Vegas to Reno 2012 - The Miguez Rally Racing adventure

[miguez]

Originally Posted by chip

dude, if you just get in shape, this race is pretty easy. You could finish it on a gold wing if your body was in condition to go the distance. Just don't think you are going to be competitive. no need to build it up so much. good luck though. I will see you there for sure.

Hey Chip, hope to see you there!

Unfortunately that's not how I am, I like to be in the best possible shape/as well prepared for anything I do. Plus, my preparation is not just for this race, it's for Sertoes, and whatever will come after that.

No one has ever failed for being over-prepared. Plus, it's a lot of fun to train long and hard for something like this, it makes completing it even sweeter.

[miguez]

One of the areas I have to concentrate on is to be physically fit for these races. I'm going to be writing regularly about that, so others can see what one can do to improve different areas of their fitness (stamina, strength, agility, etc.), but before I get into all that I wanted to write just to celebrate my visit to the doctor's office yesterday.

Since about 12 months ago I stopped running, which is my favorite workout, because both of my knees started to make a crunching sound on extension. I had no pain, so I went to a sports medicine doctor (a pretty renowned one), we MRIed them, and he said the noise was coming from pieces of cartilage that had broken free and were swirling around, sometimes getting pressed out of the way of the joint, making the noise. He did not recommend I stop running, but he said if they started to hurt, I should reconsider. I continued to run, as I was preparing for a marathon, but after long runs (usually above 12 miles) my knees would start to hurt. So, not wanting to do a knee replacement before the age of 40, I stopped.

Yesterday I visited another Sports Medicine center, this time for what I thought was tendinitis on my right elbow, and asked about the knees. The first doctor examined them, gave me his opinion, then brought in another doctor, who agreed. My knee is making the noises out of wear, and slightly lower lubrication of the joint. It's normal. Some people's knees last until they die, others are shot in the mid 20s. I'm in the middle of that bracket. So the veredict is I can do what I want, which is to run, and they can help with a series of three shots that lubricate the joint, to minimize wear, and this is usually good for an entire year. I've decided to try the shots, which I'll do after I come back from Utah.

Oh, and the tendinitis? Turns out it was just muscle bruising from overstressing it. They prescribed some physical therapy with excercises and electroshock sessions. I've neven done the latter, so that should be fun. And they think it will be in top shape by Utah!

So, here's to running again, I've missed it dearly, and I already went for a quick jog this morning. The world feels right again...

[frog]

Originally Posted by chip

dude, if you just get in shape, this race is pretty easy. You could finish it on a gold wing if your body was in condition to go the distance. Just don't think you are going to be competitive. no need to build it up so much. good luck though. I will see you there for sure.

Id like to see someone finish on a goldwing.

Having done this race on a 950se and having done similar races on a 525 i can say if you are not ready there is no way you will finish on a 950. I say ready because being in shape means many different things to different riders.

My training consisted of riding insane amounts and putting in long days on my 950. The only other training i did was sit-ups and some dumbbell excersizes. Maybe a bike ride or two. My focus was to get my riding to the point that i used as little energy as possible.

It comes down to your ability to ride efficiently and not make mistakes. Oh yeah and being stubborn as hell helps.

[Bruno T .]

Originally Posted by frog

My focus was to get my riding to the point that i used as little energy as possible.

It comes down to your ability to ride efficiently and not make mistakes.

Agreed.

[miguez]

Originally Posted by frog

Oh yeah and being stubborn as hell helps.

That I have in spades, just ask my wife, my dad, my sister, my doctor, my dog.....

[KZJohn]

I love to run but my doctor said years ago to stop, it was ruining my knees. I was on the cross country team in high school. 10K's every day for training! I moved to mountain bikes in the mid 80's and still train on them. I also use the P90X workout system. Tried it for the 1st time last year while training for the B1K and I felt great during the race! The downside for me is as a mechanic I spend 9-10 hours a day standing on concrete,( for the last 31 years), and that has been harder on my body than racing.

[pilo]

My training and prep included as much stuff as I could to near my house and fam. Time on the bike is the best training, but without having lots of time to train daily in the desert, I spent a lot of time running and rowing and with P90x.

Over prep your bike and your body. At V2R we didn't need to turn a wrench on the 450x and after I got off the bike we went out to dinner. The preparation made everything easier.

[mgorman]

Originally Posted by pilo

1) Don't ride it with your 950 alone. Get on the Utards thread and find someone to hang with you. It is an exahusting 40 miles and when you go down (you will) you need someone to help you get the 950 back on the rubber.

He knows, He's already had to help me right mine after dumping it upside down in an erosion rut!

Make sure you keep your bike with a good battery. Last summer I dumped mine upside down exiting the top of the waterfall at Perry. I knew going in the battery needed to be replaced soon and trying to get it running again, killed it. After it sat a bit and I got a stranger to go for help, I tried one more time, it barely turned over enough to light up but it did so we rode out together.

[miguez]

Originally Posted by mgorman

He knows, He's already had to help me right mine after dumping it upside down in an erosion rut!

Make sure you keep your bike with a good battery. Last summer I dumped mine upside down exiting the top of the waterfall at Perry. I knew going in the battery needed to be replaced soon and trying to get it running again, killed it. After it sat a bit and I got a stranger to go for help, I tried one more time, it barely turned over enough to light up but it did so we rode out together.

Ha! I dumped mine twice that day too! I'm just glad I cleared that rut unscathed, I had to have something to hold over you after watching you ride the 950 like it was a 250 all day. I'll admit that every time I think about riding challenging terrain with the 990, and I do that a lot, preparing mentally for it, I think "c'mon, Mike wouldn't have a problem! You can do it too! You're the limitation, not the bike!"

[miguez]

Originally Posted by frog

It comes down to your ability to ride efficiently and not make mistakes. Oh yeah and being stubborn as hell helps.

Hey frog, glad to have you here!

Great advice, by the way. Because I'm a noob, i have to constantly remind myself of that while riding, hopefully it will become second nautre soon...

[mgorman]

Originally Posted by frog

It comes down to your ability to ride efficiently and not make mistakes. Oh yeah and being stubborn as hell helps.

Originally Posted by miguez

Hey frog, glad to have you here!

Great advice, by the way. Because I'm a noob, i have to constantly remind myself of that while riding, hopefully it will become second nautre soon...

Sunday I was trying to explain my riding style to a rider/racer that was trying to get back into riding after chasing each other around. He was struggling all day on his YZ250 and wanted to know about my riding style. (I was on a 250XCF). I watch MX/riding videos all the time and try my best to remember what they've said and try to emulate the styles of those who went fast but looked slow such as David Bailey and Kevin Windham.

Muscling a bike around takes energy and while you may be fit enough to toss that big girl around, you'll be able to do it longer if you persuade her to do what you want instead of forcing her. I told him to learn to steer with his feet and stay relaxed, manipulate, not dictate. Dancing back and forth on the pegs will make her turn with less effort.

My tips?

Stay relaxed. Bike fit, make sure you are loose and comfortable standing, it's hard to relax on an ill fit set up.

Look and plan ahead. You can only ride as fast as you can see. If you're looking down in front of your bike, you can't see what's coming so you slow down.

Practice what's the most difficult to you, not the easy stuff.

And last but not least...


If you don't want to hit it, don't look at it!

[MItrnsplnt]

Been reading your thread, good luck with everything and I'm looking forward to how everything goes!!!!

[miguez]

So today marks 28 days before I leave for Utah. Actually, the deal I made with the wife is I'm driving her and the kids to her parents house in Appleton, WI, where they'll spend Thanksgiving, and then on to Utah. So the plan is to drive the 8 hours to Appleton on Thursday, Novemben 17th, have dinner with the family, get some sleep, and leave early on Friday Utah-bound.

It's 26 hours to Utah, so I plan on arriving late on Saturday, finding some place where I can park and crash (I'm planning on sleeping in the enclosed trailer), and start the training on Sunday morning. Depending on how early I get in on Saturday I might manage to go out to dinner with one or two Utahians. Right now there are a couple of locals willing to show me around, so I'm excited!!!

There's plenty to get done. I've been busy working on a checklist. I still need to buy some things (Leatt neck brace, new helmet, maybe tires (I'm thinking the ones I have might not be very suitable to desert riding), SPOT tracker), and the bike still needs to be put back together after some initial mods, more on that soon.

But the clock is now on official countdown, Utah here we come!

[miguez]

Originally Posted by MItrnsplnt

Been reading your thread, good luck with everything and I'm looking forward to how everything goes!!!!

Thanks, it actually is a huge help to knowI have followers, I've seen others talking about that here, when the going gets tough, they think of all the people following them on ADV, and don't wanna let them down. It's absolutely true. Even though I'm at the very beginnig of my adventure, I've already found myself thinking that at times when I could be working on this project but didn't wanna get up at 6 am on a Sunday, for example. All I need to do is think of this place, the people, and boom, I'm up!

So here's to you and everyone else reading this thread, thank you for your support and interest!

[miguez]

I have already been tremendously helped by many sponsors, and in recognition of their assistance, I'm going to post a "Sponsor Profile" once in a while, a quick blurb about who that sponsor is, and what they do, as well as how they're helping me. So we're going to start with Galfer USA.



Who They Are

Galfer Brakes was founded by Maffio Milesi in Barcelona, Spain, in 1946 as a brake pad supplier for major European motorcycle and auto makers. For the most part, Galfer was unknown in the United States until 1992 when Giorgio Milesi – one of Maffio Milesi’s three sons – moved to Santa Barbara, California with his son Sandro to open Galfer USA. Sixteen years and two locations later, Galfer USA resides in a 12,000 square-foot warehouse in Oxnard, California, and services North and South America, Australia and the Far East. Although all Galfer brake pads are still made in our Barcelona factory, Galfer USA is at the forefront of brake technology. All Galfer stainless steel brake lines are made in the same building as our sales, management and design teams. And many of Galfer’s rotors are now made right here in Southern California.

What They Do

Galfer produces rotors, brake lines, and brake pads for on-, and off-road motorcycles, as well as ATVs and even bicycles. Galfer works closely with racing teams, both superbikes and motocross and enduro, to develop and test their products. The results are some of the best braking parts on the market.

What They Are Known For

They are best known for their Wave® rotor

Where To Find Them

Website
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

How They've Helped Me

Galfer USA is making custom stainless steel brake lines for the 990 Rally, as well as providing front and rear Wave® rotors and racing pads. This package will result in much more linear braking, as well as much improved brake feel, and rotors that are self-cleaning when riding in muddy or grimmy conditions.

Thank you Galfer USA, a bunch of enthusiasts who love to ride, and love to see others do it too.