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!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Crystal Lake Classic: Rhinelander WORS #2
The tale of race isn’t always easily seen in the results. Sunday’s Crystal Lake Classic WORS MTB race in Rhinelander was something of that order. The training I’ve been putting in this winter & spring has been considerable more consistent and focused than has been my blogging.
Despite a somewhat erratic week, by Sunday I was feeling pretty decent. The nerves were up a bit because it was my first Elite WORS level race of the year where everybody (approx. 50-70 entrants) is every bit a damn good racer. The drive down from Ashland with Kate & the three kids went smoothly & surprisingly fast. Happy to hear/see that Paul Belknap from Ashland made good on his intentions and showed up for some racing action as well. His single speed set for some Open or Comp level races. Talking to him later he landed 13th on the day in the 2 lap Comp race and may have done significantly better without some challenges he experienced.
Arriving just a little on the late side, I quickly registered, chatted with Jesse Lalonde and got on the bike to get the body warmed up. Taking a longer route than I should of I got back to the start area, only they’d already called up the Elite racers & where lining up the Elite women, Open & Comp racers. I jumped into the back of the Elite field of approximately 50 racers with a few minutes to spare, enough time to hear the race would be going 3 laps… at 10+ miles/lap… and unless they’d moved a lot of the course to open trails the single track would make this one of the longest time-wise WORS races of the year.
The back of pack start was not to my ideal liking but the opening mile or two of this particular race course if I felt good enough should allow for me to move up. The countdown happened & at “goooooooo” everyone shot off. The dry, dusty gravel lead out with accompanying tight corners quickly stacked up riders & some minor crashes/mishaps happened. I held to the outside and pounced on each opportunity to move up as it occurred. I was surprised with the relative ease I was able to move up and through the wave of racers. Within a few minutes I knew I was feeling very capable and my interval training was paying off. How much so? Well, by two miles in I’d gotten into the top 15 and was holding the pace just fine. Not exactly a shabby group to be in. At some point Adam Swank & I exchanged positions and he looked to be riding really strong. Considering my previous year’s outings in the Elite level races where moving up was not only next to impossible just holding on was tough. Interesting however was that I didn’t feel that different, I dare say it almost felt easier than the other races. What rang true was the comment Coach Powers mentions about when you get faster how it doesn’t necessarily feel any different but your ability to do has increased.
In the ensuing miles of single track riding I kept expecting to see/hear a group of racers latching on from behind or looking to pass. It just wasn’t happening, in fact with each section we went through the more distant the racers behind became. As the race progressed, the lead group with the eventually winner broke away and smaller groups formed, for a good share of time it was myself & one or two other racers. In the later one third of the first lap, getting out of the last section of single track from behind come a couple of single speeders Jeff Curtes & James Lalonde (youngest brother of the infamous Jesse & Marko, it’s spooky at first when yourself racing next to the same Gary Fisher Jersey and tattoos until you realize it’s James). At first you could tell these singlespeeders were just duking it out with each other. If one would jump and attack the other would ramp it up in response. As they hammered at each other I was content to sit back and respond if one made a break. And as luck would have it, Jeff finally broke free as James couldn’t respond and with him I took off soon going to the front and telling him to do his best to hang on.
We had a nice gap in completing the first lap, still sitting in the top 15 and poured it on into the second lap. I recall someone saying we were less than 4 minutes off the front group. I knew the pace was fast, but I was feeling great and having no issues with holding the pace or pushing it. Still it was a long race to go. The first half of the second lap went well we were flying in the single track, I felt my abilities had improved ten times better than the previous weeks race on these trails. At some point, later in the second lap after about 75 minutes of riding I felt trouble coming on, & despite taking in water & gel regularly. Signs of fatigue were coming on much stronger than should be for a race of this duration.
Jeff & I must have slowed down somewhat as James got back on and then the two of them pulled away. I rode alone until being caught from behind by John Lirette. Shortly after he passed me down the trail he made the funniest move ever. I don’t know what he was thinking but instead of swinging wide to round a corner he took a more straight on path & ran through a tapped off area. He looked like a guy that was breaking the tap in the 100 meter dash. Fortunately I had enough energy to laugh at him and give him a hard time about his detour once he caught back up. I road with John & eventually a group of 3 additional riders coming into the finish of lap 2 and really needed to push it to stay with them. It was at that time I knew for whatever reason the tank was near empty and a third lap wasn’t going to be pretty. Better judgment should have perhaps had me call it a day at that point, but I headed out for a the third and final lap hoping I’d survive. And without the boring details of hallucinations in the agonizingly slow final lap, I wrapped it up on the day dropping 20+ places. Ouch!
A promising race but the engine isn’t set to go past 90minutes yet so it might just be a few weeks off the races and intervals training to pack in some longer riding and stretch out the body’s endurance abilities.
Despite a somewhat erratic week, by Sunday I was feeling pretty decent. The nerves were up a bit because it was my first Elite WORS level race of the year where everybody (approx. 50-70 entrants) is every bit a damn good racer. The drive down from Ashland with Kate & the three kids went smoothly & surprisingly fast. Happy to hear/see that Paul Belknap from Ashland made good on his intentions and showed up for some racing action as well. His single speed set for some Open or Comp level races. Talking to him later he landed 13th on the day in the 2 lap Comp race and may have done significantly better without some challenges he experienced.
Arriving just a little on the late side, I quickly registered, chatted with Jesse Lalonde and got on the bike to get the body warmed up. Taking a longer route than I should of I got back to the start area, only they’d already called up the Elite racers & where lining up the Elite women, Open & Comp racers. I jumped into the back of the Elite field of approximately 50 racers with a few minutes to spare, enough time to hear the race would be going 3 laps… at 10+ miles/lap… and unless they’d moved a lot of the course to open trails the single track would make this one of the longest time-wise WORS races of the year.
The back of pack start was not to my ideal liking but the opening mile or two of this particular race course if I felt good enough should allow for me to move up. The countdown happened & at “goooooooo” everyone shot off. The dry, dusty gravel lead out with accompanying tight corners quickly stacked up riders & some minor crashes/mishaps happened. I held to the outside and pounced on each opportunity to move up as it occurred. I was surprised with the relative ease I was able to move up and through the wave of racers. Within a few minutes I knew I was feeling very capable and my interval training was paying off. How much so? Well, by two miles in I’d gotten into the top 15 and was holding the pace just fine. Not exactly a shabby group to be in. At some point Adam Swank & I exchanged positions and he looked to be riding really strong. Considering my previous year’s outings in the Elite level races where moving up was not only next to impossible just holding on was tough. Interesting however was that I didn’t feel that different, I dare say it almost felt easier than the other races. What rang true was the comment Coach Powers mentions about when you get faster how it doesn’t necessarily feel any different but your ability to do has increased.
In the ensuing miles of single track riding I kept expecting to see/hear a group of racers latching on from behind or looking to pass. It just wasn’t happening, in fact with each section we went through the more distant the racers behind became. As the race progressed, the lead group with the eventually winner broke away and smaller groups formed, for a good share of time it was myself & one or two other racers. In the later one third of the first lap, getting out of the last section of single track from behind come a couple of single speeders Jeff Curtes & James Lalonde (youngest brother of the infamous Jesse & Marko, it’s spooky at first when yourself racing next to the same Gary Fisher Jersey and tattoos until you realize it’s James). At first you could tell these singlespeeders were just duking it out with each other. If one would jump and attack the other would ramp it up in response. As they hammered at each other I was content to sit back and respond if one made a break. And as luck would have it, Jeff finally broke free as James couldn’t respond and with him I took off soon going to the front and telling him to do his best to hang on.
We had a nice gap in completing the first lap, still sitting in the top 15 and poured it on into the second lap. I recall someone saying we were less than 4 minutes off the front group. I knew the pace was fast, but I was feeling great and having no issues with holding the pace or pushing it. Still it was a long race to go. The first half of the second lap went well we were flying in the single track, I felt my abilities had improved ten times better than the previous weeks race on these trails. At some point, later in the second lap after about 75 minutes of riding I felt trouble coming on, & despite taking in water & gel regularly. Signs of fatigue were coming on much stronger than should be for a race of this duration.
Jeff & I must have slowed down somewhat as James got back on and then the two of them pulled away. I rode alone until being caught from behind by John Lirette. Shortly after he passed me down the trail he made the funniest move ever. I don’t know what he was thinking but instead of swinging wide to round a corner he took a more straight on path & ran through a tapped off area. He looked like a guy that was breaking the tap in the 100 meter dash. Fortunately I had enough energy to laugh at him and give him a hard time about his detour once he caught back up. I road with John & eventually a group of 3 additional riders coming into the finish of lap 2 and really needed to push it to stay with them. It was at that time I knew for whatever reason the tank was near empty and a third lap wasn’t going to be pretty. Better judgment should have perhaps had me call it a day at that point, but I headed out for a the third and final lap hoping I’d survive. And without the boring details of hallucinations in the agonizingly slow final lap, I wrapped it up on the day dropping 20+ places. Ouch!
A promising race but the engine isn’t set to go past 90minutes yet so it might just be a few weeks off the races and intervals training to pack in some longer riding and stretch out the body’s endurance abilities.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Rhinelander Rasta Rally
5th on the day.
Man, Peariso can hammer...
Not a race/course for the weak of heart.... a true single track challenge
(Dis)Liked it so much.... I bit the dog back & did the 15 mile course a second time when it was all over.
Man, Peariso can hammer...
Not a race/course for the weak of heart.... a true single track challenge
(Dis)Liked it so much.... I bit the dog back & did the 15 mile course a second time when it was all over.
Cable Off Road Classic 2009
First MTB race of the year…
The drive down from Ashland to Cable wasn’t what I expected for a Saturday in mid-May. Rising up over the Great Divide out of Grand View I notice all the evergreen trees have a funny look to them. A white powdery haze covering them -- the unmistakable form of snow. My guess that temps would be hitting the mid 40’s by the start of the race were out of the question.
I arrived about 40minutes before the 10am start. Fortunately I’d pre-registered the night before, and with it got a preferred start, so there wasn’t the added hassle of paperwork and payments to the morning. I could get the bike out of the car, jump on it, grab my timing chip and start warming up. Warming up being the operative word.
It was almost a toss up of just how much to wear for the event. The temps were in the mid 30’s and a wind in the 20mph range but the off-road setting of the Chequamegon forest mother nature’s wind should be muted, but still windchill would be created from the speed of the race. After a 20minute warmup & rolling up to the start line I opted to toss the outer jackets and go with basic longsleeve jersey, undershirt, bibs & knee warmers.
Lot’s of the familiar faces I around warming up or at the start line. McFadden’s, Scottie KJ, Jay Henderson, Tim Swift, follow Bay area guys, Matt Hudson & Paul Belknap. Also folks I’d recognized from previous races just couldn’t place the names. I got to the line early & fell into a front row start. One bitch to have and let it be notice, I don’t care what prima donna you think you are – DON’T THINK YOU CAN BACK INTO THE FRONT ROW. Be there on time, compromise your warm up like the rest of us or GO TO THE BACK! You're at a MTB race, have some class & show respect to your fellow racers. A couple people did it but most notorious was num-nutz Hollywood rider Tim Norrie – he didn’t just back in, he came racing to the front of the start line at the end of the National Anthem with less than 3 seconds to the start. He tries to shed his jacket and turn the bike in a position to get start. All he managed to do is get sideways and block off the right hand side of the front row (of which I was on) when the starting horn/gun went off, he got the obligatory obscene language from a few for being such an idiot. Note: Tim, next time spend your time “Getting Rad” alittle bit earlier so your haze induced state of mind doesn’t completely impair your sense of judgment on what to do when you’re late to the start line.
Determined to stay in the front 6-10 racers I worked up the right hand side of the group & fell in line in the top ten next to Scottie KJ as we worked our way down the several mile hilly gravel road start of the race. Not that particularly hard paced to start as I think there was reluctance of anyone to go to the front & break wind as well as climb hills at the start of the race. I didn’t bother to look back much but it seemed a sizeable group of 20+ riders held together. At one point a couple miles in I was aware of an upcoming hill and to make the most of momentum I took a pull/flyer to the front, guess it was a little bit overkill as I rolled up the next hill with the group 20 or 30 yards back. So if anyone was wondering, I was “that guy”. When the group made no significant effort to catch up I sat up & waited for it to catch me. My training has been coming along good but not so much so that I should be trying to work a gap on such an open course. Speaking of which, unfortunately to some, the race course was changed previous years, making it more open, faster paced & with less single track. I didn’t think I’d like it as much after I did a pre-ride a week earlier but was just fine with it once we were racing it.
After passing the previous race editions single track entry point it was still some length of time before we got into some quasi single track, let’s call it compromised double track. Probably my first mistake of the race. I should have been more aggressive in getting entry in the top 5 or 6, got in about 14th or 15th. From that point forward the racing started to pick up and gaps started to happen. For some reason, I wasn’t reacting well & staying close to the wheels in front of me. Mostly I was being lazy & complacent, not worrying about the gaps. Not exactly the best approach to the first race of the season. The late entry into the single track prevented me from getting into the group I wanted to be with and the climbing & additional single track didn’t make for any optimal passing opportunities. At 15-20minutes into the race it looked like the groups were getting set and I missed the tail end of the top 10 caboose. Shortly thereafter, stomach cramping, something that almost never happens to me, struck and always forces you to go into a neutral gear. (Note to self – don’t be eating pancakes & OJ just an hour before the race.)
When the cramping subsided I was able to pass up the guy in florescent blue & pink that shouldered me out earlier when we originally headed into the single track… to which I mumbled something about “I’d told you I’d get for doing that”…. And soon it was myself, Tim Wilkie and a big young kid whom I didn’t quite yet recognized that had dropped off the lead group. It latter turned out to be Peter O’donnel, he’s not exactly the little pip-squeek he used to be. He may have added some watts to his game but his size increase has neutralized it to some degree. The three of us rotated pretty regularly for what seemed liked the middle third of the race until another guy caught on, but Pete & I then pulled on abit harder and somewhere dropped the other two. We’d get glimpses ahead of 3-5 riders ahead but were never able to close down the gaps.
In the second half of the race come what I like to call “the climbs” a succession of 5-7 steeper pitched hills that pound on you at close to an hour into the race. Somewhat conscious of them I’d raced moderate to conservative in the first hour so I didn’t blow up on any of these hills. It was here we came across two other racers, Scottie KJ being one, he was slowed up considerably but I wasn’t sure what happened. I later asked him on the final 2mile stretch in but I couldn’t really hear his answer. While it felt great to close down some gaps at last & pass some people, however I wasn’t truly motivated to race like I normally am. I just didn’t have that mental spark, I felt like I was going through the motions.
Pete & I stayed together until the Ojibwa single track started when he began to pull away. I was starting to feel drained & hadn’t taken much time for fuel or drink to that point -- probably my biggest mistake all day. I’m one of those racers who’s body counts on it to keep up the pace, if not I’m just one steep hill away from a sizeable bonk. Shortly into this section I got some sweat in my eyes & squeezed them tight to try & get it out. Only when I open them I have the most faint light headedness & the outside perimeter of my vision is getting blurry & blackened. Oh great! I'm starting to black out! That's just wonderful. Exactly what I need right now.
Though I know what’s going on, I just never experienced that way before – my head is bonking before my legs. I quickly grab for my water & a single gel. Most of the time if it gets to that point, it’s too little too late and for the most part it proved to be the case. I was reasonably happy with how my racing & position had been to that point and to quite literally “seeing” it slip away was really frustrating. Perhaps with 4 or so miles left I could hear racers coming up from behind me again, it was Tim Wilkie and later Scottie KJ coming back on to catch me. Fortunately we were back into mostly open forest roads & I was able to hang onto them for a period of time. But as we crested a hill that led onto Randysek Rd, I’d been dropped and it was now Tim on his Gary Fisher SuperFly & Scottie assumably on a new Trek Top fuel riding a super fast downhill gravel road. At this point, as bonked as I was I had to remotely smile and think to myself I can catch these guys. They had a 30-40 yard gap on me when I was able to hit the downhill. I was hoping power & some physics would be in my favor. I raced my Trek Top Fuel 69er with Bontrager 2.0” Revolts in the rear & a DryX 29x1.75”s in the front. What I would tell anyone is do not underestimate the power of that skinny front tire. Terrific rolling resistance with just enough grab to handle most any single track. I run it with 25lbs pressure & put 28lbs in the Revolt. It’s a great setup on the 69er.
Even with Tim & Scottie drafting each other & rotating to some degree I managed to catch them just before the end of this ½ mile + downhill. I was still bonked all the same but happy as hell I’d latched back on. We rolled through the remaining gravel roads & finally got out on that final 2 mile stretch of former railroad grade that leads to the finish. It was here Scottie & Tim seemed to be chatting away like there out for some Sunday ride and I’m dying to hold their wheels. Fortunately I was able to until 1 mile to go. At this point, it appeared that no one was near enough behind me to threaten getting to the finish line before I so I back off & soft pedaled in for a 15th place overall finish.
Not bad, not great, but certainly better than my several previous Cable Off Road Classic experiences where placing in the 30’s & 40’s had become the norm. At least it was closer to where I felt I could & should perform at for the work & training put in. What was great to see as well was the cadre of one of the Bay Area’s 4 man 24-9 mile team place so well. Matt Hudson who’s finally been able to put some dedication into his bike training came in a minute or two back in 19th place & Paul Belknap & Kelly Mcknight came in 30th & 34th respectfully.
With frozen clubs for feet I sought out Katie & the kids as soon as I crossed the finish line. We got to the car where she informed me the thermometer for the car never showed a temp higher than 37 degrees for the entire race – guess that would stand to reason why it took my feet 30 minutes to return to life after placing them on the car heater vents. Would have loved to stick around & catch up with folks but with Scottie KJ having edged me out for any kind of award, I took a somewhat sick wife & sleepy kids home as a quick exit was in order.
Crazy thing happened on the way home, however, since we took separate cars. Kate was driving my Toyota Celica & I had the Prius & kids with me in front of her. I called her on the cellphone about 4 miles from home to tell her about where I'm planning on stopping before coming home. We're chatting 30 seconds when she's gasps nervously "Something just went wrong with your car!" In the rearview mirrow I see her fading back. Come to find out the next day at the mechanics the time belt tensioner malfunctioned and wrecked havoc on the engine. On the positive it can be fixed and at least it happened on the way home instead of on the way to the race.
Up next, back to good solid week of training and the Rhinelander Rasta Rally on the 24th.
The drive down from Ashland to Cable wasn’t what I expected for a Saturday in mid-May. Rising up over the Great Divide out of Grand View I notice all the evergreen trees have a funny look to them. A white powdery haze covering them -- the unmistakable form of snow. My guess that temps would be hitting the mid 40’s by the start of the race were out of the question.
I arrived about 40minutes before the 10am start. Fortunately I’d pre-registered the night before, and with it got a preferred start, so there wasn’t the added hassle of paperwork and payments to the morning. I could get the bike out of the car, jump on it, grab my timing chip and start warming up. Warming up being the operative word.
It was almost a toss up of just how much to wear for the event. The temps were in the mid 30’s and a wind in the 20mph range but the off-road setting of the Chequamegon forest mother nature’s wind should be muted, but still windchill would be created from the speed of the race. After a 20minute warmup & rolling up to the start line I opted to toss the outer jackets and go with basic longsleeve jersey, undershirt, bibs & knee warmers.
Lot’s of the familiar faces I around warming up or at the start line. McFadden’s, Scottie KJ, Jay Henderson, Tim Swift, follow Bay area guys, Matt Hudson & Paul Belknap. Also folks I’d recognized from previous races just couldn’t place the names. I got to the line early & fell into a front row start. One bitch to have and let it be notice, I don’t care what prima donna you think you are – DON’T THINK YOU CAN BACK INTO THE FRONT ROW. Be there on time, compromise your warm up like the rest of us or GO TO THE BACK! You're at a MTB race, have some class & show respect to your fellow racers. A couple people did it but most notorious was num-nutz Hollywood rider Tim Norrie – he didn’t just back in, he came racing to the front of the start line at the end of the National Anthem with less than 3 seconds to the start. He tries to shed his jacket and turn the bike in a position to get start. All he managed to do is get sideways and block off the right hand side of the front row (of which I was on) when the starting horn/gun went off, he got the obligatory obscene language from a few for being such an idiot. Note: Tim, next time spend your time “Getting Rad” alittle bit earlier so your haze induced state of mind doesn’t completely impair your sense of judgment on what to do when you’re late to the start line.
Determined to stay in the front 6-10 racers I worked up the right hand side of the group & fell in line in the top ten next to Scottie KJ as we worked our way down the several mile hilly gravel road start of the race. Not that particularly hard paced to start as I think there was reluctance of anyone to go to the front & break wind as well as climb hills at the start of the race. I didn’t bother to look back much but it seemed a sizeable group of 20+ riders held together. At one point a couple miles in I was aware of an upcoming hill and to make the most of momentum I took a pull/flyer to the front, guess it was a little bit overkill as I rolled up the next hill with the group 20 or 30 yards back. So if anyone was wondering, I was “that guy”. When the group made no significant effort to catch up I sat up & waited for it to catch me. My training has been coming along good but not so much so that I should be trying to work a gap on such an open course. Speaking of which, unfortunately to some, the race course was changed previous years, making it more open, faster paced & with less single track. I didn’t think I’d like it as much after I did a pre-ride a week earlier but was just fine with it once we were racing it.
After passing the previous race editions single track entry point it was still some length of time before we got into some quasi single track, let’s call it compromised double track. Probably my first mistake of the race. I should have been more aggressive in getting entry in the top 5 or 6, got in about 14th or 15th. From that point forward the racing started to pick up and gaps started to happen. For some reason, I wasn’t reacting well & staying close to the wheels in front of me. Mostly I was being lazy & complacent, not worrying about the gaps. Not exactly the best approach to the first race of the season. The late entry into the single track prevented me from getting into the group I wanted to be with and the climbing & additional single track didn’t make for any optimal passing opportunities. At 15-20minutes into the race it looked like the groups were getting set and I missed the tail end of the top 10 caboose. Shortly thereafter, stomach cramping, something that almost never happens to me, struck and always forces you to go into a neutral gear. (Note to self – don’t be eating pancakes & OJ just an hour before the race.)
When the cramping subsided I was able to pass up the guy in florescent blue & pink that shouldered me out earlier when we originally headed into the single track… to which I mumbled something about “I’d told you I’d get for doing that”…. And soon it was myself, Tim Wilkie and a big young kid whom I didn’t quite yet recognized that had dropped off the lead group. It latter turned out to be Peter O’donnel, he’s not exactly the little pip-squeek he used to be. He may have added some watts to his game but his size increase has neutralized it to some degree. The three of us rotated pretty regularly for what seemed liked the middle third of the race until another guy caught on, but Pete & I then pulled on abit harder and somewhere dropped the other two. We’d get glimpses ahead of 3-5 riders ahead but were never able to close down the gaps.
In the second half of the race come what I like to call “the climbs” a succession of 5-7 steeper pitched hills that pound on you at close to an hour into the race. Somewhat conscious of them I’d raced moderate to conservative in the first hour so I didn’t blow up on any of these hills. It was here we came across two other racers, Scottie KJ being one, he was slowed up considerably but I wasn’t sure what happened. I later asked him on the final 2mile stretch in but I couldn’t really hear his answer. While it felt great to close down some gaps at last & pass some people, however I wasn’t truly motivated to race like I normally am. I just didn’t have that mental spark, I felt like I was going through the motions.
Pete & I stayed together until the Ojibwa single track started when he began to pull away. I was starting to feel drained & hadn’t taken much time for fuel or drink to that point -- probably my biggest mistake all day. I’m one of those racers who’s body counts on it to keep up the pace, if not I’m just one steep hill away from a sizeable bonk. Shortly into this section I got some sweat in my eyes & squeezed them tight to try & get it out. Only when I open them I have the most faint light headedness & the outside perimeter of my vision is getting blurry & blackened. Oh great! I'm starting to black out! That's just wonderful. Exactly what I need right now.
Though I know what’s going on, I just never experienced that way before – my head is bonking before my legs. I quickly grab for my water & a single gel. Most of the time if it gets to that point, it’s too little too late and for the most part it proved to be the case. I was reasonably happy with how my racing & position had been to that point and to quite literally “seeing” it slip away was really frustrating. Perhaps with 4 or so miles left I could hear racers coming up from behind me again, it was Tim Wilkie and later Scottie KJ coming back on to catch me. Fortunately we were back into mostly open forest roads & I was able to hang onto them for a period of time. But as we crested a hill that led onto Randysek Rd, I’d been dropped and it was now Tim on his Gary Fisher SuperFly & Scottie assumably on a new Trek Top fuel riding a super fast downhill gravel road. At this point, as bonked as I was I had to remotely smile and think to myself I can catch these guys. They had a 30-40 yard gap on me when I was able to hit the downhill. I was hoping power & some physics would be in my favor. I raced my Trek Top Fuel 69er with Bontrager 2.0” Revolts in the rear & a DryX 29x1.75”s in the front. What I would tell anyone is do not underestimate the power of that skinny front tire. Terrific rolling resistance with just enough grab to handle most any single track. I run it with 25lbs pressure & put 28lbs in the Revolt. It’s a great setup on the 69er.
Even with Tim & Scottie drafting each other & rotating to some degree I managed to catch them just before the end of this ½ mile + downhill. I was still bonked all the same but happy as hell I’d latched back on. We rolled through the remaining gravel roads & finally got out on that final 2 mile stretch of former railroad grade that leads to the finish. It was here Scottie & Tim seemed to be chatting away like there out for some Sunday ride and I’m dying to hold their wheels. Fortunately I was able to until 1 mile to go. At this point, it appeared that no one was near enough behind me to threaten getting to the finish line before I so I back off & soft pedaled in for a 15th place overall finish.
Not bad, not great, but certainly better than my several previous Cable Off Road Classic experiences where placing in the 30’s & 40’s had become the norm. At least it was closer to where I felt I could & should perform at for the work & training put in. What was great to see as well was the cadre of one of the Bay Area’s 4 man 24-9 mile team place so well. Matt Hudson who’s finally been able to put some dedication into his bike training came in a minute or two back in 19th place & Paul Belknap & Kelly Mcknight came in 30th & 34th respectfully.
With frozen clubs for feet I sought out Katie & the kids as soon as I crossed the finish line. We got to the car where she informed me the thermometer for the car never showed a temp higher than 37 degrees for the entire race – guess that would stand to reason why it took my feet 30 minutes to return to life after placing them on the car heater vents. Would have loved to stick around & catch up with folks but with Scottie KJ having edged me out for any kind of award, I took a somewhat sick wife & sleepy kids home as a quick exit was in order.
Crazy thing happened on the way home, however, since we took separate cars. Kate was driving my Toyota Celica & I had the Prius & kids with me in front of her. I called her on the cellphone about 4 miles from home to tell her about where I'm planning on stopping before coming home. We're chatting 30 seconds when she's gasps nervously "Something just went wrong with your car!" In the rearview mirrow I see her fading back. Come to find out the next day at the mechanics the time belt tensioner malfunctioned and wrecked havoc on the engine. On the positive it can be fixed and at least it happened on the way home instead of on the way to the race.
Up next, back to good solid week of training and the Rhinelander Rasta Rally on the 24th.
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