It takes HEART! Bimbache Post Race

Team Feed the Machine at the start in Jaen, Spain

One of the reasons I love adventure racing (AR) so much is because it is so unpredictable. There is no set course and the navigation can be super tricky. The weather can be sunny and warm one day and then the coldest temperatures in Southern Spain's history for the next three days! Your teammates can be the strongest physical and mental athletes, but have a break down that causes them to surrender. You never know what is going to happen and for that reason, you must be prepared for anything and everything.

I put together a team of strong athletes for the Bimbache Xtreme 4 day AR in Spain because I knew it would be fast and furious. I figured we were going to need lots of physical power to get through the course. And all of us had previously proven to be physically and mentally strong enough to endure. But once again, adventure racing proved to me that it takes so much more than just physical and mental strength to finish a race.

It takes HEART! You've got to want it and you've got to envision finishing it. If your heart is not in the race to finish it, then you probably won´t.

Organizing the transition gear bags before the race

The race started at 10am on a beautifully, sunny and nice 65 degree day. We started with a long trek that included a fun urban orienteering section through the city of Jaen.

Checking the map at the start of the urban orienteering through Jaen

We ran up and down the streets, around the locals, looking for stairwells, cathedrals, and other landmarks. I especially enjoyed the quick window shopping I did while following my guys around the town. (Such beautiful dresses in Spain!)...oh, okay, where was I?...

Running through the streets of Jaen

We ran for about the first three hours until we hit the mountains and started climbing. We made some navigational detours that put us behind the pack a little bit, but for the most part we were moving well and feeling strong. We kept running to make the 6pm cut-off at the canyoneering section. We put on our wetsuits and rappelling equipment and proceeded through the canyon. The water temperature was about 50 degrees so needless to say, swimming through the canyon forced a few obscenities out of my mouth. Luckily, the hour long section went by quickly and we were back on dry land.

The night was drawing near and we were getting a bit chilled, but we continued on and trekked through the night. There were so many roads that were not shown on the map; dirt roads, new paved roads, construction roads, olive tree rows that looked like roads, olive tree rows, olive tree rows, and more olive tree rows. The night time navigation was especially difficult and we ended up tramping around for a few extra hours. Pierre's feet were giving him trouble and we had to stop a few times to check them out. There were no signs of blisters or injury but he was in a lot of pain and moving very slowly for the last few hours of the trek.

Seventeen hours after we started the race, we finally reached the first transition area (TA) and we sat down to talk. Pierre decided to abandon the race and the rest of us lost our motivation as well. Without going into too much detail, there was some discussion; there were reasons, there were excuses, there were distractions, but most of all there was the lack of HEART. We slept for while but I just couldn't stand it. I knew that I could not be happy with myself if I didn't do everything in my power to continue, even if it was unranked. So Horacio and I jumped on our bikes and continued the race.

Lots of maps and route choices

Now, like I said, the navigation was intense and Horacio and I worked together to stay found and make the right decisions. The brand new, two month old super highway that was not yet on the map threw us for a loop and we lost an hour or so, but we gathered up a few checkpoints and found our way to the mountains. And then it began to SNOW! It was early evening and we were climbing up the mountain, already wearing all of our clothing. We stopped to have a snack and then we had to make a decision. Do we keep climbing and spend the snowy night up in the mountains? Or do we surrender to the AR gods and realize that we can't always have a successful race? By this time we no longer had the emergency GPS unit with us. We had no cell phone because we were using Pierre's. Christian and Pierre were the ones carrying our emergency sleeping bags and we were already wearing all of our clothes and it was only going to get colder through the night. We decided to play it safe, skip the mountains, and take the lower freeway to the next TA. And with the way people drive in Spain, I'm not sure that was the safer of the two choices, but it would have been a quicker death than freezing. So it rained and hailed and snowed on us back to the TA and of course we were miserable. But being miserable as a fully ranked team of four still trying to finish the race is very different than being miserable as an unranked team of two. And when we reached the TA we threw in the towel.

Snowing in Southern Spain

I must also mention that I was already super bummed because I broke a tooth! Yes, one of my front teeth! Yes, I looked like a damn hockey player! And NO I don't have any photos!

So that was it. That was the end of our race. Surprisingly enough we were not the first team to bow out. There were already 4 teams who had lost team members or who quit entirely. It was a tough race and only five of the 26 teams actually completed the entire course. But that's the way it goes in AR; when you mix professional teams with amateurs. All we can do is give it our best and do as much as we can as a team.

Bern with Petri Forsman of Team Finland

I've been quite lucky to have had three successful big international races before this one. And no, we were not at all the best physically. But we were a team, bonded by our personalities, our mental and emotional strengths, and our love for the sport and for each other. That is what got us through those other races and that was part of what was lacking this time.

Bern with Denise of Team Supplierpipeline, Canada

Teams tend to place the blame on the one person who decided to abandon. However, I believe that the entire team is at fault. It takes the entire team to successfully complete the race and it takes the entire team to abandon. In our case, maybe there was a lack of chemistry? Maybe there were distractions, like other races, or people, or vacations? I don't know, but there was definitely a lack of communication. We failed to discuss our goals as individuals and as a team. And that doesn't mean, "Our goal is to finish." That means "Will we do whatever it takes to finish? Will we take pain medicine to help us continue? Will we complete the entire race even if we are in last place? If an individual wants to abandon, how can we get him to keep going?" Those are the real questions that should be asked before setting out on the journey.

Hammer products "Feed the Machine!"

Although I wasn't the initial one to pull the plug, I'm disappointed in myself for not motivating my teammates to continue. I let them down by not encouraging them enough. I was too easily influenced to surrender because at that particular time, I was hurting too. But I cannot stress this enough: THE PAIN OF ABANDONING THE RACE LASTS A HELL OF A LOT LONGER THAN THE PHYSICAL PAIN YOU ENDURE WHEN YOU CONTINUE TO THE FINISH.

Bern, Emma Roca of Team Buff, Spain and her 7 mo. old daughter Irina

We have arrived! Hemos llegado! Nous sommes arrives!

Christian and I had a heck of a time checking in at the airport. Our bags and bike boxes were over sized, over weight, over decorated, over easy, over board. I don't know,,,that lady was just charging us for everything she could think of! Here's an idea...why don't you just add up my weight and the weight of my luggage. If it equals less than the 300lb man and his two bags, then let me pass for free. Wouldn't that be fair?

Anyhow, after about 1.5 hrs of checking in, we were on our way to New York. A five hour flight, a three hour delay at JFK, then a 7 hour flight to Spain. We were so happy to see Pierre waiting for us at the airport in Madrid. We waited a few hours more in the airport and then we met Horacio (and his wife). Thank goodness all of our baggage arrived!! You never know if the lady you argued with about paying the "over weight" fees decided that she was gonna make your life even more miserable by putting the wrong tag on your bike box! Guess the Irish and Canadians ran into that lady. Their bikes and a few bags are still missing.

Pierre drove thirteen hours from Paris to Madrid so we were able to ride in his car to Jaen instead of taking the slower team buses. Four hours later we arrived at the Triunfo Hotel and met the race director Antonio. He put us in our rooms, we cleaned up, and went to dinner. Total of about 28 hours of travel! Christian and I should be used to this, but we aren't. We were pretty tired,,,,but not so tired that we couldn't join some folks for a drink in the hotel bar!

After a good night's sleep, we were up and preparing our bikes and gear for the team check-in. Went to the grocery store for some last minute race food, got lost and had a nice driving tour of Jaen, then back to the hotel for gear check and lunch. Now we will prepare our transition bags, take an afternoon nap, then have the race meeting to receive the instructions and maps. The race starts tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10am (2am California time).

It's been fun running into old friends from other races. I saw Helen Jackson who is one of the best females out of England. I've known her since my very first international race in Mexico in 2003. Emma Roca is one of the best Spanish girls who just took a year off to have a baby and is back at the AR game already! She's looking strong as ever and her baby is so cute! We also ran into Christen from Denmark who we raced against in Greenland at the ATC, Benjamin Midena from France who we hung out with in Brazil at Ecomotion 2005, Denise and the Supplierpipeline team from Canada who I usually see at all the Mexico races, and many other familiar faces.

Be sure to track us on-line and send good thoughts and lots of energy. Check out the photos that we've started adding to our gallery at http://pics.feedthemachine.com.

Gotta go because we have more organizing, eating, and napping to do!

Ole Espana!

After an eight month hiatus from adventure racing (AR), I'm back at it again! This time Team Feed the Machine (FTM) will be racing the 4-5 day Bimbache Adventure Race in the south of Spain. My great friend Antonio DeLaRosa is a professional adventure racer and the director of the Bimbache and he has been trying to get me to his race for the past few years. It finally worked into my calendar, so here we go! This race will include mountain biking, trekking, kayaking, in-line skating, canyoneering, and of course navigating with a map and compass.

Antonio DeLaRosa racing Primal Quest 2006

We fly into Madrid on March 18 and will be taken by bus to the city of Jaen where we will meet with 29 other teams from Finland, Sweden, England, Canada, Denmark, France, Norway, Croatia, Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Columbia, and Spain. Some of the best teams in the world will be competing at this race to earn a spot for the AR World Championships in Scotland later this year.



Pre-race accommodations in Jaen

I have been on an AR world tour with FTM in the past year and a half. Christian Burke and I put a team together for the very popular Ecomotion 7 day race in Brazil in October 2005. With a successful race under our belts, Christian, Jayson Brown, Jon Bonwick, and I decided to stay together to race the longest, most extreme race in the world: the Patagonia Expedition Race. We spent 11 1/2 days riding, kayaking, trekking, and crying (well I did) through southern Chile in February 2006. After barely surviving Patagonia, Christian, Jayson, and I decided to continue the madness so we took Neal Radford with us to Greenland for the 5 day Arctic Team Challenge in July 2006. That was a super technical race with lots of new and exhilarating moments.

Bern preparing to canyoneer


This time Christian and I have invited a couple of international racers to join us: Pierre-Etienne Leonard from France and Horacio Fuentes Olmos from Mexico. We met Pierre in Greenland when he was racing for the very fast and fun French team. Pierre is an all around strong guy who will probably end up carrying some of my load. He brings a boisterous enthusiasm to our already fun loving team. With Pierre in the line-up, there will be no mistaking who we are and what we have come to do….HAVE FUN!!!

Horacio and I met during a 4 day race in Mexico. Both his and my teammates stopped racing but we wanted to continue without them. So we ended up traveling together and we hike-a-biked for several hours then rode about 5 more hours to complete the race. He is an excellent mountain biker and mechanic. He brings a “never give up” attitude and will be our "primary Spanish speaker."

Christian will take on the main navigator duties. He has gained much experience in the last year and there is no doubt in my mind that he will lead us in the right direction. Christian is all around strong on the bike, on foot, and in the kayak. But it will be interesting to see him on the in-line skates! He and I have been through a lot together in these races and we know each other very well.

Bern during the 13 hour kayak at Primal Quest 2004









I am the “mandatory chick.” Well, okay, I’m more than that. My duties also include:

1) Organize all pre-race gear preparations via email...in Spanish and English!
2) Race media relations; i.e. smile for the camera and talk to journalists...in Spanish,,,yikes!
3) Translate for my teammates through the entire race. (Horacio doesn't speak English and Christian and Pierre don't speak Spanish). Note: This will become interesting at 3am when I'm super tired.
4) Keep the peace. You know boys...sometimes there's an over production of testosterone that must be tamed.
5) Social/Fashion Director; i.e. Get us invited to all the post-race parties and make sure my boys are properly attired
6) American Idol; i.e. Sing to my boys at 4am on day 3 to keep them awake. Poor Christian will hear the same playlists from Brazil, Patagonia, and Greenland.



I've been so busy with my mountain bike training and racing, that I started packing only one week before my departure as opposed to my usual three week time frame.



Prior to arriving at the race location, we usually only know the disciplines and the approximate days it will take us to finish. This time they have already given us the order of the disciplines and the approximate times for each. If we take the maximum amount of time, then we will finish the race in about 4 1/2 days. But hopefully we will move faster...and not get lost! There is one mandatory 4 hour stop time somewhere in there. Other than that, we can rest for as little or as long as we want.

Here's our itinerary:
Trek & Canyoneer: 10-14 hours
Mountain Bike: 9-12 hours
Trek, Kayak & Ropes: 15-18 hours
Mountain bike: 13-16 hours
Trek, Kayak & In-line Skate: 15-20 hours
Mountain Bike: 13-17 hours
Kayak & Trek: 7-9 hours


Our goals for this event are to race hard, do our best, and have lots of fun! We will carry a GPS device that will track our progress on the internet (but that we are not allowed to open for our navigational use.) You will be able to follow our progress and make sure we are still moving. Check these sites from March 20-24.

meridianoraid.com
checkpointzero.com
sleepmonsters.com

Vision Quest ~ I did it!

Bern

Top 5

If you live in Southern California and want to call yourself an endurance mountain bike racer, then Vision Quest is a must! It is a 55.6 mile ride with 11,000 feet of elevation GAIN! There are so many folks who want to attempt it that it sells out every year. I’ve thought about it for the last few years, but it never worked into my adventure racing calendar. Finally this year, I made it happen.

Helpful hint:
If you do a 24 hour solo race two weeks before Vision Quest, be prepared to suffer-- tremendously.

Good thing I have a Doctorate in Pain & Suffering. An hour and a half into my projected nine hour ride, I was hurting. My body reminded me that it was pushed to the limit merely two weeks ago and wasn’t quite prepared to do it again. So I had to back off the pace a little. I needed to go slow enough so my body would not fail, but fast enough to make the cut-offs. And I was also trying to be super careful on the down hills because I didn’t want to take a chance at injury right before my adventure race in Spain. But the gusting Santa Ana winds were not cooperating. Anytime I’d try to gain a little speed on the down hill, the wind would blow me into a rut or into other riders so I had to slow down. I made the first cut-off with no problem and Amalia (Manny’s wife) was at the Aid Station to re-fuel me. As I left, I ran into Georgina King. She and I rode up Maple Springs to Santiago Peak together and it was nice to chat with her and pass the time. Then I came upon Mary Huth at the top of Holy Jim. She and I rode down Holy Jim together and got to the second cut-off/Aid Station just in time. George was there to support me and encouraged me to go hard so that I could make the last cut-off. I made it with a whole 4 minutes to spare! Super Mario had warned me of the one hour hike-a-bike up West Horse Thief. …Huh, a one hour hike-a-bike. No problem. I’ve cursed many a race director through 3-6 hour hike-a-bikes in several adventure races! Definitely not my favorite discipline, but manageable. When I reached the top of West Horse Thief and got back on my bike, I finally felt good. Eight hours into my ride, my body stopped hurting long enough for me to crack a smile. I thoroughly enjoyed riding down Trabuco Canyon Trail and out the last 4 miles of Trabuco Canyon Road to the finish. The Warriors presented me with my Finisher’s Feather and George, Josh, Andy, Suzanne, and others welcomed me back.

Top 10

Congratulations to the entire Sho-Air/Rock N Road team for the outstanding effort. Cameron, Manny, Fuzzy, Todd, Brad, and Super Mario all finished in the top 10 of Vison Quest. Ty won the Counting Coup. And Tim, Justin, Scott, Matt, Jason, and Josh all did extremely well!

My goal for this race was to FINISH, period, end of story. And that’s what I did. Thanks to Chris, Sherry and all the Warriors and volunteers for producing a great event. And special thanks to my friend Eron Boyer for believing in me and encouraging me to ride the Quest.

Matt

Super Mario