SERC #9 Huntsville Race Report

Having never been to Monte Sano State Park,  I was uncertain of what to expect.  I had heard that it was technical and rocky; but that was about it.  Both Carly and I were pleasantly surprised at her course:  a mix of pavement and smooth, buff single track.  What rocks?

While Carly and Zeke pre-rode her course, I went off to do mine.  The first few miles were fast and had a few rocks.  I was on my SS, running a 32 x 19.  At first I thought I might have to go bigger.  But then I encountered steep rocky climbs and steep rocky descents.  These rocks were sharp and slick.  And there were enough roots thrown in on top of the rocks to make it really fun.    Whoa, Nelly!  I would call it Pisgah Lite or Syllamo-ish.  There were a couple sections that I rode over and over again, trying to find the best line.  I don't think there was one.  I was wishing I had brought my full suspension bike. (Shoulda, coulda, woulda.)

After the pre-ride Carly and I finished up our day with 3 hours of pool time, while Zeke went back out to get his single speed fix on.  We capped off the evening with dinner at Chili's with Ursula and Jay. 

Race faces on!

Sunday morning came way too early for Carly.  Biscuits with sausage and gravy was her pre-race meal.  Carly had a good race with no bumbling boys to maneuver around and finished strong.

Pavement start.

Totally focused 10 yards up the trail.

My race started out with 1/4 mile of flat road.  My start was good and I was up front for about 1/2 of it.  Then I heard the gears shifting down behind me and I quickly went from 1st to 5th.  I managed to get around Paula when she bobbled in the first techy section (note:  Paula raced the Tn State Championship Road Race the day before) and passed Catherine when it opened up to double track. 

Kym, who won the Tn State Championship Road Race, was flying up front in first place with Gerri hot on her heels ... well, until she flatted.  After moving up to second place halfway through the first lap, I noticed I wasn't feeling all that sparkly.  Heavy legs and breathing way too hard, I knew that I was not on form to finish at this pace.  I backed off the pace and tried to settle, but on this course it is hard to settle.  The climbs are hard on a SS as they come quickly, around corners, and are strewn with rocks and roots.  All of a sudden the 19T felt like an 18T.  I had to run 2 short climbs (10 yards) and 1 long one (40 yards).

I actually looked forward to the final 0.8 mile paved climb as I could establish a rhythm that was not torturous.  And having Jay hand me an ice cold cup of water helped as well. 

The second lap was agonizingly painful.  Even spinning the flats at 120 rpm hurt.  I felt like a pinball in the techy sections.  Dabbing became a constant on that lap.  To top it off, Paula began to close the gap and at one point was only about 10 seconds back.  Although I felt I was at the end of my rope, I was able to dig a little deeper on the climbs and pull away from her.  Finishing never felt so good!

At the finish with a smile ... or is that a grimace?

As much as that race hurt, I would do it all over again.  Because with the pain and suffering comes a HUGE endorphin rush.  You just cannot beat that feeling of utter exhaustion and exhilaration, knowing you left it all out there on the trail.  Why do drugs or alcohol when you can race, I ask?  I friggin' love my bike!

Karma

is what her name shall be.

19.02 pounds

Karma is the concept of action or deed, understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect.  Some might say that my new steed is fate; others would say "happenstance."  I will let you be the judge.

My troubles began back in the winter.  Specialized had been great to me up until this point.  But I could not even buy the bike, a 2011 Specialized S-Works SJ SS,  unless I went to another shop.  And that I refused to do.  I even wrote a letter to Mike Sinyard and Rebecca Rusch was kind enough to make sure it got into his hands.  Well, at least it made it to the desk of his secretary.  The end result of that was the regional rep telling Bruce that he did not have the privilege of being an S-Works dealer.

Well, it just so happened that I finally committed to racing the 6 Hours of Warrior's Creek, after being asked 3 years in a row by the promoter.  It always coincided with the Ouachita Challenge.  But I was wanting to do a 6 hour on my SS and I had heard great things about this grassroots race.

It just so happened that Mike Stanley was going to be there with a van full of Niner Bikes to demo.  Zeke talked me in to trying one out.  I did, an A9C with a rigid fork.  As much as I love my Specialized fleet of bikes, I was quite impressed with the Niner.

After much hemming and hawing and with Zeke talking my ear off about the company, I decided to get one.  That was a BIG STEP for me.  I have ridden nothing else but Specialized for the past 12 years.  Their bikes are the best, the components and gear comfortable and durable, and their customer service and advocacy has been top notch.  But ... they just seemed to be more interested in the road aspect of cycling and their "concept" stores.  The small LBS's got kicked aside.

After waiting 2 1/2 months, she arrived.  Bruce meticulously (and I do believe with love) assembled her.  And yesterday I got to try her out at the Whitewater Center.  Just so you know, I paid for this bike, so my opinions are completely non-biased.

I "cut my teeth" on technical rocky trail at The Snake.

After just one 3 hour ride, I cannot say that the bike is friggin' unbelievable or da bomb, but I must say I was most impressed.  The cockpit felt perfect and racey.  She soaked up small bumps; a smoother ride than my Specialized aluminum SS.  Power transfer was instantaneous.  And she was quite nimble through the switchbacks.  I was also able to flick her through rocky sections like I was on my Specialized Era.  

Westfork Trail.  She begs to climb.

I will need some more time on her before I can give a complete thumbs up.  Racing her this weekend at the SERC Huntsville will be a true test.  I have also never ridden a Reba, so I am sure that making some adjustments will help to smooth the trail out as well.  I was riding on the Specialized Renegade tires.  I like them on the rear, but they wash out in sandy or deep loose over hardpack.  Slapping a Specialized Captain on the front should make her rail through the turns better.

I am hoping that this relationship is only the beginning.

Mike Stanley is an awesome rep.  He works his arse off.  Down to earth, goes above and beyond, and loves his job.  I had a good rep with Specialized, but I think his hands were tied.  It might be just me, but I think the corporate leaders are more interested in world domination and sponsoring road racers who throw their $10,000+ bikes into the ditches of the French countryside.  The last (and only) time I threw my bike down in anger was when I was 9 years old.  And that earned me a week of being grounded.

Where is the scracth 'n sniff sticker?

Lumberjack 100 Race Report

Danielle had been trying for the past 5 years to get Zeke and I to do this hundie.  Persistense finally paid off as we made the journey up to Manistee National Forest to race our single speeds.  However, this journey was a much a visit of childhood memories as it was a race for me.

Our travels included a stop in Lima, Ohio where I lived from the ages of 4-9.  Wednesday we hooked up with Bob and Ann, who had lived across the court from us.  His hobby is rebuilding Model T's and we were lucky enough to ride in one of them to dinner.

What with all the pedals/levers these T's have, it makes a stick shift a piece of cake to drive.

 

 

 

 After dinner we drove to my childhood home.  This house had tons of wonderful memories both inside and out.

The Williams household ... not much has changed except for a 2nd floor addition on the left.

The next day we opened up our legs on the local greenway.  We were way undergeared as we had thought we were going to ride some trail up in Danielle's neck of the woods, but the weather was being uncooperative.  That was o.k. as I happened upon one of the local parks that we would have family picnics.

32 X 20 forced me into neuromuscular endurance mode.

From Lima, we headed up to Danielle's in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I lived in "Town Grapids" (how I said it when I was a toddler) from about 3 months to 4 years of age.  About the only memory of my life here was being chased around the duplex we had lived in by my Mom with a broom.  She refuses to remember that memory and I have no recollection of why I was being chased.  I also think I had a brief stint of taking ballet as a toddler.

Thursday night Zeke and I stayed at Danielle and Scott's house and caught up on racing, dogs, and life in general. On Friday we headed up to Manistee and got a short pre-ride in on the inner loop.  Oh my God, the bugs and mosquitos!  These guys were vicious!  Seeing as how I had not brought any bagged blood of mine, I slathered myself with repellent.  

I chose a 32 X 19 and it was spot on for the pre-ride.  The trail was smooth and flowed very well.  With all the rain in the past few weeks, the sand had settled and the trail was tacky ... perfect!

So green and lush, like Tennessee but without all the lung-busting hills.

Wow!  4 am came way too soon.  It has been quite a while since I have raced a hundie and I forgot about those 7 am starts.  XC racing has spoiled me!  The start of the race was a 1.5 mile paved road, slightly downhill ... a single speeder's nightmare.  Luckily I only had to do this part one time.  It was frustrating as I watched half the field pass me.  As I entered the single track, there was a line of racers as far as I could see.  I was patient and passed as efficiently as I could, although in my head I was screaming, "Are we on a group ride or are we racing?!?"  But knowing that every person was racing their own race and for their own goals, I settled.  Having done enough of these, my time would come.  And going slower on that first lap would keep me from blowing up.

I had no idea where the other women were.  I could only assume that they were all ahead of me and I had some catching up to do.   I was a little worried on the first lap that my gear choice was too easy as I easily motored up the hills ... and was really spinny on the flats.  There were 3 flat dirt road sections per lap, easily totaling 4-5 miles of misery.  Just when I had passed a group of racers in the single track, they would pass me back on the roads and I had to do it all over again.  There should be an unwritten rule that if you get passed by a single speeder in the single track "like you were standing still", you MUST yield to them on the roads!

Towards the end of the first lap, I managed to catch several of the top 10 geared ladies.  Now I was no longer on tour; I was racing and it felt great!  I came through the feed zone, swapped out Camelbaks and headed out for Lap # 2.  On this lap I rode with several groups of men, chitty-chatting with them, and then moving on as their pace began to slow.  One gentleman was from Chicago and when he found out I was from Tennessee, he asked what I thought of these hills.  I replied, "Speed bumps."

At the end of the second lap, I was still feeling great.  This was a good sign for me because usually around the 60 mile mark is when I hit a slump in a hundred miler.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the last bit of single track:  a twisty, flowy bench cut downhill,  followed by a short, but grunty climb which then rewards you with a rippin' straight descent.  The remainder to the Start/Finish area is flat but fast!  

As I came through the feed zone, I had a Red Bull shot and swapped out Camelbaks and gel flasks.  Scott asked me how I was doing to which I replied, "I am feeling great; this is fun."  I was looking for some sort of facial expression that would tell me how/where Danielle was, but he had a great Poker face.  I was disappointed I had not seen any other SS ladies and almost allowed myself to feel o.k. with 2nd or 3rd.  I then gave myself a mental slap;  I had not come all this way to not go down fighting.  How bad do you want that axe?  How bad do you want a top 5 o/a?  I repeated those questions in my mind and pumped myself up for that third and final lap.

On the inner loop those speed bumps suddenly became hills.  Holding my ego in check, I chose to run several of them ... and was probably faster doing that.  And no, my head and shoulders were not slumped over the bars as I pushed my bike up those hills.  I was running them; it may have been more of a jog, but my feet were moving fast!

I happened to see a black jersey at the top of one of those hills.  Could it be ...?  As I got closer, it was!  My good friend and stiff competitor Danielle.  I was feeling good and trying to motivate her when I said, "You had better find a bigger gear because here I come!"  We rode together for awhile and then she told me to go.  Her legs were fried!  She thought she was pushing too big of a gear, but I think she was just not used to racing her SS.  Besides that she had just finished an 8 hour duo on her SS last weekend whereas I had just done an XC.

After I passed Danielle, I ramped it up to XC pace for the next 10 miles.  With Danielle being super tough, she had the ability to dig deep and catch back up.  Besides, she has so many axes already, she doesn't even know where they all are ;) 

In the last 20 miles, I was able to reel in one more geared lady.  Passing her was a bit difficult as there was this guy in front of her that did not want to let me by.  I passed her as she yielded to him during an opening.  Then when I asked to pass him, he said something, the gist of which went like this, "No, you are going to have to fight for this one as I want to see how this plays out."  Well, thank you very much, as conversation like this ALWAYS fires me up.  Needless to say, the next opening I passed him, punched the gas, and never saw either of them again.

I finished in 8:15:23.  I was 5th overall.  My IT bands were quite happy the whole race, so a huge thanks goes out to Benchmark and their physical therapists for getting my knees back into racing shape.  The only part of my body that really hurt were the balls of my feet.  All that mashing had the nerves screaming.  The Ergon GS2's kept my hands happy and pain-free the whole race.  Ergon needs to look at a shoe/insert set-up that would do the same.

The NUE series has the sweetest trophies!

Danielle may have not gotten the axe this year, but she took the win in the role model contest.  You see, at the end of the race, an 8 year old girl (whose name I forgot) approached her and asked for her autograph.  Her mother said that Danielle was her "Chris Eatough."  How cool is that?  Trophies eventually make their way to the attic.  But being a role model lasts forever!

SERC #6 Dauset Race Report

Note Carly's chipmunk cheeks ... full of bagel.

Our smiles sum up how the whole weekend went.  We were busy little beavers, but managed to cram a bunch of good stuff into this weekend ... other than bike racing.  But we must talk about the racing first!

Carly had another awesome course, 0.5 miles of single track, of which she did 2 laps.  Her second hardest SERC course yet, the first being Winder, Georgia. 

Off to a good start!

Carly managed to get into the woods in 3rd place, but ended up losing two places, she said, because of the boys bumbling in front of her.  I told her that she would have to get used to that because it happens to me, too. 

For just a second, I thought this was not going to end well.

Carly did not care for all the roots.  I can only imagine how jarring it would be on 24 inch wheels when even I felt it on my 29'r.  Somehow I gotta teach her how to stand and pedal over them ... her bottom is glued to the seat!  Perhaps a job for the "Zeke-ster."

Finishing strong.

Carly did an excellent job of running up one of the steep step ups.  She is a strong hike-a-biker, like her Mommy.  At the finish, she managed to pass one of the boys who had caused her to bobble on the first lap.  When asked about her passing him just before the finishing chute, she replied, "I just wanted to finish this race as quick as possible."  Translation:  "I just had to girl him!"

My race was tough and the competition is only getting tougher.  My IT bands were quite happy, but seeing as this was the first race since they had flared up, I was a bit tentative.  Reluctantly, I voted for 2 laps instead of 3.  I swear I heard a few gasps when my arm when up for just 2 laps!

Spinning a cadence of about 130 here at the start!

The pace started off furiously fast and my quads screamed all the way up the hill to the single track entry.  I managed to dive into the woods in 5th place.  The five of us were in a train for about the first 10 minutes and then 4th place began to dangle.  Nooo ... dangling is not good!  I was screaming in my head for her to hang on to 3rd.  She popped and I had no where to pass.  I slowly watched them slip away.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I was able to pass 4th.  I could still see the first 3 ladies, Kim, Catherine, and Carolyn, about 10 seconds ahead.  I was slowly reeling them back in when we hit the first flat section and then they clicked down and were gone!  I could not click and my legs were already spinning crazy fast.  I had to back off to a more life sustaining cadence and hope that their hard effort and the heat would soon get to them.

I pretty much suffered the first lap.  Having not raced or trained at the upper power levels for 3 weeks, my legs had gotten all wimpy on me.  They were barking the whole time on that first lap.  And even though the climbs were short, to my legs they felt like I was climbing Potato Patch.

Beginning the 2nd lap.

Finally my legs began to wake up on the second lap and I was able to up the pace.  I caught Caroline just before the second flat section and was able to pass her before the single track narrowed and the climbing began.  With about 1 mile left, I caught sight of  who I thought was Catherine.  This motivated me to dig deep and enter the pain cave.  I thought I might have a chance to catch her, but I just ran out of trail ... and energy. 

I was thoroughly pleased with my performance which netted 3rd place.  More than that was the fact that my knees stayed happy and pain-free all day.  I was elated for Catherine and her first SERC win!  The USSC-Trek-Vantaggio lady who I had been chasing was Kim, who wasn't having such a happy day.

Now on to the good stuff, according to Carly.  After the race, we went over to the Nature Center and saw all the cool critters, with the cougar being the coolest!  From there we began our quest to find a Dairy Queen.  Zeke had promised Carly a treat and she had her taste buds set on a Blizzard.  Carly wanted the large, but I knew better.  We met in the middle with a medium Heath Bar Crunch, of which she finished a little over half.  We topped off our day with supper at Mellow Mushroom in downtown Chattanooga.  I tried their GF pizza.  It was most wonderful and I did not get glutened at this restaurant.  I recommend getting the GF pizza with an olive oil and garlic base, as it adds some flavor to an otherwise flavorless crust. 

All in all, we had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  I wonder what SERC #7 will bring?

SERC #4 Winder: Carey's Race Report

After Carly's pre-ride, I went out for mine.  Once again, I chose one gear too easy.  I guess this either means I am either getting stronger or I am underestimating my level of fitness.  I hope it is the first.  The course was 10.5 miles of fast, flowy, endorphin-inducing trail.  There were 4-5 short climbs spread throughout, 1 creek crossing, and the Monster Mile, which ran you through some tight, twisty stuff and several deep ditches.  Once ditch required some skillful braking so that you would not be pile-driven into the opposite bank.

Gearing up for the pre-ride.

After the ride, I changed my gear.  We then spent the rest of the evening playing Monopoly and relaxing in the rocking chairs at the Jameson Inn while Carly ran laps up and down the exterior corridor.

12 ladies lined up for the start.  I fumbled a bit at the start, my right foot not wanting to clip in, but managed to settle in behind the lead group of 4 which included Geri, Kim, Catherine, and Jamie.  The beginnning always hurts as I am spinning a 120-130 cadence to keep up with the leaders and their "road runner" starts.  But I know that eventually everyone settles down.  Kim attacked just as soon as we settled; knowing I could not sustain that tempo, I soon lost sight of her.  Catherine, Jamie, and I rode together for quite some time but once I realized I was going too easy, I passed them on a climb. 

Towards the end of the first lap, just before the creek crossing, I came upon several 40+ expert men.  The first couple passes went smoothly, but I got all stupid and squirrely passing the third man.  I attempted a pass between a tree and a grape vine and became a human slingshot!  The grape vine hooked my right bar end at a speed of about 12 mph, lifting my front wheel up in slow motion as it gave ... up to a point.  It then proceeded to sling me backwards with a rubber band effect, dumping me on my a$$ with the bike on top.  The crash probably took all of 3 seconds, but it felt like 30.

Catherine was right on my tail the whole time and was kind enough to stop and make sure I was o.k.  Kudos to her for being a class act!  I quickly rebounded and remounted; only my pride was hurt. Soon thereafter, I passed the guy again ... at a much more open spot.  Perhaps one day I will learn patience.

The second lap was pretty uneventful.  I finally managed to pull away from Catherine ... must of had something to do with the fact that she raced the Twilight Crit the night before.  This gal is gonna be super strong very soon!  I saw Mark walking his bike out of the woods; he didn't even give me the chance to pass him on the trail this race.

On the third lap at about the 2 hour mark, my legs began to bark on the climbs.  This race ended up being almost 30 minutes longer than the first two SERC races and I was feeling it!  With the legs being heavy, I soon found myself settling in behind the expert men and riding their pace rather than pushing my own.  Funny how your mind wanders when the fatigue monster is on your back.

I still managed to finish second, 1:30 behind Kim.  Seeing how it is still early in the season, I feel pretty confident that I can improve upon my XC race pace single speed sustainability

photo courtesy of Carly Lowery

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YABA did an awesome job of getting the trail in prime condition.  They even pressure washed  the slab of rock in the creek crossing to clear of it algae that would have ruined the day for many racers.

Carly and I could not do these races together had it not been for our awesome pit crew.  Thanks Mom and Doug ... you guys managed to learn a thing or two from TransRockies. 

Love you, Mom!

Snake Creek Gap TT Race Report

 

  

I could have titled this post, "Why do I need 27 gears?"  Racing it SS was suggested by Coach, as I was ending as I was finishing up a pretty good block of training and she said I would be disappointed racing it geared. 

Zeke and I self-shuttled, putting the "kids," Lisa and Paula, in the backseat.  It was a great way for me to start.  The parking lot was empty and I was able to just get on my bike and start racing.  I love the every 15 second TT format.

Having selected a 32 x 22 gearing, the first flat section to the big creek crossing was a lot of spin, spin, spin, coast, coast, spin, spin, spin.  But that turned out to be a good thing because it gave me a good warm up prior to the doubletrack climb.

I passed Shanna on this section and she was even "spinnier" than I.  All smiles, that girl!  I must mention that I run her cogs and they are sweet!

I was quickly reminded of how much climbing there is in the first section.  Not as technical, but looong climbs.  I spent much of the time out of the saddle and looked forward to the short downhill sections for recovery.  Solo, the name I have given to my Specialized Stumpjumper SS, handled quite well.  I did have to get used to the rear wheel getting kicked around a bit by the rocks on the descent, but other than that, she fared well on such rocky terrain.

Coming into the halfway point, I glanced down at my speedo and saw a time of 1:33.  Could that be?  No way, I thought briefly!  That was the same split I had last year when I raced gears.  Crazy!  The volunteers at the SAG were on their game.  They handed off my hydration pack to me and I rolled on.

Now the climb up Mill Creek Mtn was tough.  My quads were on fire!  But I was NOT GETTING OFF.  Amazing what the body CAN do when it doesn't want to do the other.  So I settled, sitting briefly when I had the chance.  Once on top, I was able to get on the gas more.  I came upon a Motor Mile SS'r and he was riding well, so I paced off of him.  He got a stick caught in his wheel on the descent so I lost my buddy there, but was able to pick up another Motor Mile SS'r on the fireroad climb up to the last 7 mile technical ridge section.

A lot of racers dread this last section, but I embrace it.  I always seem to be able to save a little for the end.  Or perhaps it is that here I can smell the barn.  I love the rocks!  I pushed it pretty hard here because I knew I had a chance to win and set a PR!  I must say that I did run (read walk fast) more sections on my SS, but there is no shame in that.

At about 4 miles from the finish, I felt  twinges in my medial hamstrings when I was grinding up some steep climbs.  Oh, crap!  Not wanting to cramp, I slowed it down just a bit.  Leaving the singletrack, I tucked into an aero position.  Darn headwind slowed me down, but I managed to cross the finish line with a time of 3:27:51.  That is only 1:16 slower than 2009's time.  I could not believe it.  Those who had been racing SS for awhile had told me that SS are really no slower than geared, but I did not believe it.

Kudos to Lisa, my TransRockies partner, for 2nd place and setting a PR.  Mamas rock and rolled the Snake this year!

Once again, NWGA Sorba did an outstanding job with marshalling, swag, food, and prizes.  Special thanks to Ginni and Diane of Mulberry Gap to providing a HUGE mound of delicious oatmeal cookies!

No Swiftwick bounty for me this year.  I wonder how I would have done had I raced it geared this year.  Oh well, there is always next year.  

I love my SS.  It brings back childhood memories of me and my many one-geared bikes!