6 Hours of Warrior Creek Race Report

A bermalicious experience!

Last year when Melissa Cooper asked me to team up with her for this event, I was on the fence.  Just days before, I had received a heartbreaking email that this edition of Warrior Creek was going to be the last.  I really wanted to race the finale in the solo SS division.  I couldn't give Melissa an answer just yet.  And then, just before registration was to open, I received another email, stating that 6WC would live on under new management.  Hallelujah!  I told Melissa I was in.

After realizing that Melissa had raced 6WC twice, but had yet to stand on the box, my goal for this race was to secure her one of the infamous mugs.  And we were both using this race to prep our fast twitch muscles for Marathon Nationals.  We both had plenty of long rides under our belt, but needed to get in some speed work.

And then a first for 6WC:  they released a starter's list.  Whoa!  15 ladies' teams and some tough competition to boot!  I flip-flopped back and forth on what gear to run and finally settled on 32/20.  I had used this same gear 2 years ago when I teamed up with Ursula and had happy legs then.  I knew I would get shuttled back pretty quickly at the start, but with the heavy training load leading up to this race, I did not think I could push a 19.

I had Melissa hold my spot at the start while I did a lengthy warm up. Gone are the days when I can just hammer hard from a cold start. About 10 minutes from "go time," I approached the start line, but then hung out for a couple extra minutes, just watching Melissa squirm a bit.  You see, she was in her long pants and tennis shoes.  She definitely got nervous about whether or not she was going to have to race that first lap!

Finishing up the parade lap.

I had given brief thought to racing my geared bike for that first lap, thereby avoiding all that nonsense that happend mid-pack.  But the purist in me would not allow it.  Not to mention I would be black-listed by the SS community.  It seems every year I get to wrap handle bars with a fellow racer.  This year was no different.  Some gearie rode "up my butt" and entangled his bars with mine.  How we managed to not go down was a small miracle, but after a couple pedal strokes, we were able to free ourselves.  Nothing like a little adrenalin to help keep my HR and cadence up!

The first lap is always highly entertaining for me.  In the beginning miles, I was behind a dude that was jumping everytime there was a rise on the trail.  He was making me tired just watching him.  After a mile or so, he began to fatigue on the climbs and I was able to pass.

Then I came upon two dudes racing so close to one another it looked like they were on a tandem.  I soon found out they were "momentum-challenged" when we approached a steep descent followed by a sharp left-hander with a high berm on the right.  I seem to remember some centripetal force equation from physics (F = mv*2/r).  Anyway, this particular berm was slightly muddy.  For whatever reason, the dudes brake checked upon the approach to the berm. I was about 2 bike lengths back, my mind frantically making calculations to avoid the imminent crash that was about to happen.  Well, the dudes reached the highest point of the berm, but slowed down to a point where gravity intervened and sent them both sliding down the berm and off the trail.  I managed to put in enough power in 2 pedal strokes to maintain the minimal amount of speed necessary to clean the berm.  (I would have loved to have had a GoPro for that one!)

After about 6 miles, I found myself mostly alone, and able to find a good sustainable rhythm. Although the gearing was perfect for the climbs, I noticed that I was a bit too spinny on the flats.  I began to doubt my gear choice.

I rolled through the transition area and Melissa took off.  Now, only time would tell.  After cooling down and refueling, I went to check the first lap results.  We were in third!  Hells yeah!  Now to wait for Melissa's return.  She came rolling through about 3 minutes down on second.  Our goal looked achievable.  I took off after Hannah, hoping I could reel her in.  My legs came back around rather quickly and I was in a good zone.  With no traffic, I could save any matches I had left for the last lap. I focused on being smooth and consistent.  I soon came upon another SS'r; it was Kip!  Sweet!  He soon began to talk all about the past couple months, with most of it focusing on P36.  How he could manage to talk in sentences, all the while pedaling a tall gear, I don't know.  A real motivator for sure.

We rode most of the lap together ... and he was racing solo!  When I pulled through the transition area, Melissa yelled out that I had gained some time on second place.  Boom sauce!  Could we secure second?  It was worth a try.  I've got to hand it to Melissa.  She dug deep into her arsenal of fitness and was able to catch Lilly on her second lap.  They came through the start/finish, separated only by seconds!

Oh, boy!  The race for second place was on!  Upon entering the single track, only about 50 yards separated us.  I pedaled so fast, I thought my legs were going to become entangled around the bike like a bolo.  I was equal to Hannah's speed on the climbs, but was losing time on the flats.  Now I was really wishing I had a 19.  I could only hope that she would blow.  But mile after mile the gap slowly increased.  Around mile 7/8 I lost sight of her.  Ugghhh!  Oh well, now I focused on finishing up with a clean run.  I did not want to make any mistakes that would cost us our 3rd place.

Melissa and Lilly were on pins and needles that entire race, waiting to see who would exit the single track first.  I rolled though the finish, 1:07 behind Hannah. I was stoked that we were able to secure a position on the podium and accomplish our goal.  This was the first time I had undergeared for a race. I am not sure that had I chosen a 32/19 that it would have made any difference in the outcome, as Hannah and Lilly are super strong young women.  But, what I do know is that Coach Lynda has me on track to potentially become the strongest I have been in my mid-forties.

Stoked to share the podium with some uber strong women!

So thank you, Melissa, for asking me to partner up with you. Sometimes the best races are not the ones you win, but the ones that push you beyond what you thought your limits were.

Green Gobbler 6 Hour Race Report

Photo Credit:  Captions by Mary

This was the second race in ChainBuster Racing's Southeastern Endurance Cup.  I am using these races as prep work for Marathon Nationals (Single Speed division). The courses are very similar to what I will be racing on in Augusta in June:  fast and flowy to tight and twisty with little elevation gain.

After completing a power test a couple weeks ago and hitting an FTP that I had not seen in well over a year and a half, I was ready to put this wattage gain to a real world test.  So I threw on a cog one gear harder than I have used in the past at Conyers and was pleasantly surprised during my pre ride. I was able to clean the climbs and go a bit faster on the flats.

Race day was going to be hot!  I do love the heat and humidity, but only after being able to acclimate. One day is not quite enough. I prepared my bottles accordingly, adding Elete Electrolytes to my Torq energy drink.  The guys at Torq would most likely say that their product contains just the right amount of electrolytes, but after having lived in this body for 47 years and pushing it to its limits for the past 15 years, I know what works for me ... and keeps the cramps at bay.

Here is a summary of how the race went for me:

Lap 1:  Running a 32/19 made it a bit easier for me to enter the single track in a decent postition.  At this point I knew there was at least one woman in front of me, possible two.  Not burning any matches, I passed when the trail opened up.  The flat sections I used to refuel and spin the legs out. The two climbs were a 4/10 on the pain scale.

Lap 2;  A friend told me I was a minute and a half behind first.  Whoa! Either that chick was crazy fast and powerful, or (I was hoping) she burnt a few matches.  I did not change my game plan, but continued to cruise along, knowing that consistency is key, and the single speed makes it easy to be consistent.  I began to feel the heat on this lap ... and drank accordingly.  The two climbs were still a 4/10, and I passed several SS'rs who were pushing.

Lap 3:  As I passed through the transition area, my friend said that I had closed the gap on first a little.  The fisherwoman came out in me: time to slowly reel her back in.  I stopped briefly, swapped out bottles, and motored on.  Feeling the flow of the trail, it seemed like I was on autopilot.  The first two laps had warmed the legs and they found their happy place.  The two climbs were still a 4/10. Towards the end of this lap, I caught up to first.  I could tell by her posture that she was hurting.  I slowed a bit, wanting to be cat-like and watch for weakness.  She pulled away during the final 10 mile flat sandy stretch to the start/finish area (it was only 1/2 mile, but for a SS'r, seems to go on forever).

Lap 4:  I had to now stop by my pit area each lap as I was downing a 24 ounce bottle each lap.  I caught back up to first, made some small talk, and then slowly pulled away.  I was still in my happy bubble on this lap, and began to start making the mental calculations of how many more laps I was going to have to do.  3-4 more were going to be necessary.  The two climbs jumped up on the suffering scale, now a 5/10.  After passing through the start/finish and seeing that I was 4:03 into the race, I knew I had to do 3 more.  So I chugged my traditional Red Bull, and awaited my "wings."

Lap 5:  It was here that I began noticing the little pains:  low back, left big toe, outside of my right foot.  I began to feel every little bump and root on the trail.  What I thought was pretty smooth in the beginning now became teeth chattering.  Tons of braking bumps on the descents began to annoy me! To take my focus off the pain, I began to talk to people as I came upon and passed them.  I was very surprised at the women.  I followed one on a long descent who was buttery smooth through the corners.  And I admired those that fought for every inch of trail on the two long climbs.  At this point those climbs jumped up to 7/10 and it was about all I could do to turn over the pedals ... but I did.

Lap 6:  I felt pretty confident in maintaining first as long as I did not have a mechanical.  I had lost sight of second place in the twists and turns of the course.  I now just focused on riding smooth, especially through the creek crossings, which caused many flats on the day.  I noticed that each lap the line through the creeks changed as rocks were flung about.  The climbs jumped up another notch in intensity to 8/10, mostly due to fatigue, but they were also getting a bit chewed up, and finding traction got harder.

Lap 7:  I was now 7 minutes ahead of second and at least could rest a little easier mentally.  The last lap was relatively enjoyable.  All the body pains diminished in intensity and I focused on body position, carving the corners, and seeing how little I could use my brakes.  The long single track climb, I thought about going for it, but felt a twinge in the quads about 1/2 way up.  So I wisely chose to dismount and run up the last 30 yards.  I did manage to clean the powerline climb, but it was not a pretty site.  I hit my limit of pain at a 10/10.

I rolled through on my final lap in 5:19.  This was not easy.  The heat and taller gearing had me hurting at times, but with Coach Lynda's guidance, I had a perfect lead up in training to this race.  I am looking forward to burying myself in some L4/L5 work outs in the near future.

Sandwiched between a fast Floridian and Canadian

My power is coming back and I am feeling good about building up to my "A" race.  I definitely learned a hard lesson last year about overtraining.  It has taken me a full year to recover from digging a hole I almost did not climb back out of.  "Less is more" is my new motto.  No more back to back or back to back to back foolishness. Although I have been training less, the quality is better.  Recovery has been a bigger part of the picture as well.  I am turning into one of the "old people," who rise and set by the sun.  Pretty soon, I will be in the 4 pm supper crowd.

Stealing "cloud Pop Tart" from Karen Jarchow, as I am pretty sure I had the same feeling as her yesterday.

The other piece to this power puzzle is the functional fitness class I have been taking since December.  2-3 times per week, I take a 1 hour class that focuses on mostly body weight only exercises and high intensity cardio, although we do use barbells, dumb bells, and kettle bells, too.  I have seen tremendous gains in high power output.  I absolutely love this class and Coach Joshua is am amazing motivator.  I almost cannot take it when I have to cut these classes out during the week leading up to a race.

I must give a huge shout out to the local SORBA chapter for all the bridge work they put in to make this course fun and mudless.  My bike thanks you.  Eddie has done a wonderful job in getting sponsors who give away awesome, usable product.

Have I said how awesome Mulberry Gap is?

Looking forward to Fort Yargo in May!

Snake Creek Gap TT Race Report

As I was changing out of my mud filled kit, I found this substance in areas on my body where it should not have been.  Not only had I accomplished all my goals for the day, but I had received a skin-reviving mud bath as well.  I probably dragged 2 pounds of trail off the mountain today.

Clean up ... the only part of the race I did not like.

Most racers were dreading today's run.  I was embracing it.  Six weeks off from racing combined with just an odd assortment of JRA rides left me feeling like a slug.  Last week's power test confirmed it.  I wanted to get out there and revive my legs and lungs.  Today begged for one gear.  Time to put my Cysco in action.

Going BIG in the rear.

The Dry Creek parking lot had standing water.  Along with high winds, it was drizzling at the start.  At least it was in the upper 40's/lower 50's.  I managed to line up with only 20 or so in front of me.  That would allow me to be in my own little bubble for most of the day.

The long flat stretch of fire road allowed me a controlled warm up as I spun a high cadence.  Disaster almost struck as a gear head almost took me out trying to pass me on the first short steep narrow uphill section about a mile in.

The bridge across the first creek crossing was a blessing.  Climbing up the double track to the first single track had me standing and grinding most of the way.  I silently thanked Becky and her spin classes where we would stand and grind for minutes on end.  That made it seem less tortuous.

Upon entering the single track, I managed to get myself behind a train.  This allowed me to practice my low rpm/track standing skills, along with my cyclocross dismount/remounts.  The trail was so muddy in sections that I had to pedal downhill.

Climbing up Pine Needle Hill had me rethinking my gear selection.  Trying to keep the rear tire seated was a bear and it was costing me precious energy that I needed for the final ridgeline.  The next few miles leading up to the hardest climb of the first half, I tried to conserve as much as I could and focused on my breathing.  During these "rest" periods, I tend to error on the side of short, shallow breaths.  It is hear that one can prepare their body for the next big push by slow, deep breathing to enable your muscles to absorb as much oxygen as possible.

I was off my bike quite a bit on the Horn Mountain climb.  It is hard enough on a geared bike, let alone a single speed in wet and loose conditions.  P36 practice, I told myself.  And saving my pedaling muscles now might avoid future cramps.  Finally cresting the top, I enjoyed the descent down to the Snake Creek Gap parking lot.

I had my Garmin on my bike, but I chose not to look at it.  I knew my time was not going to be good and I did not need to be thinking about how slow I was.  Fortunately, it was so covered in mud that I could not have seen the numbers had I wanted to.  I made a pit stop, chugged some gel, swapped my bottle and started the hardest climb of the second half, Mill Creek Mountain.

Photo credit:  Charles Brogdon

Grinding up this 1 1/2 mile climb had me convinced that either my (a) crank and/or hub was seizing up, (b) my tire was going flat, or (c) my brakes were dragging.  I had to shake the mantra, "How slow can I go, How slow can I go" out of my head.  Aside from the steep, tight left-hand switchback, I was able to clean the beast.  I considered it a small victory and my grimace changed to a smile at the top.  I slowed briefly as I came upon Jon Stang who was walking his bike in the opposite direction.  I asked him what he needed (secretly hoping that is was nothing I could help him with).  Busted crank, he replied.  I truly felt bad for him, as I don't like to see any racer have their day ended by a mechanical.

The descent down to the multiple creek crossings was a welcome relief to my heavy legs.  Unfortunately, the fatigue monster hopped on my back climbing the fire road up to the final stretch.  That combined with the peanut butter mud had me questioning my ability to finish the run in less than 4 hours.

Upon entering the final 6 miles of gnarly single track, the fog in my head was equal to the fog on the trail.  With mud spattered glasses, failing legs, and overall fatigue, I don't remember half of what I rode/walked.  It was as if I was in a trance-like state; my brain shut down and I let my muscular memory guide me off the mountain.  I was able to avoid several low speed crashes as I pinballed my way through rock garden after rock garden.  I chastised myself as I had to walk a couple sections that the so-called "Queen of Pisgah" should be able to clean handidly.

The cell tower was a welcoming beacon of hope.  After precariously speeding down the fog-enshrouded gravel road down to the road, I popped out onto the pavement and coasted to the finish.  3 hours and 53 minutes is one of my slowest times ever, but I'll gladly take it.  Even though I was whooped, I was happy.  I accomplished my goals of a sub-4 time, no mechanicals, and priming my body for another successful season.

I am happy to say that after the forest service "dumbing" down the trail 4 or 5 years ago, the Snake has returned to its former beastly self.  Watch out for its bite!

Let the clean up commence!

XC Nationals Race Report

The Southern contingent (myself, Ursula, and Lisa) arrived in Pennsylania the week before to dial the course in.  We drug Jay, Ursula's husband, along to be our mechanic and mule.  The first couple days it rained so it upped the technical factor.  The latter half of the week the sun came out, the course dried, and conditions were perfect!

There are 2 lines ... can you see them?

The course is THE most technical XC course I have ever ridden.  There are more rocks and roots than dirt.  Absolute focus is required the whole way; no thinking about what's for dinner, who your competition is, or what the weather forecast for tomorrow will be.  Bear Creek is to rocks as a Great White shark is to teeth.  Lisa called it "Gnarlandia."

Physically and mentally demanding course!

Race day brought cool, dry temperatures and sunny skies.  Game time was 11am, so no rush in the morning.  The bike was ready and I was ready to defend my title.  This year the competition was tougher, what with Vicki Barclay (Stan's No Tubes) and Nikki Thiemann (Rare Disease Cycling) toeing the line.  Both are from Pennsylvania (well, Vicki via Scotland) and are quite at home in the rocks.

As I began my warm up, I knew immediately that my legs were not going to have that "spark" that they had last year.  They felt flat and inside I panicked a little.  I did a nice gradual warm up for 45 minutes, hoping that they would come around.  A little life flowed into them, but not the "roadrunner spin" I so desired.  Perhaps the adrenalin rush of a National Championship race would put some spark into them at the start.

It felt pretty good getting called up to the line as the 2013 National Champion.

When the whistle blew, I had a perfect start, clipping in on the first pedal stroke (yea for small victories).  As we turned the corner and headed up the 15% grassy ski slope grade, I thought I was going to die right there.  The legs were calling for a mutiny while the mind was yelling, "Pedal faster!"  Vicki, Nikki, and Melissa passed me like I was standing still.  Angrily, I charged back up to Melissa's wheel and held on into the single track climb.

I think Melissa was pushing a pretty big gear as she began to slow on the climb and then even more once we hit the first section of rocks.  I watched as Vicki and Nikki began to pull away.  With no where to pass, I had to wait for what seemed like an eternity but was probably closer to 30 seconds.

After passing Melissa, I rallied a charge.  After a few minutes, I could catch glimpses of Vicki and Nikki ahead.  The first half of the course is where 85% of the climbing is.  It felt like I was running a gear 2 cogs bigger ... not good.  But I was not going to go down without a fight.  I slowly began to reel Nikki in and soon I was almost on her wheel.  At times I could still catch glimpses of Vicki far ahead.

And then we both hit "age group" traffic.  You see, in the cross country scene, single speeders get "singled" out ... to the rear of all the gearheads in the category.  I suppose "they" think we are slower than those with gears.  The age groupies are in 5 year increments, i.e. 19-24, 25-29, on up to 45-49, and there are 2 minutes in between their respective starts.

This course has very few areas to pass, unlike the xc courses at home, where, if the trail is not wide enough, you can just "create" a line off the trail in the leaves to pass.  At Bear Creek, off the trail is nothing but large rocks and boulders.  Unless you can run faster than the one you are trying to pass is riding and assume the risk of a twisted ankle, you stay on their wheel until they "bumble" or the trail widens.

And so 12 minutes into the race, the match burning began.  Fortunately most racers were very nice and yielded ever so slightly so that Nikki and I could get around.  At the tricky descent leading to an off camber uphill bridge that was about 14" wide, Nikki got bogged down by a slower racer and had to get off her bike.  I was able to motor around the traffic and take the lead.  Nikki hopped back on my wheel and together we made our way to the heckle pit.

The heckle pit is where the most technical portion of the course was.  We could hear the roar of the hecklers about a 1/4 mile before we entered.  It was wall to wall people, yelling, screaming, sirens, bull horns, chainsaws buzzing.

Post by Chris Randall.

There was an age groupie just in front of us going way to slow down the drops.  I just about bit it trying to stay off her wheel.  It was pretty frustrating, but finally, with a heckling-induced flow of adrenaline, I was able to take a "new to me" line and pass her on one of the most difficult sections of the course (yea to my second small victory).

With that vote of confidence, I was able to clean the remainder of the descending switchbacks in record time and put a gap on Nikki.  This put a little fire into my legs and the last 2 miles of the first lap, I felt good.  The trail was technical but mostly flat here.

Coming through the Start/Finish area, I grabbed a bottle from Jay; he said the gap to Vicki was 45 seconds.  I wish I could say that with renewed energy I smoked the climb, but I had nothing.  I slogged my way up the arduous climb.  As I crested the hill, I looked down to the Start area and did not see Nikki.  This time up, the adrenaline had left, and boy did I have a nice little sufferfest all the way up.  I passed probably another 10-15 age groupies here.  The matchbook was now empty.

Just before a particular nasty uphill rock garden, Nikki blew by me.  The trail had opened up just a bit and she made a very strategic pass.  She was motoring and was able to put 2 ladies between me and her before the trail squeezed down again.  She came out of nowhere!  I had an, "Oh, shit!" moment, but at the same time I was thinking, "Damn, that was an awesome pass!"

I tried to respond, but the tank was empty.  I was able to get up to the 2 racers she had passed, but they would not yield.  I ended up having to run around one and wait for the second to bumble before I could get around her.  But by this time, Nikki was 50 yards up the trail.

Traffic, the story of my race!

I was slowly reeling Nikki back in on the uber techy rock gardens.  Every time I would get close enough to latch on, I would run into traffic. Of course, Nikki had to deal with this traffic, too, but it just seemed that her passing opportunities were in much more favorable conditions.  So I would have to wait for this to happen:

Slower is not always smoother.

With 500 meters to go, Nikki was in my sights.  I could see her, hear her, smell her.  I was closing the gap, but would it be fast enough before the trail opened up onto the gravel double track?

She was riding like a scalded dog; I did not have the legs to close the gap.  Once she exited the woods, she turned on the afterburners and was gone.  I limped in 14 seconds later, totally spent!
Vicki, "the sweet hammer," hammered us by 2 minutes for the W.

Bringing home the bronze!

 I wish I could say I was happy with the bronze.  But no one trains to come in third.  At this level of competition, you have to have a perfect race.  I am disappointed with my performance (or lack thereof), but sometimes you learn the most when you have a bad day.  I will come away from this experience with fiery determination and fortitiude!

Other notables:

My Cysco rode like a dream.

My Industry 9 wheels were spectacular on the gnar.  I love instant engagement!

Shanna Powell and Endless Bike Company is an amazing sponsor.  She overnighted me a cog while I was up there!

Lisa captured the silver in her class.

Ursula captured the bronze in her class. It is worth noting that 1st and 2nd were the 2013 National Champions in their respective age categories.

Melissa Sieb, only 17 years old, and after having only started single speeding 2 weeks ago, came in 5th place.  Gonna have to watch out for her!

ChainBuster 3 Hour at Payne's Creek Race Report

Come Hell or High Water, I've Got This!  Photo Credit:  Mary Omstead

As I drove over to the venue, in the rain, the day before, and listened to it rain the night before, I could say I was not overly ecstatic to be racing this one.  But I had made mental preparations and was ready for whatever Mother Nature was going to dish out.

Rarely are race conditions perfect.  If you wait until it is just "right,"  you are going to miss a lot of challenges and the subsequent rewards.  It is all about adapting.  The ability to persevere through adverse conditions are only going to make you a better racer.  Sure, there are some conditions even I would not race in:  my bail out points are (1) lightning, and (2) temperatures less than 20 degrees for > than 2 hours.  #2 is a medical issue for me, as I have Raynaud's and have come close to losing a toe in the past (2011 Snake Creek Gap TT).

I treat these less than ideal races as practice runs for gear choice.  For me, it is all about what I can do to make the next race better.

Shower cap trick I learned at La Ruta.  Photo credit:  Mary Omstead

For those of us who chose to persevere, we were treated to a rainless start and course conditions that were astounding, given the 1 1/2" of rain the previous 24 hours.  There were some slick spots, but overall, the course was tacky and FAST!  In those muddy sections, I was given the chance to work on my off camber mud skills.

The start was on 1 mile of asphalt leading up from the campground.  As I was riding my Cysco SS, I lost a few spots.  But since it was a low turnout, I only encountered 2 party trains.  The first one I was able to make my way around pretty quickly.  The second one I settled in behind for awhile since they were going at a pretty good click.  

About 1/2 way through the first lap, as a group of us was climbing one of the few short hills on the course, we all heard a loud crash and felt the BOOM! of a tree that fell.  It was very close!  I wondered to myself if it had fallen on the trail.  Sure enough, on my 2nd lap, I encountered a fallen pine about 12 inches in diameter and 30 feet long that lay lengthwise on the trail.  Dang!  That was close!  For the remainder of that lap, any creaking in the treetops above me had what remaining adrenaline there was left being squeezed out of me.

Once again, my titanium steed smoothed out the rooty sections.  I cannot say how much I love the ride of titanium.  And with the Specialized Control tires, I felt very confident going through the slick sections.  I ran fairly consistent laps and was able to finish with 3 in a time of 2:26:20, good enough for 1st female.  

No, Elizabeth did not win a dog.

Unfortunately, the SuperSport Athletic Wear team had a low turnout for this series finale.  Kudos to James for hanging on despite injuring his back.  He managed to take the Terrapin RecreationAle 3 Hour Series win in his age group.  And congrats to Mark Dee for coming in 3rd in his age group.

With a little slicky-slidy racing under my belt, I will be even more prepared for PMBAR, coming up in a little over a week.

Southern Single Speed Championship

Last weekend, I mosied over to the Payne Creek Trail System on Lake Hartwell along the Georgia/South Carolina border.  A "new to me" trail system, it was 9 miles of well maintained fast, flowy hardpack trail.  I did not do the omnium but rather chose to pre ride on Saturday before the monsoon hit.  This would be my fourth ride/first race aboard the Cysco.

Whoop!  Whoop!

About an hour before the race Saturday morning, I found a partial sidewall tear on my rear tire.  Oh, crap!  I muddled over the possibilities:  ride it, ride my Niner, throw a tube in it.  Five minutes later, I decided to just go for it.  If I flatted, well, then I could practice my flat fixing skilz.

A testament to Specialized tires and Stan's Sealant -- it held!

After a good long warm up, I rolled up to the second row.  I just happened to glance down at my front wheel and what did I see?  A flattened "road kill" frog that was stuck on my tread!  I thought about the significance of that for a moment.  The Faster Mustache crew were in force, one dude yelled "Go!", I clipped in on the first pedal stroke (small victory), and the field set a blistering pace up the pavement.  The big gear mashers pulled away and I was in the second group to enter the single track.

I was amazed.  Hero dirt!  Even with the deluge the night before, the trails were perfect.  There was plenty of traction in the corners and I fell into a nice rhythm carving  the turns.  Ursula and Lisa were right on my tail through the Heartbreak Ridge section, but I was able to pull away during the beginning of the main trail.  Last year there was a beer short cut on the second lap:  drink 16 ounces and you did not have to ride the 1/2 mile lollipop.  Not knowing if the short cut was going to be there this year, I kept the pace up to try and buy as much time as possible.  Last year, Lisa chose the beer ... and probably would again, since Chris would be able to make the drive home.  I timed the lollipop:  3:30.  Pretty big penalty!  Go go gadget legs!

Finishing up the first lap, I swapped bottles.  The legs were still happy, so I continued at my pace.  I must have been fatiguing a little, as I banged my rear tire on a couple of roots/stobs and heard that loud popping noise when the tread is temporarily "stuck" on the obstable.  That got my adrenalin to kick in, for sure.  I settled a bit after that.  I came upon the  lollipop loop ... and no beer short cut.  Whew!

I finished the two lap race in 1:34, good enough for first.  Ursula came in second a few minutes later and then Lisa in third.  I do believe she was still carrying some TNGA fatigue as she stated she like the descents better than the climbs.  Monster!

Overall, the Faster Mustache crew put on a good event.  They rallied through the rains to ensure the short track/cross race occurred and worked with Jud and crew on the trails to create a furiously fast trail for the xc event.  My only complaint would be the prizing and that would have to be on Maxxis.  A 26" tire/tube for first.  Really?  Second place was the place to earn, for they got an Endless Cog!  Having said that, the trophies for the omnium were pretty cool and unique.  I do believe Zach created those works of art:  sort of a cross between a chia pet and a lamp.  (Sorry for no pics!)

As far as my steed, she is most amazing!  I love the feel of titanium.  And the custom cockpit has me becoming one with the bike.  I leave it at that, for now.  She is due a post all her own ... soon.