Some days make you want to quit racing, maybe even biking altogether. Saturday 29th at the Seeley Pre-Fat was one of them. Good race, just a very bad day. The festivities, awards & giveaways after the race are great & even the misty rainy weather couldn't dampen the spirits of alot of happy bikers.
Congrats to some really good races by Tim Swift taking 3rd, Todd McFadden & Bushy (thanks for help with driving the pace early on), Matt Muraski & the comeback kid Chad Sova (insane result for a guy that only got back in some serious riding 4 weeks ago). Tom Meyer really had a breakthrough day as well. And Curt Cline if they'd of had a 3rd lap, you most certainly would have passed me as well. Great job.
Note on MTB racing etiquette I've been meaning to get around to. In MTB'ing there's generally a really great camaraderie -- one of the reasons for that is as a MTB racer versus as road racer --almost everyone suffers all the same. Why is that? Because everyone that can -- DOES TAKE A TURN at the front pulling. If you sit on & wheel suck the guys in front of you -- you're sinking yourself pretty low on the cycling totem pole. And WILL NEVER garner the respect of your fellow racers. Wheel suck alot and a reputation will develop that will follow you for a very long time. Win a race or beat others that you've suck wheel at for the entirety of a race, or end up attacking them at the end of the race & they'll never respect you because you never did your share.
Which by the way -- let's get alittle mathematical about the benefit of wheel sucking -- anytime the speed exceeds 10mph there's a tangible benefit of drafting, that includes mtbiking. Benefits are reduced energy expenditure and recovery & lactic acid discepation at a higher speed than otherwise possible.
If the energy output required saves the drafter 3-5% -- you're getting a "free tow" of nearly a 200 yards every 20 minutes. (Resource: analyticcycling.com) Over the course of a 2 hr race that's 1200 yards, almost 3/4 of a mile or 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in finishing times.
So what I'm saying is race however you like -- but understand there's no glory or respect without sharing the burden. MTB racing ain't road racing. Remember that next time you see your fellow racer pushing it at the front while you sit in, recover or at least have it ever so easier. Take your turn at the front. If you can't pull at all or are just barely holding on yourself, at least have the decency to not attack at the finish if someone else has pulled you along. Sit on, enjoy the fact that their efforts and your smart racing saved you from being caught from behind by someone else. But don't take their efforts and squeeze them out at the end.
Lastly my personal opinion alone, it was great what TJ Woodruff & Jeff Hall did for the finish of the Pre Fat. The last 300-400 yards is an old dirt railroad grade 4 wheeler trail and to my understanding neither drafted the other. They had an old fashion drag race to the finish -- That's the right way, the honest way to finish a race in style.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Double Time
Busy race weekend.
Hit up Calumet, MI's Great Deer Chase Saturday.
River Falls Border Battle Sunday.
Ironically the finishing times of both races were within 3 or 4 seconds of each other. What are the odds of that?
Work on a recap after I get some much needed sleep & rest.
Hit up Calumet, MI's Great Deer Chase Saturday.
River Falls Border Battle Sunday.
Ironically the finishing times of both races were within 3 or 4 seconds of each other. What are the odds of that?
Work on a recap after I get some much needed sleep & rest.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Onto Calument Deer Chase, maybe River Falls Border Battle
Ever get those times in life where you get a bunch of work & obligations behind you and it coincides with alot of fun & exciting stuff going on in life? I couldn't be happier now that it's the tail end of the 2nd week in August.
Got the annual audit behind us at work, it went exceedingly well. Softball season is at it's climax - there's essentially a 5 way tie for first place each of the teams have 12-2 records - it all boils down to a bunch of head to head games for those teams next Monday & Tuesday. It's pretty exciting our team (5th Qtr/Dairy Queen)is in the drivers seat if we win when it comes to any tiebreaking factors for the league championship. I'm having my highest batting average season ever & am in a 2nd place tie for lead triples. In that category where most of the guys are half my age it's pretty cool (but also sad at the same time how too many guys my age let themselves go & don't maintain their speed/fitness to stay competative.)
Then to top everything off there's a couple MTB races this weekend!! Yoo-hoo! Calumet has their Deer Chase Aug 15th, a 27 mile mostly singletrack race. Flat, generally well laid out and challenging to the point you put speed into it. Hammered it last year with Jeff Juntti. Missing the "W" by .22seconds.... note to self: in a sprint finish remember to lock out the fork. But I gotta hand it to Jeff, he deserved it. Not to often was I able to get to the front as ge drove it hard all race long. I would have almost felt guilty winning. However this year I can't say I'll necessarily be feeling so charitable. From the sounds of it could be an even stronger more competative field this year. I guessing (perhaps hoping) 2nd place O2S guy Mike Anderson finds the 370mile drive from Alpena to be too far. In which case it could be a wild shooting match for a bunch of characters, Jeff J.,Tom Carpenter ('09 Miner's revenge winner) & Ty Gauthier, who placed 10th&11th last year but had great O2S races. Maybe even Jesse Bell - all of the UP. Myself, Paul Belknap, Bart Rodberg and whoever else that crosses the border from WI & MN. All one can do is get in the mix, give it a go, keep the mechanical issues out of the equation and see what comes of it. As a dad however I gotta admit I'm almost more excited about my little guy Marshall being able to race here -- last year he did the 3 mile race on the Trek Jet on training wheels finishing way far behind everyone. This year it's significantly different for him & he should really see a big improvement.
Provided that goes well... or terrible. There's always the WORS River Falls Border Battle Sunday -- I hear the course is great so that's always tempting and as a "bragging rights" race. It'd be great to help set the record straight as to what state (WI or MN) has the faster MT bikers.
Well, gotta wash up & prep the bikes -- hopefully some good race updates to follow soon.
Got the annual audit behind us at work, it went exceedingly well. Softball season is at it's climax - there's essentially a 5 way tie for first place each of the teams have 12-2 records - it all boils down to a bunch of head to head games for those teams next Monday & Tuesday. It's pretty exciting our team (5th Qtr/Dairy Queen)is in the drivers seat if we win when it comes to any tiebreaking factors for the league championship. I'm having my highest batting average season ever & am in a 2nd place tie for lead triples. In that category where most of the guys are half my age it's pretty cool (but also sad at the same time how too many guys my age let themselves go & don't maintain their speed/fitness to stay competative.)
Then to top everything off there's a couple MTB races this weekend!! Yoo-hoo! Calumet has their Deer Chase Aug 15th, a 27 mile mostly singletrack race. Flat, generally well laid out and challenging to the point you put speed into it. Hammered it last year with Jeff Juntti. Missing the "W" by .22seconds.... note to self: in a sprint finish remember to lock out the fork. But I gotta hand it to Jeff, he deserved it. Not to often was I able to get to the front as ge drove it hard all race long. I would have almost felt guilty winning. However this year I can't say I'll necessarily be feeling so charitable. From the sounds of it could be an even stronger more competative field this year. I guessing (perhaps hoping) 2nd place O2S guy Mike Anderson finds the 370mile drive from Alpena to be too far. In which case it could be a wild shooting match for a bunch of characters, Jeff J.,Tom Carpenter ('09 Miner's revenge winner) & Ty Gauthier, who placed 10th&11th last year but had great O2S races. Maybe even Jesse Bell - all of the UP. Myself, Paul Belknap, Bart Rodberg and whoever else that crosses the border from WI & MN. All one can do is get in the mix, give it a go, keep the mechanical issues out of the equation and see what comes of it. As a dad however I gotta admit I'm almost more excited about my little guy Marshall being able to race here -- last year he did the 3 mile race on the Trek Jet on training wheels finishing way far behind everyone. This year it's significantly different for him & he should really see a big improvement.
Provided that goes well... or terrible. There's always the WORS River Falls Border Battle Sunday -- I hear the course is great so that's always tempting and as a "bragging rights" race. It'd be great to help set the record straight as to what state (WI or MN) has the faster MT bikers.
Well, gotta wash up & prep the bikes -- hopefully some good race updates to follow soon.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Ore to Shore
Awoke that Saturday morning with sights set on a Golden Bike & a top 20 finish – what was standing in my way? Well, of course the reigning Golden Boy and 600 other racers mixing it up in Marquette’s Hard Rock 48 mile MTB race. Anytime you take a look at the start list, or previous years results I tend to marvel at the caliber of racers (at least the ones that I’m familiar with) to know if the race distance doesn’t hand you your ass, there’s some stiff competition that more than capable of it. A think a fair note to say about the Ore to Shore is that results are all over the board & much more unpredictable than ANY other MTB race I’ve ever done or seen result on that includes any WORS series, MNSCS series or Chequamegon 40 race. Just because you race one way someplace else… toss that idea out the door at O2S because it’s a different ballgame.
Well, back to the waking up that morning… honestly, I didn’t feel too great, was really questioning whether I had it in me to compete where I set my goals at. On one level I should have the confidence, when I share my power stats from training efforts with some of the heavy hitting regional pro’s & compared to what they do I’m not all that far off. On the other hand, I like most everyone has some kind of kryptonite hanging out in the saddlebag now & again ready to bring one crashing to earth.
With this race really begins the core of my race season – interval training since February brought with it some very decent power into my game, but I did it at a cost of well…. skipping base mile training – just sprinkling in a longer ride here & there. So I guess it's fair to say I’m pretty fast… but only for so long. And these 48 miles would be testing every bit of how far I could push it.
Fortunately, in a brainstorm of sorts between me & coach Powers – I concluded that my kryptonite – was my body’s chosen path of blowing through it’s electrolyte stores like nobody’s business. Think-- free weed samples at Grateful Dead concert. That’s why after every race exceeding 90 minutes I’d feel destroyed only to be back to normal in about 5-10minutes after consuming copious amounts of Baked Lay’s potato chips & drinking a Coca-cola. So by fending off the body’s radical consumption of electrolytes – with some salt pills (no offense Hammer Nutrition to my simplification of your Endurolyte product). It might be enough on top of the normal Powerbar gels & water that I consume during the race to give my body’s engine the fuel & lubrication necessary to keep racing at it’s high end & not bonk. I’d fought this idea for awhile because I almost never cramp up (one of the more common signs of electrolyte depletion) but the miracle of Baked Lays kept me coming back to this possibility.
Kate, I & the kids drove over mid day Friday. It was pretty exciting, almost an electricity in the air, between the phone calls to other racers on the drive over & seeing others once we got there. It’d been awhile since I’d felt so amped up about a bike race. Though I was questioning things Saturday morning, Friday night I was as confident as I'd ever been. I had a stellar ride in the Gary Fisher Superfly hooked up on 29x1.75” Bontrager Dry X tires – on a flat, open & descending course I for one couldn’t feel better. I’d have no excuses resting on having picked the right gun to bring to the sword fight. Kate, in checking out water handoff areas, dropped me off at the 20 mile to go mark & I pre-road the course to the finish that evening.
Saturday morning, awoke to it having rained alittle, perfect to knock down the dust on the course, drove over to the start area – got a premo park spot right next to the start area. Warmed up & before I knew it I was parking the bike on the front row. Questioned only by one person whether I should be there -- considering the lung impairment of some walking pneumonia I’d had in the weeks preceding perhaps he was correct – regardless I was there, lined up with Marko, Tristan, Brian, Nathan, Eppie 1&2, not to mention the Golden boy, and determined to ride like I belong there.
And belong there I must have as the race rolled out, I maintained a position in the top 20 thru 40. The rollout can be alittle sketchy but generally it goes smoothly. I got in a brief word with the long, lost “ace” racer Chad Sova – I was shocked out of my mind to see him when he rolled up next to me. Great to see him racing I hope he’s able to do more, he’s done marvelously well before & he’s a heck of funny good guy to have around.
A couple miles in the race finally gets released from the leadout vehicle & it’s here that in last years race I wasn’t prepared to get on board, but this time around I was on it like ice cream to a cone. Stayed with the lead group of 20+ people that broke away at the initial hill climbs of the race. The race was on an auto-pilot of sorts as it went into Ishpeming, but upon exiting things started to break up. I could have & probably should have jumped up a few spots to better position myself into the top 10 or 12 but hindsight proved that wasn’t the best idea….. just ask cousin Doug, or maybe Mike Phillips, or Jeff Hall or even Marko Lalonde, among others.
Instead I pushed adequately hard after the section parallel to the railroad track & stuck with Paul Gorbold. At some point we came across a struggling TJ Woodruff working his tire over and passed him. It’s at some point down the course that Paul & I eventually get into something like a virtual 3rd & 4th place – worse case it’s 5th & 6th. What? Huh? Just about all but two of the guys (Brian Matter & Mike Anderson) in front of us had taken a wrong turn & gone off course. Sorry for them, really, but how many times or how many people can say… yeah 18 miles in the Ore to Shore I was in 3rd place. Coming from my humble background of athletic inability, it’s pretty cool.
Not much more time elapses before TJ catches back up and refuses to let anyone else pull. He would go to the front & when someone else tried to he’d attack & go back to the front. For a guy that thought he needed to or could catch up to the leaders, you’d think he’d been smarter about conserving some energy & picking & chosing his battles better. Regardless it made the ride to the trails leading up to the Misery hill zip along pretty fast – so thanks TJ, appreciate it. It’s one those hills I start seeing the collateral damage of top end racers materialize either with bike or body problems. Nathan G. & Chris Peariso. I couldn’t tell if Chris had bike problems or was still struggling to get back to racing condition after his monster BC Bike race effort (not to mention a couple weeks of R&R in Europe).
My mindset for the race was about going strong but also “containing” my efforts & racing smart. So once the Lost big guns got back on track they caught & passed us in the Misery Hill area. It was like a confusing flurry of racers. Not knowing until after the race they’d taken a wrong turn when I was talking to Doug. I’d only recognized Marko & wondered what had happened to him that he was coming from so far back. In hindsight it was a great opportunity to hop on & I missed it. Nonetheless, a group consisting of places 16th thru 22nd formed once we hit the pavement beyond Misery hill, including Spooner native, Matt Muraski as well as the Golden Boy. Kate had a great handoff & off we went into the final half of the race course. The group of six worked well together, I met a couple good guys Lance Beuning who road races for Grand Stay & a younger guy Tyler Gauthier from Ispeming who had a cheering section on every corner & aid station it seemed. We road up into two or three other guys on the long pavement section with the three hills of various sizes.
I felt decent and sat in content to work with this group, who always had someone at the front giving ‘er. Those next 15 miles went fast & slow at the same time – I was actually feeling stronger as the race went on, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering when the engine would start to sputter. With 5miles to go I started to work closer to the front & wanted to be in position of anyone else took off. We’d ditched the Golden Boy & a few others so it was looking like all of us would be in the money positions (top 20).
Here’s where the heroic nature of this adventure takes an adverse course – the sand dune downhill section that is known to any & all that race the O2S – was my nemesis. My pre-ride indicated that I should take the inside line to avoid the massive deep sand, only I took it too far to the inside. On a big bump or hump of sorts I came down at the wrong angle & burped some serious air out of my tire. With no CO2 (already donated earlier to a needy rider) I was screwed to continue at race pace. Despite my pleasant requests for a pump or some air – no help was forthcoming as racer after racer went by. The low pressure eventually took it’s toll & broke the bead & left me completely flat.
Agonizingly & helplessly I couldn’t believe my best race ever, let alone in one of the BIG Three (O2S, Cheq 40, Iceman) was slipping out of my fingers & there was nothing I could do about it. I rolled in on rim & tire, despite my hometown buddy Matt Hudson finally stopping & willing to offer up his camel back with air & pump. (Thanks Matt). Too late to do any good, I rolled in on tire & rim to the finish 51st on the day. Perhaps it’s not all bad to drop 38 places in 4 miles.
Not sure how many chances you get at having great races. Coach was pretty ecstatic about the race regardless of the outcome & really pumped about how good 9/10ths of the race was & indicative of my fitness level. I’m a bit more reserved before I start calling on Team Radioshack for a contract.
Well, if you race enough & train smart, you’re opportunities will eventually come. Four more races to the season, Calumet Deer Chase, Seeley Pre-Fat, Copper Harbor, & Chequamegon 40. Sure, there’s WORS River Falls & MNSCS Duluth-Spirit Mountain that might be hard to pass on.
It’s been a long season but I’m very fresh after coming off three easier recovery weeks in July due to illness. At the same time too -- however much I look forward to these great races coming up, I’m glad the season is wrapping up when it is.
Well, back to the waking up that morning… honestly, I didn’t feel too great, was really questioning whether I had it in me to compete where I set my goals at. On one level I should have the confidence, when I share my power stats from training efforts with some of the heavy hitting regional pro’s & compared to what they do I’m not all that far off. On the other hand, I like most everyone has some kind of kryptonite hanging out in the saddlebag now & again ready to bring one crashing to earth.
With this race really begins the core of my race season – interval training since February brought with it some very decent power into my game, but I did it at a cost of well…. skipping base mile training – just sprinkling in a longer ride here & there. So I guess it's fair to say I’m pretty fast… but only for so long. And these 48 miles would be testing every bit of how far I could push it.
Fortunately, in a brainstorm of sorts between me & coach Powers – I concluded that my kryptonite – was my body’s chosen path of blowing through it’s electrolyte stores like nobody’s business. Think-- free weed samples at Grateful Dead concert. That’s why after every race exceeding 90 minutes I’d feel destroyed only to be back to normal in about 5-10minutes after consuming copious amounts of Baked Lay’s potato chips & drinking a Coca-cola. So by fending off the body’s radical consumption of electrolytes – with some salt pills (no offense Hammer Nutrition to my simplification of your Endurolyte product). It might be enough on top of the normal Powerbar gels & water that I consume during the race to give my body’s engine the fuel & lubrication necessary to keep racing at it’s high end & not bonk. I’d fought this idea for awhile because I almost never cramp up (one of the more common signs of electrolyte depletion) but the miracle of Baked Lays kept me coming back to this possibility.
Kate, I & the kids drove over mid day Friday. It was pretty exciting, almost an electricity in the air, between the phone calls to other racers on the drive over & seeing others once we got there. It’d been awhile since I’d felt so amped up about a bike race. Though I was questioning things Saturday morning, Friday night I was as confident as I'd ever been. I had a stellar ride in the Gary Fisher Superfly hooked up on 29x1.75” Bontrager Dry X tires – on a flat, open & descending course I for one couldn’t feel better. I’d have no excuses resting on having picked the right gun to bring to the sword fight. Kate, in checking out water handoff areas, dropped me off at the 20 mile to go mark & I pre-road the course to the finish that evening.
Saturday morning, awoke to it having rained alittle, perfect to knock down the dust on the course, drove over to the start area – got a premo park spot right next to the start area. Warmed up & before I knew it I was parking the bike on the front row. Questioned only by one person whether I should be there -- considering the lung impairment of some walking pneumonia I’d had in the weeks preceding perhaps he was correct – regardless I was there, lined up with Marko, Tristan, Brian, Nathan, Eppie 1&2, not to mention the Golden boy, and determined to ride like I belong there.
And belong there I must have as the race rolled out, I maintained a position in the top 20 thru 40. The rollout can be alittle sketchy but generally it goes smoothly. I got in a brief word with the long, lost “ace” racer Chad Sova – I was shocked out of my mind to see him when he rolled up next to me. Great to see him racing I hope he’s able to do more, he’s done marvelously well before & he’s a heck of funny good guy to have around.
A couple miles in the race finally gets released from the leadout vehicle & it’s here that in last years race I wasn’t prepared to get on board, but this time around I was on it like ice cream to a cone. Stayed with the lead group of 20+ people that broke away at the initial hill climbs of the race. The race was on an auto-pilot of sorts as it went into Ishpeming, but upon exiting things started to break up. I could have & probably should have jumped up a few spots to better position myself into the top 10 or 12 but hindsight proved that wasn’t the best idea….. just ask cousin Doug, or maybe Mike Phillips, or Jeff Hall or even Marko Lalonde, among others.
Instead I pushed adequately hard after the section parallel to the railroad track & stuck with Paul Gorbold. At some point we came across a struggling TJ Woodruff working his tire over and passed him. It’s at some point down the course that Paul & I eventually get into something like a virtual 3rd & 4th place – worse case it’s 5th & 6th. What? Huh? Just about all but two of the guys (Brian Matter & Mike Anderson) in front of us had taken a wrong turn & gone off course. Sorry for them, really, but how many times or how many people can say… yeah 18 miles in the Ore to Shore I was in 3rd place. Coming from my humble background of athletic inability, it’s pretty cool.
Not much more time elapses before TJ catches back up and refuses to let anyone else pull. He would go to the front & when someone else tried to he’d attack & go back to the front. For a guy that thought he needed to or could catch up to the leaders, you’d think he’d been smarter about conserving some energy & picking & chosing his battles better. Regardless it made the ride to the trails leading up to the Misery hill zip along pretty fast – so thanks TJ, appreciate it. It’s one those hills I start seeing the collateral damage of top end racers materialize either with bike or body problems. Nathan G. & Chris Peariso. I couldn’t tell if Chris had bike problems or was still struggling to get back to racing condition after his monster BC Bike race effort (not to mention a couple weeks of R&R in Europe).
My mindset for the race was about going strong but also “containing” my efforts & racing smart. So once the Lost big guns got back on track they caught & passed us in the Misery Hill area. It was like a confusing flurry of racers. Not knowing until after the race they’d taken a wrong turn when I was talking to Doug. I’d only recognized Marko & wondered what had happened to him that he was coming from so far back. In hindsight it was a great opportunity to hop on & I missed it. Nonetheless, a group consisting of places 16th thru 22nd formed once we hit the pavement beyond Misery hill, including Spooner native, Matt Muraski as well as the Golden Boy. Kate had a great handoff & off we went into the final half of the race course. The group of six worked well together, I met a couple good guys Lance Beuning who road races for Grand Stay & a younger guy Tyler Gauthier from Ispeming who had a cheering section on every corner & aid station it seemed. We road up into two or three other guys on the long pavement section with the three hills of various sizes.
I felt decent and sat in content to work with this group, who always had someone at the front giving ‘er. Those next 15 miles went fast & slow at the same time – I was actually feeling stronger as the race went on, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering when the engine would start to sputter. With 5miles to go I started to work closer to the front & wanted to be in position of anyone else took off. We’d ditched the Golden Boy & a few others so it was looking like all of us would be in the money positions (top 20).
Here’s where the heroic nature of this adventure takes an adverse course – the sand dune downhill section that is known to any & all that race the O2S – was my nemesis. My pre-ride indicated that I should take the inside line to avoid the massive deep sand, only I took it too far to the inside. On a big bump or hump of sorts I came down at the wrong angle & burped some serious air out of my tire. With no CO2 (already donated earlier to a needy rider) I was screwed to continue at race pace. Despite my pleasant requests for a pump or some air – no help was forthcoming as racer after racer went by. The low pressure eventually took it’s toll & broke the bead & left me completely flat.
Agonizingly & helplessly I couldn’t believe my best race ever, let alone in one of the BIG Three (O2S, Cheq 40, Iceman) was slipping out of my fingers & there was nothing I could do about it. I rolled in on rim & tire, despite my hometown buddy Matt Hudson finally stopping & willing to offer up his camel back with air & pump. (Thanks Matt). Too late to do any good, I rolled in on tire & rim to the finish 51st on the day. Perhaps it’s not all bad to drop 38 places in 4 miles.
Not sure how many chances you get at having great races. Coach was pretty ecstatic about the race regardless of the outcome & really pumped about how good 9/10ths of the race was & indicative of my fitness level. I’m a bit more reserved before I start calling on Team Radioshack for a contract.
Well, if you race enough & train smart, you’re opportunities will eventually come. Four more races to the season, Calumet Deer Chase, Seeley Pre-Fat, Copper Harbor, & Chequamegon 40. Sure, there’s WORS River Falls & MNSCS Duluth-Spirit Mountain that might be hard to pass on.
It’s been a long season but I’m very fresh after coming off three easier recovery weeks in July due to illness. At the same time too -- however much I look forward to these great races coming up, I’m glad the season is wrapping up when it is.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Return of MudRutters: Ashland Bay Days MTB race
Try as I may, staying caught up on a blog ain’t easy. Wish I was better at it.
Nonetheless on what should seem like a low key mid July weekend, there was an abundance of MTB bike races… only too close together and on the same days! Ugh! Too bad as events this far north (in Ashland & Duluth) could likely have drawn bigger numbers if set on different days or weekends.
What’s been an almost uninterrupted event for the past 20 yrs, held the 3rd weekend of every July, is the annual Ashland Bay Days festival. With it’s Off Road Bike Race – this year being renamed Ashland MudRutters, brought for by the same folks that put on the Ashland BayCross cyclo-cross races in October.
It’s one of those nice community races – and for myself after logging miles around the Midwest tracking down MT Bike races month after month -- it’s always great to have one in your hometown. Folks of all calibers show up – it’s nice to see everyone in the community trying, as well as the competition that comes in from the surrounding areas.
Back in ’01 when I first got into any form of competitive riding it was one of my first races. I remember placing 18th and thinking how I wanted to do so much better. It wasn’t that I was some kind of slouch, but it’d been 5 or 6 yrs since I was a competitive track & cross country runner and having suffered a very stubborn stress fracture in my ankle that vaporized several years of my life endurance activities. From that point in ‘01 I started my climb & journey in cycling & mtb racing. A year later in ’02 I finished 6th place & cut 6 minutes off my time.
It’s always been a race that I looked forward to. In a flash forward, after several years of near misses & untimely racing mistakes, I finally pulled out a victory in ’06. In ’07, a ringer of sorts, Scott Chapin of Hayward, shows up (on time that year) and makes it a really hard fast race, pulling away in the early miles on some inclines & puts down a good race winning leaving me back some 50 seconds. ’08 looking for a rematch & assuming Scottie among others may show up – the event lost it’s main contributor/sponsor & was shelved. Fortunately, this year ‘09 that all turned around as Paul Belknap & Sara Hudson took over, did a ton of work, got a lot of people involved and put on a really great race. From the planning, to the volunteers, to the awards it was all very nicely done.
The race itself starts on the west end of Ashland in Prentice Park, wraps itself around the southern outskirts of town & squirms back into the heart of the city for the finish. Having won in the past, I was equally happy volunteering or participating. The biggest goal I wanted to see was to have a good event & help in any way possible. Paul said he had adequate volunteers & getting race participants was the objective… so gee, twist my arm, make me race . The great part about it comes back to what I said earlier; you get to see & race against very good riders from both inside & outside the area that don’t have the time or desire to race the more distant events. (And in Ashland, everything seems to be at a significant distance).
Having pre-road the course, some of which actually utilizes the trails here on our property at Farm Road, I chose the SuperFly over the Trek Full suspension 69er, not so much for any other purpose than I wanted to get used to some racing miles on that bike before the Ore to Shore.
All this jibber-jabber and no race details? Ok, ok – so the start line has probably 4 or 5 guys capable of putting down some fast times & will make up the main competitive group, my 24-9 teammates Matt Hudson & Kelly McKnight, along with the Cable/Seeley/Hayward Toms – Meyer & Gaier (cool, that rhymes). Anyways, I’m feeling good, but taking absolutely nothing for granted. Matt & Kelly have knocked out huge miles so far and really improved over the past couple years, Tom Meyer has taken victory in just about every “short” MTB event he’s taken on & the more open MudRutters course favors his strengths. Gaier, well, he’s no slouch either and a really smooth rider.
At the start I figured to be content to sit behind whoever took off initially, at the “Goooo!” it was Hudson, the brute that he is. Riding good at about half mile in I felt it was a good time to take over and see what would happen & who would stay with me. Kinda just test the waters. I told Matt to hang on and then I went to the front. Not trying any big surge I went forward going steady, not knowing if a gap would happen or not. It’s at that point the race enters a ¼+ mile rutted up four wheeler trail, “pit of despair” and ends with an incline. To me it’s always a hard section, doesn’t look like it should be but it always feels that way. My eyes & attention focused on making it through cleanly I didn’t bother to look back until I reached the old railroad grade/corridor section. When I do I see a 20yard gap. Two thoughts cross my mind… Oh good, guess I gotta hit it know,… followed by an Oh shit, they’re going to work together & hang me out to dry. Which left me with no other option than…. I’d better make this hurt for everybody. So I tuck down as far as I could & TimeTrialed the remainder of the corridor section as much as the body would allow. Upon turning off that section & up another incline I looked back to see the gap got larger and continued to push my limits the first couple miles of the race.
It seemed to me at one point they re-grouped & were going to have a successful chase, but somehow the gap stayed the same or slower got larger. I kept wanting to get to the forested off road sections & to get out of sight (& hopefully out of mind). I couldn’t tell if it was Tom Meyer or Kelly McKnight that was leading their charge. Approximately half way through, the fear of getting caught began to fade & confidence that without mistake or mechanical this race could go pretty well. By the time we went around the back half of the course & past the water tower the lead was going past 40 seconds. I thought to myself -- do I enjoy the rest of the race or kept pushing it. Well, I went for the desired positive training effect and kept pushing it for the most part.
At about 3 miles to go I reached the corner of our property & trails. At that point Kate, Marshall, Hope & Grace were perched out in & around the 15 foot tree stand taking some video, yelling & cheering. It was pretty neat. Marshall asking “Daddy, why are you in first?” as I sped by. What I’ve come to find out is 4 years olds do not run out of questions at anytime or anyplace.
It was even more fun speeding through our single track then normal especially when doing it under race conditions. When I popped out back on Farm Rd, I knew if I could hold it together things would be fine, but I was tensed up & surprised for a moment to see one of the guys still within sight before reaching the Elementary school. I thought “Gesh, how did that happen?” but in actuality it was still pretty much the same time/distance as it had been for awhile – open section can sometimes create a good old optical illusion.
Racing down the closed off streets & through RailYard park let me cruise into the finish. Interestingly enough it was Kelly McKnight that next came through just over a minute back followed pretty closely by Tom Meyer. I had thought it was the other way around. Matt Hudson apparently hadn’t been feeling well and faded earlier in the race finishing 5th, but Tom Gaier put in a good effort on the day finishing 4th (even if he did take abit of shortcut ). Good job of racing by everyone.
Interestingly enough, I couldn’t help but check back against the ’07 finish & finishing times because of the course similarities. One of the few course you can do a reasonable comparison. The ’09 course was arguably longer, if not it certainly had a replacement section of a couple hundred yards that were more challenging. Yet, despite all that the four top finishers in ’09 had faster times than my second place finish in ’07. Kelly was within 11 seconds of Scottie “superman” Chapin winning time in ’07 and I best Scottie’s time by over a minute. So I think everyone can feel pretty dang good about how the increased caliber of racing around here is coming along.
That all said, the gathering afterwards was a great time, very nice plaque awards for 1st thru 3rd place overall, as well as age group awards. In the years to come according to Paul they’re looking to add a second longer race and make things even bigger & better. It’s a good time and if you missed it before consider putting it on your calendar in the future.
Up next, “What have a I lost my mind?” 24 hour racing at 9 Mile forest in Wausau Sat/Sun 24th-25th….. oh boy, that’s going be interesting!
Nonetheless on what should seem like a low key mid July weekend, there was an abundance of MTB bike races… only too close together and on the same days! Ugh! Too bad as events this far north (in Ashland & Duluth) could likely have drawn bigger numbers if set on different days or weekends.
What’s been an almost uninterrupted event for the past 20 yrs, held the 3rd weekend of every July, is the annual Ashland Bay Days festival. With it’s Off Road Bike Race – this year being renamed Ashland MudRutters, brought for by the same folks that put on the Ashland BayCross cyclo-cross races in October.
It’s one of those nice community races – and for myself after logging miles around the Midwest tracking down MT Bike races month after month -- it’s always great to have one in your hometown. Folks of all calibers show up – it’s nice to see everyone in the community trying, as well as the competition that comes in from the surrounding areas.
Back in ’01 when I first got into any form of competitive riding it was one of my first races. I remember placing 18th and thinking how I wanted to do so much better. It wasn’t that I was some kind of slouch, but it’d been 5 or 6 yrs since I was a competitive track & cross country runner and having suffered a very stubborn stress fracture in my ankle that vaporized several years of my life endurance activities. From that point in ‘01 I started my climb & journey in cycling & mtb racing. A year later in ’02 I finished 6th place & cut 6 minutes off my time.
It’s always been a race that I looked forward to. In a flash forward, after several years of near misses & untimely racing mistakes, I finally pulled out a victory in ’06. In ’07, a ringer of sorts, Scott Chapin of Hayward, shows up (on time that year) and makes it a really hard fast race, pulling away in the early miles on some inclines & puts down a good race winning leaving me back some 50 seconds. ’08 looking for a rematch & assuming Scottie among others may show up – the event lost it’s main contributor/sponsor & was shelved. Fortunately, this year ‘09 that all turned around as Paul Belknap & Sara Hudson took over, did a ton of work, got a lot of people involved and put on a really great race. From the planning, to the volunteers, to the awards it was all very nicely done.
The race itself starts on the west end of Ashland in Prentice Park, wraps itself around the southern outskirts of town & squirms back into the heart of the city for the finish. Having won in the past, I was equally happy volunteering or participating. The biggest goal I wanted to see was to have a good event & help in any way possible. Paul said he had adequate volunteers & getting race participants was the objective… so gee, twist my arm, make me race . The great part about it comes back to what I said earlier; you get to see & race against very good riders from both inside & outside the area that don’t have the time or desire to race the more distant events. (And in Ashland, everything seems to be at a significant distance).
Having pre-road the course, some of which actually utilizes the trails here on our property at Farm Road, I chose the SuperFly over the Trek Full suspension 69er, not so much for any other purpose than I wanted to get used to some racing miles on that bike before the Ore to Shore.
All this jibber-jabber and no race details? Ok, ok – so the start line has probably 4 or 5 guys capable of putting down some fast times & will make up the main competitive group, my 24-9 teammates Matt Hudson & Kelly McKnight, along with the Cable/Seeley/Hayward Toms – Meyer & Gaier (cool, that rhymes). Anyways, I’m feeling good, but taking absolutely nothing for granted. Matt & Kelly have knocked out huge miles so far and really improved over the past couple years, Tom Meyer has taken victory in just about every “short” MTB event he’s taken on & the more open MudRutters course favors his strengths. Gaier, well, he’s no slouch either and a really smooth rider.
At the start I figured to be content to sit behind whoever took off initially, at the “Goooo!” it was Hudson, the brute that he is. Riding good at about half mile in I felt it was a good time to take over and see what would happen & who would stay with me. Kinda just test the waters. I told Matt to hang on and then I went to the front. Not trying any big surge I went forward going steady, not knowing if a gap would happen or not. It’s at that point the race enters a ¼+ mile rutted up four wheeler trail, “pit of despair” and ends with an incline. To me it’s always a hard section, doesn’t look like it should be but it always feels that way. My eyes & attention focused on making it through cleanly I didn’t bother to look back until I reached the old railroad grade/corridor section. When I do I see a 20yard gap. Two thoughts cross my mind… Oh good, guess I gotta hit it know,… followed by an Oh shit, they’re going to work together & hang me out to dry. Which left me with no other option than…. I’d better make this hurt for everybody. So I tuck down as far as I could & TimeTrialed the remainder of the corridor section as much as the body would allow. Upon turning off that section & up another incline I looked back to see the gap got larger and continued to push my limits the first couple miles of the race.
It seemed to me at one point they re-grouped & were going to have a successful chase, but somehow the gap stayed the same or slower got larger. I kept wanting to get to the forested off road sections & to get out of sight (& hopefully out of mind). I couldn’t tell if it was Tom Meyer or Kelly McKnight that was leading their charge. Approximately half way through, the fear of getting caught began to fade & confidence that without mistake or mechanical this race could go pretty well. By the time we went around the back half of the course & past the water tower the lead was going past 40 seconds. I thought to myself -- do I enjoy the rest of the race or kept pushing it. Well, I went for the desired positive training effect and kept pushing it for the most part.
At about 3 miles to go I reached the corner of our property & trails. At that point Kate, Marshall, Hope & Grace were perched out in & around the 15 foot tree stand taking some video, yelling & cheering. It was pretty neat. Marshall asking “Daddy, why are you in first?” as I sped by. What I’ve come to find out is 4 years olds do not run out of questions at anytime or anyplace.
It was even more fun speeding through our single track then normal especially when doing it under race conditions. When I popped out back on Farm Rd, I knew if I could hold it together things would be fine, but I was tensed up & surprised for a moment to see one of the guys still within sight before reaching the Elementary school. I thought “Gesh, how did that happen?” but in actuality it was still pretty much the same time/distance as it had been for awhile – open section can sometimes create a good old optical illusion.
Racing down the closed off streets & through RailYard park let me cruise into the finish. Interestingly enough it was Kelly McKnight that next came through just over a minute back followed pretty closely by Tom Meyer. I had thought it was the other way around. Matt Hudson apparently hadn’t been feeling well and faded earlier in the race finishing 5th, but Tom Gaier put in a good effort on the day finishing 4th (even if he did take abit of shortcut ). Good job of racing by everyone.
Interestingly enough, I couldn’t help but check back against the ’07 finish & finishing times because of the course similarities. One of the few course you can do a reasonable comparison. The ’09 course was arguably longer, if not it certainly had a replacement section of a couple hundred yards that were more challenging. Yet, despite all that the four top finishers in ’09 had faster times than my second place finish in ’07. Kelly was within 11 seconds of Scottie “superman” Chapin winning time in ’07 and I best Scottie’s time by over a minute. So I think everyone can feel pretty dang good about how the increased caliber of racing around here is coming along.
That all said, the gathering afterwards was a great time, very nice plaque awards for 1st thru 3rd place overall, as well as age group awards. In the years to come according to Paul they’re looking to add a second longer race and make things even bigger & better. It’s a good time and if you missed it before consider putting it on your calendar in the future.
Up next, “What have a I lost my mind?” 24 hour racing at 9 Mile forest in Wausau Sat/Sun 24th-25th….. oh boy, that’s going be interesting!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Like a Timex....the Chippewa Valley Nutcracker...uh, I mean Firecracker
What's that saying about a Timex watch.. takes a lickin' but keeps on tickin'? Holy crap, that's about all I need to say about this past Sunday's Chippewa Valley Firecracker MTB race. Race #5 in the WORS series. Sunny skies, hot one in the 80's with four 7 1/2 mile laps to knock out.
In the Timex commercial if I recall correctly, they repeated show this watch getting beat up. If I only had pictures, I could illustrate a similar pattern of my experience in the bike race. (I'll try to include some of the bike later.)
Stats:
--6 crashes, I don't know what kind of drugs I was on or something but how in the world do you crash 6 times in a race? Twice into the same flippin' tree on consecutive laps
--Rotated rear shifter/brakes 90 degrees down (2nd Lap)
--Bent front rotor (2nd Lap) to ensure sufficient friction with brakes pads -- making sure undo force was necessary to continue bike's forward momentum at all times.
Helmets are a great thing however, it's never ceases to amaze me the magnitude to which you can slam into something with your head and walk away from it. I took a full on hit to the left side of the head into a 6" tree when my handlebars caught it. First thought, wow, I'm not unconscious,that's cool.
If the crashes weren't enough, try one legged pedaling a good share of the final lap. Towards end of lap three I crashed & landed on downside of a benchcut trail. I was stuck however because my hamstrings cramped & locked up -- I couldn't standup to get back on the bike because each time I bent my knee my hammy locked like a vise. Eventually after a minute (& another 6 racers went by) I was able to right my bike & get back riding, however the right hamstring would periodically cramp forcing me to pedal with just one leg.
That all said, I can't say it wasn't a race without a few good moment & some fun riding. It was the normal hard start you get in this Eau Claire race -- everybody hammers that first mile or two to get in a good position on the single track. I got to the startline late so it was very last back row position. I don't get bothered by it too much as generally I feel comfortable accelerating out of the field to get into a spot I'd like. It works adequate in most races, but this one not exactly the case, as I've learned the past 2 yrs. I could only get up as far as the high twenties (from starting point of mid 60's). The two mile lead out has a dirt road section that in dry conditions like Sunday creates a smog-like condition that even Los Angeles can't hold a candle too. Have you ever biked in fog where you couldn't see any further than 3 bike lengths ahead of you? I couldn't imagine how bad it was for guys even further back. The dust was horrible for a 1/4 mile.
Lap one is somewhat of a blur. I do remember Adam Swank coming up along side me & we road together for awhile. He got a bad back row start as well & was trying to climb back in his normal top 10-15 spot, he ended with 28th on the day. Looking at the results afterwards it's pretty clear without being at the front to begin with a person had little chance to improve all race long. Todd McFadden may be the exception, as on the dust bowl rollout we were in the high 20's) & he might have made the best jump ended up 18th on the day.
Lap two though the start of my undoing was fun in that I road a good share of it with MN fast guy Paul Hansen. Maybe one of the few guys having a worst day than I. I chided him into hanging on & working together. Had a great conversation -- he's working himself back from an injured rotator cuff and the inconsistency of training brings it's share of good race days & bad race days.
Lap three the bent rotor is already making me labor way more than I should. Paul after gapping me on a crash, I passed him again with Jan Rybar & someone else. Jan is like 48 years old and the man can hammer in the open sections. Generally, that's my strength as well so it impresses me anytime someone that far into a race can keep pouring it on and make me hurt. Jan shortcoming if you can fault him would appear is single track. For as hard as he went in the open sections, I could repeatedly close down any gap in the s-track... that is of course until I crashed... again... and again.
The race had some interesting course additions this year -- a monster rock garden, which when recreationally riding if it's someone's cup of tea to risk tire pinch flat or puncture to ride over some stupid rocks great. To have a 100 foot section in a race... I got say ...dumb! I done what I think is a good share of racing, seen alot of courses but never have I seen anything as extensive as what they had. I don't know if flats or punctures happened or how many people wiped out (Kate witnessed a couple at least) -- but there are alot of other ways to make challenges in a race without risking undo harm to bike & rider.
Maybe from the multitude of crashes or hit to the head I lost track of laps & wanted to quit after 3, but a 4th was in store. Perhaps it was the crazy angle I needed to do my rear shifting & braking with. Fortunately I didn't truly bonk like at some previous races this year, but it still made for a long day in the saddle especially at the tail end of 3 weeks of hard training. Delighted to see Kate & the kids, who did some great handoffs (perhaps TJ Woodruff's bro could take a lesson... probably see TJ's blog on that one). The end of the race didn't come soon enough -- given what happened shocked to have even finished 51st out of 70+ in the Elite race.
Coming up probably a couple weeks of no to low key racing mainly just one final block of training before hitting a heavy Aug & Sept race schedule. Red Wing next weekend is a maybe just because we'll be visiting family in Twin Cities. The Seeley/Spooner Riverbrook TT's are a possibilities. And lastly ended up with month on a crazy whim of what they call 24 hour racing -- the 24 hours of 9 mile race held in Wausau.
In the Timex commercial if I recall correctly, they repeated show this watch getting beat up. If I only had pictures, I could illustrate a similar pattern of my experience in the bike race. (I'll try to include some of the bike later.)
Stats:
--6 crashes, I don't know what kind of drugs I was on or something but how in the world do you crash 6 times in a race? Twice into the same flippin' tree on consecutive laps
--Rotated rear shifter/brakes 90 degrees down (2nd Lap)
--Bent front rotor (2nd Lap) to ensure sufficient friction with brakes pads -- making sure undo force was necessary to continue bike's forward momentum at all times.
Helmets are a great thing however, it's never ceases to amaze me the magnitude to which you can slam into something with your head and walk away from it. I took a full on hit to the left side of the head into a 6" tree when my handlebars caught it. First thought, wow, I'm not unconscious,that's cool.
If the crashes weren't enough, try one legged pedaling a good share of the final lap. Towards end of lap three I crashed & landed on downside of a benchcut trail. I was stuck however because my hamstrings cramped & locked up -- I couldn't standup to get back on the bike because each time I bent my knee my hammy locked like a vise. Eventually after a minute (& another 6 racers went by) I was able to right my bike & get back riding, however the right hamstring would periodically cramp forcing me to pedal with just one leg.
That all said, I can't say it wasn't a race without a few good moment & some fun riding. It was the normal hard start you get in this Eau Claire race -- everybody hammers that first mile or two to get in a good position on the single track. I got to the startline late so it was very last back row position. I don't get bothered by it too much as generally I feel comfortable accelerating out of the field to get into a spot I'd like. It works adequate in most races, but this one not exactly the case, as I've learned the past 2 yrs. I could only get up as far as the high twenties (from starting point of mid 60's). The two mile lead out has a dirt road section that in dry conditions like Sunday creates a smog-like condition that even Los Angeles can't hold a candle too. Have you ever biked in fog where you couldn't see any further than 3 bike lengths ahead of you? I couldn't imagine how bad it was for guys even further back. The dust was horrible for a 1/4 mile.
Lap one is somewhat of a blur. I do remember Adam Swank coming up along side me & we road together for awhile. He got a bad back row start as well & was trying to climb back in his normal top 10-15 spot, he ended with 28th on the day. Looking at the results afterwards it's pretty clear without being at the front to begin with a person had little chance to improve all race long. Todd McFadden may be the exception, as on the dust bowl rollout we were in the high 20's) & he might have made the best jump ended up 18th on the day.
Lap two though the start of my undoing was fun in that I road a good share of it with MN fast guy Paul Hansen. Maybe one of the few guys having a worst day than I. I chided him into hanging on & working together. Had a great conversation -- he's working himself back from an injured rotator cuff and the inconsistency of training brings it's share of good race days & bad race days.
Lap three the bent rotor is already making me labor way more than I should. Paul after gapping me on a crash, I passed him again with Jan Rybar & someone else. Jan is like 48 years old and the man can hammer in the open sections. Generally, that's my strength as well so it impresses me anytime someone that far into a race can keep pouring it on and make me hurt. Jan shortcoming if you can fault him would appear is single track. For as hard as he went in the open sections, I could repeatedly close down any gap in the s-track... that is of course until I crashed... again... and again.
The race had some interesting course additions this year -- a monster rock garden, which when recreationally riding if it's someone's cup of tea to risk tire pinch flat or puncture to ride over some stupid rocks great. To have a 100 foot section in a race... I got say ...dumb! I done what I think is a good share of racing, seen alot of courses but never have I seen anything as extensive as what they had. I don't know if flats or punctures happened or how many people wiped out (Kate witnessed a couple at least) -- but there are alot of other ways to make challenges in a race without risking undo harm to bike & rider.
Maybe from the multitude of crashes or hit to the head I lost track of laps & wanted to quit after 3, but a 4th was in store. Perhaps it was the crazy angle I needed to do my rear shifting & braking with. Fortunately I didn't truly bonk like at some previous races this year, but it still made for a long day in the saddle especially at the tail end of 3 weeks of hard training. Delighted to see Kate & the kids, who did some great handoffs (perhaps TJ Woodruff's bro could take a lesson... probably see TJ's blog on that one). The end of the race didn't come soon enough -- given what happened shocked to have even finished 51st out of 70+ in the Elite race.
Coming up probably a couple weeks of no to low key racing mainly just one final block of training before hitting a heavy Aug & Sept race schedule. Red Wing next weekend is a maybe just because we'll be visiting family in Twin Cities. The Seeley/Spooner Riverbrook TT's are a possibilities. And lastly ended up with month on a crazy whim of what they call 24 hour racing -- the 24 hours of 9 mile race held in Wausau.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Duluth Dirt Spanker
With some unexpected challenges occurring at the WORS Rhinelander Crystal Lake race had alittle change of plans with the racing schedule. Taking a hiatus for a few weeks to get in some specific training. Initially skipping the Wausau Big Ring Classic last weekend but finding it too hard to pass on one of the closest & as well as better races, the Duluth DirtSpanker held at the Mont du Lac ski hill.
Perhaps should have stuck with my original training plans, it was a tough day. A late start, plus getting held up by this --
Any time you add some reasonable heat with those long hill climbs at the DirtSpanker it's a day that can make and break alot of racers.
Had a reasonable good start, despite not clipping in for the first 100 yards, pushed it to get in the top 12-13 on the ride up the course's initial two pitch climb. That course does have some serious pitch to it's climbs and their long enough you can't bluff when your not having the best day because it shows pretty quickly.
The initial lap I experienced something I'd not scene before while MTB racing. Generally a group of 2, maybe as big as 5 racers will group up through single track before someone makes a moves and breaks it up. After the ascent of the initial climb a group of 8 formed and lasted for the entire first lap -- talk about a snake of riders in the woods. It was half driving me nuts because I was the 7th man itching to get around people and because the top 8 guys were quickly getting out of sight. However as Todd McFadden, riding in the 8th spot behind me ever so wisely pointed out it was going to be a long race. As normal he was right and he ended up pulling out a pretty decent race coming in 16th on the day. For a guy coming back from a real rough prolonged illness that's not at all a bad day in my book.
The start of Lap 2 & a repeat of bigger climbs broke up the group -- I quickly discovered my ability to climb wasn't yet too well honed this season & I held my own but still faded somewhat to the leaders of the group. Around the top of the hill Ross Fabroni came around me and the two of us caught up to a struggling Chuck Norrie (I'm not sure of anyone else that was racing for Hollywood Cycles) -- Ross I think pissed him off after a couple times with his inept & rusty MTB skills. Ross would be professing sincere apologies each time he'd bump Chuck's wheel explaining his lack of tack was because he (Ross) didn't even own a MTB. Poor Chuckie. Anyways, wasn't long before, Todd McFadden caught up to me again. If my memory serves me correctly, it seems like it's lap 2 every year that Todd comes up & starts to kick down the hammer. Kindly asking for the pass & telling me to follow his lines, and the guy took off like a jet rocket holding me in tow. We flew back around Ross and had a good rhythm going again. I think we keep it up for over half the lap Todd asked if I wanted to come around but I just didn't have the continuous energy to keep the push going any harder than he was.
The next two laps though not entirely uneventful wore on me. I had a lot of problems climbing when that's normally a stronger suit for me and my hands were getting raw from the intense single track downhill sections and the bumpiness of the course. Periodically I'd drop another place or two but still somehow ended up 22nd out of 45 on the day in the Expert/Pro field. Guess getting into the top third early helped and alot more people than just myself were having a tough day.
All in all, it was really a great day even moreso outside the racing. It was getting there & seeing all the friends and fellow racers I've gotten to know over the years and catching up with them. Having Todd around the first couple laps was fun exchanging some dialogue was nice. I also showed him the nifty handlingly techniques that are possible with a Trek 69er.. ok, maybe it was my lack of mature MTB skills as I'd pop the smaller tire rear end of the bike around certain corners. Todd's a great guy, a heck of a competitor but also does a great job of encouraging you out on the course. His wife Diana didn't do all that bad with a 4th place finish in the Elite women's race bad back & all.
I got to say a quick "hello" to Mike Bushey but he must have had something go wrong with his ride today. It was nice to see a familiar face from back home, Big Mike W. (& family Lisa & Calvin) came to race. I don't know how someone would want to tackle the DirtSpanker on a single speed but my hats off to Mike's 2nd place finish in that category. Also thanks to Lisa for her encouragement out there & for helping Kate with the kids. Got to also see those Lake Superior cycling guys Shawn Gort & Bart Rodberg, with Bart yet again coming from behind late in the race to catch me on his home turf. Lastly, got to see the SKJ's (all of them) for the first time since little Kiera was born. Neat little connection about all that is both my wife, Kate & Sara had very similar due dates last fall. Ended up it seems they went into labor at about the same time with Kate having our baby girl, Grace, just about 12 hours before Sara had Kiera. Pretty cool, when you think about it. So here we are 8 1/2 months later & both girls are cute as buttons and doing all the wonderful stuff babies do at that age and letting their parent swap stories.
So whether the race was good or bad wasn't all that it's about. Having some fun catching up with friends -- that's the good stuff in life.
Perhaps should have stuck with my original training plans, it was a tough day. A late start, plus getting held up by this --
Any time you add some reasonable heat with those long hill climbs at the DirtSpanker it's a day that can make and break alot of racers.
Had a reasonable good start, despite not clipping in for the first 100 yards, pushed it to get in the top 12-13 on the ride up the course's initial two pitch climb. That course does have some serious pitch to it's climbs and their long enough you can't bluff when your not having the best day because it shows pretty quickly.
The initial lap I experienced something I'd not scene before while MTB racing. Generally a group of 2, maybe as big as 5 racers will group up through single track before someone makes a moves and breaks it up. After the ascent of the initial climb a group of 8 formed and lasted for the entire first lap -- talk about a snake of riders in the woods. It was half driving me nuts because I was the 7th man itching to get around people and because the top 8 guys were quickly getting out of sight. However as Todd McFadden, riding in the 8th spot behind me ever so wisely pointed out it was going to be a long race. As normal he was right and he ended up pulling out a pretty decent race coming in 16th on the day. For a guy coming back from a real rough prolonged illness that's not at all a bad day in my book.
The start of Lap 2 & a repeat of bigger climbs broke up the group -- I quickly discovered my ability to climb wasn't yet too well honed this season & I held my own but still faded somewhat to the leaders of the group. Around the top of the hill Ross Fabroni came around me and the two of us caught up to a struggling Chuck Norrie (I'm not sure of anyone else that was racing for Hollywood Cycles) -- Ross I think pissed him off after a couple times with his inept & rusty MTB skills. Ross would be professing sincere apologies each time he'd bump Chuck's wheel explaining his lack of tack was because he (Ross) didn't even own a MTB. Poor Chuckie. Anyways, wasn't long before, Todd McFadden caught up to me again. If my memory serves me correctly, it seems like it's lap 2 every year that Todd comes up & starts to kick down the hammer. Kindly asking for the pass & telling me to follow his lines, and the guy took off like a jet rocket holding me in tow. We flew back around Ross and had a good rhythm going again. I think we keep it up for over half the lap Todd asked if I wanted to come around but I just didn't have the continuous energy to keep the push going any harder than he was.
The next two laps though not entirely uneventful wore on me. I had a lot of problems climbing when that's normally a stronger suit for me and my hands were getting raw from the intense single track downhill sections and the bumpiness of the course. Periodically I'd drop another place or two but still somehow ended up 22nd out of 45 on the day in the Expert/Pro field. Guess getting into the top third early helped and alot more people than just myself were having a tough day.
All in all, it was really a great day even moreso outside the racing. It was getting there & seeing all the friends and fellow racers I've gotten to know over the years and catching up with them. Having Todd around the first couple laps was fun exchanging some dialogue was nice. I also showed him the nifty handlingly techniques that are possible with a Trek 69er.. ok, maybe it was my lack of mature MTB skills as I'd pop the smaller tire rear end of the bike around certain corners. Todd's a great guy, a heck of a competitor but also does a great job of encouraging you out on the course. His wife Diana didn't do all that bad with a 4th place finish in the Elite women's race bad back & all.
I got to say a quick "hello" to Mike Bushey but he must have had something go wrong with his ride today. It was nice to see a familiar face from back home, Big Mike W. (& family Lisa & Calvin) came to race. I don't know how someone would want to tackle the DirtSpanker on a single speed but my hats off to Mike's 2nd place finish in that category. Also thanks to Lisa for her encouragement out there & for helping Kate with the kids. Got to also see those Lake Superior cycling guys Shawn Gort & Bart Rodberg, with Bart yet again coming from behind late in the race to catch me on his home turf. Lastly, got to see the SKJ's (all of them) for the first time since little Kiera was born. Neat little connection about all that is both my wife, Kate & Sara had very similar due dates last fall. Ended up it seems they went into labor at about the same time with Kate having our baby girl, Grace, just about 12 hours before Sara had Kiera. Pretty cool, when you think about it. So here we are 8 1/2 months later & both girls are cute as buttons and doing all the wonderful stuff babies do at that age and letting their parent swap stories.
So whether the race was good or bad wasn't all that it's about. Having some fun catching up with friends -- that's the good stuff in life.
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