When he's not designing bikes, Keith Bontrager is racing them, 24 hours at a time

I first met Keith Bontrager four years ago at a 24-hour mountain bike race in Arizona, where just hours before the start of the race, a burst blood vessel in his nose sent him to the hospital. At first, gauze had been forced up his nose to stop the bleeding. A few hours later, back at the racecourse, Bontrager had swapped the gauze for a tampon.

The story reveals a lot about the 52-year-old Bontrager, a famed maker of bicycle parts who helped design the bikes that helped Lance Armstrong to a few of his seven Tour de France titles. For one thing, the tale illustrates Bontrager's ability to innovate and improvise. It also says a lot about his desire to ride. No bloody nose was going to get in the way of a 24-hour race.

Bontrager began to forge a reputation as a master craftsman of steel bicycles about 25 years ago. In 1995, he sold his signature brand to Trek Bicycles, where he continues designing bike components under his name. Among his innovations are a proprietary tubeless tire technology and a carbon fiber wheel and braking system.

In addition to designing bikes, Bontrager has become hooked on 24-hour mountain bike races. Last year his team won his age category in the 24 Hours of Landahl in Missouri and was second overall. His squad also won his age group at the Tour of the White Mountains in Pinetop, Ariz., and was first overall in the middle distance. He discussed his passion with GeezerJock.

How do you select your teammates for a 24-hour race?

It depends. If the event is not in my neighborhood, and it is the first time I am in the area, it can be tricky. I used to use message boards to find teammates and that worked pretty well, especially if I am not taking the race too seriously. There were times when I connected with the last teammate minutes before the race started and others when someone didn't show. It wasn't always smooth, but it was always fun. Luckily, it is getting easier. I have been racing all over for some time and have made a lot of friends. There are also a lot of Trek and Fisher sales reps that I know around the country. I often call on these folks to help me find racers in a new area. I've never employed a "selection process," like a pro team deciding on a draft pick or something like that. On the other hand, if the event is not just for fun, I do end up trying to find riders who are experienced, who are competitive and who will do their best to win. It is a race after all and that's part of racing. The guys we are racing against are not coming to pick flowers.

You tend to opt for the longer, endurance-oriented races. What's your perfect race?

Any race in cool weather is ideal. I am trying to find a way to adapt to warmer weather this year. Races like the 24 Hours of Moab are best because the courses are technical and the laps are short and fast. That combination suits me. I don't only race to win, so choosing an event that is not ideal, not inherently advantageous to me is reasonable. Of course there are times on the course when I question that.

You had some trouble with dehydration last year. How are you planning to fight that?

Last year the issues came up in the Supertrevissa in Portugal and then again in the TransRockies in Canada, both stage races in hot weather. I dehydrated each time but had been drinking on what I thought was a reasonable schedule. In the Portuguese race I carried on. In the Canadian race I had to drop out, because I was so bad off. I got two liters IV and drank a quart of water after the stage without peeing. Since then I have been doing some analysis and it turns out I was not drinking enough to stay hydrated properly, and the proper amount turns out to be a bit crazy (I am going to need a trailer and a keg to keep up). Now I am trying to work out what to do about that. Part of the solution will be adaptation to heat, and the other part just pacing appropriately and drinking more.

Given your busy schedule and life on the road, how is it possible to train for this sort of thing?

It isn't. My training is haphazard in many ways. But I manage to ride a lot while I am traveling and I test ride a lot of parts. That is part of my job, and that all helps. I also run, hike, and forage when I don't have a bike to stay fit. It always works out in the end.

What kinds of product requests came directly from Lance Armstrong?

Whatever it took to win. Actually the requests were made in a very organized way through the team, and they were all based more or less on what they thought they needed to win the Tour de France. Many had to do with the (time trial) bikes.

It's not uncommon for you to have pots of tire sealant and marinara sauce bubbling away at the same time on your stovetop. What's the connection?

A few things: a fascination with chemistry; a desire to experiment constantly (call it a bad gene); a large ego, especially with the sauce; and a very consistent thrifty streak. I have had to be inventive most of my life because I didn't have enough money to buy things, and it has become a lifestyle now.