Some good racing in June for Thelen Coaching athletes - both on foot and on the bike. There were new races, epic adventures and new PRs. All the things I like seeing!
Andrew had a really busy June - racing in both the Dirty Kanza 200 and the Michigan Coast to Coast 200. At Dirty Kanza on June 1, his goat was beat to Midnight. It would be a tall order and require focused riding and good conditions. Last year, he finished in 20:09, so beating midnight would require taking over two hours off his time. Unlike with events like the ITI or the CTR, there's no blue dot watching. The only updates come when he reached each check point - talk about stressful as a coach! Blue dot watching might get boring, "Oh look! Another 400' in the last 10 minutes...." but you can see the forward progress. This year, Andrew reached the final check point - 12 miles out with about 90 minutes left to pedal to beat midnight. Easily within reach if there were no mechanical issues. The official time? 17:37:09 - before midnight and almost 2:30 faster then last year! Andy followed up the performance at DK200 with the Michigan Coast to Coast - a 210 westward push from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. He was riding with a friend, so the pacing was a little different then at DK200. Even so, taking on a second 200 mile Gravel Race in one month? Stout... Michigan turned out to be another successful day as he finished in 17:01:33.
Meanwhile, Judd was prepping for the Sancho 200. This is another unsupported gravel race in northern Michigan. The twist for Judd? He was going to take up stoker position on Don Wood's Tandem. Don is a former Thelen Coaching Athlete and a podium finisher in the Tandem Class at DK. He's also part of the BPR Crew and an all around great guy. As an experienced tandem captain, it was the perfect pairing. Still, taking on something like the Sancho as a tandem? Pretty brave... There was some battling with deep sand and mechanical issues, but the boys kept moving forward. They reached the finish line as the only tandem still standing in 21:17.
Back in Colorado, Dianna took on the hills of the Mueller 25k. This Mad Moose Events race held at Mueller State Park at an altitude of nearly 9,300' is one of the harder 25k races on the front range. The trails aren't technical, but there's enough challenge in the never ending hills to make up for that! This was the stepping stone race - half way to 50k with plenty of time before her goal 50k to learn and revamp as needed. And it looks like we are right on target to s successful first ultra as Dianna finished in 4:15:20!
Andrew had a really busy June - racing in both the Dirty Kanza 200 and the Michigan Coast to Coast 200. At Dirty Kanza on June 1, his goat was beat to Midnight. It would be a tall order and require focused riding and good conditions. Last year, he finished in 20:09, so beating midnight would require taking over two hours off his time. Unlike with events like the ITI or the CTR, there's no blue dot watching. The only updates come when he reached each check point - talk about stressful as a coach! Blue dot watching might get boring, "Oh look! Another 400' in the last 10 minutes...." but you can see the forward progress. This year, Andrew reached the final check point - 12 miles out with about 90 minutes left to pedal to beat midnight. Easily within reach if there were no mechanical issues. The official time? 17:37:09 - before midnight and almost 2:30 faster then last year! Andy followed up the performance at DK200 with the Michigan Coast to Coast - a 210 westward push from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. He was riding with a friend, so the pacing was a little different then at DK200. Even so, taking on a second 200 mile Gravel Race in one month? Stout... Michigan turned out to be another successful day as he finished in 17:01:33.
Meanwhile, Judd was prepping for the Sancho 200. This is another unsupported gravel race in northern Michigan. The twist for Judd? He was going to take up stoker position on Don Wood's Tandem. Don is a former Thelen Coaching Athlete and a podium finisher in the Tandem Class at DK. He's also part of the BPR Crew and an all around great guy. As an experienced tandem captain, it was the perfect pairing. Still, taking on something like the Sancho as a tandem? Pretty brave... There was some battling with deep sand and mechanical issues, but the boys kept moving forward. They reached the finish line as the only tandem still standing in 21:17.
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| Don and Judd at the finish of the Sancho 200 on June 8th Photo Kristy Charles |
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| Dianna finishing her Mueller 25k race on June 8th Photo Lynne Day |
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