Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Today is the day!

Friends and family,

As you all know by now, I am embarking on one of the biggest races of my life. I intend to race and complete the BC bike race. This race is 7 days long and is starting at Victoria, BC, traveling through the island and heading North to Whistler, BC. This event will cover fun and roller coaster like single track up and through back country and forrests. For this adventure and for safety I will be with my partner and friend, Roy Wallack. This is sure to be one of the biggest mountain biking events on the planet and I would like to invite everyone to follow me on this epic journey.

We will be embarking on this adventure today. We will begin by driving North up to Portland Oregon stopping only for coffee and of course, Seattle's very own REI! Once in BC the race will start at Shawnigan Lake on Victoria Island. You can check out the actual race and route here: http://www.bcbikerace.com. The website will detail the route and all that we will experience on our way. Along the route, we will wind through 9 awesome west coast communities that will showcase the elements that make BC what is is today, a phenomenal experience or athletes and adventurers alike.

I have estimated that the race itself will be about 329 miles and approximately 33000 ft of vertical elevation gain over the 7 day race. Certainly not a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination. I will be riding through almost the entire island of Victoria and heading Northeast to the mainland where will finish by climbing to an approximate elevation of 8800ft to Whistler. The race will finish by heading down some of the most famous and fun trails on the Earth. With alot of training, hard work, food, food, and more food, I hope to finish. Yes, I did say food three times.

I will also be documenting Roy and my travels via my own personal blog which I hope to update daily, probably in the evenings. You can visit the blog here: http://www.bloodmudandbeer.blogspot.com. I will be describing my adventures every day and I will do my very best to also upload pictures. This should be alot of fun for all of us, and if your watching from home, there will be a variety of sites that will have current race results, I am not sure which ones specifically though so you may have to do a quick search. A few important links are also on the blog, please visit them! Take the time to bookmark these pages and find out whether or not I make it through the whole 7 days!!

This will be the one of the most difficult things and I am intimidated by what I have agreed to do. I probably should have just considered staying on the couch...NOT! We are committed, and we will finish. Watch the blog for updates and pictures and follow me as I journey through some of the most epic scenery in North America. Thanks for your support!

Follow me here and bookmark this: http://www.bloodmudandbeer.blogspot.com



Visit the race site http://www.bcbikerace.com
Visit my grant contributor: http://www.rei.com
Visit my partner's book and take a look at his pictures here: http://www.bikeforlifebook.com

P.S. I would also like to acknowledge a couple of people that helped make this happen:

Dad-Although my Dad doesn't quite understand why I do things like this, and maybe I don't either, he has always made me a better person for trying and continuing to help me persevere. Without perseverance, there would be not cycling or any kind of these endurance events. Thanks Pop!
Norma- Without the help of Norma, her invitations to come over and enjoy a meal, I would not have this little pouch of a belly that will sustain me through my most epic adventure yet. Thanks for the food and the great conversation!
Shawn-without my bro, I would have still been laying at Peters canyon with a broken clavicle. Thanks for your help, and taking me to the hospital, seriously!
Johnnie- I love trading and talking stocks! You kept me swinging to the fences to come up with some good ideas!! Thanks for hooking me up with these cycling dudes, in the end, your responsible.

Of Course, very little of this would not have been done if it wasn't for the unparalleled support of REI, thanks guys! You make me want to share this experience with everyone I work with and everyone I talk to!

I look forward to sharing the stories with you when I get back. Thanks again!

Best regards,

Ed Korb

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I think your victory over the burning hell temps at the Traverse proved you are ready for this event mentally and physically. Can't wait for the posts. Keep 'em comin!

Safe Journeys
-Johnnie aka JL aka Vegan Warrior

Unknown said...

Ed, You are the man, and you will have Roy there to pull you up some of the big climbs... :-) Will look forward to the posts, however i'm not sure how you are going to do that given the amount of energy you will exert through the days ahead. Would be fun to know how many calories burned or watts produced over the course of your days... Have fun man, wish I could be there.

carol gail said...

Ed, We are really Jason sent this on to us.
What an adventure!!!
Enjoy every minute and ride like the wind...
Take care and have a safe journey.
We'll be cheering for you.
Carol and Thom Gail

Jason Menser said...

Ed finish or not I commend you on your efforts. What an adventure. Keep the posts comming, it's really cool to follow you on this adventure of a lifetime. Stay strong, I know you will finish, after all your ED.
Jason

Unknown said...

My advice for the heat: Take an extra bottle of water just to dump on your head. Fill it up at aid stations (If they even have friggin water! a-holes) or in the creek or where ever. Just keep dumping it on.

Two reasonable days tomorrow and Tues. Hell Tues. is only 36 miles. Don't think any further than that...

Your names are on cyclingnews.com (amongst all the biggest names in cycling)

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=mtb/2008/jun08/bcbike08/bcbike081

Unknown said...

Pumpkins and t t t turtles! Damn, this is good reading. The family is enjoying the drama. Wish I was there with you. Miss u bro. keep truckin!