I was doing a presentation for a grade four class today at Elbow Valley Elementary School. I was having a hard time believing in what I was telling the kids. To be honest with you, I felt like a total fake. What the hell am I doing here, and what I am trying to impress upon these kids when I don’t really know the first thing about going across a ocean in a 30 inch wide boat. I felt like a fool.

Andrew Mcauley is still missing and I am really bummed out. There is a photo in a New Zealand paper of his wife sitting by the side of his empty kayak weeping.

It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. There is also a photo of Andrew with his 3 year old son Finlay. He wanted to know how daddy was going to get home if he fell out of his kayak. This whole thing with Andew is weighing very heavy on me – it adds a ton of perspective to how I view this Pedaltheocean expedition.

During our question and answer session, one of the kids asked me why I do these things – why I built a human powered vehicle and set a 24 hour distance record, and why I am willing to face the risks to break the 43 day Atlantic crossing record in a tiny human powered boat.

He stumped me.

I couldn’t answer his question. I knew the answer of course, but that answer had no words – none of my immediate thoughts about the simple and quite obvious question “why” would translate to English. I just stood there for a moment, smiled and said ‘well, there is an old saying and it is, if you have to ask the question, then you wouldn’t understand the answer”. The boy smiled and immediately understood.

Suddenly, I felt a bit less like a fool.

Obviously, the answer to “why” isn’t simple. If early adventurers weren’t willing to explore what lay across the ocean, we wouldn’t be living here in North America and the earth would still be flat. We need adventurers – in some way, they advance the human race. Some could argue that a crossing of the Tasman sea isn’t doing anything to further our greater cause, but I am certain that Christopher Columbus was using technology and techniques that were developed by others who had less ambitious goals. Or perhaps I should say, had equally ambitious goals, but relative to a different time.

And then, there are the personal reasons. To push our boundaries and explore what we are made of, to test and expand our personal limits, and to motivate and inspire others to do the same. When you think you can accomplish something difficult, your confidence develops from what others before you have achieved. We feed on inspiration from our brothers and sisters in the human family. I believe it is our duty to make deposits to the inspiration bank when, where and however we can.

After the presentation, Matt filmed some kids chanting “Human Power Rocks!!!” to the video camera. I realized that if you want to make a difference in the world – you have to get people to listen to you. Breaking world records and ocean crossing expeditions give you a stage. No kid wants to be lectured about the obesity epidemic and physical inactivity from some grownup with a science degree. The speaker has to be someone they respect with a message they might be able to relate to. I’m still working on the message delivery, but I think it’s slowly getting better and my warning about the health problems caused by physical inactivity just might be pushing through – who knows.

When I asked ocean rower and adventurer Leven Brown how he was dealing with Andrews death he counseled “I guess that’s just the price we pay for living a life less normal.”

I’m feeling a little better. Have a fantastic week and if you get the chance, don’t forget to make a deposit to the bank of inspiration.

Cheers,

Greg Kolodziejzyk

This is horrible news. I am deeply concerned, but still hopeful that Andrew will be found.

From the Sunday Herald Sun, Victoria, Australia:

“Search continues for McAuley
February 11, 2007 08:01am

NEW Zealand rescuers will resume their search this morning for missing Australian kayaker Andrew McAuley.

The adventurer’s upturned kayak was spotted by a New Zealand Air Force plane late yesterday afternoon in rough seas about 75 km off Milford Sound in the south island.

There was no sign of Mr McAuley.

His emergency locator beacon was still in the kayak but a life jacket and immersion suit were missing, sparking hopes that he may still be found alive.

Mr McAuley had been expected to arrive in Milford Sound today after leaving Tasmania on January 11 in a bid to become the first person to paddle across the Tasman in a kayak.

Concerns about his safety emerged after New Zealand maritime authorities picked up a garbled distress message on Friday night.”

Adrew McAuley set out on January 11, 2007 to become the first person in history to kayak across the Tasman sea from Australia to New Zealand. Andrew modified his kayak by adding a fiberglass dome he called “casper” that fastens over the opening in the kayak so he can sleep. He capsized many times during his expedition, and the canopy cover seemed to do it’s job well, keeping the sea water out and popping him up after every capsize.

images from Andrew McAuley.com

Andrew was scheduled to finish his 1600 kilometer journey from Tasmania today. The latest news is that searchers are optimistic that Andrew will be found, as his life jacket and immersion suit were not found in the kayak. Authorities say that people have survived long periods in the ocean, such as Robert Hewitt, who was found alive 72 hours after going into the water last year. The visibility is good and the search involves a plane and helicopter.

Latest news on the search for Andrew: http://www.kayakquixotica.com/blog.html

Andrew’s Tasman Solo Expedition blog: http://www.andrewmcauley.com/

The Kids from the Calgary Science School sent me a package of cards they drew to thank my for the presentation. They all drew pictures of Critical Power, so I thought I would scan them in and post them here for you to enjoy! That just made my day!!!!! Thanks Calgary Science School.

Check out this NIFTY Within boat speed calculator that Rick Willoughby whipped up for me:

You can change the cadence RPM, gearing for the prop, and drive efficiency and it will output an estimated speed and power requirement in watts. This is all based on the hull shape of Within’s Nimbus Hyak hull shape, weight and an optimized prop.

Click here to download The Excel file is here

The 24 hour HPB record

The reason we are starting to run some estimates for speed and power for Within is because I would like to plan to make an attempt at the 24 hour human powered boat distance record this summer. The record stands at 168 km and was set by John Howard in his HPB called Pedalos. Some of you might recognize the name John Howard. He won Ironman Hawaii a way, WAY back in 1981. He’s also a 3 time member of the Olympic cycling team, and owner of the 24 hour cycling drafting distance record of 539 miles.

I know from the 24 hour HPV record, that I can maintain an average output of 150 watts at 80 rpm for 24 hours, and with breaks and coasting, the overall average ends up at between 100 to 110 watts. My 100 watt speed in Within should be around 9 kph, so doing the math results in 216 km for 24 hours which is comfortably over the current record.

I would really love to take a shot at the record this summer – perhaps right here in Calgary, since all we need is a large, flat, calm body of water and a nice, sunny day. It will be a great opportunity to generate some PR for the Pedal The Ocean Expedition, and for me to get a better feel for cranking out the watts in Within (the power from Within!).

Within’s deck is finished!

On Tuesday Ben, Matt and Greg Nuspel joined me in the shop to do the wet layup for the inside of the deck. It went way faster than I expected – we put down and wetted out a layer of Kevlar and the fiberglass woven roving. Then a layer of release film and blanket and it all went into my gigantic plastic bag. We used my vacuum cleaner to hog out the air to get it going, then two venturi’s connected to my air compressor to pull the vacuum. The vacuum pressure wasn’t very high, but high enough to press the wetted fabric tightly down to the decks edges.

I was very happy with the result – we were able to bend that heavy woven roving fiberglass fabric around a very tight edge and it came out nice and square.

I could not weigh it because I can’t see the scale read-out under the large shape, but it feels pretty heavy. Definitely heavier than the Nimbus Hyak kayak hull that the deck will be bonded to. This will create a top-heavy boat, but we know that. The plan is and always has been to either add a ballast keel to Within, or to place a heavy plate between the seat rails on the floor of the deck. Well, that’s what the prototype boat is for – to learn through trial and error in real, not simulated conditions.

Now, since I have Pat at RaceRecon to help me with the logistics of this project, hopefully I will be able to make some better progress in the shop with boat building. I think the next item on the agenda will be laying down a thick layer of fiberglass to reinforce the Hyak hull floor, then I want to get on the drive leg. Once the drive leg is completed, I want to build the drive leg bay in the hull, the seat, then the bulk heads. Then I’ll join the hull to the deck and cut out the canopy.

Hopefully, Within will be ready for water testing in late April.

The deck came off of the hull quite easily – we had lined the hull with plastic and some duct tape so that dripped epoxy wouldn’t bond our deck down to the hull. The Nimbus Hyak kayak hull temporarily went into the garage to make room for the giant upside down deck.

We knocked down the stair step edges of the Styrofoam slats on the inside of the hull, then rough sanded the whole foam core to a relatively uniform thickness.

I had previously calculated all of the areas that would require hard points, and marked them off with a felt pen, then gouged out the Styrofoam in those areas.

Hard points are areas of the deck core that are filled in with a solid substance to prevent fasteners and other thru-hardware from crushing the foam core. They also add considerable strength to those areas. Hard points are the 4 points around the canopy where I want to add hinges/latches, an area in the rear where the rudder is mounted, the bow and stern tips for a no-crush zone, the bow and stern for mounting cleats, and areas where the bulk heads will be placed.

The illustration above shows the location of the hard points and the 4 bulkheads – 2 small bulkheads 24″ back from both the bow and stern to seal off areas that will be filled with solid buoyancy (expanding foam), and two main bulk heads to seal off the sleeping compartment and the bow storage compartment.

Camera man Clamp (Matt) beside Within deck with hard point areas carved out and ready for micro

This stuff is a god send! Rather than spending an eternity mixing powered micro with epoxy resin, we purchased some pre-mixed fairing filler. It’s just epoxy resin with micro-balloons already mixed in. It comes as a 2-part mix like Bondo and cures in a couple of hours. Great stuff!

Ben had the bright idea of testing the fairing compound first by filling in a typical 1/2″ deep carved out Styrofoam hole to see if the exothermic heat created by the thick epoxy mix would melt the foam. It did as you can see. So, we ended up filling the hard point holes in layers to avoid dissolving any of the foam core.

The image above shows the bow tip filled with epoxy/micro

I pre-cut all of the 18 oz fiberglass Woven Roving and Kevlar for the inside layers. These layers will wrap around the edges and fully seal off the deck. I will eventually bond the entire deck to the kayak hull, and add another band of fiberglass to bridge the seem on both the inside and outside. The area where the top and bottom (hull and deck) join should be pretty strong!

The plan for laying down the inside composite plies is to fully wet-out the deck edges and foam core with epoxy and wait for 3 hours until ‘green’ stage – this is where the epoxy has cured to the tacky stage. Then I will lay on my Kelvar. The tacky epoxy will hold the kevlar tightly around the edges of the deck. Then I fully wet-out the kevlar and wait another 3 hours for it to get tacky, then I’ll lay down my final 18 oz fiberglass layer.

Kevlar pre-cut and ready to go.

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Here are some illustrations of the rudder. The rudder is a NACA 0020 airfoil 24″ long x 4″ wide. A 5/8″ stainless steel tube is bonded into the rudder and runs up through the hull AND deck though a stainless steel housing tube. This housing tube is screwed and glues and glassed right into both the deck and the hull. The is a small bulkhead (not shown) behind the tube to enclose the solid buoyancy area. The tube is also glued and glassed to this bulkhead.

Control cables will be mounted to a swing arm clamped to the top of the rudder tube from ABOVE the deck (not shown). The cables will run through holes in the top deck to inside Within and run into the cockpit area.

I have a LOT to do, and I think I had better get moving on this. It’s going slowly because I have only really been devoting one day a week to the fabrication. I’ve been busier training for Ironman Arizona which is in April – that takes up a few hours every day. Also I have been really busy working on a promotional video for the expedition designed to find some sponsors – along with a sponsorship package. That has been really great exercise for me, as it is forcing me to really think about the specifics of the expedition and what exactly I want to accomplish. Also I have started thinking about costs, other logistics and a rough schedule.

There is not enough time in the day! I’ve got to start getting serious about planning my time better.

Here is a rough schedule off the top of my head:

January – have sponsor package finished
February – start finding equipment and supplies sponsors, drive leg, canopy, cockpit
March – have sponsorship funding secured, Within construction complete
April – Ironman Arizona, Within pool testing, equipment installed
May – Within mini-expedition
June – TRAINING
July – TRAINING (second mini-expedition??)
August – TRAINING, Ironman Canada, equipment and supplies secured
September – TRAINING, 24 hour HPB record attempt
October – TRAINING, Ironman World Championships
November – TRAINING
December – Jan – Feb – Trans Atlantic record attempt?

I wonder if December of 2007 is too soon???….. Another year of development would be great, but I don’t see the need to be sitting around. Might as well get the show on the road.

Cheers,
gk

The new “Pedal The Ocean” video!

Dare I say that this video is now finished! After a million revisions and weeks or revising, creating 3D animations, filming, sound editing, etc, etc, etc. I think this is the last and final revision.

Luke at AmazingVoice.com kindly offered to sponsor the expedition by donating some of their top-notch voice talent. What a difference that makes!!!! It’s amazing – really. I had their voice talent record voice-overs for all of my title screens that are too difficult to read on the YouTube and Google videos.

I also changed the logo animation to PedalTheOcean. Check out what a huge difference the voice talent makes:

New expedition name, logo and web site!
Expedition management company RaceRecon is on-board

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Introducing “Pedal The Ocean”
The Human Powered Trans Atlantic Speed Record Expedition

A big update today with lots of important news. First and foremost, I am signed a deal with Pat Brothers from RaceRecon, an expedition management company based in Sydney Australia, and the first order of business was a dedicated web site for the expedition, new name and logo.

So I got back to the drawing board and came up with PedalTheOcean, a spiffy logo and registered the domain name www.pedaltheocean.com which should be up in a week or so.

RaceRecon will be providing expedition support and expertise. I choose RaceRecon because they have some experience with expeditions of this type (see Crossing The Ditch.com , around Australia paddle expedition , circumnavigating Peurtico by kayak and one more very large expedition around Greenland which has not been announced yet), but mostly because Pat is a guy I can really relate to. He is a sub 10 hour Ironman triathlete and is a total geek like me. He digs watts and spreadsheets and aerodynamics and is a pretty decent web designer. He also ‘gets’ it when it comes to what we need to do to provide value to a sponsor and how adventure expeditions can be run like a business.

I’ve been working on a new promotional video that will become part of a sponsor package. It’s important, so I have been spending a lot of time working on it. I quickly outgrew Imovie HD and upgraded to Final Cut Express – wow, what an editing package! I am very impressed. You would not believe how long this 8 minute clip took to produce!

The YouTube version below doesn’t do it justice because you can’t read most of the small titles – much of it was shot in 1080i High Definition and it looks pretty spectacular on the big 1080i screen here. Much less so in Google Video or Youtube. It originally featured some really cool music from my collection, but I want to stay legal, so I substituted a Creative Commons tune that I liked – “What Planet Are We On” by Five Star Fall, as well as a cool number from my Brothers Band – The Plaid Tongued Devils “Miserlou”.

A giant boat condom

I have been falling behind with the boat construction. Way too busy in the office trying to get this whole expedition mapped out – A budget, a schedule, an outline for a sponsorship drive, and this video. On top of that, training for Ironman Arizona is ramping up and I’m putting in about 3 hours a day on the bike, in the pool or on the track. Things are looking really good though – my fitness is starting to improve, I am making some headway with the expedition planning and we are slowing making progress on the boat.

I have a bit of an announcement to make soon regarding the direction and scope of this expedition. I have been negotiating with an expedition management team out of Australia that could take this whole idea to another level. I’ll keep you informed.

Last Tuesday the team was over and we ended up goofing off and talking for most of the day. However, we did accomplish one thing and that was to build and test a giant vacuum bag for Within’s next inside layer composite layup.

I have been really concerned about glassing the inside layer because all of the tests I have conducted to date resulted in disappointment. The edges of the wetted out cloth peel up and I wanted to wrap the fiberglass and Kevlar right around the edge of the deck. I discovered that the only way to get a nice, tight layup around that edge was to vacuum bag the entire deck. So, we built a giant plastic bag with Gorilla Tape, and inserted the boat deck into it, sealed up the end and pulled a vacuum. It worked great! We don’t have much vacuum pressure, but the plastic sucked down to the form enough to press fiberglass and Kevlar fabric against the deck walls while the epoxy cures.

The plan for this Tuesday is to actually do the wet layup – a big day. Two layers of composite, tons of epoxy, wrap the giant boat condom over it all and vacuum all the air out. Then I need to get moving on the drive unit – then the bulkheads and drive bay and seat.

Presentation for the grade 5 class at the Calgary Science School

I was invited to speak at my Nephew Nicks school on Thursday – What a blast that was! I had a great time. It was whacky hair day which is why some of the kids in the photos look a bit strange. Didn’t want you to think that was the current style in Calgary or anything…

I showed Critical Power and a short introduction video I have been working on which touches a bit on the 24 hour HPV record with Critical Power, my Ironman triathlon success and the new Trans Atlantic Expedition.

After the 10 minute video I talked about some of the science behind Critical power streamliner – like aerodynamics and gearing, etc. The kids really thought that was cool.

I finished my talk with a short discussion about the obesity epidemic. I have established a relationship with the Childhood Obesity Foundation, a registered charity whose mandate is to identify, evaluate and promote best practices to avoid childhood obesity.

The focus of my health warning is that we all need to start using our human power more to avoid the health problems that stem from a sedentary lifestyle. My message to the kids is that we are living in a sort of unnatural environment where we spend most of the day sitting in a chair, working, watching TV, in front of the computer or playing video games.

Since homo sapiens first walked the planet 100,000 years ago, our natural environment probably consisted of walking the distance of a marathon every day. Our environment has undergone a dramatic change over only the last 100 years or so (probably less), and evolution can’t keep pace with this drastic change in lifestyle. As a result, we’re getting fat and suffering from a host of diseases associated with our sedentary ways.

To put the last 100 years compared to 100,000 years of adapting to our natural environment into perspective, I showed the kids a roll of toilet paper. “If I unrolled this entire roll of paper down the longest hallway in the school, it would be a time line that would represent 100,000 years. Now, the last 100 years would be about 1/2 of one single square of paper at the end of the roll.” In truth, we have been evolving for about 3 million years. 100 years of drastic change over 3 million years of evolution would be a single, tiny square compared to 40 entire rolls of toilet paper! How on earth can our bodies adapt in only one square!

Later, the kids sent me a list of questions. I thought the questions were good, so I reprinted them here with my answers:

1. Why are you doing this?

I like to experience nature in the natural way (through physical

effort). I want to live a long, healthy and happy life, and know that

to do this, I must stay active! What better way than to devote my life

to active challenges. To really ‘feel’ life is to grow, and personal

growth requires continually challenging myself by venturing outside of

my comfort zone. I live to inspire and motivate others. I would like

to convince the world that they can accomplish anything they put their

minds to.

2. Are you going to do any other feats?

Always!

3. How often do you race?

This year I will do 3 Ironman races and a marathon and a half-marathon

(maybe two). You can’t really do any more than 2 or 3 Ironmans a year

– way too much

4. How long have you been planning to paddle across the Atlantic?

You mean “PEDDLE”. Since I got back from setting the 24 hour record in

July of 2006 (not long). When I got home after setting the record I

was in the enviable position of asking myself “OK, now what next?” I

made a list of all the adventures I have ever thought about doing and

picked the Atlantic crossing.

5. How hard was it to make your bike?

VERY hard. Harder than you would think. When I started, I didn’t even

own a single tool! I bought a TIG welder after about 20 minutes of

instruction from the salesman and learnt it all on my own by trial and

error and asking TONS of questions! I got a LOT of help. That is one

reason why I always offer advice to others (pay back and pay forward)

6. What made you want to do this?

I used to follow the stories of a friend of mine who rowed half way

around the world! His stories about the sea were mesmerizing for me

and I always thought that was something different that I would like to

do someday.

7. How long did it take you to build the bike?

About 2 years with plenty of learning along the way

8. Will you be doing any more record breaking?

I would like to take a crack at the human powered hour record someday

possibly. That’s a tough one because I am getting older (I’ll be 46

years old in March) and young guys have a definite physical advantage

when it comes to short distance speed (but not as much of an advantage

for long distance endurance)

9. How did you feel inside the bike?

Cramped! But it was pretty cool to be zooming around the track in that

space capsule doing 60

10. Did you have any sponsors?

No sponsors for the 24 hour record

11. Did you build more than one car/bike?

Yes, I built a velomobile to start with so I could learn more about

how to build bikes like this. Pictures of the “Rocket” velomobile are

here:

http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/RocketMain.html

12. What are you going to do after you cross the Atlantic Ocean?

Eat lots! And enjoy the things that we all take for granted: A warm,

dry bed to sleep in, fresh fruit, a roof over our heads, green grass,

trees and most of all I get to re-enjoy my family and friends!

13. What was it like to be in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii?

Pretty hard core! And humbling! The best in the world go there. I had

a 70 year old man pass me on the run. In the swim I was passed by a

BLIND person, then a one-legged man!!!!

14. Are you nervous about crossing the ocean?

oh ya!!

15. What was the hardest part of the bike invention and record breaking?

Well, probably designing and building a bike capable of breaking the

record. There was plenty of trial and error and many very frustrating

moments! But, you learn how to persevere and finish what you start!

I’m glad I did because there were many, many times I wanted to give

up.

16. How much will your boat cost?

I think the whole expedition might cost between $100,000 t0 $200,000

17. Do you consider the dangers of crossing the oceans?

Yes. I did an assessment:

http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/HPB/09-27-06.html and

http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/HPB/09-29-06.html

As I said in my video: sitting on the couch and watching TV or playing

video games eating junk food all the time is WAY, WAY, WAY more

dangerous!!!!

18. Do you get paid for breaking records?

Nope – I wish!

19. What do you do to train?

Ride my bike, ride my bike, ride my bike, ride my bike. Then I ride my bike.

20. What is the top speed of the boat?

We don’t know yet, but we hope that it’s cruising speed will be about 9 kph.

21. Will Critical Power be used again? For what?

If I need to defend my record, I may take another shot at the 24 hour

record with Critical Power.

22. Once you are done the boat, what will you do?

Test it. I plan on taking the next couple of summers and going to the

ocean off Vancouver and Victoria to learn more about what it is like

to be on the ocean for extended periods of time. I also need to learn

more about how my boat Within will handle rough ocean conditions. This

knowledge will then be used to build a brand new boat that will be

much stronger and may be built by a professional boat builder.

23. Are you going to try anything out of the boat?

Sorry – I don’t understand the question??

24. How do you get enough money to make your bike and your boat?

Well, I worked very hard for many, many years at a couple of

businesses that I started when I was young. I was lucky to be able to

sell one to a very big software company called Adobe.

25. Do you do anything else for a living?

nope

26. How do you feel about your upcoming journey?

Kind of scared

27. How do you go to the bathroom in Critical Power?

I have a bathroom right on-board! A flexible tube allows ‘waste’ to run into a collection bag which gets pumped out at a pit stop.

28. What do you like most about completing so many projects?

You know – it really isn’t at all about the destination, but oh, so

much about the journey! Can you tell me what you think that means?

29. How did you feel about being very healthy compared to many other

kids that are not very healthy?

Wow – lots of questions! I want to help kids become healthy and more

importantly, to teach them that they have to start becoming more

active NOW, because it becomes habit forming at this young age. When

they get older is when the real problems start and it becomes very

hard to change bad habits.

30. What other adventures would you like to go on?

One of you nailed it yesterday: To build a human powered airplane!

31. Are you nervous to use the human powered boat across the ocean?

Yep!

32. Will you still beat more records after you go across the ocean?

I hope so!

33. Do you think you could get more world records?

I hope so!

34. Are you ever going to become a pro triathlete?

No – I’m way too old.

35. Are you planning to do other Ironmans?

Yes – I would like to continue to do them. I’m doing THREE more this

year alone and hope to qualify for Hawaii again. It’s an addicting

sport!

36. Do you do any other sports rather than triathlon?

Marathons, 10 km races, 5 km races and half marathons.

37. What inspired you to design and build a bike and pedal for 24 hours?

This is really strange, but believe it or not, it was an article in

Popular Science Magazine that I read about 10 years ago. It inspired

me so much that I never forgot it.

This is a topic for another presentation: I believe that it is your

INSPIRATION that makes things come true for you. That Pop Sci article

inspired me and I was able to visualize myself winning a record

someday in a cool looking bike like the one I saw in the magazine. Not

only did that come true, but I also got into the magazine!!! And, I

never even called them. They contacted me out of the blue – they heard

about it off the news wire and initiated contact with me.

38. Do you have a trademark on your inventions?

No – probably no new technology worth protecting

39. Why do you make records and set challenges?

Like I said, we have to continue to challenge ourselves

40. Will you use your bike again and break your own record?

Yes, I would like to do that someday. I have VERY fond memories about

both record attempts

41. Will you build other things (besides the boat)?

Maybe an HPA (do you know what that stands for?)

42. Do you always think you can do it?

No, but I am not afraid of failing.

43. What will your boat be called?

“Within” because human power is the power from within

44. I wonder what you are going to do after traveling in the Atlantic Ocean?

sleep

45. What/who is the biggest inspiration you have or had?

Two fictional characters:

This is funny, but true:

1. Forest Gump because he wasn’t afraid to try anything

2. Kramer from Seinfeld because everything he did, he did with ALL of

his heart and sole.

46. Where did your interest in obesity education stem from?

It is a serious problem and I feel like I can help make a difference

by inspiring others to become active.

“‘Life is not a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in a pretty
and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up,
totally worn out,
and loudly proclaiming,

“WOW! What a ride!”‘

That’s how I’d like to close 2006 – what a fantastic quote. That just says it all doesn’t it? Thanks to Roz Savage for that.

And I feel like the way I lived in 2006 brought me one step closer to sliding in broadside. What a year it has been, and what a wild ride!

the Kolodziejzyk family

2006 started out with some difficulty – the winter months of January to April was spent making modifications to my human powered vehicle – Critical Power for a second attempt at the 24 hour human powered distance record that I had scheduled for some time in the summer. I had just returned from a November failed attempt in Alabama completely motivated to fix our problems and attack the record again.

The first item on the agenda was to repair the cracks in the fairing shell caused from my many crashes at the NCAT test track in Alabama. Those were patched with carbon and we added some ribs to prevent the shell from caving in again in case of another crash. Then I had it professionally painted sexy silver metallic with a new CP skull logo advertising that I meant business this time around!

Other mods included adding proper chain guides to prevent another chain derailment which derailed the last attempt, a new, smoother canopy bubble, and a quick-access food/hydration compartment.

The winter months were also spent training for Ironman Arizona. Getting ready for an Ironman in the middle of a Canadian winter is brutal! all my runs were circular loops around the track at the Talisman Center and all my rides were inside on the mag trainer. Needless to say, I was concerned about my lack of any serious distance on the bike as the April Ironman date approached. My longest ride was only 4 hours inside on the trainer. The plan, according to my coach Jason Yanota, was to seriously ramp up the intensity to increase my power. And that we did. My training started with a couple of months suffering through brutal Lactate threshold intervals, then got worse with 4 weeks of MAP intervals (maximum aerobic power – grueling sets of all-out maximum effort lasting a few minutes and repeating until vomit is imminent.

The work paid-off. Ironman Arizona turned out to be the race of my dreams. I missed 3rd place by 2 seconds and easily nabbed a qualifying slot for world championships in Hawaii finishing in 10 hours, 15 minutes. For the last 4 years, it has been a goal of mine to break into the top 5 in my division and qualify for Ironman World Championships in Kona, and I had finally done it – I was ecstatic!

After a post Ironman recovery holiday in Florida with my family, the next item on the agenda was a new training program for another crack at the 24 hour distance record. I would have to say, in looking back, that my fondest memories of the entire HPV distance record project – both attempts actually, were my ultra long training rides. These rides were the back bone of my training program – every week I alternated a super long training ride with a 100 miler fast time trial. The goal of the 100 miler time trials was to hammer as hard as possible and try to maintain 230+ watts for about 4.5 to 5 hours on the M5 lowracer. My course was typically a 50 mile out and back flat and fast section of highway south of Calgary. Those days were tough, but rewarding.

The main focus of my training was the ultra rides. I started out at 8 hours and upped the duration by 2 hours every 2 weeks. These rides were unforgettable mini-expeditions that typically took a few days worth of planning in advance. My choice of route was always important because if you are spending 16 hours out on the road by yourself, you need to stay stimulated. My route of choice was the Highwood Pass – a 320 km circular route that took me up to the top of the highest paved road in Canada and through 2 provincial parks. I saw bears, Mountain goats, a Moose, and many elk. My ultra rides peaked at a 400 km day where I started out at sunrise from my home in Calgary and ended as the sun set in Jasper, about 16 hours later. What a day that was!

And then, in the second week of July, my crew and I flew off to Eureka, CA for my second shot at the 24 hour HPV record. Man, what a special moment that was for me. I have many vivid memories of that entire trip – from preparing Critical Power in the days leading up to the record attempt and the record itself, to all of the celebrations after. On July 19th at 9:00 am, after 23 hours of circling the 1/2 mile Redwood Acres race track over 1000 times, I had tears in my eyes as I realized that I had finally done it – I had broken the existing record of 1021 km and had another hour to add distance to it. It’s always nice when a plan works out, and extra sweet when you can say you are the best in the world at something.

Soon after the 24 hour record my family and I flew off to France for a cycling vacation through the Loire Valley. That trip definitely goes down as one of our all-time favorite vacations. When I returned to Calgary, I started back at Ironman training to get ready for Ironman in Kona, Hawaii – another dream that was finally going to come true for me.

The fulfillment of a 5 year quest to make it to world championships was finally realized on Oct 21, 2006 in Kona as I completed my 10th Ironman distance triathlon, the world championships. It was a very challenging day and I learned some important lessons. We had a very relaxing vacation and I am motivated to make it back to Kona for 2007 to see if I can improve my finish there.

We returned to Calgary and I realized that I was in an enviable, exciting situation – one that doesn’t come around all that often – what to do next? I don’t ever look at these cross roads moments as doors closing on previous goals, but doors opening for new ones. An optimist stays up until midnight to welcome the New Year, a pessimist stays up to make sure the old one goes away. I was faced with a choice of embarking on a new adventure! New challenges that I can leverage what I learned and what I was able to accomplish from previous challenges. This was truly exciting! I made a list of all the things that I’ve always thought about doing, and talked them over with my wife Helen. When I nervously told Helen that I was thinking of pedaling a human powered boat across the Atlantic, she said “oh, I hope you don’t mind that I don’t want to go with you!” Man – she is awesome! She is so supportive. If I told her I wanted to build a human powered rocket and go to the moon, she would start packing the TANG. Wait a sec… You don’t think she wants to get rid of me do you? Hmm…. Seriously, Helen is incredible. There is no way I could do any of the crazy things I do if not for her unconditional support.

And so it was decided – I was going to cross the Atlantic Ocean by human power. Immediately, I got in touch with the real experts – members of the human powered boats group, and instantly made friends with Rick Willoughby who had some very interesting ideas about exactly what that kind of boat should be about. Together, we came up with a design, and now I have a partially finished fiberglass and Kevlar pedal boat in my shop!

So – what is in store for 2007? Well, I have Ironman Arizona again in April where I would really like to repeat my performance of last year and place in the top 5 in my division and nab my 2nd Kona slot. In fact, my goal is to place top 3. After that, I will have most of the summer to gain experience in Within – my human powered boat. I am planning on some ocean trips off Vancouver Island, and possibly some more aggressive sea-testing in rougher ocean conditions. Helen and I are both doing Ironman Canada in August – so if I do not qualify for Kona in Arizona, then I will have a second chance in Penticton.

As far as what the new year holds in store for the Human Powered Trans Atlantic expedition, it will be an adventure for sure! – Probably some difficult moments, surely some excitement, hopefully some fun along the way and certainly plenty of learning. I am looking forward to making some new friends and strengthening some old relationships. It will be quite a journey for everyone involved. My goals for the year are:

1. To solidify my mission statement – am I going for a crossing record, or going for a solo, unsupported first of some sort?

2. To secure a Charity to work with

3. To secure a major corporate sponsor for the expedition

4. To find supplies and equipment sponsors for the expedition

5. To finish fabrication and testing of Within – the human powered ocean boat to my satisfaction

6. To collect some awesome footage for the TV / documentary series. Building, pool testing, ocean testing, training, etc – should be pretty interesting!

7. To make an attempt at the 24 hour human powered boat distance record. I may use Within for this, or may have to use something specially built for a record attempt.

8. To solidify a schedule of exactly when the ocean crossing will take place

On top of all of this, I vow to resume my drums music lessons, support Helen with her new business venture, and help my kids accomplish their goals.

But what I hope the most for in 2007, is to see that YOU accomplish your goals! You can accomplish what ever you set your mind to – But first, you need a plan because how will you know when you arrive if you don’t know where you are going? A plan starts with listing your goals, so let’s start there. If it helps you, feel free to email me with a list of your goals for 2007. I can help with advice and motivation, so use me!

I BLOG because I like to entertain, to inspire, to motivate, to show what’s possible, and occasionally to show that even the impossible is possible. But the main reason I blog is for me. It’s a great way to solidify what my goals are and to record my trials, tribulations, successes, failures and lessons learned. I’m getting older and I forget stuff all the time. I am finding it increasingly difficult to learn anything if I forget my mistakes, because you don’t learn from your successes, you learn from your failures. If you write it down, and tell it to the world, then you have to do it. And if you do it wrong, then it’s there in pixels forever so you will never forget – and won’t make the same mistake twice. Or at least, won’t make the same mistake any more than a dozen or so times…

So hey – I wish you and your family all the best for 2007. And remember to enjoy the ride!

Greg Kolodziejzyk