epic riding and writing adam

adam lisonbee

i have known adam a short time, but here is what i know.
he likes to ride a 1 speed for a long time. he rides 100 milers and kokopeli for hours on end. i dont get him or you other guys like kenny jones, bionic dave or lynda who like 24 hr solo, 12 hr solo or 200 mile endurance races. i lose interest and motivation at hour 5.

so in short much respect to adam and you guys, and for adam who writes good stories on his blog about his epic adventures with him, pain and the trail in a battle with the pain cave. i have seen that dark pain cave and i dont want to go back.
but he seems to like it.


ok 1.5 hrs racing a 1 speed is ok, but 12 hrs at pc??
tell us how you are so hard core

Racing the SS at the E12 is uncharted territory for me. I don't think I am hardcore, not like the real SS superheroes, like Kenny Jones, who scorch anything and everything pushing one monster gear. But riding the one speed has been a real eye opener for me. I am enjoying it a lot more than I thought, so I figured it was time to try and hammer out an endurance race on it. In truth, I am more worried about the constant rocky descending, than I am about the climbing. Your arms and hands take a solid beating after a few hours on the rigid fork.

you had the ambition to race with us at 5 mile pass, 45 miles on a 1 speed tell us about that epic day

Oh boy. I think that day I was a bit over-zealous. I wanted to get in a long, fast, and challenging workout, so I registered with the Pro's and brought along the SS. For 2 laps things went reasonably well, but after a third I just popped. I turned around and called it a day. School was in session big time that day. Since then I have been racing with the Singlespeed group, and school remains in session. The local SSers are crazy fast, especially in a race that only lasts 90 minutes or so. But it has been a ton of fun chasing them around. Ultimately I race and ride on the SS to help make me stronger. That race at 5 mile was a bit embarrassing, and from most perspectives a disaster. But I learned a lot about how to race the SS, how to push myself faster and longer, and also, first hand, just how fast you guys hammer. If only I had had a big ring....

how is life in the uc, and tell us about family man epic adam

Right now the UC is one big construction zone. I feel like I live in a world of orange barrels. It is a bit of a nightmare. But overall, I really like it down here. My driveway is a short ride from several miles of great singletrack, and a short drive from some of Utah's finest trails. And as a bonus, I am that much closer to Moab than you SLC guys. The family life is great. I have 3 kids, and they are absolutely crazy. They love the outdoors, and are starting to really get into the bike races. Who knows, in a year or two they may be shredding the 9 and under scene at the ICUP. It would be great to have a racer in the family winning some ribbons, because we know I 'aint pulling my weight! My wife is very cool about my MTB obsession. She comes out to some of the races and keeps the kids from running onto the one track. Sometimes family obligations trump riding and training, but I really wouldn't change anything. For every lost training hour, I am usually gaining hours with the kids. Between the lightsaber fights, the wrestling, and the backyard sports I'd have to say the workouts are about even anyway. what would you do if you didnt ride or raceI have always loved the outdoors. I love competing. So I am sure I could find a way to combine those two things, but riding is by far, I think, the best way to satisfy those interests. I used to hike and hunt and fish a lot more than I do these days, but biking has just taken over those other things. I have also wanted to try some trail running, there are a couple of pretty grueling events here in Utah, like the Wasatch 100, that fascinate me. For the time though I will just worry about going 100 miles on the bike.

how do i do as an interviewer

I'd say you are the Larry King of the bike world.

if you won 3 million in a lottery what would you do with your time and money

What wouldn't I do? I think I'd pay off the house, get a nice car, maybe a new bike or two, spend some time traveling with the family, and then put some of it into some business ideas. I work in the film industry, so I think I would turn some of my "big ideas" into reality.