Monday, May 18, 2009
ROOT 66 Race #3: Winsted Woods
Race Report: Winsted Wood, Root 66 Mtb, Race 3
I’ll start w/ the important information: I freaking won!!! (Cat 2, 40 to even older age group) And beat the guy who took me by 5 seconds last race by 4 minutes…
Jeff placed second in his age group, though really the guy who won should have been racing the next class up.
Curtis thought he came in third in Cat 1 (and would have been second if it had not been for an uncooperative root!)
The rest really doesn’t matter that much…
But here are the details anyways:
This course is known for the amount of climbing involved. Mike calls it the mini mt snow race, while Jeff did the math and calculated that it was 2/3 climbing, with 1/3 down. The start of the course shot out of a parking lot into a small field and climbed up this fire road which was muddy, slippery, rocky, and rooty. An awful way to start, as w/in a 100 yards of the race, you are already redlining and gasping for air. The course then twisted up the side of hill on some more slippery single track w/ lots of criss-crossing roots and rocks. Back down on a super fast loose rock fire road, and back up the hill on a fire road w/ good traction. Just as it flattened and you thought you were done, it pointed back up steeply for some extra pain. Flat again, w/ some slippery single track sections and then up again on a fire road in the woods and then continued up through a field (with quite a nice view at the top). Then w/in down some slippery twisty single track which w/in 3 mins spit you back out at the start area. After all that climbing it seemed unbelievable that you could be all the way back down in such a short time and distance. 3 laps for Jeff and I, and I think Curtis had the pleasure of doing 4. (Btw, Curtis, did you race w/ your gps? Do you know what the climbing total was per lap?)
Jeff and I got there again w/ some time to spare to make sure we got in a proper warm up. We did a partial ride of the course and got that proper warm up in. Then we just stood around in the cold and waited as the race was delayed by ½ hr. Just long enough to cool all the way back down again. I had to line up at the back of the group and when we went off tried to fight my way to the front as I wanted to make sure that unlike last race, there were not going to be a couple of guys taking off w/ out me realizing they were doing so. As we hit the fire road climb, I was in tenth and we were grouping together. The moment the mud started, people in front started to dab and hesitate and I quickly found myself (after Jeff and I had found during the warm up, a good line through a rocky mud pit) in 4th place. I was starting to hit my max w/ this short climb and decided to just settle there and recover. As the course turned to single track, the guys in front kept on loosing traction over the roots and rocks while I was not (thank you schwable rocket rons and stan!!!). This was allowing me to ride steady and soon found myself recovered and pushing into second place. After rubbing tires w/ the guy in front a couple of times (the guy who beat last race), I decided it would behoove me to be in front so I could read the terrain better and pick my lines more carefully. Just as I was thinking this, I dabbed, and found myself back in fourth. I quickly passed the group and when I glanced back, realized they were falling back quickly. I decided there I would try to really brake away and disappear from sight. By the end of the long fire road climb I was by myself. At the end of the second lap, as I had tried to keep my pace high, I thought I was going to bust. So I started my third lap telling myself to ride smart, not make any stupid mistakes, and of all things not to flat. During the race I was experiencing a flash back as at the last race, I thought I was in first place for a while to only find out a couple of guys had gotten away. Since this was the same scenario again, I talked myself out of thinking I was first, though I had been much more careful to monitor the front this time. When I crossed the finish line, there seemed to be no one from my age group there. Second place came in four minutes after…
No pictures yet, but i'll post those when they are available.
syl
I’ll start w/ the important information: I freaking won!!! (Cat 2, 40 to even older age group) And beat the guy who took me by 5 seconds last race by 4 minutes…
Jeff placed second in his age group, though really the guy who won should have been racing the next class up.
Curtis thought he came in third in Cat 1 (and would have been second if it had not been for an uncooperative root!)
The rest really doesn’t matter that much…
But here are the details anyways:
This course is known for the amount of climbing involved. Mike calls it the mini mt snow race, while Jeff did the math and calculated that it was 2/3 climbing, with 1/3 down. The start of the course shot out of a parking lot into a small field and climbed up this fire road which was muddy, slippery, rocky, and rooty. An awful way to start, as w/in a 100 yards of the race, you are already redlining and gasping for air. The course then twisted up the side of hill on some more slippery single track w/ lots of criss-crossing roots and rocks. Back down on a super fast loose rock fire road, and back up the hill on a fire road w/ good traction. Just as it flattened and you thought you were done, it pointed back up steeply for some extra pain. Flat again, w/ some slippery single track sections and then up again on a fire road in the woods and then continued up through a field (with quite a nice view at the top). Then w/in down some slippery twisty single track which w/in 3 mins spit you back out at the start area. After all that climbing it seemed unbelievable that you could be all the way back down in such a short time and distance. 3 laps for Jeff and I, and I think Curtis had the pleasure of doing 4. (Btw, Curtis, did you race w/ your gps? Do you know what the climbing total was per lap?)
Jeff and I got there again w/ some time to spare to make sure we got in a proper warm up. We did a partial ride of the course and got that proper warm up in. Then we just stood around in the cold and waited as the race was delayed by ½ hr. Just long enough to cool all the way back down again. I had to line up at the back of the group and when we went off tried to fight my way to the front as I wanted to make sure that unlike last race, there were not going to be a couple of guys taking off w/ out me realizing they were doing so. As we hit the fire road climb, I was in tenth and we were grouping together. The moment the mud started, people in front started to dab and hesitate and I quickly found myself (after Jeff and I had found during the warm up, a good line through a rocky mud pit) in 4th place. I was starting to hit my max w/ this short climb and decided to just settle there and recover. As the course turned to single track, the guys in front kept on loosing traction over the roots and rocks while I was not (thank you schwable rocket rons and stan!!!). This was allowing me to ride steady and soon found myself recovered and pushing into second place. After rubbing tires w/ the guy in front a couple of times (the guy who beat last race), I decided it would behoove me to be in front so I could read the terrain better and pick my lines more carefully. Just as I was thinking this, I dabbed, and found myself back in fourth. I quickly passed the group and when I glanced back, realized they were falling back quickly. I decided there I would try to really brake away and disappear from sight. By the end of the long fire road climb I was by myself. At the end of the second lap, as I had tried to keep my pace high, I thought I was going to bust. So I started my third lap telling myself to ride smart, not make any stupid mistakes, and of all things not to flat. During the race I was experiencing a flash back as at the last race, I thought I was in first place for a while to only find out a couple of guys had gotten away. Since this was the same scenario again, I talked myself out of thinking I was first, though I had been much more careful to monitor the front this time. When I crossed the finish line, there seemed to be no one from my age group there. Second place came in four minutes after…
No pictures yet, but i'll post those when they are available.
syl
Monday, April 27, 2009
Root 66 Race series: Farmington Classic Race Report
Race report: MTBERS posting some results at the Farmington Classic Root 66 Race Series!!!!!
Jeff had stated before race day, that warm up w/ this warm up (!) would be key in the race. Boy was he right!
Jeff and I got to the venue about 1 hour before race start and decided to do a lap of the course to warm up. It was fast fire roads, w/ some twisty singletrack thrown in to keep it an honest mtb race. This year it had more single track than any previous years. Nothing more technical than an occasional log crossing (though we did see a guy land on his face from endoing on two small logs that were placed close together). The most difficult aspect would be to lay off the brakes and keep your speed and momentum in the twisty singletrack or sandy fire road turns so that in the heat you would not have to constantly re-launch. Just lean the bike and zip in between those trees, and rail those turns. It was all about flow. And if you could find it, boy did this course just flow. Jeff’s comment after the race summed it up best: “that was (freaking) awesome” (or something like that!).
I normally never do very well w/ sprint start and tend to fall off the back and then have to fight the rest of the race to catch up and pick off riders. W/ the warm, I found myself in the lead group right at the start. The start was pretty sandy and needed some negotiation, so I did not get a chance to count all the riders in front of me but I thought I was in 7th place. Soon two groups of 3 riders formed, me hanging on to the last wheel of the second group, while the first was slowly pulling away. W/in a mile, I started to realize that I was not as winded or tired as I though I ought to be. Historically hanging w/ the top ten at a race should have red lined me right away, but I was not. I was actually feeling pretty good. As this course is fast enough to at times use drafting, I came from the behind the wheel of the last guy and sprinted past the second group and grabbed the wheel of the first group. Again, since this was very early in the race, that should have killed me, but I recovered quickly and found myself wanting more. Towards the end of the first lap, I passed the lead guy w/ good “authority” and no one was able to grab my wheel. By the time I went through the start, I could not see them behind me. I was in complete disbelief: this was the end of the first lap, and according to my (mis)calculations, I was actually leading.
I tried to keep the pace high during the second lap making sure I was hydrating enough to not overheat, and to keep off the brakes and the flow going. There was no one ahead of me (other than significantly slower riders who were obviously in another category) and no one behind me. In my head, I kept on replaying the start to see if I could figure out if I had missed anyone. Part of me was really exited that I was “dominating” this race, while the smarter part was saying that a group might have escaped at the start w/ out me seeing it. It was not until ½ way through the last lap that someone on the side line encouragingly yelled out to me I was going to podium. I yelled back to see if I was in first, and she answered there were a couple of guys ahead of me. Soon after, I passed another category rider and he told me the next guy in my cat was less than a minute ahead. I gave it all I had and 2/3 of the way through the lap spotted him, when a rider in a group ahead suddenly took off after turning around and seeing my number. I knew he knew... Slowly I gained on him but I was just starting to completely overheat and hit the wall. I actually was able to grab his wheel right before the finish. Sadly, to cross the line the course did a small but steep climb where I just blew up. He beat me by 5 seconds. What sucks is that at the beginning of the last lap, when I came through the feed station, I accidentally dropped my new water bottle when I went to grab it. I had to hit the brakes, turn around, grab it, and get going again. This cost me at least 15 seconds….
I ended finishing 3rd, which in the end I was quite happy w/. Jeff had a fantastic race as well and place in second place being only 30 seconds behind. At this time, both Jeff and I are the current race leaders for our age group in cat 2 (sport).
Jeff had stated before race day, that warm up w/ this warm up (!) would be key in the race. Boy was he right!
Jeff and I got to the venue about 1 hour before race start and decided to do a lap of the course to warm up. It was fast fire roads, w/ some twisty singletrack thrown in to keep it an honest mtb race. This year it had more single track than any previous years. Nothing more technical than an occasional log crossing (though we did see a guy land on his face from endoing on two small logs that were placed close together). The most difficult aspect would be to lay off the brakes and keep your speed and momentum in the twisty singletrack or sandy fire road turns so that in the heat you would not have to constantly re-launch. Just lean the bike and zip in between those trees, and rail those turns. It was all about flow. And if you could find it, boy did this course just flow. Jeff’s comment after the race summed it up best: “that was (freaking) awesome” (or something like that!).
I normally never do very well w/ sprint start and tend to fall off the back and then have to fight the rest of the race to catch up and pick off riders. W/ the warm, I found myself in the lead group right at the start. The start was pretty sandy and needed some negotiation, so I did not get a chance to count all the riders in front of me but I thought I was in 7th place. Soon two groups of 3 riders formed, me hanging on to the last wheel of the second group, while the first was slowly pulling away. W/in a mile, I started to realize that I was not as winded or tired as I though I ought to be. Historically hanging w/ the top ten at a race should have red lined me right away, but I was not. I was actually feeling pretty good. As this course is fast enough to at times use drafting, I came from the behind the wheel of the last guy and sprinted past the second group and grabbed the wheel of the first group. Again, since this was very early in the race, that should have killed me, but I recovered quickly and found myself wanting more. Towards the end of the first lap, I passed the lead guy w/ good “authority” and no one was able to grab my wheel. By the time I went through the start, I could not see them behind me. I was in complete disbelief: this was the end of the first lap, and according to my (mis)calculations, I was actually leading.
I tried to keep the pace high during the second lap making sure I was hydrating enough to not overheat, and to keep off the brakes and the flow going. There was no one ahead of me (other than significantly slower riders who were obviously in another category) and no one behind me. In my head, I kept on replaying the start to see if I could figure out if I had missed anyone. Part of me was really exited that I was “dominating” this race, while the smarter part was saying that a group might have escaped at the start w/ out me seeing it. It was not until ½ way through the last lap that someone on the side line encouragingly yelled out to me I was going to podium. I yelled back to see if I was in first, and she answered there were a couple of guys ahead of me. Soon after, I passed another category rider and he told me the next guy in my cat was less than a minute ahead. I gave it all I had and 2/3 of the way through the lap spotted him, when a rider in a group ahead suddenly took off after turning around and seeing my number. I knew he knew... Slowly I gained on him but I was just starting to completely overheat and hit the wall. I actually was able to grab his wheel right before the finish. Sadly, to cross the line the course did a small but steep climb where I just blew up. He beat me by 5 seconds. What sucks is that at the beginning of the last lap, when I came through the feed station, I accidentally dropped my new water bottle when I went to grab it. I had to hit the brakes, turn around, grab it, and get going again. This cost me at least 15 seconds….
I ended finishing 3rd, which in the end I was quite happy w/. Jeff had a fantastic race as well and place in second place being only 30 seconds behind. At this time, both Jeff and I are the current race leaders for our age group in cat 2 (sport).
Monday, April 13, 2009
Bunny Hopbrook, Root 66 Race Series, race report
Bunny Hopbrook Dam Race, Root 66 MTB Series, race 1
(to view some of the pictures, scroll below)
This race should be called: Mud in your eye, …and nose, and mouth, and ears, and places you did not even think mud could a find a way in!
This race is known by those who have done it in the past, as a cold, wet, mud fest. Sadly this year, they got the weather forecast right. As I drove down to pick up Jeff, it started to rain, and then it just poured the whole 2 ½ hour drive there. As we pulled into the venue, we could see the cat 1 racers on the course and they were covered in mud from head to toe. Getting ready just sucked! It was cold and wet and so raw. Pre race warm up was not great either and when we lined up at the start, every one was jumping around trying to stay warm. Surprisingly, the start field was really big for this kind of weather. In my age group, 33 people lined up, and the count for the day was well over 300 total racers…who says mtb racing is dead?
The course started on a grassy area, where racers lined up almost 10 wide, but narrowed to an opening of 2 ½ racers wide w/in 20 feet. Of course the grass was soaked and that small opening was of course muddy and slippery. Everyone went for the hole shot and a nice pile up ensued. I had stayed back a little bit and made it through unharmed. The next cluster f**** occurred w/ in the next 200 yards when the course once again narrowed to a steep short climb into the woods and into a narrow single track. One racer ahead did not make it up the muddy slope and when he came to full stop right at the top and dismounted, the domino effect happened: everyone off the bike and trying to run up the slope to pass those who are not fully dismounted yet, banging elbows and bikes. Back on the single track I remounted my bike and tried in vain to pedal the slight slope. The mud was like peanut butter and I could feel my tire start to slip side ways. I dismounted again and ran this section (during which I immediately was reminded why it would be a good idea to include some running in my training!), which actually allowed me to pass several riders who themselves were trying hard to find some traction but were just spinning out. I remounted as the trails leveled. Even on level ground, traction was hard to come by and the first little downhill section was pretty treacherous. I was trying to only use my rear brake, which was making my rear tire skid all over the trail, but this worked well enough to keep front most of the time going in the direction I wanted it to.
After this single tract section, the course went back to a short section of road , where everyone would gain enough speed to have their front tire spin off all the mud it had collected (on the second lap, I made sure I kept my mouth closed!) The road dumped you into a wet long grass power robbing field, and back into single track. The rest of course, though it included a couple of steep climbs that were un-rideable and, one also almost un-walkable, was challenging but was, as long as you did not try to either push too heavy of gear, or picked the right line, manageable and fun. Still very muddy but w/ traction. The key was to just pick the right lines…
As mentioned, I started slow and ended up after the slick section, about 2/3 back. I settled into my pace and became more confident w/ the course about 2/3 in. I then started to pick riders off. I could always see the next racer ahead, and would catch up to them, ride their wheel to push them (and recover just a tad), and once I felt they were starting to slowdown, I would pass them and try to catch the next rider. I did this for the remainder of the race. I wiped out once trying to cut a corner after a fast downhill section to pass a rider I having trouble passing. My rear tired slipped, and suddenly found myself doing a 180 and riding back wards. A little like MTB ballet…
In the end I managed to claw my way back to 8th place. Jeff did great and finished in 3rd for his age group.
One of my struggles w/ racing is that it takes me so long warm up. I think my placement would greatly improve if I could start fast and stay fast. When I try to start fast, I get winded way too quickly and blow up. Any recommendations on how to improve this would be most welcome. I already try to do fast start intervals but this does not seem to be enough….
(to view some of the pictures, scroll below)
This race should be called: Mud in your eye, …and nose, and mouth, and ears, and places you did not even think mud could a find a way in!
This race is known by those who have done it in the past, as a cold, wet, mud fest. Sadly this year, they got the weather forecast right. As I drove down to pick up Jeff, it started to rain, and then it just poured the whole 2 ½ hour drive there. As we pulled into the venue, we could see the cat 1 racers on the course and they were covered in mud from head to toe. Getting ready just sucked! It was cold and wet and so raw. Pre race warm up was not great either and when we lined up at the start, every one was jumping around trying to stay warm. Surprisingly, the start field was really big for this kind of weather. In my age group, 33 people lined up, and the count for the day was well over 300 total racers…who says mtb racing is dead?
The course started on a grassy area, where racers lined up almost 10 wide, but narrowed to an opening of 2 ½ racers wide w/in 20 feet. Of course the grass was soaked and that small opening was of course muddy and slippery. Everyone went for the hole shot and a nice pile up ensued. I had stayed back a little bit and made it through unharmed. The next cluster f**** occurred w/ in the next 200 yards when the course once again narrowed to a steep short climb into the woods and into a narrow single track. One racer ahead did not make it up the muddy slope and when he came to full stop right at the top and dismounted, the domino effect happened: everyone off the bike and trying to run up the slope to pass those who are not fully dismounted yet, banging elbows and bikes. Back on the single track I remounted my bike and tried in vain to pedal the slight slope. The mud was like peanut butter and I could feel my tire start to slip side ways. I dismounted again and ran this section (during which I immediately was reminded why it would be a good idea to include some running in my training!), which actually allowed me to pass several riders who themselves were trying hard to find some traction but were just spinning out. I remounted as the trails leveled. Even on level ground, traction was hard to come by and the first little downhill section was pretty treacherous. I was trying to only use my rear brake, which was making my rear tire skid all over the trail, but this worked well enough to keep front most of the time going in the direction I wanted it to.
After this single tract section, the course went back to a short section of road , where everyone would gain enough speed to have their front tire spin off all the mud it had collected (on the second lap, I made sure I kept my mouth closed!) The road dumped you into a wet long grass power robbing field, and back into single track. The rest of course, though it included a couple of steep climbs that were un-rideable and, one also almost un-walkable, was challenging but was, as long as you did not try to either push too heavy of gear, or picked the right line, manageable and fun. Still very muddy but w/ traction. The key was to just pick the right lines…
As mentioned, I started slow and ended up after the slick section, about 2/3 back. I settled into my pace and became more confident w/ the course about 2/3 in. I then started to pick riders off. I could always see the next racer ahead, and would catch up to them, ride their wheel to push them (and recover just a tad), and once I felt they were starting to slowdown, I would pass them and try to catch the next rider. I did this for the remainder of the race. I wiped out once trying to cut a corner after a fast downhill section to pass a rider I having trouble passing. My rear tired slipped, and suddenly found myself doing a 180 and riding back wards. A little like MTB ballet…
In the end I managed to claw my way back to 8th place. Jeff did great and finished in 3rd for his age group.
One of my struggles w/ racing is that it takes me so long warm up. I think my placement would greatly improve if I could start fast and stay fast. When I try to start fast, I get winded way too quickly and blow up. Any recommendations on how to improve this would be most welcome. I already try to do fast start intervals but this does not seem to be enough….
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Pictures say a thousand words: Hopbrook 2009
Race report to come soon though these pictures tell most of the story:
Pre Race Pictures: Warming up in the rain....
Jeff after the race:
Jeff and I after the race
and some more pics:
The Poor bike:
The Poor bike:
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
King of Burlingame Pictures
These pictures were kindly given to us by Doug, the event photographer. Check out his great race pictures at:
King of Burlingame MTB Time Trial
Race Report: King of Burlingame - 4/5/09
This was a mountain bike time trial w/ each rider starting at a 30 second interval.
Good turnout from the team (for a mountain bike race that is) w/ Jeff, Geoff, Nate, Kirk (sp) and myself. 5 refunds riders at an mtb race! Maybe everyone will convert to mtb in the next couple of years (yeah right!).
I was wondering how I would fare this year. Last year I was still recovering from my knee injury and never really had any serious training time. This year, though my knee was (and is) still acting up here and there, and has prevented me from putting in hard efforts, I have been able to spend time on the trainer several times a week.
Well I am definitely no King (though I have princess like qualities!)
Jeff and I pre rode the course yesterday and we had stopped in several sections to try to pick the best lines through some technical sections. Nothing was too bad and everything was ride-able (at least for jeff). Some lines just lend themselves better to keep your momentum. Perhaps there were three tricky sections total. The first was a short uphill then a flat w/ some large sized rocks, this came soon after the start; the second, a large down wet tree over a stream at an awkward angle; and the last was a mud hole with a couple of large rocks after a bridge. Throughout the whole pre-ride I think I dismounted for only those sections w/ everything else being very ride-able.
I felt pretty good this morning and was looking forward the season opener. The first 1/3 of the race quickly dampened my enthusiasm. Right from the start I kept on hesitating and taking the wrong lines. I kept on telling myself I should be looking down the trail and not right in front of my tire, but my gaze just kept on coming back to only what was right in front of my tire, resulting in much dabbling and having to walk certain sections which I knew I should have been able to flow through. This was really slowing me down, and starting to piss me off. I did quickly catch up to the guy in front of me which energized me, but when I passed him, I realized it was not because I was fast but rather because he was just really slow. A little bit of a letdown but I was still glad that I at least had passed one guy as I would not end up being dead last.
The rest of course was easier and had many more flowing single track sections, and there I found my rhythm. Midway, there was a fire road climb and I saw the next guy in front of cresting the top. Soon after re-entering the single track sections and finding a good flow on the downhill and over the rock ledges, I caught him and saw another racer ahead. That one was hurting, and I had to dismount and run off the trail past him as he was short on air and not quite aware of what he was doing or that I wanted to pass. The rest was just a hammer fest w/ a few mud pits thrown in at the end to slow you down and make you work just a little harder.
Though the race was a short 7.xx miles, it was pretty painful from being pretty close to max heart right from the start and having to stay there throughout the race. No time to allow for any recovery and where. I thought I would finish mid pack and ended up finishing third, with a time of 34 min and ?? seconds. This might actually be mid pack since I have no idea how many racers were in our group, and there might just have been 6 or7. It looks like the guy (Steven) who came in second, might have beaten me by less than ½ second. That makes me wish I had not coasted over the finish line! I'll see when the official results are up. Anyways, I did win a nice new pair of Spech gloves.
Also of note is that Jeff ended up winning not only his age group but the whole sports category w/ a fantastic time of 31 minutes!
This was a mountain bike time trial w/ each rider starting at a 30 second interval.
Good turnout from the team (for a mountain bike race that is) w/ Jeff, Geoff, Nate, Kirk (sp) and myself. 5 refunds riders at an mtb race! Maybe everyone will convert to mtb in the next couple of years (yeah right!).
I was wondering how I would fare this year. Last year I was still recovering from my knee injury and never really had any serious training time. This year, though my knee was (and is) still acting up here and there, and has prevented me from putting in hard efforts, I have been able to spend time on the trainer several times a week.
Well I am definitely no King (though I have princess like qualities!)
Jeff and I pre rode the course yesterday and we had stopped in several sections to try to pick the best lines through some technical sections. Nothing was too bad and everything was ride-able (at least for jeff). Some lines just lend themselves better to keep your momentum. Perhaps there were three tricky sections total. The first was a short uphill then a flat w/ some large sized rocks, this came soon after the start; the second, a large down wet tree over a stream at an awkward angle; and the last was a mud hole with a couple of large rocks after a bridge. Throughout the whole pre-ride I think I dismounted for only those sections w/ everything else being very ride-able.
I felt pretty good this morning and was looking forward the season opener. The first 1/3 of the race quickly dampened my enthusiasm. Right from the start I kept on hesitating and taking the wrong lines. I kept on telling myself I should be looking down the trail and not right in front of my tire, but my gaze just kept on coming back to only what was right in front of my tire, resulting in much dabbling and having to walk certain sections which I knew I should have been able to flow through. This was really slowing me down, and starting to piss me off. I did quickly catch up to the guy in front of me which energized me, but when I passed him, I realized it was not because I was fast but rather because he was just really slow. A little bit of a letdown but I was still glad that I at least had passed one guy as I would not end up being dead last.
The rest of course was easier and had many more flowing single track sections, and there I found my rhythm. Midway, there was a fire road climb and I saw the next guy in front of cresting the top. Soon after re-entering the single track sections and finding a good flow on the downhill and over the rock ledges, I caught him and saw another racer ahead. That one was hurting, and I had to dismount and run off the trail past him as he was short on air and not quite aware of what he was doing or that I wanted to pass. The rest was just a hammer fest w/ a few mud pits thrown in at the end to slow you down and make you work just a little harder.
Though the race was a short 7.xx miles, it was pretty painful from being pretty close to max heart right from the start and having to stay there throughout the race. No time to allow for any recovery and where. I thought I would finish mid pack and ended up finishing third, with a time of 34 min and ?? seconds. This might actually be mid pack since I have no idea how many racers were in our group, and there might just have been 6 or7. It looks like the guy (Steven) who came in second, might have beaten me by less than ½ second. That makes me wish I had not coasted over the finish line! I'll see when the official results are up. Anyways, I did win a nice new pair of Spech gloves.
Also of note is that Jeff ended up winning not only his age group but the whole sports category w/ a fantastic time of 31 minutes!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Marblehead Road Race
Attendees: Michael and Marcus (Where the hell was everyone else? Better havebeen helping at Casters)
Weather: 40 degrees or so at 8am. Partly Cloudy with Gusts of 30mph off theocean
Setting: 2 mile circuit around Marblehead Neck (The Rockefellers have a househere so it is a nice neighborhood except for we bikers. Course is very rollingwith the front side consisting of a decent little climb a fast downhill tofinish and then another climb to the turnaround to the back. Back is on theocean with a car parked illegally on the right and a sharp S turn on thedownhill into the only flat section which goes right into the wind. Nasty wind.Finishes with hairpin turn which is the bunching of the pack into the frontsection again.
Race: 4/5 First Race of the Year
Warm Up: Good and Sweaty. Got the heart rate up.Mistake 1: Forget to fill the tires last night and was low about 10-15 psi.
Start: Almost missed it by going back to car but cut up the inside and putmyself in row 2 behind the host team CCB. Whistle goes off and the soft peddlebegins up the first hill.
Goal: At least five serious breaks, leading at least one full lap, stay in frontat the end with two to go and give it one last try for a top 20 at least.
Result: First lap, Michael takes off and leads for a full lap. Everyone sat inthinking I am crazy (which I am). Pack catches me on the second climb on thefront side. Sat in for half lap and broke again into the wind around the hairpinturn and up the first climb. Pack catches at the finish line and Michael breaksagain into the first turnaround. Finally everyone wants to race with me andWayne(the ponytailed cyclocross guy), Mark Tatar and Nissim Mishal (Quad) comeup on the break. Try to work together but no luck going into the wind. Comearound into lap 5 now and the crazy people come out. First some guy runs intothe back of the illegally parked car. Reaction from that is some guys touchedwheels and took out maybe 10 guys. Now it is a race of attrition. Michael goesto the front again to try to break it up. In fact in the first five laps I madethe hairpin turn in front.
But....races aren't won in the beginning but can be lost. Stayed in front.Marcus then tried to take off but no one was working together. I sat in toregroup for a couple laps. Tried staying in first third. Come around with 2 lapsto go and was in decent position but not perfect. Worked by way up coming intothe start line for one lap to go. There were four teams which made up 80% of thefield. Threshold took the left and I noticed the top sprint guy Nissim from Quadon the right and I said perfect, I will go with his wheel. Logical but the wrongchoice. Some do do brain slowed up on the hill and toppled over into Nissimwhich caused everyone including me to either fall or like me jump off and try torun with my bike up around into the grass and up the hill, then jump on the biketo catch the pack. Mistake 2: Bad move. My muscles cramped up and I never caughtthe pack. Oh well. Felt strong all day and definately had one more good one inme to finish strong but there is always next Saturday.
Weather: 40 degrees or so at 8am. Partly Cloudy with Gusts of 30mph off theocean
Setting: 2 mile circuit around Marblehead Neck (The Rockefellers have a househere so it is a nice neighborhood except for we bikers. Course is very rollingwith the front side consisting of a decent little climb a fast downhill tofinish and then another climb to the turnaround to the back. Back is on theocean with a car parked illegally on the right and a sharp S turn on thedownhill into the only flat section which goes right into the wind. Nasty wind.Finishes with hairpin turn which is the bunching of the pack into the frontsection again.
Race: 4/5 First Race of the Year
Warm Up: Good and Sweaty. Got the heart rate up.Mistake 1: Forget to fill the tires last night and was low about 10-15 psi.
Start: Almost missed it by going back to car but cut up the inside and putmyself in row 2 behind the host team CCB. Whistle goes off and the soft peddlebegins up the first hill.
Goal: At least five serious breaks, leading at least one full lap, stay in frontat the end with two to go and give it one last try for a top 20 at least.
Result: First lap, Michael takes off and leads for a full lap. Everyone sat inthinking I am crazy (which I am). Pack catches me on the second climb on thefront side. Sat in for half lap and broke again into the wind around the hairpinturn and up the first climb. Pack catches at the finish line and Michael breaksagain into the first turnaround. Finally everyone wants to race with me andWayne(the ponytailed cyclocross guy), Mark Tatar and Nissim Mishal (Quad) comeup on the break. Try to work together but no luck going into the wind. Comearound into lap 5 now and the crazy people come out. First some guy runs intothe back of the illegally parked car. Reaction from that is some guys touchedwheels and took out maybe 10 guys. Now it is a race of attrition. Michael goesto the front again to try to break it up. In fact in the first five laps I madethe hairpin turn in front.
But....races aren't won in the beginning but can be lost. Stayed in front.Marcus then tried to take off but no one was working together. I sat in toregroup for a couple laps. Tried staying in first third. Come around with 2 lapsto go and was in decent position but not perfect. Worked by way up coming intothe start line for one lap to go. There were four teams which made up 80% of thefield. Threshold took the left and I noticed the top sprint guy Nissim from Quadon the right and I said perfect, I will go with his wheel. Logical but the wrongchoice. Some do do brain slowed up on the hill and toppled over into Nissimwhich caused everyone including me to either fall or like me jump off and try torun with my bike up around into the grass and up the hill, then jump on the biketo catch the pack. Mistake 2: Bad move. My muscles cramped up and I never caughtthe pack. Oh well. Felt strong all day and definately had one more good one inme to finish strong but there is always next Saturday.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Blue Hills Report
I too figured that I’d write this out before I again embark on a week ofintellectual hell and no riding. I’ll be going back to my home in ColoradoSprings in about a week (to a pretty awesome job where I’m allowed to work myown hours so I can ride/race whenever and as much as I want/need), so I won’tsee you all again until probably the end of August. I’ll keep you updated withmy Colorado racing exploits, though, while rocking the blue and orange (hey,Denver Broncos colors!) in thin air and mountains.
Despite the pouring rain and the gravel I kept finding in my mouth an hour afterthe race, I enjoyed Blue Hills. For one, it was nice being back in Providenceby 10:30am – a nice change from the collegiate season, replete with itssacrificed weekends and 11 hour drives to Pittsburgh. I’ve also discovered inthe past year that Massachusetts-style power climbs are probably my biggestriding strength, and so I enjoyed being able to whip up the climb each lap at20mph in my big ring while people fell off the back. Finally, it was a niceexperience being on the biggest team in the peloton, although I probably lookedlike a weirdo in the extra-large jersey that Michael loaned me along with myBrown argyle shorts. Oh, I had #101 which was sort of cool.
I was apprehensive starting the race – my first USCF of the season, and in therain. There’s definitely a different race dynamic in USCF races compared tocollegiate ones. Collegiate riders, at least in the higher categories, aredefinitely a lot more cautious and deferential to the other guys during a race –probably because we all have to see each other like three times a weekend andtherefore don’t want to kill each other or get a bad reputation. USCF races dobring out some random loonies, though. I definitely made a lot of contactthroughout the race and threw my share of elbows (without any apologies), whichwas a big change from the collegiate races. Some guy right in front of me,early in the race, also went to put his water bottle back down in his cage butinstead dropped it on the ground, which I missed hitting by about half an inchand prompted a bit of a barrage of cussing from me at the time. Casey mentionedafter the race that he heard a whole bunch of cussing throughout the entirerace; for the record, I think he was actually just listening to me.
Radu attacked on the first lap, and was quite a ways off the front with twoother guys. Michael, Casey and I went up to do what we could in terms ofblocking; honestly that’s not a skill that I’ve yet mastered, but Michael andCasey did a good job of it. At first I thought that this would be a race wherea breakaway would win it, but the sightlines were just too long for a break toget out of the attention of the peloton. Radu’s break got pulled in after abouta lap, but after that there was a big presence of Refunds Now riders in the topfifteen or so the whole time: Mark, Michael, Casey, me, Radu were all up therethroughout.
On the climb on the second lap, I went to the front and whipped up the pace atad to hopefully put the hurt in some guys’ legs. There wasn’t really a singlepoint in the race where I was beyond conversational pace, and I definitelydidn’t go anaerobic until the final sprint – but there were definitely a lot ofguys out there who looked like were on the verge of having a stroke, even at thebeginning. I found that I had some good legs on that second lap climb, whichwas a surprise. In my continuing effort to not fail out of school, I hadn’tridden in about a week and had gone to bed at 3:30am beforehand. I chilled nearthe front with the crew on the third lap, finding the point where I was going tostart my final effort on the uphill finish.
On the last lap, Michael took command at the front of the peloton and did thework for several miles, giving me the privilege of sitting second wheel as therain came down heavier and made it a lot harder to see. Casey was also up therewith me, and I could taste a good finish for all of us. Near the base of thefinal climb, people got itchy and sketchy and started trying to unnecessarilythread holes and ignore the yellow line – all of which was unnecessary becausethere was still about 1.5 miles of uphill left on a very wide road. At thebase, I hear a huge yell behind me “ATTACK ON THE RIGHT,” and some guy flies byat about 26mph. I fly up out of the saddle, slam it three gears higher and jumpinto his draft, all of which was unnecessary because he died rather soon. I wasdefinitely overly anxious, and would have been better off relaxing more andsticking to my own plan of attack, but instead I responded to a few moreill-fated attacks up the hill. Then about 100 meters before where I was goingto attack, I see somebody fly up the side for the decisive winning move. I hadtrouble shifting into the proper gear this time, and also had even more troublegetting my legs to respond. I finished somewhere in the top ten along withCasey. I’m a bit disappointed with my lack of discipline in the end, but Iguess considering all of the circumstances I have nothing to complain about. Myanaerobic engine is definitely still firing on all cylinders, but since Ihaven’t done much to improve or even maintain my aerobic fitness in the lastmonth and a half (and have done over 20 races so far this year), it’s time for alittle break and another build phase for me.
On a final note, I never mentioned again that my bike fit has proved wonderful:absolutely no injuries, I’m very comfortable training and racing, finding powerthat I didn’t have before, and able to race in the drops all the time! Just oneweird quirk that I’ve found: I’ve been climbing in the drops a lot during races,not just on power climbs but even long ones. I’m just finding it morecomfortable and faster – you might have seen me doing it during the race. It’skind of weird; maybe it’s just a personal quirk, or maybe a consequence of thefit (since I’d never done it before). Whatever – if it works, do it.
Despite the pouring rain and the gravel I kept finding in my mouth an hour afterthe race, I enjoyed Blue Hills. For one, it was nice being back in Providenceby 10:30am – a nice change from the collegiate season, replete with itssacrificed weekends and 11 hour drives to Pittsburgh. I’ve also discovered inthe past year that Massachusetts-style power climbs are probably my biggestriding strength, and so I enjoyed being able to whip up the climb each lap at20mph in my big ring while people fell off the back. Finally, it was a niceexperience being on the biggest team in the peloton, although I probably lookedlike a weirdo in the extra-large jersey that Michael loaned me along with myBrown argyle shorts. Oh, I had #101 which was sort of cool.
I was apprehensive starting the race – my first USCF of the season, and in therain. There’s definitely a different race dynamic in USCF races compared tocollegiate ones. Collegiate riders, at least in the higher categories, aredefinitely a lot more cautious and deferential to the other guys during a race –probably because we all have to see each other like three times a weekend andtherefore don’t want to kill each other or get a bad reputation. USCF races dobring out some random loonies, though. I definitely made a lot of contactthroughout the race and threw my share of elbows (without any apologies), whichwas a big change from the collegiate races. Some guy right in front of me,early in the race, also went to put his water bottle back down in his cage butinstead dropped it on the ground, which I missed hitting by about half an inchand prompted a bit of a barrage of cussing from me at the time. Casey mentionedafter the race that he heard a whole bunch of cussing throughout the entirerace; for the record, I think he was actually just listening to me.
Radu attacked on the first lap, and was quite a ways off the front with twoother guys. Michael, Casey and I went up to do what we could in terms ofblocking; honestly that’s not a skill that I’ve yet mastered, but Michael andCasey did a good job of it. At first I thought that this would be a race wherea breakaway would win it, but the sightlines were just too long for a break toget out of the attention of the peloton. Radu’s break got pulled in after abouta lap, but after that there was a big presence of Refunds Now riders in the topfifteen or so the whole time: Mark, Michael, Casey, me, Radu were all up therethroughout.
On the climb on the second lap, I went to the front and whipped up the pace atad to hopefully put the hurt in some guys’ legs. There wasn’t really a singlepoint in the race where I was beyond conversational pace, and I definitelydidn’t go anaerobic until the final sprint – but there were definitely a lot ofguys out there who looked like were on the verge of having a stroke, even at thebeginning. I found that I had some good legs on that second lap climb, whichwas a surprise. In my continuing effort to not fail out of school, I hadn’tridden in about a week and had gone to bed at 3:30am beforehand. I chilled nearthe front with the crew on the third lap, finding the point where I was going tostart my final effort on the uphill finish.
On the last lap, Michael took command at the front of the peloton and did thework for several miles, giving me the privilege of sitting second wheel as therain came down heavier and made it a lot harder to see. Casey was also up therewith me, and I could taste a good finish for all of us. Near the base of thefinal climb, people got itchy and sketchy and started trying to unnecessarilythread holes and ignore the yellow line – all of which was unnecessary becausethere was still about 1.5 miles of uphill left on a very wide road. At thebase, I hear a huge yell behind me “ATTACK ON THE RIGHT,” and some guy flies byat about 26mph. I fly up out of the saddle, slam it three gears higher and jumpinto his draft, all of which was unnecessary because he died rather soon. I wasdefinitely overly anxious, and would have been better off relaxing more andsticking to my own plan of attack, but instead I responded to a few moreill-fated attacks up the hill. Then about 100 meters before where I was goingto attack, I see somebody fly up the side for the decisive winning move. I hadtrouble shifting into the proper gear this time, and also had even more troublegetting my legs to respond. I finished somewhere in the top ten along withCasey. I’m a bit disappointed with my lack of discipline in the end, but Iguess considering all of the circumstances I have nothing to complain about. Myanaerobic engine is definitely still firing on all cylinders, but since Ihaven’t done much to improve or even maintain my aerobic fitness in the lastmonth and a half (and have done over 20 races so far this year), it’s time for alittle break and another build phase for me.
On a final note, I never mentioned again that my bike fit has proved wonderful:absolutely no injuries, I’m very comfortable training and racing, finding powerthat I didn’t have before, and able to race in the drops all the time! Just oneweird quirk that I’ve found: I’ve been climbing in the drops a lot during races,not just on power climbs but even long ones. I’m just finding it morecomfortable and faster – you might have seen me doing it during the race. It’skind of weird; maybe it’s just a personal quirk, or maybe a consequence of thefit (since I’d never done it before). Whatever – if it works, do it.
Blue Hills Report
wanted to do this while it was fresh in my head. I also posted it on my blog:
I had many reasons to not do Blue Hills today: the whole bottom bracket fiasco, the chain-skip on the Gazelle, it was raining and cold, I got maybe 2 hours of sleep last night (not for lack of trying…), and being my first race of the year, I really had little to no expectations. So, after deciding to ditch my glasses (couldn’t see shit with them on, but kept getting water and debris in my eyes with them off…) I lined up near the back of the cat 4 field. There were 75 preregistered, but clearly many had opted to stay in their warm beds. Refunds Now had a pretty strong showing: Graham, Casey, Radu, Mark G., Michael, Tony and myself. I felt pretty unsure of my form and my ability to stay upright in the rain, so I took it easy at or near the back of the pack for the first couple laps. It really didn’t present me many problems. I actually wondered if we were in a neutral start well after the race had started. Radu was off the front for much of the first lap, with Michael keeping the pace under control at the front. The hill was definitely over-hyped…I only knew we were on it because some people started struggling. (I stayed in the big ring the whole day…) I looked over at one rider just in front of me and noticed he had a triple. That made me a little happy to see that I wasn’t the only one. But then he shifted INTO his granny ring. Clearly not his day. He also sounded like he was having a heart attack. I felt really good on the climb and started reevaluating my potential performance (my goal all along was to not get dropped and finish with the pack). On the second time up the climb, a few more people got ditched, and I moved up mid-field. I didn’t work very hard to maintain my position and was back a the back of the pack (which was a bit smaller) when we hit the climb for the third time. Again, really felt very good on the climb, and started watching the proceedings a bit more carefully. Sometime about then, the downpour started. The last lap was absolutely soaking. When the final climb started I moved up as quickly as possible so that I was probably only 10 riders back as we came to what I thought was the last part of the climb (with only about 500 feet or so from the top to the finish). Graham was up in front of me, Radu was behind me, and Casey was, I think somewhere near me. I felt fidgety and almost jumped myself. Then a rider jumped from one of the first three positions. I think that all of us in this front group were feeling pretty fresh. Graham led the chase, and I was able to respond for a bit, but ran out of gas - this is where a little more interval training and top-end would have help immensely. (If I had jumped when I thought about it, I probably would have finished a few places higher, but still wouldn’t have placed top-ten.) Radu nipped me just before the line probably at about 20th or so, Graham placed top-10, and Casey placed just behind Graham. Michael and Mark weren’t too far behind in the next group. I think I was essentially right at the back of the decisive split, and I’m pretty happy with that, for my first race of the year.
On another note, I don’t think that the Gazelle is responsible for the sudden crap-out on the Circle A’s bottom bracket (see Khalid’s comment yesterday…) I think that the Circle A must have some sort of weather forecasting ability and decided to crap out all on its own so that it could sit this one out in the nice warm comfort of the house, while the Gazelle and I went out for a thorough soaking.
---brent
I had many reasons to not do Blue Hills today: the whole bottom bracket fiasco, the chain-skip on the Gazelle, it was raining and cold, I got maybe 2 hours of sleep last night (not for lack of trying…), and being my first race of the year, I really had little to no expectations. So, after deciding to ditch my glasses (couldn’t see shit with them on, but kept getting water and debris in my eyes with them off…) I lined up near the back of the cat 4 field. There were 75 preregistered, but clearly many had opted to stay in their warm beds. Refunds Now had a pretty strong showing: Graham, Casey, Radu, Mark G., Michael, Tony and myself. I felt pretty unsure of my form and my ability to stay upright in the rain, so I took it easy at or near the back of the pack for the first couple laps. It really didn’t present me many problems. I actually wondered if we were in a neutral start well after the race had started. Radu was off the front for much of the first lap, with Michael keeping the pace under control at the front. The hill was definitely over-hyped…I only knew we were on it because some people started struggling. (I stayed in the big ring the whole day…) I looked over at one rider just in front of me and noticed he had a triple. That made me a little happy to see that I wasn’t the only one. But then he shifted INTO his granny ring. Clearly not his day. He also sounded like he was having a heart attack. I felt really good on the climb and started reevaluating my potential performance (my goal all along was to not get dropped and finish with the pack). On the second time up the climb, a few more people got ditched, and I moved up mid-field. I didn’t work very hard to maintain my position and was back a the back of the pack (which was a bit smaller) when we hit the climb for the third time. Again, really felt very good on the climb, and started watching the proceedings a bit more carefully. Sometime about then, the downpour started. The last lap was absolutely soaking. When the final climb started I moved up as quickly as possible so that I was probably only 10 riders back as we came to what I thought was the last part of the climb (with only about 500 feet or so from the top to the finish). Graham was up in front of me, Radu was behind me, and Casey was, I think somewhere near me. I felt fidgety and almost jumped myself. Then a rider jumped from one of the first three positions. I think that all of us in this front group were feeling pretty fresh. Graham led the chase, and I was able to respond for a bit, but ran out of gas - this is where a little more interval training and top-end would have help immensely. (If I had jumped when I thought about it, I probably would have finished a few places higher, but still wouldn’t have placed top-ten.) Radu nipped me just before the line probably at about 20th or so, Graham placed top-10, and Casey placed just behind Graham. Michael and Mark weren’t too far behind in the next group. I think I was essentially right at the back of the decisive split, and I’m pretty happy with that, for my first race of the year.
On another note, I don’t think that the Gazelle is responsible for the sudden crap-out on the Circle A’s bottom bracket (see Khalid’s comment yesterday…) I think that the Circle A must have some sort of weather forecasting ability and decided to crap out all on its own so that it could sit this one out in the nice warm comfort of the house, while the Gazelle and I went out for a thorough soaking.
---brent
April 27, 2008 - Farmington Classic, Root 66 Race Series
April 27, 2008
Like always, this race brings out all the roadies, which is great asit increases attendance. Field at the start looked 40 deep in ourage group. I actually showed up right as my class was getting readyto start, since during my warm up I kept on dropping my chain. Theweek before, I had put on a nice new crankset which had really messedw/ chain line. I had worked on my front derailleur all week andcould not get it work properly. The new 2007/08 xtr cranks somehowhad a wider chainline over their older version. Adding a few mm iscertainly a nice way to fuck w/ you whole drivetrain. Shimano inthe mtb world is a piece of !@#$. On another tech note, the daybefore the race, I had discovered a nice crack in the weld junctionof my top tube and seat tube; about two inches across. Out ofdesperation I broke out a very old tube of epoxy I had lying aroundand apply it liberally to the area. Anyways, the guns goes off andthere is a crowd 10 wide fighting to go through the starting gatethat is half as wide, followed by a nice patch of deep sand. The guyin front of me slips and goes sideways. I have to brake & try tomake a 90 degree turn, which in deep sand, results of course in megoing down. I get up, pissed, and in deep sand and try tounsuccessfully pedal out. When finally get going again, I realizethat I am the only guy left at the starting gate. There is a sort ofgeneral "embarrassed for me" silence in the crowd as everyone isgone, including the guy that was 200 lbs overweight w/ indecentshorts: too small and plumbers butt! A guy I had identified at thestart as someone I had to at least beat to keep any sense of bikingself respect! The beginning of the course is a long stretch oftwisty fire road and right after it turns into singletrack I am ableto catch up to mr plumber butt and pass him. Phew, that takes somepressure off. Next in line was Mike! I can only see a few otherstragglers but no sign of him. I know I am going to have to put insome serious effort in to catch mike as this was his preferred typeof course. The course is a mixture of loose but quick fire road w/fast turns and some non technical twisty singletrack thrown in. Itis a course w/ no place to stop pedaling. Some turns on the fireroads are a little sketchy as the high speeds would bring me awfullyclose to the trees that lined the exit of the turns. About half waythrough the first lap and having passed those few stragglers, I seeMike in the distance. You cannot miss the refund now color scheme!Even through the trees, the white and orange is unmistakeable. Everytime I enter a section of singletrack, I edge up to him but then losesome ground on the fast fire roads. On a section of longersingletrack I put in an extra effort to be smooth and stay off thebrakes and am able to grab his wheel before exiting onto the fireroad again. There I stay on his wheel and as we have not gone pastthe series photographer yet, I think I am going stay there to get agreat team picture. Sadly enough, as we enter the next section ofsingletack Mike's bike miss shift and he dropped his chain. Iconsider stopping and waiting for him but this is a race and it isalso a chance for me to try to put some ground on him. Of course asI pass and leave him, through the next turn the photographer istaking his pictures. On the second lap a young one (probably lateteens) passes me full of energy and good speed. Since the course isso fast decide to suck his wheel. I can tell I am making him nervousriding so close to him, as he keeps on trying to let me pass (which Idid not have the legs to do). I keep on telling to just keep onpedaling and that I am just drafting. He is fast enough that I knewI would not be able to pull at that speed and am just looking at thisas an opportunity to make some ground. Towards the end of the lap hestarts to slow down and I tell him to switch and that I would pullfor a while. When I turn around he is keeping his distance and I trytwice to slow down for him to offer him my wheel but he just keepshis distance. I eventually decide he is not really getting it andtake off. Karma of course comes though because some guy in my classhas grabbed my wheel at the end of the second lap and is not lettinggo. He tries to pass me on the climb through the start/finish areaand my ego gets the best of me as I blow everything I have to not lethim pass (one embarrassment for the day is enough). As soon as wecrest the climb, I have nothing left and he passes me anyways. I tryto grab his wheel but am on empty. I am able to catch back up in thesingletrack sections but as soon as we hit the next climb, he standsup in a big gear and takes off. I can keep him in my sight but everytime the course points up, he increases his distance. I let him gowhen I realize he is wearing a jersey from a NH team! Bastards w/those mountains of theirs to train on! The section before the finishis a long stretch of fire road w/ a steep short climb into the finisharea. I give it all I have and start to catch up to him but just dieon that little climb which he climbs w/out too much effort. I almostdon't make it up and to finish the race w/ the same shame I startedit w/. He beats me by 5 seconds. Looking back at any races, Ialways feel like I should have given it "more" and that w/ this one,I should have been able to overcome five seconds! I ended up in 29thout of 36. I came in second two years ago…outch!!!! Btw, I amselling a 2000 Intense Tracer frame (reinforced w/ epoxy!)
Some low quality footage of the race:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3282944701744897604&hl=ena
t 57 seconds in you can see Mike coming through
at 1.23 I finally close the pack
at 9.02 I go down the hill again for the second lap and take thewrong line but manage it.
at 9.16 Mike comes through.
at 14.39 someone takes that same line and does not make it!
Here is a full video (big download) of the first half of the course(helmet cam). Video quality is really good but footage not veryinterresting. It does give a good sense of what the course is like:
http://www.mydeo.com/videosavecopy.asp?ZID=572&CID=183647
(right click and "save as target")
second half:
http://www.mydeo.com/videosavecopy.asp?ZID=644&CID=183766
Like always, this race brings out all the roadies, which is great asit increases attendance. Field at the start looked 40 deep in ourage group. I actually showed up right as my class was getting readyto start, since during my warm up I kept on dropping my chain. Theweek before, I had put on a nice new crankset which had really messedw/ chain line. I had worked on my front derailleur all week andcould not get it work properly. The new 2007/08 xtr cranks somehowhad a wider chainline over their older version. Adding a few mm iscertainly a nice way to fuck w/ you whole drivetrain. Shimano inthe mtb world is a piece of !@#$. On another tech note, the daybefore the race, I had discovered a nice crack in the weld junctionof my top tube and seat tube; about two inches across. Out ofdesperation I broke out a very old tube of epoxy I had lying aroundand apply it liberally to the area. Anyways, the guns goes off andthere is a crowd 10 wide fighting to go through the starting gatethat is half as wide, followed by a nice patch of deep sand. The guyin front of me slips and goes sideways. I have to brake & try tomake a 90 degree turn, which in deep sand, results of course in megoing down. I get up, pissed, and in deep sand and try tounsuccessfully pedal out. When finally get going again, I realizethat I am the only guy left at the starting gate. There is a sort ofgeneral "embarrassed for me" silence in the crowd as everyone isgone, including the guy that was 200 lbs overweight w/ indecentshorts: too small and plumbers butt! A guy I had identified at thestart as someone I had to at least beat to keep any sense of bikingself respect! The beginning of the course is a long stretch oftwisty fire road and right after it turns into singletrack I am ableto catch up to mr plumber butt and pass him. Phew, that takes somepressure off. Next in line was Mike! I can only see a few otherstragglers but no sign of him. I know I am going to have to put insome serious effort in to catch mike as this was his preferred typeof course. The course is a mixture of loose but quick fire road w/fast turns and some non technical twisty singletrack thrown in. Itis a course w/ no place to stop pedaling. Some turns on the fireroads are a little sketchy as the high speeds would bring me awfullyclose to the trees that lined the exit of the turns. About half waythrough the first lap and having passed those few stragglers, I seeMike in the distance. You cannot miss the refund now color scheme!Even through the trees, the white and orange is unmistakeable. Everytime I enter a section of singletrack, I edge up to him but then losesome ground on the fast fire roads. On a section of longersingletrack I put in an extra effort to be smooth and stay off thebrakes and am able to grab his wheel before exiting onto the fireroad again. There I stay on his wheel and as we have not gone pastthe series photographer yet, I think I am going stay there to get agreat team picture. Sadly enough, as we enter the next section ofsingletack Mike's bike miss shift and he dropped his chain. Iconsider stopping and waiting for him but this is a race and it isalso a chance for me to try to put some ground on him. Of course asI pass and leave him, through the next turn the photographer istaking his pictures. On the second lap a young one (probably lateteens) passes me full of energy and good speed. Since the course isso fast decide to suck his wheel. I can tell I am making him nervousriding so close to him, as he keeps on trying to let me pass (which Idid not have the legs to do). I keep on telling to just keep onpedaling and that I am just drafting. He is fast enough that I knewI would not be able to pull at that speed and am just looking at thisas an opportunity to make some ground. Towards the end of the lap hestarts to slow down and I tell him to switch and that I would pullfor a while. When I turn around he is keeping his distance and I trytwice to slow down for him to offer him my wheel but he just keepshis distance. I eventually decide he is not really getting it andtake off. Karma of course comes though because some guy in my classhas grabbed my wheel at the end of the second lap and is not lettinggo. He tries to pass me on the climb through the start/finish areaand my ego gets the best of me as I blow everything I have to not lethim pass (one embarrassment for the day is enough). As soon as wecrest the climb, I have nothing left and he passes me anyways. I tryto grab his wheel but am on empty. I am able to catch back up in thesingletrack sections but as soon as we hit the next climb, he standsup in a big gear and takes off. I can keep him in my sight but everytime the course points up, he increases his distance. I let him gowhen I realize he is wearing a jersey from a NH team! Bastards w/those mountains of theirs to train on! The section before the finishis a long stretch of fire road w/ a steep short climb into the finisharea. I give it all I have and start to catch up to him but just dieon that little climb which he climbs w/out too much effort. I almostdon't make it up and to finish the race w/ the same shame I startedit w/. He beats me by 5 seconds. Looking back at any races, Ialways feel like I should have given it "more" and that w/ this one,I should have been able to overcome five seconds! I ended up in 29thout of 36. I came in second two years ago…outch!!!! Btw, I amselling a 2000 Intense Tracer frame (reinforced w/ epoxy!)
Some low quality footage of the race:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3282944701744897604&hl=ena
t 57 seconds in you can see Mike coming through
at 1.23 I finally close the pack
at 9.02 I go down the hill again for the second lap and take thewrong line but manage it.
at 9.16 Mike comes through.
at 14.39 someone takes that same line and does not make it!
Here is a full video (big download) of the first half of the course(helmet cam). Video quality is really good but footage not veryinterresting. It does give a good sense of what the course is like:
http://www.mydeo.com/videosavecopy.asp?ZID=572&CID=183647
(right click and "save as target")
second half:
http://www.mydeo.com/videosavecopy.asp?ZID=644&CID=183766
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