French Creek
08-May. I love riding French Creek, always have. There are miles and miles of awesome singletrack that just never gets old. Racing there, is aonther story though. Sure, the trails are still fun, but put yourself in debt there, and you could pay dearly. Today I woke up feeling fresh, relaxed and all around good. I loaded up my bikes (which as it turned out was clutch) and drove 30 mins to the park.
A few of us roll out for a warmup. I hadn't had my bike out for a shakedown since installing the new gearing (which necessitated the use of a half link) so I was taking it easy. We pedaled a half mile or so up the road start and dropped into the woods. after a few hundred yards of descent, we make a hard right at the bottom and start climbing. It takes a few hundred yards until the bottom dropped out. I looked down and saw my chain dangling with only half of the half link. Eff. I had to hoof it out. time was of the essence because I had a long-ish run out with an inoperable race bike all with maybe 40 mins from gun time. Dodging sport and endurance racers the whole way back, its no wonder I didnt break an ankle out there, but I made it back. There wasnt time to fix the bike, so that meant that I was racing my rigid steel singlespeed. I had no choice really, so might as well go out and have fun right?
Well fun I had. I sat back at the start, full well knowing that the first couple miles are all climbing. People love to blow themselves up here. I was right. People were dropping like flies and about halfway through, I was in no man's land. I had no idea where I was in the field... I was just riding and having fun.
Toward the end of the first lap, I passed Alesio #2. At the beginning of the second lap, I passed Alesio # 1. Knowing that these guys are headcases, I wasn't convinced that I was doing well. So I just kept plugging away. Toward the top of the Orange climb, I see two guys ahead. One is Cameron Dodge (who DNF'd and was just riding along) and the other was a Team CF guy. I pushed hard to catch Cameron on the flats above Orange, only to have him veer off in front of me to let me race (since he was out). Him being there helped, but it was disappointing that now all of the sudden I had no carrot. I pushed the downhill pretty hard, hoping to catch a glimpse of the CF guy. I came out of the woods at the lake and there he was...
I wanted to catch that guy bad. I pushed with all I had to catch up, but he was staying away. I reach the double track which leads to the finish maybe 3/4 mile out and for some reason, I'm pulling on him pretty hard. Turns out that he was fiddling with his number plate. D'oh! So I announce my presence on his left. He looked up and looked shocked. As he looked at me, he drifted over and I clipped his bars sending him off the trail a bit. Sorry! I yelled as I pushed on. He came back with a vengence though, passing me just before the last hairpin. I pull alongside on the field with one hard corner to go. He drifted out sending me into the bushes and I tried to cut back inside. He got me by a wheel.
After the race, I sat down near the finish area and Harlan came up to me to offer congrats and make sure that I was OK with his antics in the last quarter mile... "totally fine" I said. "that's racing" It was a ton of fun rubbing elbows at the finish, as its not something that happens every day in mountain bike racing. Good stuff and a great race. A crispy new Benjamin in my pocket on the day.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Granogue Weekend
Saturday 01-May. Today I went to the Granogue charity Pre-Ride with Ron, Kat and Campbell. I showed up a minute late for my guided tour of the estate, but not to worry, I caught up quickly. Riding out there was fun. The trails were in the best condition that I ever remember, which is to say that they beat you up slightly less than usual. Even at a leisurely pace, they take a toll.
New this year is the TT. A short Time Trial on the trails? Of course I'm gonna do that... thats what I do best. Short, hard efforts. Marc used the first half of the course as the time trial loop, so its about 3.5 miles or so. This is the fun section for sure, whereas the other half is the hard, definitely more painful side. Good call on the TT course. Anyway, I caught a few people out there and rolled away with some swag and a fancy plaque for taking the win. Good stuff and I hope they keep it going next year.
Sunday 02-May. The main event. I show up to the venue, and man is it hot outside. And humid. And did I mention that it was hot?
After the warmup, and like an idiot, I take my sweet ass time getting to the start line. I'm rewarded for my lackadaisical attitude with a sweet second to last row start position. I think I was behind the dude on the Pugsley. Meanwhile, team Turd Cannon shows up late again and forces their way into a start position that doesnt exist. Assholes.
Marc sounds off the start, and we go. I'm spinning like up the road like an idiot on my singlespeed. Oddly, I find myself passing people on the road. Wierd. There's some confusion up front, which is funny because there are barriers, cones and caution tape funnelling you into the same start that this course has had for the past five years. I totally understand the confusion. I take the first turn wide into the woods... Guess who tries to force his way past me in the first 20 yards of trail? One of the twins. He's trying to force a line that isnt there, so he yelled at me. I graciously declared that I was racing too, and politley called him an asshole.
The first lap went well, I was riding smoothly and in good position hovering around 6-9th place. Once that first lap started wrapping up though, I could tell that I was coming unglued. It was a downward spiral from there, culminating in a 3rd lap that was 5+ minutes slower than my opener and a 13th place finish overall. And that's all I have to say about that.
New this year is the TT. A short Time Trial on the trails? Of course I'm gonna do that... thats what I do best. Short, hard efforts. Marc used the first half of the course as the time trial loop, so its about 3.5 miles or so. This is the fun section for sure, whereas the other half is the hard, definitely more painful side. Good call on the TT course. Anyway, I caught a few people out there and rolled away with some swag and a fancy plaque for taking the win. Good stuff and I hope they keep it going next year.
Sunday 02-May. The main event. I show up to the venue, and man is it hot outside. And humid. And did I mention that it was hot?
After the warmup, and like an idiot, I take my sweet ass time getting to the start line. I'm rewarded for my lackadaisical attitude with a sweet second to last row start position. I think I was behind the dude on the Pugsley. Meanwhile, team Turd Cannon shows up late again and forces their way into a start position that doesnt exist. Assholes.
Marc sounds off the start, and we go. I'm spinning like up the road like an idiot on my singlespeed. Oddly, I find myself passing people on the road. Wierd. There's some confusion up front, which is funny because there are barriers, cones and caution tape funnelling you into the same start that this course has had for the past five years. I totally understand the confusion. I take the first turn wide into the woods... Guess who tries to force his way past me in the first 20 yards of trail? One of the twins. He's trying to force a line that isnt there, so he yelled at me. I graciously declared that I was racing too, and politley called him an asshole.
The first lap went well, I was riding smoothly and in good position hovering around 6-9th place. Once that first lap started wrapping up though, I could tell that I was coming unglued. It was a downward spiral from there, culminating in a 3rd lap that was 5+ minutes slower than my opener and a 13th place finish overall. And that's all I have to say about that.
Mmmm Racing
So I've done a some racing since the first MASS race at Fair Hill. Let's see, There was Danville, There was Granogue, and there was French Creek. I guess I'll go in order...
Tour De Tykes
April 17, 2010 - Danville, PA. Historically, this race is later in the season. This year, they made a good move and bumped it up in the season. Not only did this mitigate the 150° temperature issues of years past, it also helped drive numbers to what I'm certain is the largest showing to date. Good stuff.
This year, it was downright cold on April 17. It was cold and I simply was not prepared - at all. I had zero cold weather riding gear. I warmed up by sitting in my sleeping bag, in the fetal postion. Then finally I emerged to spin on the bike - in jeans and my puffy North Face jacket. Very cosmopolitan.
I took my start position in the second row, with Ron somehow lined up well be hind me. The starter calls out "One Minute!" And here comes one of the Alesio twins. He forces his way onto the start line directly in front of me. Grr. I'm a reasonable guy, but if you're gonna show up to the start of your race within a minute of the gun, don't force your way into the front row. Tenout ten seconds later, the other Alesio twin forces his way into the same position... I think these clowns are stuck together at the hip. I hear guys yelling at them from behind me and I'm annoyed because I can see exactly how this will unfold.
Countdown begins... and its on. Just as I suspected Alesio #2 trys to cut me off. Luckily, I got a good hard crank off the line and closed his non-existent gap and pushed him off as he leaned into me. He called me an asshole, I assume because I didnt let him cut me off. Ill take that as a compliment to my start. Thanks!
The first half, I just chilled. Theres a ton of climbing here, and even with my chill pace, I felt like the 32:19 was the wrong gear. I wanted a 20t cog. Or a granny gear. Quads burning, I pushed through. Coming across the bridge into the second half, I was feeling pretty good. Immediately I came up on Alesio #2 like he was standing still. As I pass, I think: "that sucks, you can't get a good start And you're blowing up." I start picking off others as the race progresses. At the bottom of a long downhill, I look up the longest climb of the day and see Ron and Yozell battling. Ron looked and saw me... I knew he'd dig deep on the climb. He dropped Yozell and was gone. I caught Mike up top in the flats and we rolled down the hill together. He graciously let me pass as the trail turned skyward. I would catch glimpses of Ron every once in a while on these twisty trails, but I just couldnt bring him back. Hiking up the power lines, I just didnt have it in me to run. I ripp the final descent to finish sixth place, ten seconds back from Ron in fifth. I was definitely happy to feel good out there and stoked about taking home some cash. After the race I heard that Alesio #2 dropped out of the race just after I passed him citing something stupid about the weather not being hot enough. yeah. that's valid.
Tour De Tykes
April 17, 2010 - Danville, PA. Historically, this race is later in the season. This year, they made a good move and bumped it up in the season. Not only did this mitigate the 150° temperature issues of years past, it also helped drive numbers to what I'm certain is the largest showing to date. Good stuff.
This year, it was downright cold on April 17. It was cold and I simply was not prepared - at all. I had zero cold weather riding gear. I warmed up by sitting in my sleeping bag, in the fetal postion. Then finally I emerged to spin on the bike - in jeans and my puffy North Face jacket. Very cosmopolitan.
I took my start position in the second row, with Ron somehow lined up well be hind me. The starter calls out "One Minute!" And here comes one of the Alesio twins. He forces his way onto the start line directly in front of me. Grr. I'm a reasonable guy, but if you're gonna show up to the start of your race within a minute of the gun, don't force your way into the front row. Tenout ten seconds later, the other Alesio twin forces his way into the same position... I think these clowns are stuck together at the hip. I hear guys yelling at them from behind me and I'm annoyed because I can see exactly how this will unfold.
Countdown begins... and its on. Just as I suspected Alesio #2 trys to cut me off. Luckily, I got a good hard crank off the line and closed his non-existent gap and pushed him off as he leaned into me. He called me an asshole, I assume because I didnt let him cut me off. Ill take that as a compliment to my start. Thanks!
The first half, I just chilled. Theres a ton of climbing here, and even with my chill pace, I felt like the 32:19 was the wrong gear. I wanted a 20t cog. Or a granny gear. Quads burning, I pushed through. Coming across the bridge into the second half, I was feeling pretty good. Immediately I came up on Alesio #2 like he was standing still. As I pass, I think: "that sucks, you can't get a good start And you're blowing up." I start picking off others as the race progresses. At the bottom of a long downhill, I look up the longest climb of the day and see Ron and Yozell battling. Ron looked and saw me... I knew he'd dig deep on the climb. He dropped Yozell and was gone. I caught Mike up top in the flats and we rolled down the hill together. He graciously let me pass as the trail turned skyward. I would catch glimpses of Ron every once in a while on these twisty trails, but I just couldnt bring him back. Hiking up the power lines, I just didnt have it in me to run. I ripp the final descent to finish sixth place, ten seconds back from Ron in fifth. I was definitely happy to feel good out there and stoked about taking home some cash. After the race I heard that Alesio #2 dropped out of the race just after I passed him citing something stupid about the weather not being hot enough. yeah. that's valid.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Let's try this again...
Wow. Has it really been 200 days since my last blog post? I swear that I had good intentions... I meant to post about cross (which obviously was so much fun that I didnt have time to blog - Or I'm lazy). I wanted to post the trials and tribulations of the winter riding season. I even had an epic trip out to Fruita, Moab and Boulder to talk about - failed there too. So let's give this bloggin' thing another try, shall we?
Fair Hill
On Sunday, Bike Line put on the first official XC race of the MASS at Fair Hill. This is a first class event for sure; Huge attendence, Smokin' fast course and Awesome competition. Its a great way to put yourself in a world of hurt and officially kick off the racing season.
Sunday morning, I roll up to the venue with all three of my 29ers in tow. Usually, I know which bike I'll race on any given day, but today... not so much. Long story short, I wanted to ride the singlespeed that I built up this year but it's having some issues - okay, it's only having one issue: chain tension. Its kindof a big deal. For some reason I found confidence in the loctite that I slathered all over the EBB the night before and raced it anyway. More on this later.
So it begins.
We stage at the starting line and Ron saved me a sweet spot in the middle of the scrum, row two. Then they unexpectedly move us up about 20 yards to the actual starting line. Fail. Now we're in row four - I'm not sure exactly how that happened.
The horn sounds and we're off. Much to my surprise, I'm in the mix for the entire mile long downhill start. Sure, I'm spinning like an idiot, but I'm in there. I figure I was top 20 into the woods - which I was stoked about. I knew I'd be riding up people's backs in the singletrack, so i wanted to get out as hard as I could. The turns were so fast that you had to line up the passes perfectly. I got a couple of them, but the first short steep climb was it... I think I passed four or five people there. About half way through the first lap, I found myself riding Wes Schempf's wheel. At that very same time, I found myself thinking: "what the hell am I doing here?" But I felt great! So I rolled with it. I passed Wes coming through the feed zone at the start of lap 2 and pushed hard for the first half of the lap. I held him off until the field. Those fields get me every freakin' time - I think I'm gonna go do repeats in the fields of Fair Hill. Wes rolled past me and slapped me on the ass? Mmmmkay. I rolled with him for another mile or two until he opened a small gap he then made a pass that I couldn't close. I got stuck behind whoever he passed and I never saw Wes again.
Somewhere in the mix of the first to laps was Mike Montalbano whom I chatted with after the race. Super nice guy - animal - that was pushing a ridiculous 35-16. He destroyed me. He said he rode my wheel for a while until my drivtrain started making all kinds of racket and I started cursing at it... That's wierd. He said, "that's when I knew it was time to pass" Great. Fortunately, he did give me some outside of the box ideas on how to fix my EBB woes.
Anyway, The third lap was a bit of a blur. I was "battling" with Adam Driscoll from Adventures for the Cure for most of it, and there was nobody else in sight. Man did his Superfly creak - a lot. It was bad enough that I considered unleashing a barrage of Carbon Fiber jokes upon him, but I decided to save my breath instead. I knew It'd be me and him at the line. Unfortunately, he's pretty strong and It was tough to drop him. Annoying. We chatted it up for a couple minutes and as it turns out, he seems like a pretty nice guy. Wait... Did I just think that on a race course? WTF? ... I meant to say to myself, "that guys a total asshole and you're in the last couple miles of a race. F him, it's time to go! Get moving Showers, you big pussy!" So I cordially sneak by the inside line of a corner, say my goodbye and push hard for the line.
Ending up 10th overall left me feeling really good about the race. Good start, good passes, and I was bangin' with a lot of good guys that coming into the race I thought I had no business riding with. The team was out in force, and a lot of people had great races. I'm pretty excited about the upcoming season.
Post race with the team was cool. Getting burnt by the sun, throwin' back some "coffee", Grillin' some burgers and dogs, relaxin'. Good stuff.
Fair Hill
On Sunday, Bike Line put on the first official XC race of the MASS at Fair Hill. This is a first class event for sure; Huge attendence, Smokin' fast course and Awesome competition. Its a great way to put yourself in a world of hurt and officially kick off the racing season.
Sunday morning, I roll up to the venue with all three of my 29ers in tow. Usually, I know which bike I'll race on any given day, but today... not so much. Long story short, I wanted to ride the singlespeed that I built up this year but it's having some issues - okay, it's only having one issue: chain tension. Its kindof a big deal. For some reason I found confidence in the loctite that I slathered all over the EBB the night before and raced it anyway. More on this later.
So it begins.
We stage at the starting line and Ron saved me a sweet spot in the middle of the scrum, row two. Then they unexpectedly move us up about 20 yards to the actual starting line. Fail. Now we're in row four - I'm not sure exactly how that happened.
The horn sounds and we're off. Much to my surprise, I'm in the mix for the entire mile long downhill start. Sure, I'm spinning like an idiot, but I'm in there. I figure I was top 20 into the woods - which I was stoked about. I knew I'd be riding up people's backs in the singletrack, so i wanted to get out as hard as I could. The turns were so fast that you had to line up the passes perfectly. I got a couple of them, but the first short steep climb was it... I think I passed four or five people there. About half way through the first lap, I found myself riding Wes Schempf's wheel. At that very same time, I found myself thinking: "what the hell am I doing here?" But I felt great! So I rolled with it. I passed Wes coming through the feed zone at the start of lap 2 and pushed hard for the first half of the lap. I held him off until the field. Those fields get me every freakin' time - I think I'm gonna go do repeats in the fields of Fair Hill. Wes rolled past me and slapped me on the ass? Mmmmkay. I rolled with him for another mile or two until he opened a small gap he then made a pass that I couldn't close. I got stuck behind whoever he passed and I never saw Wes again.
Somewhere in the mix of the first to laps was Mike Montalbano whom I chatted with after the race. Super nice guy - animal - that was pushing a ridiculous 35-16. He destroyed me. He said he rode my wheel for a while until my drivtrain started making all kinds of racket and I started cursing at it... That's wierd. He said, "that's when I knew it was time to pass" Great. Fortunately, he did give me some outside of the box ideas on how to fix my EBB woes.
Anyway, The third lap was a bit of a blur. I was "battling" with Adam Driscoll from Adventures for the Cure for most of it, and there was nobody else in sight. Man did his Superfly creak - a lot. It was bad enough that I considered unleashing a barrage of Carbon Fiber jokes upon him, but I decided to save my breath instead. I knew It'd be me and him at the line. Unfortunately, he's pretty strong and It was tough to drop him. Annoying. We chatted it up for a couple minutes and as it turns out, he seems like a pretty nice guy. Wait... Did I just think that on a race course? WTF? ... I meant to say to myself, "that guys a total asshole and you're in the last couple miles of a race. F him, it's time to go! Get moving Showers, you big pussy!" So I cordially sneak by the inside line of a corner, say my goodbye and push hard for the line.
Ending up 10th overall left me feeling really good about the race. Good start, good passes, and I was bangin' with a lot of good guys that coming into the race I thought I had no business riding with. The team was out in force, and a lot of people had great races. I'm pretty excited about the upcoming season.
Post race with the team was cool. Getting burnt by the sun, throwin' back some "coffee", Grillin' some burgers and dogs, relaxin'. Good stuff.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Whirly Bird Cross - So it Begins.
This past week, I finally did something that I've been threatening to do for the past three years - I tried Cross. And I liked it!
Back in the day, I was a relatively competetive runner. I was a middle distance guy on the track, and I loved racing. Specifically, I loved to beat people. I loved to break people. I loved to put myself through an extraordinary amount of pain, just to hear them fade off the back. The past few years, I've been using my mountain bike as a competetive outlet. Sure, I've beaten plenty of riders out there, but for some reason, its just not the same. In a MTB race, I feel, almost lonely - always strung out in no man's land, no idea where my competition is. Nobody there to beat. Nobody there to crack. While it's great fun to push hard on the trails, there's just something missing and I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I truly miss whatever it is that I'm missing.
So after one practice and one race, I can tell you that without a doubt, Cross has what I'm missing. Cross has what I need. I'm a little pissed that it took me three years of Competetive mountain biking to finally pull the trigger and give cross a go.
Back in the day, I was a relatively competetive runner. I was a middle distance guy on the track, and I loved racing. Specifically, I loved to beat people. I loved to break people. I loved to put myself through an extraordinary amount of pain, just to hear them fade off the back. The past few years, I've been using my mountain bike as a competetive outlet. Sure, I've beaten plenty of riders out there, but for some reason, its just not the same. In a MTB race, I feel, almost lonely - always strung out in no man's land, no idea where my competition is. Nobody there to beat. Nobody there to crack. While it's great fun to push hard on the trails, there's just something missing and I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I truly miss whatever it is that I'm missing.
So after one practice and one race, I can tell you that without a doubt, Cross has what I'm missing. Cross has what I need. I'm a little pissed that it took me three years of Competetive mountain biking to finally pull the trigger and give cross a go.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
24 Hours of Racing?
Endurance Racing is not my thing...
Last year sometime, I made the proclimation that I would infact dabble with endurance racing in the 2009 season. I really have no idea why I might have done this... Last season, I found myself cramping and coming unglued at cross country races that were on the north side of 20 miles. Of my 10 cross country races last year, only one was under 20 miles. That one was offset by 4500 feet of climbing in +95° heat with 357% humidity (it felt like I had the slug from .357 mag lodged in my head after this race). In summation, as far as I can recall, I cramped and/or came completely unglued at every race last season. Why I decided that I'd want to try endurance racing next year, is truly, beyond me.
Endurance Racing is my thing... Sorta.
This season, true to my word, I took the plunge. I started small with a muddy, early season 4 hour race, followed that up with a mid season 9 hour race, and a 24 hour relay in the waning days of this season.
The first race, 4 Hours of Iron Hill, I was a fool. I went out too hard and didnt drink nearly enough fluid. The second half was a downward spiral which cluminated with my last lap of doging mortar shells. I wasn't quick enough.
The second race was one of the best grassroots cycling events I had ever witnessed. The official race was 9 hours. My race which was riddled with shouldering trees, cramping and general soreness, only lasted 6 hours. After 4 hours, dry clothes, folding chairs and coolers full of ice cold brew were taunting me. By hour 5, those three inanimate things had launched a barrage of fire onto my morale and motivation. At hour 6, I succombed to the attack and called it quits. Fortunately, my partner in crime - Adam - had a strikingly similar mental battle brewing, pun intended.
My first two endurance races were clearly less than stellar. Oddly enough, I still found them fun.
Seven Springs Champion Challenge 24 hour MTB Race
This past weekend marked the finale of my 2009 racing season. And what a finale it was. After all my displeasure with endurance races, Seven Springs blindsided me. I had heard that 24 hour relays are "fun," but admittedly, I was wrongfully skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised that everything about this weekend was laced with fun. Epic, masochistic, fun.
The Lemans Start...
For those of you that don't know my history, I'm a bit of an ex-runner. As such, I feel quite at home doing LeMans Starts at bike races. In fact, I'm reigning LeMans start champion at the early season Marysville Team Relay. I saw no reason to let my undefeated status slip away here. Not surprisingly, I claimed the holeshot with authority. It took 6 miles for my singlespeed and I to be caught. The guy that caught me, was shredding, so kudos to him. I finished out my first lap without incident, although the half mile run did take its toll. I ended up finishing second wheel, about 2 minutes off the lead. Lap time: 1:06:34.
Lap Two
Lap two was my fastest lap - by far. I felt like I was on fire for this one. I was rockin' the descents, railing the corners and hammering the climbs. I finished this lap in 1:04 and change which gave me a top ten lap time overall and 3rd fastest on lap 2. I was pretty stoked and felt great. Lap time: 1:04:27.
After this one, my next lap was going to be around 1:00am, so I needed grub and sleep. I gorged on some great food prepared by John Plewa and other friends and teammates (without you all, this would NOT have been a good experience). I plugged in my lights and got some sleep.
Lap Three
After a couple hours sleep, I rolled up to the team HQ feeling fresh. I prepare my gear and start setting up my lights. I'm excited to try out a new light that I had just received the week before. I'm a little wary about the fact that I am relying on an unproven light during a race in the dark. I'm comforted by the fact that I have my trusty NiteRider HID as well. Wouldn't you know? 10 minutes till start and my NiteRider is shorting out. Perfect.
Now, I'm considerably more nervous about running a shady, new, unproven light on smokin fast, dark and twisty descents. The light held up, but my lack of confidence showed. Lap three was my slowest lap by about 5 minutes. Oh well - lesson learned: Check your gear DAYS before the race, not minutes. Lap time: 1:14:40.
Lap Four
Lap four would be my last lap, starting around 7:00am. For me, this was the toughest lap. I was tired, I was cranky, and I was cold. I didnt want to get out of bed, nor did I want to suit up. Once I got out there, though, everything was A-O-K. The course was great at getting you going. The whole first three miles are downhill, so it really pushes you to race your lap rather than sit back and ride. After the long climb just after half way, I raced hard. I was redlining because I knew that our race as a team was close. Our main competition had some type of mishap overnight, but I knew they were coming for us - and they were hungry. It was all I could do to muster up a sub 1:10 final lap. Lap time 1:09:51.
Finish it up
The race was out of my hands now so it was time for a beer - at 9:00am - which felt totally normal and tasted delicious. Ron put in a nice final lap. KTown amazed everyone with what was nearly her fastest lap of the race. Federer rolled out a good lap and Campbell managed to hold off the final charge of our competition by riding in his flat tire to clinch first place in our 5 person coed division. KTown, Ron, Campbell and Federer all rode well to contribute to our team victory. What better way to end an epic race than with a top spot on the podium.
Last year sometime, I made the proclimation that I would infact dabble with endurance racing in the 2009 season. I really have no idea why I might have done this... Last season, I found myself cramping and coming unglued at cross country races that were on the north side of 20 miles. Of my 10 cross country races last year, only one was under 20 miles. That one was offset by 4500 feet of climbing in +95° heat with 357% humidity (it felt like I had the slug from .357 mag lodged in my head after this race). In summation, as far as I can recall, I cramped and/or came completely unglued at every race last season. Why I decided that I'd want to try endurance racing next year, is truly, beyond me.
Endurance Racing is my thing... Sorta.
This season, true to my word, I took the plunge. I started small with a muddy, early season 4 hour race, followed that up with a mid season 9 hour race, and a 24 hour relay in the waning days of this season.
The first race, 4 Hours of Iron Hill, I was a fool. I went out too hard and didnt drink nearly enough fluid. The second half was a downward spiral which cluminated with my last lap of doging mortar shells. I wasn't quick enough.
The second race was one of the best grassroots cycling events I had ever witnessed. The official race was 9 hours. My race which was riddled with shouldering trees, cramping and general soreness, only lasted 6 hours. After 4 hours, dry clothes, folding chairs and coolers full of ice cold brew were taunting me. By hour 5, those three inanimate things had launched a barrage of fire onto my morale and motivation. At hour 6, I succombed to the attack and called it quits. Fortunately, my partner in crime - Adam - had a strikingly similar mental battle brewing, pun intended.
My first two endurance races were clearly less than stellar. Oddly enough, I still found them fun.
Seven Springs Champion Challenge 24 hour MTB Race
This past weekend marked the finale of my 2009 racing season. And what a finale it was. After all my displeasure with endurance races, Seven Springs blindsided me. I had heard that 24 hour relays are "fun," but admittedly, I was wrongfully skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised that everything about this weekend was laced with fun. Epic, masochistic, fun.
The Lemans Start...
For those of you that don't know my history, I'm a bit of an ex-runner. As such, I feel quite at home doing LeMans Starts at bike races. In fact, I'm reigning LeMans start champion at the early season Marysville Team Relay. I saw no reason to let my undefeated status slip away here. Not surprisingly, I claimed the holeshot with authority. It took 6 miles for my singlespeed and I to be caught. The guy that caught me, was shredding, so kudos to him. I finished out my first lap without incident, although the half mile run did take its toll. I ended up finishing second wheel, about 2 minutes off the lead. Lap time: 1:06:34.
Lap Two
Lap two was my fastest lap - by far. I felt like I was on fire for this one. I was rockin' the descents, railing the corners and hammering the climbs. I finished this lap in 1:04 and change which gave me a top ten lap time overall and 3rd fastest on lap 2. I was pretty stoked and felt great. Lap time: 1:04:27.
After this one, my next lap was going to be around 1:00am, so I needed grub and sleep. I gorged on some great food prepared by John Plewa and other friends and teammates (without you all, this would NOT have been a good experience). I plugged in my lights and got some sleep.
Lap Three
After a couple hours sleep, I rolled up to the team HQ feeling fresh. I prepare my gear and start setting up my lights. I'm excited to try out a new light that I had just received the week before. I'm a little wary about the fact that I am relying on an unproven light during a race in the dark. I'm comforted by the fact that I have my trusty NiteRider HID as well. Wouldn't you know? 10 minutes till start and my NiteRider is shorting out. Perfect.
Now, I'm considerably more nervous about running a shady, new, unproven light on smokin fast, dark and twisty descents. The light held up, but my lack of confidence showed. Lap three was my slowest lap by about 5 minutes. Oh well - lesson learned: Check your gear DAYS before the race, not minutes. Lap time: 1:14:40.
Lap Four
Lap four would be my last lap, starting around 7:00am. For me, this was the toughest lap. I was tired, I was cranky, and I was cold. I didnt want to get out of bed, nor did I want to suit up. Once I got out there, though, everything was A-O-K. The course was great at getting you going. The whole first three miles are downhill, so it really pushes you to race your lap rather than sit back and ride. After the long climb just after half way, I raced hard. I was redlining because I knew that our race as a team was close. Our main competition had some type of mishap overnight, but I knew they were coming for us - and they were hungry. It was all I could do to muster up a sub 1:10 final lap. Lap time 1:09:51.
Finish it up
The race was out of my hands now so it was time for a beer - at 9:00am - which felt totally normal and tasted delicious. Ron put in a nice final lap. KTown amazed everyone with what was nearly her fastest lap of the race. Federer rolled out a good lap and Campbell managed to hold off the final charge of our competition by riding in his flat tire to clinch first place in our 5 person coed division. KTown, Ron, Campbell and Federer all rode well to contribute to our team victory. What better way to end an epic race than with a top spot on the podium.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Convenience of Selling Online
I'll admit it. I have a problem with buying things online. Specifically, I buy second hand stuff from people on Craigslist. I've scored some seriously good deals in the past couple years and as a result, I compuslively check CL for more deals on stuff that I must have.
Giving Back
Recently, I decided to offer some of my crap to the Craigslist community. I decided that was time to give somebody else the opportunity to score a deal. I'd allow someone to have the joys of finding a great deal on something that they must have. I'd simultaneously be cleaning out my garage of useless crap while putting cash directly into my pocket. Its really a win, win situation, and Its seemingly a fool proof plan. Well... that was my plan.
Easy money
I listed two items recently, and just minutes after my ad went live, I had my first set of replies. Score! This stuff is gonna sell like hot cakes. The emails received were from foreign countries attempting to purchase my items... odd. The emails are so generic and vague, that its almost as if they're prefabricated and dont even apply to my item... odd, again. Seriously, after reading the first line or two, I realized that its a total scam attempt. The thing is, I just dont understand how these scams are ever allowed to come to fruition. They are so blatant, that I can't wrap my head around it. Are people really so trusting that they would mail an item to somebody with a mere promise of payment? Its like Wimpy making a promise to Popeye... "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday..." They're so absurd, that I just can't see how anybody, ever, could fall for them. Yet they must work, because I'm two for two with my listings... two items listed, two scammer's firing out repeated messages from foreign countries.
The best of the two was in response to my King Headset advertisement. A woman from France is willing to have her secretary mail me a certified check, then send her "movers" to pick up the item. She wanted to be "surprised to have it in her house upon her return to the country", which is why she needed a mover to pick up a bicycle headset. I sent her a message to set up the logistics of my sale, but unfortunately I haven't heard from her since. If anybody happens to know Jenny Gold, from France, please have her look me up. :-P
Giving Back
Recently, I decided to offer some of my crap to the Craigslist community. I decided that was time to give somebody else the opportunity to score a deal. I'd allow someone to have the joys of finding a great deal on something that they must have. I'd simultaneously be cleaning out my garage of useless crap while putting cash directly into my pocket. Its really a win, win situation, and Its seemingly a fool proof plan. Well... that was my plan.
Easy money
I listed two items recently, and just minutes after my ad went live, I had my first set of replies. Score! This stuff is gonna sell like hot cakes. The emails received were from foreign countries attempting to purchase my items... odd. The emails are so generic and vague, that its almost as if they're prefabricated and dont even apply to my item... odd, again. Seriously, after reading the first line or two, I realized that its a total scam attempt. The thing is, I just dont understand how these scams are ever allowed to come to fruition. They are so blatant, that I can't wrap my head around it. Are people really so trusting that they would mail an item to somebody with a mere promise of payment? Its like Wimpy making a promise to Popeye... "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday..." They're so absurd, that I just can't see how anybody, ever, could fall for them. Yet they must work, because I'm two for two with my listings... two items listed, two scammer's firing out repeated messages from foreign countries.
The best of the two was in response to my King Headset advertisement. A woman from France is willing to have her secretary mail me a certified check, then send her "movers" to pick up the item. She wanted to be "surprised to have it in her house upon her return to the country", which is why she needed a mover to pick up a bicycle headset. I sent her a message to set up the logistics of my sale, but unfortunately I haven't heard from her since. If anybody happens to know Jenny Gold, from France, please have her look me up. :-P
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