Charlie Farrow's Amateur Bike Racing Website

amateur: n. 1. a person who engages in some art, science, sport, etc. for the pure pleasure of it rather than for money. 2. a person who does something without professional skill...derived from the french word "amare" which means "to love." That's me...Even though I am without professional skill...far from it; I love adventure, I love climbing, I love a good Hard-core Stout, I LOVE DULUTH, MN and I am obsessed with cycling & no one pays me so much as a penny! I am the consummate Amateur...

Great Books that I am working through (with a few exceptions, as well):

'Round Ireland with a Fridge: Very funny little travel narrative about Tony Hawk's effort at hitch-hiking about Ireland in 1997. 4 out of 5 stars
A Continent for the Taking by Howard French...Up close and personal account of the author's experiences living in Africa. Itz worth the effort, but lacks inspiration...
A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki. A good perspective on American History from a Japanese-American professor from Berkley...It was OKAY, but seemed recycled adding little to my elementary knowledge of US History
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Equally interesting and funny effort at trying to explain super complex notions like the atom and the universe and E=MC2 and a bunch of other like super wild, out there concepts. I find that the reading becomes a bit easier after one has taken down a few beers!!!
Amercian Alpine Club's annual Journal: Amazing first-hand accounts of the most impressive alpine efforts of the last year. Amazing stories of endurance and skill...I have been a proud supportive member of the ACC since 1978. I read these journals cover-to-cover every year...Alpinism, in my mind, is the purist and most hard-core of anything that I have ever done...and my efforts are a walk in the park compared to what the top notch guyz are doing...
Babylon by Bus: Great travel story about two guys from Boston and their efforts in Iraq. Itz a crazy read...sorta reminded me of Fear and Loathing, but better...
Canoeing the Cree by Eric Saverie...Top Notch...highly recommended
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Itz soooo out-there!!! And yet itz so right on!!!! Read it then read it again...as is the case with all things Vonnegut...
Catch-22 by Joe Heller...Itz status as the best novel ever written on the insanity of the military hierarchy is not without merit. Read it before you sign up for the draft!
CRAZY WHITEMAN is a great narrative on a six year hiatus into the Canadian wilderness in the 1930s by a New Yorker. It is filled with great stories of the eccentrics that lived up in the "bush."
Dangerous Rivers by R.M. Patterson. A superb narrative about two guyz heading up the Nahanni river in the early 1920s...So cool!!! Five stars and highly recommended
Distant Fires by Scott Anderson...A wonderful narrative about two guyz from Duluth canoeing up to Hudson's Bay...Five stars
Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes...An on going project of mine...You will not be disappointed. Feeling Old??? Read this and regain your youthful drive...
Fiasco: by Thomas Ricks...just started it and it aint pretty! Not the writing as itz top-notch, itz our misadventure in Iraq thatz scary...
From Lance to Landis: An in-depth analysis of the drug culture that apparently dominates professional cycling...Very biased against Lance & da boyz while presenting Lemond as somekind of Christ-like figure...In my world, essentially much to do about nothing. Thatz not to say that itz a topic unworthy of serious discourse, but given the state of the world; it seems a bit over the top...Recommended only to the most ardent cycling fan...
Gang of One by Fan Shen. A bizarre highly suspect account of a man's struggle to free himself from the tyrannical grip of Moaist China. My dear mom gave it to me cuz the guy that wrote it now lives in Rochester, MN (our home town). Very weird and kinda silly amid biblical suffering. Not recommended.
Getting Even by Woody Allen...A great collection of super funny essays by Allen...Highly reccommended
Great Heart by JW Davidson & J. Rugee. The amazingly ironic and compelling story of a race to find the source of a wild wild river in Labrador (up in northeastern Canada) during the turn of the 20th century. Fact is indeed stranger than fiction...
High Crimes by N. Koda...Accounts of rich posers behaving badly on Everest. Itz fun to read, but don't buy, get it from the library.
Iraq Study Group: An assessment of the quagmire in the Middle East. Authored by a bipartison group of committed wise old people that are not worried about getting re-elected...
Last One In: After hearing the novelist [Nicholas Kullish; a working journalist] on NPR, I ran out and bought the book. The simple plot involves the experiences of a young journalist as he is embedded with a group of even younger marines just as the US invades Iraq. Itz a simple funny absurd little work on the folly of war…Think Catch-22 or Slaughterhouse Five...five stars out of five stars
Legacy of Ashes: A History of the CIA...Want to know why the rest of the world loathes us? Read this great book...
Mao: The Untold Story. I do not recall the authors names. Itz a husband and wife team. The man is a notable historian and the woman lived it. It is an amazingly huge effort in that they write the complete and devastating life and times of Mao. It is a must read. It changed my whole view on China and the even forced me to re-examine my understanding of the Cold War and certainly the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Top Notch and five stars...BRAVO...Well worth the effort as itz nearly a thousand pages long!
March of Folly: By Barbara Tuchman....Amazing read on the "folly" of war. If you want to understand how we got ourselves into this mess in Iraq, read her chapters on Vietnam...so it goes...
Mother Night and Player Piano both by Kurt Vonnegut...Classic Vonnegut!!! Mother Night is amazing
Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene. Total superficial patriotic junk...Greene tries to cash in on "the greatest generation" myth by accounting narratives from old guyz that stopped in a small town in the midwest while on their way to Europe and Asia during WWII. It is not worth the paper it is printed on...
Points Unknown: edited by David Roberts. 41 amazing references to great survival stories...Itz better and more honorable to seek out each and every one of these narratives, but this book can act as a great sampler to get one started. Reading it brought back a latent love affair that I had with classic polar travel stories some ten years ago...top notch, highly recommended.
Sleeping Island by PG Downes...Amazing ethnographic sketch of 1930s Northern Canada. Highly highly reccommended. One of the best canoe books I have ever read.
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. A novel about the history of philosphy. One of the most original books I have ever read. It was fantastic. Read this book!!!
Speaking of Faith, by Kista Tippets...A voice of moderation and spirituality. A great read. A book that I borrowed from the local library, but I now know that I need to purchase a copy as itz the kind of book that one needs to mark-up, write in,highlite, worry about, and quote from...
Suttree by Cormac McCarthy--A classic work by the master...The way he deals with the romantic relationship between the main character and his youthful lover is...well itz all McCarthy-esque. If you ever want to devolve read one of this guy's novels
The Frozen Hell: A historical account of the Finnish and Russian Winter War of 1939/1940. Wild stuff...hard to imagine...I recommend it, but I wish it was fiction, but itz the truth...Man's capacity to kill is sickening
The Stranger by Albert Camus. Totally engrossing read by the original existentialist...captivating and yet grim...
The Sunset Limited: A novel in dramatic form by the master himself, Cormac McCarthy. Published just last year, its a crazy dialogue between "Black" and "White." Like all of his books, this read will cause you to stay up at night...and thatz not a good thing!
The Trouble With Islam Today by Irshad Manji...An enlighting read by a Muslim women that lives in Canada. Openly questions the many seemingly contradictory practices of the oil rich Arab countries in a way that is only possible by a practicing Muslim.
True North by Elliott Merrick. Great writing about winter travel in Canada in the mid 1930s. Great read...Merrick is Thoreau on full-on steriods...
Where the Right Went Wrong by Patrick Buchanan--an excellent read on the history of America's rise and then its dangerous adoption of Imperialism...The chapters on Vietnam and the outsourcing of America should be required reading. Plus, itz fun to read a hard-core conservative that is soooooo down on the Bush Administration.

Meet My Generous & Committed Sponsors! I would not be able to achieve such great success w/o them!

The US Treasury Department, Citigroup, General Motors, AIG, and Bear-Stearns. I am a proud share holder in all of these top-notch compnies now (Especially AIG for putting integrity first...)

The US Military, Betchel, Haliburton, and McDonald-Douglas (thanks guyz for all the weapons so as to protect my freedoms from all them evil-doers)

A Charity Stipend from Tim Ek's Totally Bomber Tailor-Made Cycling Gear Store

The Scotty & Sara Kylander-Johnson Charity for Destitute Senseless Aging Cyclists

The Esko School Lost & Found

The George & Glenn Farrow Fund for Ner-do-well Offspring

The Crystal & Sophie Farrow Charity Foundation for Dysfunctional Fathers and Husbands

The Ski Hut Charity Fund for Super Cheap and Less-than-Talented Mt Bike Racers (Chris White, CEO)

The Dean Gies and Rosscoe Fund for Brain Injured Cyclists

The Greg Hexum Teacher Development Grant Program (for generously providing shoes to cheapskate struggling area teacher/cyclist)

The C.O.G.G.S. Charity for Demented,Confused, and Ill-clad Wannabe Bike Racers

The Mike Haag Endowment for Under-employed Teachers

...and of course many thanks to Ski Hut for allowing the author access to the used parts bin downstairs in the shop...

A Work in Progress--The 2009 Season: Important dates

Schedule for 2009..So far at this early date (March 8th, 2009): Listed are just the long enduro-races that have great appeal to the author...Note: I plan to do several std. races as well, including the local MNSCS series, and the Seeley Pre-Fat, etc...

January 10th Lance’s Race in Iowa (priority; post script, I had to skip it as I had a family thang come up...so it goes)

February 2nd Arrowhead 135 (priority: post script, A GREAT RACE...I did well with no problems )

April 18th Ragarnok 105--near Red Wing (priority)

May 2nd Trans-Iowa (priority)

May 9 [WEMS]: Stump Farm 12 (probably a no-go)

May 16th Almanzo 100-- near Rochester (priority)

May 23 [WEMS]: 12 Hours of GEARS (probably a no-go)

May 30, 2009: Dirty Kanza 200 (200 miler) - Flint Hills. Emporia, KS (doubtful)

Red Ass 300 (not until June of 2010) Post script, I spoke with Lindsay Gauld at the AH 135 where he informed me that they are going to do the RED ASS again in 2010, in 2009 they are doing a shorter but more techy mtb race)

June 13 [WEMS]:12 Hours at John Muir (probably a no-go)

June 27 [WEMS]: Metro Challenge (hopeful)

July 11[WEMS]:Levis/Trow 100 (priority)

August 8 [WEMS]:Blufflands Epic Enduro (priority)

First weekend in September: 24 Hours @ Seven Oaks, Iowa [this could be the one 24 hour mtb race for me for the summer!!!]http://www.sevenoaksrec.com/24hour.html

August 22 [WEMS]:Blue Mounds (hopeful)

October 3 [WEMS]: Thunderdown (priority)

DBD Workouts: 15 "DBD" Efforts before Trans-Iowa and the mtb season...

DBD #11: April 5...10 hours...over 130 miles in tough conditions...Eki and I are good to go :)
DBD #10: Almost 9 hours on the road and 130 Miles...The weather was so great, we felt guilty...Crazed "Sled-Necks" tried to kill us, but we didn't take it personally!!!
DBD #9: 9.5 hours on 3/01/09...Extremely cold with a devastating head wing...
DBD #8: 7.5 hours on 2/22/09....Mostly on snow, and pushing the pace for extended periods and I was not that wasted after it was all said and done....6 on the DBD Scale
DBD #7: 22 hours during the Arrowhead 135 with 28 hours total for the first week of Feb '09...8 on the DBD Scale
DBD #6: 23 hours during the first week of January 09...6 on the DBD Scale
DBD #5: 8 hours in very cold temps (12/07). 5 on the DBD Scale
DBD #4: 22 hours on the bike w/ 18 hours on single-track (the week of Thanksgiving); 4 on the DBD Scale
DBD #3: 7.5 hours; 3 on the DBD Scale
DBD #2: 5.5 hours; 1 on the DBD Scale
DBD #1: 6.5 hours; 5 on the DBD scale

2008 Upcoming races that I'd like to partake in...Or brief commentary on completed races so far...

Below are priority races for me going into the season: I'd love to do the Ore-to-shore race (August 9th), but with my wife in full-time graduate school all summer, itz probably not going to happen. Also the 24 Hours @ 9 Mile is going to be iffy as well due to my little girl's birthday being on that Sunday...what are the chances of that happening :(. Finally, I once again will not be able to go over to Jay Richard's great race at Maplelag due to a wedding that I must attend...

Not counting the Arrowhead, which officially was my first race in 2008...
Done--Race #1. In late April I started it off right with a tie for the top spot with two other guyz in a shortened Trans- Iowa!!!! Great Experience and I am fired up to try and win it outright in early May 2009...
Done--Race #2. Eric's MNSCS Race on May 11th...flat , short, and fast...I got beat bad, but itz a really fun course...I was close to finishing in last place :( Where have all the fast twitch muscles gone...where have they gone??? Long time passing...)
Done--Race #3. Almanzo 100, May 17th, (a gravel road race; 100 mile loop); [this is the same day as the Cable Classic, which is a great race...but this season I want to focus on the longer events...]...Had a great day finishing at the top with three other guyz in 5 hours and 44 minutes for a hondo on gravel!!!!
Done---Race #4. Dirt Spanker MNSCS here in Duluth on June 22th...this one always beats me up...and this year was no different!!!!
Done---Race #5. WEMs Race: Levis/Trow 100 Miler (near Osseo, Wi) on June 28th...Amazing singletrack...This is a priority race for me!!!! It went well and it was a great course, Ek and I finished in a tie about 7th place and a good 70 minutes behind the winner. Course was just too techy for me and the Gunnar sans front suspension to make a serious move for the podium...In 2009--(Note to self:Do not race this w/o a front shock)
Bust---A No Go :(....6. WORS Chippewa Falls Race in Eau Claire on July 6th...super fast and fun...and a huge field of riders!
BUST---A No Go; race is concelled due to bad weather and rescheduled for mid-October, which is prime CX season...so it goes....7. ****Maybe on July 12th: There is another WEMs race at Blue Moounds, WI...because #6 "the Metro Challenge" is not going to happen for me...
BUSTED...Sister gets married, so it goes....8. ***A stretch****WEMs Race 12 hour event: Metro Challenge on July 19th...never done this one, so that will be fun going into the unknown...Actually, this is going to be tricky as well as I have a big wedding on that Friday. No way as my little sister gets married on that Friday an the libations are gonna be flowing!!!!
9. Race #6...Done...in the books. My little girl sums my effort up best, "Daddy, I think you were last?" In my defense, I did not approach this as a race, but instead as a tune-up for the 24 Hours @ 9 Mile...Powder Monkey MNSCS here in Duluth on July 27th...the hardest climbing and tougest singletrack in the Midwest. This is a top notch National-caliber race course!
10. Race #7--postscript--24 Hours @ 9 Mile....Done, pulled it off despite off-spring's B-day (I was there at her party with "bells on" with time to spare on Sunday afternoon)...Finished in 11th place: thatz in the NATION!!!! Felt like I did about my very best, while Scott Cole pulled off an amazing performance. 24 Hours @ 9 Mile on August 2nd and 3rd...This is gonna be tricky as my daughter's B-day is on August 3rd...But itz a National Championship Race...Great event...legends are made here! Tricky as off spring has B-day on that Sunday!!!! Go figure...what are the odds of that happening
11. Race #8....Done...I was really tired going into it, especially since I did it car-to-car from Duluth, but it was still a blast!!!! Tons of climbing and really tough on a fully rigid bike, but I'm too cheap to do it any other way.......
WEMs Race 12 hour event near La Crosse, Wi. on August 16th...never ridden this race, but it has a great reputation...priority race
12. Skipped...Seeley Race on Saturday August 23rd. A full on classic...total community effort, great beer available...
13. Race #9...Done...Got blown away, but it was fun...WORS/MNSCS combined near the 'Cities' on August 24th. New this year!!! Fast with tight techy corners, and short--not exactly my strengths :(
14. Race #10: "Got smoked" at the Chequamegon on September 14th...A mega-classic, but it usually puts me in the "hurt tank" about half way through it...this is a very hard race because it is so fast...And it was too fast for me...I could NOT get past about third gear, no highend, plus during the middle section I felt incredibly fatigued, (on one section of flat gravel, I stopped to rest!)...I wonder if all the enduro stuff has damaged me? Race #10.5--Since I stayed over I raced the short crit. on Sunday as well...
15. Busted...Must rest....MNSCS St. Cloud race on September 20th...Never done it, but I want to support those guyz up there!!!
16. WEMs Race 12 hour event @ The Thunderdown...Last year a bunch of us went down for this race and it was a great great course...priority race
Plus four or five 'Cross Races in the Fall...especially the MN State Cyclocross Championships...the MEGA-Classic! And I want to race Lance Andre's race in January down in Iowa as a warm-up for the A.H. 135

The Goal is to race around 16 to 18 times this season...all in anticipation of the Arrowhead 135 and ultimately the Iditabike

Evolving Short List of eccentrics, charismatics, etc. being considered for THE '08 LIST....

A. It is every riders dream to make THE LIST...In an effort to give hope to some, the author of THE LIST has decided to keep a running working draft of those that are being considered for the 2008 List. Of course, there are absolutely no guarantees:
B. Consideration of several 2008 Arrowhead racers including Dave Pramann (another record breaking performance); Greg Patterson, Don Gabielson, Dave Gray
C. Although the Trans-Iowa Race was significantly shortened due to impassable roads, the performance of Joe Gorilla certainly rasied a few eye brows!!!
D. Joe Meiser tough rider with a propensity to blow out rear wheels...strong efforts in both Trans-Iowa and Almanzo 100 puts him on the short list...

The Pinnacle of Success...The Standard by which all others are measured:

Charlie's Top Ten List of IMPRESSIVE CYCLING ACCOMPLISHMENTS for 2006--See at the very bottom of this site...Maybe you can someday acheive such STATUS as to be included???? NOW is the time to start training, begin planning, even covertly scheming for inclusion onto Charlie's 2007 Top Ten List... "I made top 10?! I feel like a kitten amongst the wolves..." Tone Coughlin...... "Making the list is the culmination of years of Spartan-like dedication to the sport of cycling." Sarah Kylander-Johnson...... "...I don't care about that stupid list." Lance Armstrong...... "He was very upset about being left off the list." Lance Armstrong's mother...... "He became obsessed with making the list...it led to our break-up." Cheryl Crow...... "He thinks I am guilty...that's why!" Floyd Landis...... "Dido" Tyler Hamilton...... "It's because of me that most of those people made the list...It is NOT fair!" Scotty Kylander-Johnson......

2007 Races and 2008- a work in progress:

Oxbow Classic: Saturday April 14th--Got er Done!!! In the Books!!! A Beautiful Day of Racing on a great course. Finished way back, but thatz OKAY:)
Cable Classic, Saturday May 19th: Felt great and was riding well until the writer hit a barrier going wide-open...took my first ambulance ride in several years and had my first Cat-Scan [they did not find any cats, but I had one hell of a head-ache]...Actually I lucked out...Brian Narum hit the same barrier and it put him out for the season
Mazzeppa, MNSCS #2, Sunday June 3rd, I skipped this great race in favor of a new "Marathon" event @ Wausua's 9 mile with WORS...It was a super fun event!!! Full conditions...can't beat that!!!!
Red Ass 300 Miler, June 9th &10th...Great Event!!!! It was a memorablel 22 hours of racing my trusty Kelly!!!!
Phillips WORS #4, Sunday, June 17th: Itz a great course, but I was just to wasted from the 300 miles....maybe I am getting too old? Nah!!!!
Mont du Lac MNSCS #4, Sunday June 24: A Man's man's mtb course that kicks my butt every year...and this time it was no different...If it doesn't kill ya, it makes ya want to drink more beer...
Eau Claire WORS #5, Sunday July 1: A Great Day in which I had my second helmet destroyed, my rear wheel destoyed, and yet I had a wonderful experience...go figure!
Suamico WORS Marathon Series #2, July 15: I had to miss it as my wife had to work the weekend shift and while this venue carries a reputation for fast tight single track with few hills, I just could not justify what would have required a 3:00 a.m. start from Duluth to make 6+ hour drive. Especially with gas at $3.30 and $3.45 in Wisconsin. Mike Haag and Mike Bushey both did well and Sarah won!!!
12/24 Hours @ 9 Mile, July 28th & 29th...Great test of one's meddle!!!! I loved it!!!! Tons of folks, free beer, cool bikes, crazy enduro-riders, I was in hog heaven!!!
Red Wing MNSCS #6, July 29th: Skipped it in favor of the 24@9Mile
Welch MNSCS#7, August 12: Up the ski hill, down the ski hill, across the ski hill...again I missed it, but I have done this race so many times that I probably would not have raced it even if I would have had the time...
Spirit Mountain MNSCS #8, August 19
Pre-Fat festival, Seeley WI, August 25
Maplelag MNSCS #9, September 2nd
Fat Tire Festival, Hayward, September 14 & 15
Comming up: The Grand Winter Classic: The Arrowhead 135, 1st Monday in February 2008

Recent films that I have found compelling & that may be interest to you

"Touching the Void." A great film depicting the mega-epic of Joe Simpson and Sean Yates back in the mid-90s...A great film!!!! Not to be missed. My students loved it....
"Grizzly Man" is an interesting, even somewhat compelling documentary made by a famous film-maker [Note:the famous film-maker has an accent and narratives the film]. The famous filmmaker, whose name escapes me, but he made "Touching the Void" was intrigued by the techincal and artistic abilities of a very strange guy that goes and gets himself and his girlfriend eaten by a camera-wary grizzle. Itz a pretty good film about a really weird guy. I'd give it 2 stars out of 4 stars...If ya got time cuz you fell off your bike and broke something that will keep ya off your bike for awhile, then itz sorta worth viewing...the whole thing can be summed up as follows: "Super weird guy that has baked his brain on various illegal and legal drugs goes to Alaska, sees bears, likes bears, eventually he wants to become a bear, but alas bears are indifferent to him, except one...that bear eats the weird guy and his weird girlfriend, weird guy leaves over 1000 hours of scenic Alaskan footage, some of which is artistic and worthy of reviewal...so it goes in a state of nature."
"American Dream" An Academy Award winning documentary on the Hormel Meat Processing Plant in Austin, Minnesota. The setting is in the late 1970s & early 1980s, the topic is how Hormel crushed the local union and forced the paternal nation union to "cave in" or even "sell-out" to big business. I remember this strike well as I grew up in Rochester, just 40 miles down the road. I even had a few high school buddies that went to Austin to work as "scabs." The ultimate 'busting' of this local union gave big business the green light [with Reagan's blessings] the begin the savage [and highly effective] war on the unions ...Itz a great film and an important film for people to watch. It gives one a reference point from which to understand how we got from a nation committed to the establishment and maintance of a middle-class to old hard-working people being forced to work as "greeders" @ Wal Mart. A powerful thought-provoking film.
"An Inconvenient Truth" Gore does a great job articulating what the science community has not been able to do regarding the devastating aspects of Global Warming...Global Cooking...Global Hades...
"The Fog of War" Academy Award Winning documentary on the life and times of Robert McNamara. Itz abolutely great!!! 6 stars out of a possible 5 stars... I am serious, rent this film.
"Turtles can Fly" A highly charged film about orphans in a refugee camp located in Northern Iraq. The setting is 2003 just as the US is poised to invade Iraq. Itz very very sad, but itz also top notch. Five stars in my world...A world that hates war.

The Lists for which many live (and die) to obtain recognition...

Farrow’s Highly Anticipated List of Amazing and Great Cycling Accomplishments of 2007:
#1. In my little world the most impressive accomplishment of 2007 was the elder Lalonde’s amazing win at the Chequamegan 40 on a fully rigid steel SS 29er. This victory was extraordinary, perhaps even more so given the fact that Jesse Lalonde was behind the author leaving Rosie’s Field. Just the effort involved in getting back to the lead group was incredible (Note: Doug Swanson, doing what Doug Swanson is famous for; that is- being a great guy first and a great cyclist second, assisted the flamboyant Lalonde in catching up to the leaders). Mr. Lalonde beat a very tough field…Just an amazing, incredible display of riding a basic bicycle faster than all the other guyz on their fancy-pants techno-bikes…[Also worth noting was the stellar performances of Jan Rybar and Scott Cole: two old guyz finishing way up the line...]
#2. The second most impressive thing I witnessed first hand last season was Pua Sawicki and Chris Eatough wining their respective races at the National Championships for 24 Hours @ 9 Mile… Ms. Sawicki rode 18 laps (or just two laps less than the Maestro Eatough. These two endurance athletes are world class and so it was a real thrill for the author to pretend to race against them…This year’s 24 Hour National Championships return again to 9 Mile, near Wausau, Wisconsin.
Also worth noting was the 17 laps put in by the younger Meyer...
#3. The third most impressive thing of 2007(but by far the hardest and toughest) that I have firsthand knowledge of is the incredible fortitude demonstrated by Dave Gray (of Surly Bikes) in his victory at the 2007 Arrowhead 135. The February event represents one of the toughest things I have ever taken on, the start was something like 30 below and that night the temperatures dropped into the 40 below range…I would have quit (all but nine racers quit), I wanted to quit… But for me, with no cell phone and no other way out, to quit meant to freeze to death…so I reluctantly decided not to quit…The most impressive thing about Mr. Gray winning that race was how easy he made it look…He seems to take everything in stride…Dave Gray is a very impressive person!
Also: Dave Pramann even while sick was able to still finish in third place...Joel Calahan finished a very impressive second place...
#4. Lindsay Gauld, 59 years old finished 3rd place @ Red Ass 300+ miler after riding nearly the last 200 miles ALONE. From what I could gather from my brief time up in Winnipeg last summer, Lindsay Gauld is the Thomas Jefferson of a thriving cycling community up in Winnipeg area. Mr. Gauld was in the 1972 Olympics in cycling and now nearing 60 years old, he is still a force…He would have finished closer to the winner had he not stopped to assist a training partner. Ultimately, the partner had to quit, so Lindsay rode 200 miles alone…oh yeah, he did so with a broken shoulder that would require extensive surgery later that summer…Very very impressive person!!!
#5. Sara Kylander-Johnson and S. Simonson (spelling?) for winning their respective divisions at the Ore-to-Shore. Of course this list is not fair, life is not fair and this list is obviously biased in favor of old guyz, but Sara had a great year and a great victory at the Ore-to-Shore. Congratulations to Sara!!!
#6. Ross Fraboni for both his win at the 12 Hours @ 9 Mile and at the Thunderdown near Merrill, Wisconsin. He has won the 12 hours at 9 Mile two years in a row and the victory at the Thunderdown (which involved crazy muddy conditions) secured his claim to a spot on this prestigious list.
#7. Todd McFadden at an early marathon WORS race early in the race broke is saddle off clean off. He finished the race; at the time I considered his determination to be one of the most impressive displays of stubbornness that I had ever witnessed…very impressive!!!
#8. Scotty K-Johnson’s visionary course design for the 2007 Powder Monkey @ Spirit Mountain. If you have never raced at Spirit Mountain you are missing out on a national caliber race course complete with crazy descents, super techy single track and major climbs. Both Jeff Hall and Doug Swanson love the course. The course keeps getting better largely due to Scotty’s efforts. Most impressive!
#9. Doug Swanson is clearly the best bike racer in the area. He is also a great guy and we are all so use to him winning so much and yet with so much class that I have not done him justice by putting him this low on the list. Thatz the problem with guyz that are so good…I just can relate to them, so they get put lower on the list. Jeff Hall is another example of this, Jeff Hall could beat me on a unicycle and still he does not make THE LIST…In any event; Doug Swanson’s win at the 2007 Minnesota State Cyclocross Championships was incredibly impressive!!!!
#10. Tim Ek’s 9th place finish at the 2007 Trans-Iowa riding a mountain bike with knobby tires and a huge backpack…Eki will be a force in the enduro-realm for years to come...
Congrats to all that made the LIST...This is huge for them!!!! If you did not make the List...stay around other people for awhile and refrain from playing with sharp objects for a few weeks...In time, the pain will lessen...to a more bearable state...

Charlie’s Top 10 Amateur List of Most Impressive Cycling-related Events of 2006

[Disclaimer: To qualify for inclusion onto this TOP TEN listing the accomplishment had to have been personally witnessed by the list maker. This of course makes the list extremely biased, narrowly focused, and marginalized to constitute only the microcosm that encompasses the writer‘s SMALLISH world view of bicycle racing…although the list maker does offer a couple of major outstanding achievements that were noteworthy and impressive, but not witnessed per se by the author, in a Honorable Mention category]
The List--#1 being the MOST Very Impressive…while #10 being Pretty Darn lucky,… I mean “Impressive…”

10. Involves an extraordinarily impressive stroke of luck. Less than 35 or 40 minutes into it, I was riding in a strong chase group of about ten riders on a very fast gravel section of the Chequamegan 40. Included in the group were Sam Oftedahl, Hollywood Henderson, Bjorn Selander, and a guy on a cyclocross bike. I think Hollywood was in the lead, followed by Selander, then the cross guy, then me, then Sam, and the rest of the guys. As stated above, the pace was very fast and everyone was closely packed together…we headed into a curving right-handed descending corner, suddenly in an instant the cyclocross rider washed out and went down. I had no time to react, I hit him full on going wide open! I think I remember even closing my eyes [I must have known that I was a goner], I recall the big hit and landing off balance on the front wheel! And then…and then! And then…That was that, it was all over, so it goes…I did not even look back. Somehow, incredibly I rode over the guy and his bike and did not even lose a spot in the pack. Eventually the pace slowed and I rode along side with Sam. I asked him, “Did you see that?” All he said was, “Unbelievable.” So it goes…Lord knows I was due for some luck as in any other crash like that I would have been out for the season or at least wrecked my bike. I do not know how the ‘cross dude faired…Itz impressive because of the fact that I did not crash and take out all the rest of the guyz with me…which is what I usually do...postscript; shortly thereafter I was dropped by the group and left to my own "quiet desperation."…........................

9. The author, who is notoriously cheap, splurges for a night out at The Nosh…“After the race at Mazeppa, Team Farrow had a great dinning experience later that night @ a small little privately owned place called “The Nosh” situated in Wabasha, a lazy little river town that is the antithesis of Inver Grove Heights and the rest of the satellite communities that surround “The Cities.” That damn meal cost me almost $200!!!! Now thatz impressive…but the most impressive thing is that it was worth it!....................................................

8. Diane and Todd McFadden get married the night before the Cable Classic. To quote my good friend Scotty Johnson, “…The ride of the day for the guys, however, goes out to Mr. Todd McFadden. Not only did he tie the knot the day before, but he went down hard enough to give himself a concussion and an oozing head wound. According to Crystal Farrow, the guy barely knows his name at the finish, but he still notches a top 15 finish (11th). Unbelievable! Turns out, he had to head to Hayward Hospital to get the once over; I’m sure he's got a wicked headache today.” Diane and Todd are an IMPRESSIVE TEAM......................................

7. Doug Swanson leading the Chequamegan and flatting, but still finishing 2nd, very very impressive, but we have come to expect that from Swanson. Equally impressive for Swanson in 2006 was his ability to get that extremely impressive woman to marry him!!!Tone Coughlin not only survives, but wins the Fire House 50...I wasn't there , but still Very Very Impressive given the chaos at the finish….....................................

6. Todd McFadden, Chris Peariso, Luke Nelson, and Ian Sanford win the NORBA National Championships at the 24 Hours @ 9 Mile. These guyz are all impressive and that Peariso is always super fired up and happy!!!! Plus McFadden is no “spring-chicken!” Most Impressive for an OLD GUY!....................................

5. Roscoe’s effort at Spirit Mountain. In his own words; “Also in lap one, I fell sorta victim to a slight mechanical. My seat broke, and that could have been really shitty....HAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahaaaaaaa. Think about that one for a minute and it gets REALLY funny. I rode a good chunk of Scotty's single track all the way to almost the bottom of the fern gully without a saddle, and my prince in shiney ski hut apparel saved me. Dr. Bob swapped seats and seat posts with me, and I was able to continue on after about three or four seat height adjustments.” Now thatz IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!!!! Ross Faboni also has an impressive amount of back hair for such a young man…..................................................................

4. David Simonson from Bell’s Brewery MTB Team simply rides away from the rest of the super fast guyz at the Ore-to-Shore. He rides almost the whole course by himself to a most IMPRESSIVE WIN! Plus, I love Bell’s Stout…...........................................

3. Harry Anderson takes 4th place at the Minnesota State CX Championships. In his own words, Harry describes the action: “It was a pretty good crash. All I remember seeing was Ian's bike and ass in the air and I attacked like mad. Ian bridged up, but I kept putting in little attacks thinking we would come down to a sprint. I noticed I was slightly faster on the dismount sections and eventually I opened up a gap and stayed away for 4th overall and another podium for the Team Ski Hut with me grabbing the bronze medal for the Elite's for the state of MN.” Super Impressive for a red-headed kid from Soup-Town!!!....................................................

2. Sara Kylander-Johnson wins both the Ore-to-Shore and the Fat Tire 40!!! That is amazingly impressive!!!! She currently is the dominate force in Women’s mountain bike racing in the Midwest, plus she makes a mean cup of coffee and the best chocolate brownies in the WORLD!!! Plus she is a full time professor and a darn nice person, which is incredibly impressive…and she is married to one of my best friends…which is crazy impressive!!!!!!!!!!!!!.........................................

1. Dave Pramann wins the Arrowhead 135 in under 17 hours…Here is an excerpt from his race recap: ”As I climbed out Elephant ridge with nobody else in yet, I realized it was my race to lose. A firm believer in Murphy’s Law, I was quite certain something would come up like crashing, flats, light failure, bonk, lost, etc. Somehow Murphy never happened. The hills began to spank me with cramp twinges and low energy ebbs, but a big advantage was getting through most in the daylight allowing full downhill bombing technique. On the stretch immediately north of Cook I caved on convincing myself that each hill certainly is the last and resorted to the goal of making Bay View Resort by bar-time. It seemed to work.
The trail turned to the portside of Orion and the last flat 20+ mile stretch was fantastic but endless. 10:50PM saw the Bontrager breaking the imaginary finish tape at Bay View Resort under a quarter moon, starry skies and temps near zero. THE BAR WAS CLOSED. Happily, the beautiful Kathy Evingson produced a whiskey flask for just such an occasion…” Again in my little world, Dave’s record effort in the Arrowhead 135 was the MOST PRIMO IMPRESSIVE accomplishment that I personally witnessed during the 2006 Racing Season…....................

Other Incredibly Impressive Athletic Accomplishments for 2006 that I have first hand knowledge of, but did not witness--The Northland’s Matt Aro winning the Double Iron Man Competition in Virginia and then having to be hospitalized for days, and my good friend Mike Conway completing the Iron Man in Madison, WI…and of course my buddy, Greg Hexum winning the USA National Snowshoe Championships.

Charlie Farrow's Amateur Bike Racing Website

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Race Report by Saturday...

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2009/2010: Training Notes for nothing 'cept me...and the Glory of the Free World

Interesting and timely links