Looking Forward

In a little over 7 weeks, the racing season is going to kick off.  With it will hopefully come warmer, drier weather.  I have set a new all-time trainer record, with 5 days in a row of going nowhere fast in my basement.  I can honestly say I was not looking forward to each session, but now that it is over, it was very productive.  These trainer days help to improve my mental fortitude.

The kick-off to my racing season will be the March Snake finale, followed two weeks later by the first SERC race in Gainesville, Florida.  While most of my competitors will be racing brand new 2011 bikes, I will be on bikes that have already seen a couple seasons of epic racing.  This has been dictated mostly by my finances, but also by the fact that my bike shop is unable to acquire any S-Works bikes.  Even though Bruce only sells Specialized, he can't get an S-Works Epic or Stumpjumper for me.  I am not sure why; Bruce says it has to do something with volume.

Now don't get me wrong; Specialized has been great to me the past few years of my racing career.  I love their bikes; I don't think I could ride anything else.  And their support has been great!  But it is quite disappointing that just because The Outdoor Store doesn't do a certain amount of $$$$ with Specialized, they don't have access to their top of the line bicycles.  I could always get one of their non S-Works bikes at a killer deal, but why would I want to?  Not only would it be heavier, the componentry would be less than what I am riding now.

My bikes ('08 S-Works SJ FSR, '09 S-Works Era, '10 SJ 29'r SS) have taken a beating over their life, but they have never failed me.  So rather than ride a lesser model, I am going with what has taken me to many podiums over the past 3 years.  It is not the bike that makes the racer, but rather the racer that makes the bike, right?  Performance is 95% racer and 5% bike, so I will just let that be my handicap.  Anyways, I already think I have made that 5% up, what with the killer strength sessions Coach has been giving me.

Regardless of what I ride, I am looking forward to a fantastic season of racing my SS in my regional XC series and throwing in a little endurance racing here and there.  My daughter will be racing the SERC kids series.  I am stoked!  Earlier this year, I told her that she was going to try a sport and her choices were basketball, soccer, or MTB'ing.  I was quite surprised with her decision.  She loves to play sports, but does not like having people watch her, especially team mates that might judge her abilities.  Hmmm, I wonder where she got that?  (I was really never a team sport kinda gal, either).  Zeke is going to be her coach and I will be her training partner.  I hope that Carly will enjoy it as much as I.

So although I won't be racing on a shiny new bike or in a shiny new kit, I will be racing with my daughter.  And that is what really matters! 

Snake Creek Gap TT Race Report

Still wear them all, 2005 edition is my sleep shirt.

I have been doing this race since its inception and it just keeps getting better.  Back in 2005, it ran January through May, it was run in reverse, the entry fee was $50, and I won $45 for first.  I remember saying to the promoter that the race was so much fun that I would do it if the entry fee was doubled.  Fast forward to yesterday, and I am gunning for $750 and a shot at the bounty.  My, how times have changed.  With 5500 feet of climbing and 34 miles of rocks and roots, it is always an epic battle between the racer and the trail.

Speaking of times, I will have to chalk up yesterday's race as a good SS training ride.  With the many challenges I had to overcome, it was not going to be a PR.  First up was the week of training leading up to the race.  I am currently in a strength phase with multiple days in the gym.  Coach said I was going to carry some fatigue into this race.  On that first fire road climb, I indeed felt it!  Darn it!  Coach was right again.

Secondly, our plan to do a private shuttle in order to get off the line first failed when the people we were going to shuttle with got pulled over by GHP en route to the race.  I probably started behind 100 people.  I do like carrots, but that was a bit many for me to digest.  Single speed realization #43:  it is excruciatingly painful and detrimental to overall performance to have to pass 40+ people, most of which took place going uphill.  That was like a serious Force Rep training session.  Most everyone was super nice about being passed, though.

Thirdly, nothing like crashing your brains out on the first mile of the race!  Yep, I bit it hard on the gravel road section.  I was attempting to pass another rider.  What I thought was just branches from a young sapling turned out to be a murderous grapevine, that wrapped around my Ergon GR2 Leichtbau carbon bar end.  The bike stopped ... I didn't.  Luckily, it all happened so fast, I didn't have a chance to put an arm down and break my collarbone.  But my whole left side took a digger at 15 mph.  It took a couple minutes for me to regain my senses and realign my handlebars.

The first 17 miles hurt the most.  I was about 10-12 minutes off my PR pace.  I think the climbing, especially on a single speed, is much harder than the second 17.  I also had to run more sections as there was a constant line of people ahead.  I do believe there were a record number of racers for January.  My guess:  250+.

The second half was much more enjoyable, although I still entered the pain cave numerous times.  My legs had finally come around and my 32 x 22 felt like a 32 x 22, not a 32 x 20 like the first half.  I always love the final rocky ridge; it is at this point that I can "smell the barn" and am usually able to dig a little deeper.

What made it even better was a little motivation by a fellow racer.  He allowed me to pass him, but as I was doing so he said, "I will probably need to get back around you, but no worries,"  ... Did he just say what I thought he said?!?  You think?  O.k. let's see what you got!  I kicked it up a notch and entered the first techy rocky descent.  I will have to give him some credit, he did hang on longer than I thought he would.  But after 5 minutes, all was quiet behind me.

With about 4 miles to go, I saw a fellow racer down on the trail, quite a ways in front of me.  As I made my way towards him, he still was not getting up.  Oh, no!  I was thinking that he might be seriously hurt and I was going to have to abandon my race to help him.  As I came upon him, he was still lying there.  I asked if he was hurt.  He said, "No, I just can't unclip from the pedals."  So we had a little trail side lesson.  He was trying to turn his heel inward to unclip.  I don't know if he was a beginner or maybe being upside down got him turned around, but I told him to move his heel outward.  Once he did that, he magically popped free.  I then made an attempt to lift his bike off him.  I swear to God that bike weighed 30 pounds.  I then realized that it was a Specialized HardRock!  Hats off to this gentleman who probably had the heaviest bike in the race.  He was hardcore!  He did look like he was spent.  I encouraged him that we were almost there ... he probably hit 45 mph on the road descent.

I finished with a 3:42:27.  I will happily take it.  My post-ride recovery meal was Ginni's famous cookies.  I would have loved to hang around as the post-ride chatter is always great, but with 33 degree temps and a wind chill of 25, I was cold as soon as I stopped pedaling.  Once again, thanks to all the volunteers for braving those brutal temperatures to keep us racers fueled, on the course, and motivated.

Looking forward to February and getting closer to the Bounty!

Back To Some Sense of Normalcy

The past 6 weeks have been enjoyable, but insanely hectic, too.  The holidays were definitely funner when I was a kid.  I did not worry about how many cookies I ate and I giddy in anticipation of what Santa was bringing.  Now 1 cookie equals 1 trainer workout and I dread January's credit card bill.

I host Christmas as Carly wants to make sure that Santa knows where she is.  What that means is although we don't have to do any holiday traveling, I am in charge of preparing the Christmas Day meal for the grandparents and us.  Turkey and all the fixin's was the menu for this year; about 8 hours of work that was demolished in about 45 minutes.  I have already decided for next year that the menu will be Tony's frozen pizza!

Well, o.k., I might have to upgrade the pizza to Papa John's or homemade, but you get the point.  No slaving in the kitchen for me next Christmas.

Carly had a great Christmas.  The two most favorite things she got were a Razor scooter from Granddad Jack and a Wii from Santa.  Since the weather has been most uncooperative for outdoor scooting, she has been all over the house with it.

I have been using my Professional Kitchenmaid Mixer to make healthy breads for everyone, including myself.  Banana Nut, Apple Walnut, and Pumpkin have been favorites.

I have yet to craft any yeast breads, but hopefully will soon get the chance.  Yeah, I know it is not Paleo, but ... a nice warm Foccacia is mmmmm.... so good.  I will reserve the non-Paleo items for the hard work out days.

I should have probably opted for the Garmin GPSMAP 62St as my gift, but did not think I would need it for several months.

However, after signing up of  Camp Lynda, I might be sorry I did not get it sooner.  Oh, well, I will just have to keep up with someone who has a GPS.  As for riding in Utah, I am so looking forward!  I have never been to that state.  I just hope/pray that the weather improves.

I have been diligently training through the holidays; lots of time spent in the gym with the hopes of acquiring Katie Compton-like strength.  Tomorrow is the first Snake TT.   The weather is definitely going to make it interesting.  I don't expect any PR's, just a good solid SS workout.

Last year I told Carly that she was going to pick a sport to try in 2011.  Her options were soccer, basketball, or mountain biking.  She loves to play sports, just not in an organized way.  I think she is afraid of not being good in front of a crowd of team mates and spectators.  She told me last week that she wants to mountain bike.  Hell, yeah!

So our 2011 plans will include the SERC series:  Carly on gears and me on a SS.  I just wish I could get her a bike that didn't weigh 30 pounds.  That would be the equivalent of me racing a 55 pound bike, something I just can't fathom.  Oh well, it will just make her stronger, right?

2011 Prep Work

My 2011 racing schedule is finalized and got Coach's seal of approval.  My big event will be the TNGA, the Trans North Georgia.  This is a multi-day, self-supported/partially supported race across Georgia through the Chattahoochee National Forest.  350 miles and over 56,000 feet of climbing.  2010 was the inaugural event which took place over Labor Day weekend.  18 started and 12 survived.

I started my prep work for this event last week by riding sections 6, 7, and 8.  Zeke was a big help as he is very familiar with this area.  On Thursday, we shuttled my vehicle to Buddy Cove Gap and then started our adventure at Shallowford Bridge.  Starting out in 24 degree weather was definitely not my cup of tea, but with layers and hand/toe warmers, I managed to stay warm as long as I was pedaling up.

It had been a couple years since I had last ridden the Aska trails.  Stanley Gap is definitely more difficult going in this direction = lot of short hike a bikes.  I expect that come race day, these trails will be ridden in the dark, so I hope to be able to come back at a later date and do a night ride.

Once off Stanley Gap, there is a lot of pavement/gravel road pedaling.  I passed a lot of churches, but no outside spigots were available.  I thought that was kind of unusual as in my neck of the woods, I have several churches I stop at to refill bottles on my road rides.

Close to the turn onto Bushy Head Road, I saw an automotive mechanic shop that had a hose bib.  Hoping that will still be there in 10 months.  Further on down the road, I saw the barn where Eddie had a couple hours of fitful sleep. 

I was back in familiar territory when I hit Watson Gap.  From there I rode part of the Cohutta 100 course, down to Jacks River Fields, then entered the South Fork Trail.  Zeke had painted a bad picture of this trail as well as the most eastern section of the Pinhoti; think wet, sloppy, and horsed-up.  Aside from just two muddy sections which we were able to skirt around, it was actually a very pleasant ride.  When we came to the 15 foot long, foot deep creek crossing, we pondered for a few minutes.  Seeing as how the air temp was only 37 degrees, we did not want any wet body parts.  Zeke found a good line, neither of us bobbled, and we were dry upon exiting the other side.  Whew!

The climb up the Pinhoti to FS 64 was slow and soft, but kept me warm.  We ended our day with 6 hours on the bike and roughly 46 miles ridden.

On Friday, we shuttled my truck to Dalton and started our ride from Mulberry Gap.  Up P3 to a brief pedal on Hwy 52, then on P4.  This was my first time on this section.  Let me tell you, it was a hoot.  The funnest part was descending Tatum Lead.  As I was flying down this section, all I could think was how fast I would really be going at this point in this race with a belly full of Ginni's finest cooking!  Which then led to the thought of how hard the P3 climb was going to be on a belly full of Ginni's finest cooking.

Back on to the Pinhoti, this section of trail was really steep and loose.  The leaves made it difficult to see what lay ahead so I took it nice and easy.  Once it flattened out along Rock Creek, it was a beautiful ride to FS3.  FS3 was a stark contrast to the previous trail, what with strewn beer cans and fast food trash.

A few more miles of gravel and then the remainder of the course was pavement into Dalton.  Pretty uneventful once we found our way onto the correct road across 411.  The cue sheet was a little confusing so I went up 411 instead of just crossing over it.  Oh, well, that is why I am reconning.

Feeling a little frisky on the paved roads and trying not to get bored, I saw some road kill up ahead, a guinea fowl to be exact.  Upon trying to bunny hop it, my rear wheel grazed the bird and I swore I heard the thing make a noise, a weak squawk!  Being a fresh kill, I must have hit the thoracic area, forcing air out of the bird.  Hilarious!

Airport Road was FOREVER so I can only imagine what it will feel like during the race.  We ended our day at the Walnut Square Mall with 4 hours and 40 miles in the saddle.

So now I am familiar with Sections 6-9.  Only 6 more sections and roughly 220 miles left to go!

The Swank Race Report

Now that's the way to end a fantastic, fun-filled season!  I was worried after my Berryman fiasco that I would repeat, either with a bike or body mechanical.  I left everything out on the trail and could not have raced it better.

2008 S-Works SJ FSR with Ergon bling!

I chose Stumpy to race, for the stability and extra travel.  I raced her at The Pisgah Stage Race and was in awe how she responded to the technical terrain ... I can only imagine how a 2011 model would perform!

Upon arriving at the venue, it was 21 degrees.  I must have muddled around for an hour or so, trying to figure out what I was going to wear.  I started out with several layers, but as the sun rose and warmed the landscape, I shed most of it. 

The start was Lemans style; I took my time and spared my ankles.  I hit the first bit of single track probably in the top 30-40.  It was a pretty mellow pace climbing Thrift Cove.  I was wanting to go, go , go, but I also did not want to spend precious energy passing people or throw a stick into my derailleur.  I do believe this 20 minutes spent warming up Thrift Cove was in my best interest.

As it opened up onto some double track, I was able to let the reins loose and fly.  Indeed I did fly by a lot of people.  My legs were sparkly and it felt as if there were no chain on the bike.  I had not ridden the first section of Daniel Ridge since '08 so I did slow a bit to negotiate the tight, twisty turns and multiple bridges.  But once out onto FS 475, I gunned it.  One fellow I passed said I was in first place, to which I replied, "No, I am not.  There are quite a few guys in front of me."  He then proceeded to tell me I was probably in the top 20.  I took that as a top 30-35; not bad this early in the race.  I usually am pretty consistent throughout the entirety of the race, while a lot of guys seem to blow their stack about the midway point.  I had multiple carrot opportunities in front of me.

The top of Butter Gap Trail

Butter Gap was a hoot.  Having ridden it the day before, I was able to rail it, despite the leaves.  There was one sketchy area where a natural spring follows the trail; it was slick and muddy, but I managed to keep the rubber side down.

You ride down this rocky section; may not look it but traction is superb.

Long Branch is a 2.5 mile climb back up to FS 475.  Although super steep in areas, it flows well.  I was able to ride it all, despite having a couple guys in front bobble.  The next bit of fire road was climbing up to Farlow;  all I know is that it is much easier to race up this steep section when you are fresh as compared to seeing it on Day 3 of the PSR.  There were a few downhillers at the top getting ready to ride Farlow.  As I passed one of them, I earned a new nickname, "the goddess of internal combustion."  Quite a compliment, thank you very much Mr. Downhiller.

I do believer all the leaves on Farlow made it easier to ride.  It made the trail appear smoother;  I leaned back onto my rear tire and let Stumpy do the work.  I did dismount in several areas, fearing death or dismemberment.  Hey, this gal has gotta work come Monday!  One guy on a Gary Fisher SS 29'r blew by me like I was sitting still.  He was awesome!  But I did ride more of it than during PSR.  I also ran the hike-a-bike sections faster.  I was able to hold my own within a group of guys during the hiking.  Let's remember, I am having to push/carry a greater percentage of my weight than the men.

On the final descent down the last bit of Farlow and Daniel Ridge, I did let a few guys by me.  They were rockin' it.  I also had vivid memories of that dreaded sidewall gash at Berryman and did not want a repeat on this rocky descent.  I stopped at aid station 3 and grabbed a bottle to get me through the last 10 miles or so.

I treated this last 10 miles like an XC race.  Knowing that the last few miles were descending Thrift Cove Trail to the finish, I rode the last 7 miles like a scalded dog!  After big-ringing FS 475 and Davidson River Trail, I TT'd up FS 475B and FS 225.  This 4 miles of climbing I had done earlier this year while on a recon mission so I knew just how far I had to go.  I put the hammer down and passed ALL the guys who had passed me on Farlow.

I did let Mr. SS Phenom by on Thrift Cove.  This last bit of single track was over before I knew it.  I could smell the hamburgers grilling on the final 0.5 mile descent.  Oh, that was mouth watering!  I rolled under the Finish line in 4:15:03 ... 1st lady and 18th O/A (out of 150).  Whew!  A perfect season ender!

Coach dialed me in perfect for the last two races.  I am most grateful that I was able to perform well at both; that definitely gives me the confidence I will need going on into the winter preparing for 2011.  Hmmm ... now I get to start planning my 2011 season.  Exciting times ... exciting times indeed!

Berryman Epic Race Report

Schwag bag was also the drop bag.

Once again this year, I was able to escape Mother Nature's wrath.  The forecast was 70% chance of thunderstorms Friday night and on into race day.  I woke up to cloudy skies and a temperature of 60 degrees ... yes!

I managed to line up within the first few rows (250 racers in all) and patiently waited for someone to yell, "Go!"  Instead, I was momentarily stunned by a blast from a cannon, which I swear to God was right next to me, although I never saw it.  I will remember that next year.

The start was FAST and hectic.  I rubbed wheels with more than one racer.  How I managed to stay upright I don't know; perhaps it is my "cat-like" skills.  There were 3 gradual miles climbing on loose gravel before the single track so I settled into a slightly higher effort than I wanted, but knew that I could recover from.  Catharine passed me pretty quickly, but I managed to stay within sight of her and slowly reeled her back in.  As we entered the single track, I was a few racers behind her. 

Settling into "stealth" mode I took it easy and watched my competition for any signs of weakness.  I really knew nothing about her, other than she raced road and cross.  The first section of single track was wide, smooth, and rolling ... big ring territory! 

After about 10 minutes, I realized that although I was not as powerful as her, I had the upper hand in the technical stuff.  I made a pass when she bobbled on a sketchy climb, dug deep to open a gap, and settled into a 5 hour race pace after about 15 minutes.

All smiles on the pre--ride.

The race takes place on the Ozark and Berryman Trails.  These alternate between ridge tops and creek bottoms.  The topography is gently rolling; the longest climb was probably 0.2 miles and at a relatively easy grade.  This, combined with dry conditions, made for a superfast course.  I spent a lot of time in the big ring.  What made it technical in areas was the loose rocky soil, horse damage, and erosion on some of the climbs/descents.

On one of the side cut sections in the first 11 miles, my front tire washed out and down I went.  After a quick assessment of bike (o.k.) and body (few scrapes/bruises), I remounted and raced on.  After a few more miles of finding my rhythm in the loose terrain, I became one with the trail.

I rode most of the horsed-up switchbacks down to Brazil Creek and the first checkpoint.  11 miles in :58:47; on pace with the pain cave no where in sight.  I grabbed my first zip-tie and motored on.

The next 10 miles flew by on this sh!ts and giggles trail!  I love the Berryman; no hour long granny gear climbs followed by foreverish descents.  Just a constant up and down and carving through the "S-curves."  Momentum and brake feathering are your friends.  I rolled into the Berryman campground at the second checkpoint in 1:57.  Mia told me that I was 17 minutes off the leaders and roughly in the top 25.  I grabbed my second zip-tie, went over to where my drop bag was and grabbed another bottle and once again was off.

This next section of trail was perhaps the most difficult.  I encountered a 30 yard sand trap (which I ran through), a couple steep loose climbs, and a lot of  "horsed-up" sections of trail.  It was here that I slowly began reeling in guy after guy after guy.  Some jumped onto my wheel after I made the pass, to which I then asked if they wanted back on by.  They responded that they were just trying to hang on and within a few minutes, I heard them no more.

After popping out onto a jeep trail, grabbing my 3rd zip-tie, I then hauled a$$ back on 5 miles of fire road.  I felt great on the roads and was able to enter the pain cave with a smile on my face.  I made the 1.3 mile paved climb back up to the Berryman campground with ease and grabbed my final zip-tie.  I glanced down at my watch and it read 3:27:14!  Oh yeah, a sub-5 hour was on the horizon.  I had 16 miles to go, with 6.5 of that being a slightly rolling to mostly descending fire road back to the finish.  I refilled my Camelbak and was off on the final 10 miles of single track.

The single track from the Berryman campground where I pre-rode the day before.

 

 

The first couple miles was technical with ledgey drops and lots of roots.  I had ridden this the day before so I was able to fly through it today.

Nowhere where I live can you ride a one trail for 36.5 miles.  Gotta come back and go explorin'.

I had just made it through the rough section and was rolling along a creek bed (mile 41) when I heard the dreaded Psssssss! and saw Stan's spewing out my rear tire.  Noooooooo!  As calmly as I could, I changed my tire.  Checking for thorns and sidewall cuts, I found none, put the tube in and attached my CO2.  And nothing.  Grumble, grumble!  I then attached my hand pump and made the 300 strokes to get it up to an appropriate PSI.  I pinched the hell out of my palm with the pump!  (Later that evening after the race, I found out why my CO2 did not work -- a broken valve stem was jammed up into the head -- WTF?!?)

Several guys had passed me, but not Catharine.  Whew!  It took a couple miles to get my mojo back and get back up to speed.  But I did and soon began passing those that had passed me. Then at mile 46 my rear tire exploded!! Not again!  The Gods must have been angry.  I stopped and saw this:

From the tread almost to the bead!  The "white" is an empty hammer gel packet.

I had managed to lose my patch during the last tire change.  Fortunately a racer named Rock stopped and gave me one of his patches.  It barely covered the gaping hole.  This time I pumped 250 times as both the patch and tube began to bulge out.  Crap!  I got back on and rode like an exhausted beginner, fearing another flat and not having any more tubes.  At about mile 48, I found an empty Hammer gel packet.  Thank God for litterbugs!  I deflated my tube, popped the bead, and inserted the Hammer get packet.  For the third time I pumped 250 strokes!  Unfortunately for my upper body and mental soundness, I did not seat the patch perfectly and it poked through the hole.  I let the air out again, repositioned, and pumped 250 more times!  Can you believe not one swear word was uttered?

At some point during this fiasco, Catharine had passed me in stealth mode.  I kind of figured this was going to happen as now I was 45 minutes into screwing around with my rear tire.  Rock came by me once again and this time gave me his only tube; I had refused before as I did not want him without.  He did not give me the opportunity to refuse this time, saying as he rode by and dropping the tube at my feet, "I am tired of you passing me."  What a man!

Fearful that my tire would not hold up under a lot of pressure or speed, I limped on into the finish, taking nearly 30 minutes to cover the last road section.  The last thing I wanted to happen at this point was me taking a digger at 30 mph on the descent if my tire completely disintegrated or having to run the last 5 miles to the finish.  The last time I had a DNF was in 2003 at a SERC XC race where I double-flatted and I was NOT going to here.

Still smiling and taking $100 home for 2nd.

I rolled in at 5:33:04, 15 minutes behind Catharine, but still good enough for 2nd.  It was frustrating, but if I am going to lose, I would rather it be a bike mechanical as opposed to a body mechanical.  Knowing that I was on par to a sub 5 hour is empowering to me, my efforts in training, and my coach's ability.

This race was awesome.  Kudos to Scott and Ryan for a fun well-marked course, great venue, food, band, and raffle.  I am already planning on the 2011 edition!

A big thanks to Steve Mathews at Paceline Products for the support in getting to Missouri.  Perhaps if I had used the Chamois Butt'r on my tire as well as my behind, the outcome would have been different.

The Little Guy (or Gal)

I am very happy that my record of 286 days with out a saddle sore will have the chance to grow since Chamois Butt'r is going to continue to sponsor me in 2011.  It might actually be more than 286, but I only officially started keeping a tally on January 1, 2010.

I am only a team of one, but whenever I have called Paceline Products to request product or to give an update on my season, Steve Mathews has ALWAYS taken precious time out of his busy day to chat with me for a bit.  That is way too cool!  It tells you a lot about a business when the president will talk to the little guy rather than passing him/her down the line or sending them to a general voice mail.  I feel very honored to play a role, no matter how small, in his business.

So if you see me out riding or racing and want to try a product that I believe in 100%, let me know and I can hook you up with some samples.  Even if I wasn't sponsored, I would still be using Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle ... it does my butt good!