Death Star-Timber-Wolfe

Dipping my toes back into intensity

Trail time

Spin to win

Newfound love for oxygen

Note: Bummed my Garmin lost ~12 hours of recorded data in the middle of the ride after it froze up a few times. So far recovery attempts have come up short. Also have my logged data from the InReach for route verification purposes if anyone is curious 😜

Race recap: I was excited to come back to TNGA this year after scratching last year about 60 miles from the finish with bad knee pain. I knew I wanted to come back and chase the FKT, but had no idea if I’d be able to pull it off. I fairly quickly fell behind the pace last year, so knew I’d have my work cut out for me. Fortunately, the weather (and trail conditions) were nearly ideal with no rain in the forecast for the whole weekend and temps in the 50’s to start out Saturday morning.

The race went really well overall, with almost no mishaps other than a couple of minor wrong turns that required some backtracking and one massive over the bars wreck 12 hours in that left me with a sore back for the rest of the ride. I focused on pushing hard anytime the riding went uphill and then dropping the heels and recovering anytime there was a downhill. I had the split times taped to my top-tube so was able to keep tabs on my pace throughout the race. The trail magic was on-point a couple of roadside aid stations setup and a church that was open to riders in the middle of the night with food/water. I ate like it was my job and thankfully the stomach cooperated, even during the heat on Sunday afternoon. I did bonk a little when the heat peaked Sunday afternoon and had to keep stopping anytime I found water to try and cool down a bit. Otherwise the body held up well, with just the sore back from the wreck and some tenderness in my knees when trying to push hard late in the ride.

A lot of effort went into getting the bike and kit dialed down to the lightest possible setup. I decided I couldn’t sacrifice the dropper post and 100% needed a suspension fork to have a chance at keeping my hands on the handlebars for the duration of the ride. I did take a calculated risk with running a lightweight 24h wheelset (Roval Control SL) and the super fast Continental Race King tires. Otherwise the bike was setup with SRAM XX1 AXS drivetrain and Shimano XTR trail brakes. Lighting was taken care with a Fenix HMR65R headlamp on my helmet and a BC26R on the handlebars.

I used a 1.5L Rockgeist top tube bag for electronics and some snacks and then had the rest of my food, self-care items, tools and spares in an Apidura half frame bag. I also carried 2L hydration pack which was clutch for keeping up with hydration on the singletrack sections where grabbing a bottle isn’t as easy. Overall, I don’t think there’s anything I’d change about my kit.

62.64 new miles

-- From Wandrer.earth

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Abe Kaufman

TNGA: All in for the FKT - 1d15h44m

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Death Star-Timber-Wolfe

Dipping my toes back into intensity

Trail time

Spin to win

Newfound love for oxygen

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