Singletrack 6 presented by Transrockies was epic in more ways than one. Here’s a compilation of lessons learned.
Singletrack 6 Preview
To help get you faster for your next XC stage race and/or MTB adventure, the hosts of the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast signed up to race Singletrack 6, the epic six-day MTB stage race presented by Transrockies. Each day of their race adventure (which was unfortunately cut short, but more on that later) they recorded their insights and dished about their experiences.
Before taking off for the race, they recorded an episode dedicated to how they prepared themselves and their equipment for the race. Listen in and check out the full lists of their equipment below.
Jonathan’s Equipment

Bike: Yeti ASR (Size Medium); Tires: Maxxis Ardent Race 29×2.35 (21/23PSI); Suspension: Rockshox RS-1 (92 PSI), Rockshox Monarch XX (147 PSI); Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 (30t Absolute Black oval chainring, 10-42 XO1 Cassette); Power Meter: Stages Carbon; Pedals: XPEDO M-Force 8 Ti; Grips: ESI Racer’s Edge; Saddle: Specialized Phenom; Helmet: POC Octal; Glasses: POC Crave; Kit: Cuore Gold (Custom TrainerRoad); Gloves: Handup; Shoes: Specialized S-Works XC; Head Unit: Wahoo ELEMNT; HRM: Wahoo TICKR; Nutrition: Nature’s Bakery Fig Bar, Clif Bar Coconut Almond Butter, Skratch Labs Fruit Drops and Lemon Lime mix; Hydration Pack: USWE Airborne XC; Spares: Fabric Cageless Tool Keg, spare tube, Genuine Innovations Tire Repair Kit, CO2 nozzle, hand pump
Nate’s Equipment

Bike: Yeti 4.5 (Size XL); Tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 29×2.35 (26/28PSI); Suspension: Rockshox Pike 130, Fox Float X; Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 Eagle (30t chainring, 10-50 XO1 Eagle Cassette); Power Meter: SRM; Pedals: Shimano XTR; Grips: ESI Chunky; Saddle: S-Works Phenom; Helmet: POC Octal; Glasses: Oakley Jawbreaker (MTB Prizm Lens) Kit: Cuore Gold (Custom TrainerRoad); Gloves: Specialized Body Geometry; Shoes: Specialized S-Works XC; Head Unit: Garmin EDGE 520; HRM: Wahoo TICKR; Nutrition: Honey Stinger Chews and Waffle, Bonk Breaker Bar, Skratch Labs Lemon Lime mix; Hydration Pack: USWE Airborne XC; Spares: Fabric Cageless Tool Keg, spare tube, Genuine Innovations Tire Repair Kit, CO2 nozzle, hand pump
Chad’s Equipment

Bike: Yeti 4.5 (Size L); Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5, Minion DHR 2 29×2.35 (25/27PSI); Suspension: Rockshox Pike 140, Fox Float DPS; Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 Eagle (30t chainring, 10-50 XO1 Eagle Cassette); Power Meter: Quarq Eagle; Pedals: XPEDO M-Force; Grips: ESI Chunky; Saddle: Ergon SMR3 Pro Carbon; Helmet: Giro Montaro; Glasses: Oakley Jawbreaker (MTB Prizm Lens); Kit: Cuore Gold (Custom TrainerRoad); Gloves: Specialized Body Geometry; Shoes: Specialized S-Works XC; Head Unit: Garmin EDGE 520; HRM: Wahoo TICKR; Nutrition: Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars, Skratch Labs Lemon Lime mix; Hydration Pack: USWE Airborne XC; Spares: Fabric Cageless Tool Keg, spare tube, Genuine Innovations Tire Repair Kit, CO2 nozzle, hand pump
Day 1, Stage 1 Recap
During Stage 1, Coach Chad suffered from near-debilitating cramps among the vast number of elements in such a rigorous event. Following sheer and loose descents, steep climbs, and sustained technical descending, TrainerRoad’s Head Coach, a master’s athlete, discusses in this episode his plans to take a day to recalculate before moving into Stage 3.
Nate: 305 FTP – 184 lbs. – 3.65 W/kg
- Duration: 3:44:28
- Distance: 38.95 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 224 W
- Training Stress Score: 200
- kJ expenditure: 1,919
Jonathan: 295 FTP – 145 lbs. – 4.49 W/kg
- Duration: 2:42:18
- Distance: 38 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 246 W
- Training Stress Score: 193
- kJ expenditure: 1,850
Chad: 315 FTP – 179 lbs. – 3.88 W/kg
- Duration: 3:46:03
- Distance: 45.03 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 178 W
- Training Stress Score: 132
- kJ expenditure: 1,667
Day 2, Stage 2 Recap
Jonathan flew solo and ended up taking a wrong turn in the midst of dusty conditions and rugged terrain during Stage 2. Despite his setback, there proved to be a lot to learn from navigating Stage 2’s technical climbs and rough landscapes. In this episode, the guys discuss how Jonathan was able to pass riders on climbs to make his way back into the pack.
Jonathan: 295 FTP – 145 lbs. – 4.49 W/kg
- Duration: 2:41:12
- Distance: 30 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 237 W
- Training Stress Score: 183
- kJ expenditure: 1,699
Day 3, Stage 3 Recap
Coach Chad makes his comeback in another big day of descending on Stage 3.
Technical singletrack through rocky terrain presented the need to manage fear, among other things, in today’s day of racing. In this episode, the guys explain how aggressive tire choices in a speedy stage with nearly 100% singletrack played to their advantage.
Jonathan: 295 FTP – 145 lbs. – 4.49 W/kg
- Duration: 2:36:00
- Distance: 34 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 213 W
- Training Stress Score: 140
- kJ expenditure: 1,366
Chad: 315 FTP – 179 lbs. – 3.88 W/kg
- Duration: 3:23:49
- Distance: 34.57 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 168 W
- Training Stress Score: 97
- kJ expenditure: 1,317
Day 4, Stage 4 Recap
Stage 4, appropriately coined The Queen Stage, did not fall short of expectations. It proved to uphold its reputation as demanding, yet prestigious, as Coach Jonathan tackled another grueling day. In this episode, the guys discuss how to attack aggressive climbs despite dealing with nagging blistered hands.
Jonathan: 295 FTP – 145 lbs. – 4.49 W/kg
- Duration: 3:11:23
- Distance: 42 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 216 W
- Training Stress Score: 184
- kJ expenditure: 1,923
Day 5, Stage 5 Recap
Stage 5 took an unexpected turn….right into a rock. Joking aside, Coach Jonathan struggled to maintain focus and ended up in a heap. Singletrack 6 has been full of lessons for the team and we wrap the final episode of this series up in dedication to one broken bike, a bruised-faced Coach Jonathan, and a thoroughly spent Coach Chad.
PS: For those asking, all was not lost … they were able to salvage Jonathan’s hair.
Jonathan: 295 FTP – 145 lbs. – 4.49 W/kg
- Duration: 2:48:53
- Distance: 35 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 226 W
- Training Stress Score: 173
- kJ expenditure: 1,537
Chad: 315 FTP – 179 lbs. – 3.88 W/kg
- Duration: 3:05:20
- Distance: 36.82 kilometers
- Normalized Power: 234 W
- Training Stress Score: 171
- kJ expenditure: 1,940
Singletrack 6 Recap
The dust has settled and Coach Chad, Jonathan and Nate share their final thoughts on Singletrack 6.
To learn more about Ask a Cycling Coach presented by TrainerRoad, visit the podcast’s homepage.
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Thanks for the entertaining and informative series of podcasts for this event. Lots of great information on preparation and what to do when a bike adventure doesn’t go as planned. Heal up, acquire new bikes and ride on.
Heck ya! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
If you listen to 6, and then go back to 5, the foreshadowing is shocking.
Best wishes to Jonathan for a quick recovery! I was so bummed to hear what had happened. He was killin’ it! Thank you guys so much for the valuable information in your podcast. I’ve benefitted a lot and the information is so clearly presented. And thanks for sacrificing yourselves to the Singletrack 6 gods for our benefit. Sounds like a gnarly race!
Thanks Julie! Really stoked you got so much value from it. 🙂
Happy training!
Thanks for putting this all together – it was awesome to hear about the preparation, challenges during the event, and the post mortem, especially because I was in the event.
Great talking to you (Jonathan and Chad) down in Rossland!
Trevor, Jeff, John,
Thanks for the feedback fellas! Glad you guys were able to glean some useful tips from our experiences. 🙂
Jeff: We’ll be releasing a short video soon covering some of those learnings. Stay tuned!
Cheers!
I listened to this whole series this week, while in Colorado getting ready for the Breck Epic. I really enjoyed all the discussion of the race gear, feeding strategy, and your experiences on the trails. Now Im going back to the previous 100 episodes of bike-geakdom. Thanks guys! Really great job.
JB
these podcasts were GREAT. Hope Jonathan is healing. The guts talked a lot about some downhill lessons they had gotten before they headed off to Canada. Will they be sharing any of this information? Sounds like they thought it was really helpful