the following day. I've some good night training already this year, racing the Vapor Trail 125 which starts at 10pm and recently driving home from Colorado, I drove through the night, I knew staying awake would be a none-issue for me.

The race was help at Chewacla State Park in Auburn. The park was beautiful and reminded me of everything I love about riding in Alabama. Lush green forest, tons of water, springs and waterfalls: tight, twisty hand-built singletrack, rocks and roots, opossums, raccoons and deer were all abundant. The course was relentless, 100% singletrack, it demanded constant pedaling, there was never a time to take a break and recover,

The only 2 guys I knew would be giving me a run for the money was Eddie O'dea and Jeff Clayton . I've raced Eddie in a few NUE's and I remembered Jeff from Snake Creek Gap 2 years ago. Both of those guys are tough and very fast several hours into a race, and the first few laps are not what matters!

The race start was about what I expected. A fast tempo but not too fast. I was 3rd going into the woods and I quickly became 2nd wheel to Eddie who was upping the pace a bit. Eddie was bobbing a bit in the rocky loose turns and I was scrubbing speed and having to brake in corners, then accelerate out of them(using more energy than needed) so at the start of lap 2, I made a move to take over the pace making. No one came with me and I was alone all the way to the finish. I used the 2nd lap to 'test the waters'. I would rail corners and make mental notes of where I could save energy and where I could drink fluids, this is a VERY important part of endurance lap racing, one I think too many people oversee. From lap 3 to the 13th, I was like a machine, I would brake, bob and weeve and I would drink and act just like the lap before, trying to keep things consistent as possible.

Most of my laps were within 5 minutes of one another, I spent about 7 mins total in the pits over the 12 hours of racing. That including swapping batteries, grabbing food, chatting with my Dad, lubing my chain and an air adjustment to my fork.

I'm happy to come away with the win. This was the 1st annual Nite Nationals and I have a feeling it will grow big time in the years to come!

I'd lke to give a special thanks to my parents, they have alway been my biggest fans. Ergon International for making killer grips I can hang onto for 12 hours at a time and a saddle still comfy after 12 hours as well. Felt Bikes for making the best hardtail MTB I've ever had. And Swiftwick socks, I rocked the Pursuit 7's and they were warm and comfy all night long.

Here's a few more pics:

Right after the race, I was happy to sit down ;)

My Mom is adorable, she was cold all night long but tuffed it out!!

My bike after the race. It was very dusty.

Crossing the finish line.

Overall podium finish: 1st, Kyle, 2nd, Jeff Clayton, 3rd, Eddie O'dea

Thanks for reading everyone!! Until next time...

Pedal 50 Gravel Grinder

Ben Welnak knows how to put on a show. Who promotes a ride or a race that is unmarked, has zero aid stations and still knocks it out of the park, that dude! I really enjoy his events. Did I mention the races are free? Check out Ridinggravel.com for more of his shenanigans. It's so awesome that a FREE event can raise more money for charities than if the promoter were to charge an entry fee. Cyclists are a cool bunch.

The ride starts with a neutral roll out led by Ben. It was a good warm up for me, I was late getting there so I was thankful for that. I didn't eat at all leading up to the ride, which started at Noon. I helped a customer early this AM and was tied up and in a rush to make it, I didn't even stop for food. Bad idea really. But I guess my coffee held me over.

Shortly after the roll out, we hit this incredibly fun stretch of singletrack and double track in the Greenland open space. The pace was high and I wasn't happy with my positioning so I lit a match and passed everyone but the lead guy on a  roller. I'm glad I did because we soon opened a gap on everyone by this point. I took over pacing with Mike on my wheel, he was strong but I wanted to climb just a tad faster and make sure no one else bridged back up to us. I recognized Mike from last years Greenland Gravel race and he was super strong then, so I knew if we kept it steady, we could stay away from the chasers. Colorado is rad because you never know who you are racing and at what level most these guys race. Mike had a stocky build and was absolutely drilling it when he took pulls. Honestly, he could have dropped me early on if he would have pulled just a tad harder on the flats and false flat sections. He was climbing fast as well, but I wasn't going to go down easy.

 About 2 hours and 37 miles into the ride, I knew we had our gap. It was windy and we were working well together. I had a tough decision to make, I knew if I let things continue how they were, Mike would take me in the end if it came to a sprint or the last stretch of road(mostly downhill) at the finish. Mike was a pro roadie and apparently a very accomplished track racer, I don't have any business trying to sprint against him. I threw in some hard attacks on some rollers, about 7 attacks within 10 mins but I couldn't shake Mike and if I did, the gap was so small he would catch me on the downhills with ease.

For the next 8 miles we worked together again, taking hard and equal pulls. Mike, if he was hurting had the best poker face I've ever seen. Rock solid upper body, with no movement in his shoulders. I noticed when he would get behind me when I would pull that he would wince a bit and I knew he was hurting. I made a great move on the last climb of the day(which happened to be the steepest, reaching about a 13% max grade). I left it all out there, knowing that there was a long 2 mile downhill finish, If I were to go I'd have to commit and never look back. Thankfully, it all worked out!

Thanks to Ben and company for an awesome event. I'm stoked to hear we were able to raise over 2200 dollars for Kids on Bikes. There are such cool people in this world doing really rad things, very inspiring.

2014 Vapor Trail 125

Whew, what a week! I'm sitting here gnawing on a burrito, after a wild week in Las Vegas for InterBike just trying to figure out how time flys by so fast and how all the crazy things we anticipate and look forward to in life come and go oh too quickly.

I knew the Vapor Trail was going to be a rough week being that Jon and I literally loaded up and drove to Vegas as soon as I finished Vapor around Noon this past Sunday. Ill try and keep things short and sweet, but a quick run down on Vapor: 125 miles, 10PM start, high altitude, 18k feet of climbing, incredibly rough terrain, hike-a-bikes and oh so much fun. If you are looking for THE premium backcountry endurance test in the US, this is it, hands down. No one who has raced it will disagree.
Last year, Vapor was rough for me. I was new to Colorado, new to racing/riding high alpine terrain, for lack of better words, I got my ass handed to me by not only the course but the incredible talent this race draws in. I vowed to come out swinging in 2014...

Jon was kind enough to loan me his Industry Nine rear wheel(mine is toast and Ive been breaking spokes on it alot lately) and an entire XX1 drivetrain. I was in hog heaven, even though I was rocking a hardtail for such a brutal course, I had great gear with my Felt HT, a KS dropper, Jons parts and I decided to run Maxxis Ardent races, front and rear. 2.25's. They were the perfect choice for the chunk.

The race started off much slower in my opinion than in 2013, I wasn't complaining. I wasn't breathing hard at all leading into climb up towards the Colorado Trail. Some really cool guy from the GO team from Gunnison was in the lead group with just myself and Jesse. Cary Smith and Josh Tostado were just behind us. I couldn't believe I was already ahead of such strong dudes and I wasn't even in the red(which is NOT where you need to be in this race, ever).

Jesse and the GO rider dropped me on some of the chunky rock sections about 2-ish hours in, I wasn't willing to take the chance of descending quite as fast as they were. I rode my tempo and held 3rd for a while. As quickly as the race started and I felt great, I hit a wall. I literally bonked after aid 1. All I took from Aid 1 was a bottle of Tailwind Nutrition and it did NOT sit well with my stomach. Near alpine tunnel, Cary had passed me and I just couldn't hold it any longer, I had to use the bathroom. I kept talking to myself over and over, "this cannot be happening". I wasn't able to eat or drink, I could hold down NOTHING for the next nearly 5 hours. I dropped a ton of places before meeting Jon at the Snowblind aid station around sunrise. I wanted to quit sooo bad, afterall, my goal was to win this race, not just finish, but win. I knew if I had the perfect race, I could. Jon was a great help, he made me down a Coke and I was able to eat a Twinkie in the comfort of the aid and with all the support from people, I decided to push on. And I am glad I did. I had a killer second half of the race. I lost nearly 2 hours from alpine tunnel to snowblind, I walked alot with my nauseous stomach. That sugar kicked in and gave me just what I need to finish the last 6 hours strong. Oddly enough, I barely drank and ate anymore even for those 6 hours, but I had a great hard tempo going and nothing was stopping me, I passed nearly 13 racers in the last half earning 7th overall in the race.
Coming in behind names like Cary, Josh, Jesse, Kerkove, etc... and all in the name of having a bad race, I was stoked. Take what you can get in Colorado because everyone is crazy fast and the talent pool is unbelievable here.

I wrapped up my race with a burger before the drive to InterBike in Vegas. I had a killer week in Vegas, there is LOTS in the works for 92Fifty', Elevated Legs and myself. I will keep you all posted as things progress. I apologize for being the worst blogger, pretty much ever. I promise to change that in the upcoming season, I will be bloggin and on social media alot pimpin' out the new year! Thanks for reading, now go ride yer bike!
-KT

2014 Whiskey 50

I was never super nervous about this race, perhaps because I knew I never stood a chance at cracking even a top 20. It's a humbling thing, racing literally the best in the Country and a few from all around the world. Looking back at this race, I think I finally feel like I belong racing in the Pro class. I know my weaknesses now more than ever, I also know my strengths. One thing never changes, suffering during a bike race is the best worse feeling ever, I can't seem to get enough.

I don't have tons of pics yet so I will make another blog later with pics. I just wanted to re-cap my race while it is somewhat fresh in my mind.

http://www.strava.com/activities/135293506
Here is the link to the race. Whiskey is a 50 mile MTB race that has a little bit of everything. Great climbs(an HC climb at that), killer singletrack, maybe some of the best I've ever ridden. Fast double track and a few miles of pavement. On paper I knew the HC climb would suit me well. Unfortunately, I ended up climbing it alone.

The race start was mellower than I thought it would be. Jockeying for position was tough but decently easy enough to move through the field. The pavement climb at the start turns to dirt for about 2 miles then funneled into singletrack. My only regret in the race was not jumping ahead 5-10 spots before the singletrack, honestly, I had the legs and it would have been easy and would have allowed me from getting held back. I was afraid to light a match too soon with the HC climb 1:30 into the race. I was on Jason Sager's wheel so I thought it was good enough.  I was maybe top 50 at this point. The pace in the singletrack was perfect, hard but not too hard. Then comes the waterbar climb before the 1000ft descent. I was a wee bit frustrated here, a few guys were bobbling around and I couldnt believe some guys had to walk the tech sections, def lost some time there.
The 1000ft descent before the climb to the feed I knew would be tough for me, a mix of super fast flowy high speed singletrack with a little chunk thrown in. I still feel a little discomfort in balls to the wall descents, I am getting better everyday but I gave up all the positions I gained on the waterbar climb on that descent. Onto the feedzone I couldnt help but think about the HC climb after dropping into Skull Valley, it was haunting me a bit.
I was in a group of 5 leading down, Sager, Uhl, Troy Wells, and some other guy from Colorado. I ended up getting dropped on the 3000ft plunge. I can blame my gear (32x11) or my lack of skill. Not sure, I fought hard to stay on the train, I only had so much leg speed at 35mph+ with this guys pushing bigger blades, I should have ran 2x10 for this race. No one to blame but myself.
I started the climb up to the summit, 14 miles and 3000ft of climbing and I was solo. It took me 59 mins, I was about 3-7 mins off the times of the Elite riders ahead of me who all had the advantage of working together. I couldnt be happier with my performance. There was a chase group of about 10 behind me and none of them were able to bridge the gap to me, I was extremely pleased with holding my position until the end of the race, especially considering the techy singletrack descent back into town. I did catch a group of guys on the climb(Geoff Kabush, Ben Bonstrom and Sager) Sager and Kabush ended up catching me back with 4 miles to go.
I will def race Whiskey again. I ended up 37th out of 93 Pros. Most will agree this is the most stacked Pro field race the US ever sees and judging that by my 3:18 finishing time and how it would have landed top 15 the last 2 years, I'd say it'll prob get even more competitive next year & I hope it does.
I want to thank all of my friends and family for supporting me thru this race, it's just one of many this year but without a doubt the biggest race of my life so far and I couldn't be happier with my fitness.
Thanks and congrats to everyone who raced!
-KT