Xpedo M-Force 8 Ti Review

Now that I have ridden 1 P36, 2 PMBAR's, 2 Pisgah 111's, 2 Pisgah 55.5's, 1 Double Dare, and countless training miles, I can give an honest opinion of the worthiness of these pedals.

M Force 8 Ti

Prior to 2013, I had been a long time Shimano SPD user.  But, in 2012, after having two sets of XTR M-980's break at the spindle/pedal interface while just pedaling on the flats (could not even blame it on a rogue rock), I decided it was time for a change.

Although the Xpedo's were more expensive, they were also a heck of a lot lighter ... 100grams lighter!  The body and spindle are titanium and they have 3 sealed cartridge bearings.  There is a 180 pound rider weight limit.  However, they do have the M Force 8 Cr (cromoly spindles as opposed to titanium)that do not have a weight limit.

You can use the cleats that come with the pedal or you can use the Shimano SPD cleats.  Both have 6 degrees of float.

I have banged them on rocks; no breakage.  I have used them in the mud; they shed it like nobody's business.  The entry/exit is solid; no worries coming unclipped in the gnar.  I have done no maintainence other than cleaning them and applying a bit of ProGold LuberPen oil on the springs.

I also have the M Force 4Ti, with aluminum body and titanium spindle, on my road bike.  This set is two years old and is still going strong.  I have not had to rebuild them.  And they only weigh 15 grams more.

M Force 4 Ti

So if you are looking for a durable, long lasting SPD style pedal, take a look at what Xpedo has to offer.

Pisgah 55.5K Race Report

If each kilometer of the Pisgah 111 equaled 1 mile, then I would have to say 111's evil little brother had a ratio of 1:1.5  It began raining at 3am the night before ... and, it was still raining when I awoke.  No cobwebs in my head and my achy back from the previous day was gone, so I knew I would have at least an average day.

There were a lot of new faces and clean bikes at the start.  I gave way to them, as I knew it would take a while for my engine to get up to speed.  With shower cap on, and a rain jacket at the start, I was ready for whatever.  At 10 am, I was off on my adventure.  As Black Mountain loomed ahead and the trail went up, my legs barked and I felt like I was going backwards.  Soon enough, I was off my bike for the push up to Turkey Pen.  Dang, my butt was sore!  My glutes were CrossFit fried from the previous day's HABs.  I was soon passed by Nina and Trish as I struggled up the steeper pitches.

Turkey Pen was a Slip 'N Slide.  I was just happy the trail was grooved which kept me from falling off the mountain.  I gave my left ACL a good test on the last descent run down.  Far above my skills level today, I wisely (or so I thought) chose to dismount just before the tricky, rooty left hander.  I cleaned that section but when my left foot landed on a rock covered in mud, it did not stop.  I felt a twinge of pain within my knee ... that was my ACL screaming.  Luckily I recovered before it gave way.  Close one!

The Bradley Creek crossings felt twice as cold today.  I lost all feeling in my feet after the second one and did not regain it until I hit the Davidson River campground shower at the finish, 4 1/2 hours later.  Try pedaling and hiking when your feet feel like blocks of concrete.  Not having that sensory connection with the bottoms of your feet makes it alot tougher negotiating the rugged Pisgah terrain.

With about 2 1/2 hours in my legs, I finally felt good and the climb up to Yellow Gap went fairly quickly.  Once again, I stopped at the second aid station to refuel.  I was in my own little happy bubble climbing up Laurel.  As I hit the $1000  climb, my little bubble burst!  I was a hurtin' buckaroo.  As I was sherpa-ing my bike up the mountain, I tried to figure out why.  I was definitely off the bike more today than yesterday.  I think Eric had gone out the night before and added a few more HAB's.

Pilot was nowhere near as fun the second time around.  My upper body was so fatigued, it was all I could do to hang on.  I had lost that "connection" with my bike, both at the pedals and bars.  Finally, almost to the creek crossing, I was home-free!  And then something snagged my front wheel and slammed me to the ground.  I lay there a few seconds while the stars cleared my head.  My right quad and knee were not too happy as they took the brunt of the fall, but nothing was broken.  I walked through the creek crossing, as my head was still a little bit "spinny."

Hopping out onto 1206, I went to shift and my thumb hit air.  I looked down and both my shifter pod and brake lever were at an odd angle.  I about crapped my pants as I immediately thought one or both were broken.  After assesssing the situation, I thanked my mechanic for not using gorilla torque ... they had just moved on the bar.  A quick fix and I was on my way to the third aid station where a Red Bull awaited.  I needed some wings to get me through the final leg.

As I approached the aid station, I saw Trish.  She was up to her elbows in fresh pineapple.  She had lost her groove, too.  She made some sort of ridiculous comment about quitting.  This coming from the mouth of a GDR winner, a 2400+ mile mountain bike race.  I told her to finish up her picnic and get motoring.

The climb up South Mills and Buckhorn was a little softer and slower than yesterday, but soon enough I was at Black, with its 20 minute HAB.  This section is relentless.  Cresting the top, I was shrouded in mist.  Normally I look forward to the gnar on the other side.  But with my forearms still pumped from Pilot, my left ACL being all twingy, and my right quad turning colors already, I wasn't too keen on racing down at breakneck speeds.  So I did the smart thing and did not ride above my means ... which unfortunately meant I walked alot.  Pisgah has a way of humbling you; and today I was very much so.

I may have lost more time than I wanted to during the last 1/3 of the race, but I did cross the finish line in 2nd place and intact.  Just one of the many reasons why I keep this on my bike's top tube.  And as many times as Zeke has reminded me, one of his favorite quotes is ingrained in my mind, "You don't get old by being stupid!"

Mom first, racer second!

With a time of 6:22, I was "put a fork in me" done.  I immediately headed off to thaw my feet out and clean up.  Once again, the shower cap thing warded off the rain.  While I did not need it to keep me dry, I must say it kept my head warm.  I even kept my rain jacket, unzipped, on all day.  The only time I got hot was on the initial Black Mountain climb, but I was glad I had it on Pilot, where the temperature got down to 37 degrees.

Nina "fast kid" Otter in 1st and Brenda "lovin' my cold muddy chamois" Simril in 3rd

Thanks to Eric and all his amazing volunteers for a crazy insane weekend in the woods.

Pisgah 111K Race Report

Pretty much sums up my day.

In case you have never ridden Pisgh, 1kilometer = 1 mile.  This was the third year and my third go at it.  Each year the course has been different.  After last year's epic weekend I told myself I would not do it again.  Well, time seems to erase all memories of pain.  At least this year, I did not have to start out in my shower cap.  There was, however, a 30% chance of afternoon showers.  I was hopeful to outrun Mother Nature, but I did place a shower cap and kitchen sized garbage bag at the third aid station.

It was a cold, but dry start.  90 toed the line; I wondered how many the forest would devour throughout the day.  This race is as much about attrition as fitness.  The start was slow, even by my standards.  Although my legs appreciated it, I anxiously awaited the pace to increase so I could try to put some distance on my competition.  The legs had some spark and I wanted to take advantage of that.  Once we turned off 477, the rabbit was let loose and the greyhounds gave chase ... only to come to a complete stop at the gate.  We all scurried around it and were off again.  Greg was just ahead of me and knowing how strong he is on gravel, I let him pace me up Clawhammer.

Right on Black and so began the numerous HAB's (hike a bikes).  On this section there are several rideable sections.  I pick and chose some to ride and just pushed the rest.  Over the years, experience has taught me that just continuing to push takes less effort than mounting/dismounting and if the pace is the same, it just makes sense.  After 5 years of riding Pisgah, my body knows the trail, what is around each corner, the rock or the stump where I can easily step up and mount my bike, where to quickly dismount before it is too late, etc.

Kip, my Double Dare partner joined me here.  His usual jovial self was music to my ears.  Amazing how that man can ride a single speed and talk comfortably while grinding upwards.  I look forward to our weekend of adventure this fall.

For this race, I made a couple adjustments to my Niner Jet9 RDO.  Off came the bar ends, despite my hands' best efforts to dissuade me.  I swapped from a 2 x 10 to a 1 x 11 with a 30T chain ring.  I also invested in a Rock Shox Reverb 100mm dropper post.

Left on Turkey Pen and the hour of heinous downhills followed by steep pushes upwards toward the heavens.  The descents were definitely easier.  It was amazing how much better control I had by being able to lower my center of gravity 4 inches.  I felt so confident, I tried the sharp rooty left hander before the hardest downhill.  Would have cleaned it, too, had it not been for the large tree that grabbed my bar and slammed me down.  Having hurt nothing more than my pride, I motored on down the remainder.

The rhododendrons were thick through Turkey Pen and were all grabby-feely.  Being of small stature and with no bar ends to get tangled, those sections were easier, too.  I felt like I was riding a speeder bike on Endor!

I motored on through the first aid station, down South Mills, up Mullinax and Squirrel to Laurel.  It had been a couple years since I had been on Laurel.  The top section was a flowing river over multiple water bars.  A little puckering went on here.  After crossing the creek several times and working my way through sticks and roots, the last half was probably the second best descent of the day for me.  Fast and flowy with no deadfall!

Going into the third hour on the climb up 5015, I felt the first signs of fatigue.  Knowing my body, I knew this would pass.  Drinking and eating helped my engine to get back on track.  I stopped at the second aid station long enough to swap CamelBaks, gel flasks, and get a good whiff of bacon!!!  I chose to pass on that delicacy as bacon + L4 HR + arduous climb = rock in the gut.  Kip had different thoughts and pulled up a chair to enjoy brunch!  Eventually he caught back up as I was riding Mark's wheel and following his lines.

I was eager to get to Pilot to see what I could do and how fast I could descend on my rocket ship.  The additonal weight penalty of the dropper post is well worth it.  I am not a Sue Haywood nor a Rich Dillen by any means, but today I felt like I had conjured my inner Sue and Dicky on this downhill.  A lot of firsts happened for me.  The biggest was cleaning the Humvee section, even though by that time my forarms and triceps were so pumped my hand/bar connection was not the best.

With that little boost of self confidence, I got my second wind for the Pilot Cove-Slate Rock section.  Little did I know that I would definitely need that energy boost.  (Thanks, Rich, for suggesting this loop.)  A new to me trail, it starts out lulling you into a false sense of security with its peaceful flat ribbon of trail through the cove.  And then you turn to the left and up up up the trail goes.  Rideable if you are fresh or have a 22-34!  It has enough waterbars, roots, and loose rock to make it energy sapping to put forth an effort pedaling it.  So I pushed for 20 minutes.  Looking forward to the downhill, when I come to it, some expletives also came to my mind.  Tight, steep side cut with enough roots and mud to make me think twice about negotiating some of the more difficult sections on the bike.  Mistake = broken bike and/or body.  Let's just say there was alot of CX practice going on.

Popping out onto 1206, I ground some gravel to the third aid station.  Here I caught up to team mate Van Mixon, who was having some bike issues:  broken water bottle mount and broken tension spring in the right pedal.  He was still in good spirits, though, and motored off while I chugged my Red Bull.  Last year, I could not pop the top on the can with my gloves on.  This year I had transferred it to a water bottle, thereby buying precious seconds and having it go down the hatch easier with less fizz.

I made short work of South Mills and Buckhorn, catching back up to Van.  At the intersection, Josh of Threshold Provisions pointed us to take a right.  Huh?  What?  I am supposed to go left, like last year or so I thought.  In my oxygen deprived state of mind (and that's the story I am sticking with), I actually questioned Josh after seeing the 3 strips of tape leading up to the right.  He nicely replied, "Yes, you are going up that way."  Once I began to climb the stairs, I came to my senses, laughed out loud at myself, and apologized to him.  And then I continued to laugh at myself for probably the next 10 minutes. (So that is why Eric mentioned Avery Creek this morning at the pre race meeting.)  After the HAB on this section of Black, I was thankful of this course change as I don't ride this section of Black very often and Avery Creek is just so friggin' fun ... well, at least until you get down in the hole and have to claw your way back up.  Mean, Eric, just mean, when you could have directed us onto Buckhorn!

Once I saw the horse stables for the second time today, I began to smell the barn.  Up Clawhammer to Maxwell to Black.  A short HAB up, where Kip caught up to me once again, and then we let it rip down the Black descent.  We rolled under the finish line together in 7:56 after 61 miles and 11,000 feet of climbing. 

1 tallboy = 1/2 kitchen pass. Have my eye on a 2nd one come Sunday.

Knowing what lay ahead for Sunday, I did not partake in any post-race shenanigans.  A walk over to Davidson River to soak the pistons while recovering with my chocolate almond milk concoction.  Then off to the Sunset for more fuel and some leg squeezing courtesy of Elevated Legs.  A big shout out to Zeke for tending to Faith, my trusty Niner steed.

2014 PMBAR Race Report

The weeks leading up to this race are almost as fun as the race itself.  Laying out all the gear I think I will need, deciding how I can downsize, and then where to put it all.  Pouring over the map looking at potential routes.  Eating clean, sleeping well, training right.  Checking out every little component of my bike.  Should I slap on some new tires?  Is the chain o.k.?  Is that creak I hear just an annoyance or something about ready to explode?  Watching the weather.

I look forward to this race more than any other.  With no set route and not knowing the checkpoints until the race start, this race is as much about strategy as well as fitness and skill.  I was ready and after Lisa destroyed the Big Frog field the week before, I was hoping she would stll have that spark in her legs.

Mother Nature could not have handed us a better day.  Dry and warm ... a first in Pisgah!  At 8:15am, Eric said, "Go!"  We opened our passport, skimmed quickly to make sure there were no stupid pet tricks (there weren't), closed passport, and began the climb up Black Mountain.  We fared a little better this year as traffic was light.  Once at the crossroads of Black and Maxwell, we stopped and began to plot our course.

Photo credit:  Kelly Klett

After about 5 minutes, we were off to get the CP on Black.  Push, push, push, pedal, pedal, push, push, stop and make sure bloodied-nose dude is o.k., pedal some more, and we reach at the CP. After we got scanned and stamped, we continued on Black to the next CP on Squirrel.  By this time, my legs and engine were warmed up, and I was beginning to sparkle!  How I love that feeling when all systems are running smoothly.  Finding the flow of Buckhorn, South Mills, and Squirrel, we made quick work and were soon collecting our second CP.

RX Bar fuels the diesel engine remarkably well.

Our 3rd CP at South Mills/Bradley was easy and fast to reach as it was mostly downhill.  The trails were in unbelievably fantastic condition.  It was here, along Squirrel, that I was able to take the time to enjoy the forest.  The birds were singing, the wildflowers were blooming, and the creeks were rushing with life-giving waters.  Quite the opposite of last year, when I was so covered by rain gear and could barely see the trail ahead of me.

Threshold Provisions provided every racer with a real food bar.  I chose the cherry coconut.

Our next stop would be Stephen Janes' grilled cheese station.  But first, we had to climb, climb, climb out of the hole we went down to.  What stood between us and the sammies were the 18 creek crossings of Bradley Creek Trail.  With temps rising into the 70's, these crossings did wonders for my feet and legs; I told myself this was active recovery as I plunged into the icy waters.  It was on this trail where Lisa and her adventure racing skills excelled.  She was just inches from walking on water.

Once we topped out onto 1206, I was a bundle of nervous energy.  I had restless leg syndrome; they wanted to go, go, go.  So I did.  And I noticed Lisa did not seem to be as chipper.  I slowed, she hooked back on, and I went.  And she popped off.  Uh-oh!  Right then, I knew something was not right.  At this point we were 4 hours in, had been fueling well, bikes were running smoothly.  I blew it off, thinking that she would come back around after the grilled cheese.

The Super-Fantabulous Stephen!

I downed a 1/2 can of Coke and ate 3 slices of bacon (I had brought) while Lisa worked on a full can and a 1/2 grilled cheese.  I met Jaimee Johnson who said she reads my blog and told me how it has helped her on an occasion. That and Stephen's generosity was added fuel to finish this little race.

As we began our climb up Laurel to our 4th CP, Lisa's stomach turned sour.  Our pace slowed remarkably.  She likened the feeling to a volcano that was about to erupt.  I felt so bad for her, yet could do nothing other than try to liven the mood.  But I know that feeling when your body just won't respond ... I think we have all been there and done that.  We both tried to figure out what went wrong.  Lisa thought it might have been the Coke; I thought it might have been the all the bread she had eaten (she had a PB&J earlier) as she had just recently cut most of the gluten out of her diet.  It would not be until a week later when she did a training ride and discovered that it was the Infinit that was the cause.

Laurel Mountain CP -- Lisa was Grumpy McGrumbleGuts at this point

At the top of Pilot, Lisa was in such distress that we had to take a break.  While I waited I pulled out the map to look at the remainder of our route.  It seemed pretty straight forward, but I was running the numbers to determine if the 7th CP would net us bonus time or be a wash.  Highly unlikely as Lisa's GI was in mutiny.

We descended Pilot and then began to work our way over to our 5th CP at Slate Rock. Descending down 1206, I lost my focus as I was concerned about Lisa and our ability to finish.  It was here I had a brain mechanical and overshot the trail head ... like REALLY overshot it.  Lisa, even in her misery, still had the navigational skills of a homing pigeon and questioned my direction.  Sure enough, we were at the 2nd Pilot Cove Loop trailhead.  As we rode BACK UP 1206, I was mentally kicking myself for that stupid mistake.  As if Lisa needed more mileage and climbing.  I was more mad at the fact of letting her down than by losing precious time.

Getting to Slate Rock Overlook was hard and agonizingly slow.  Lisa was feeling so bad that she did not even realize that BJ was manning this CP.  Fortunately we were able to make quick work of the descent back down to 1206.  It was here that Lisa began to feel a little bit better and we motored to Hwy 276.  Pulling out the map while getting water out of the creek, we decided that it would be wise to get the CP at Avery Creek and then head home.

Descending Avery Creek

As we were getting our last CP stamped, Rich and his partner flew in!  I had not seen Rich in this frame of mind in a long time.  His face was fierce and full of determination.  They were racing like scalded dogs!  They won the SS division and had a top 5 overall! 

Once again, I must thank Lisa for her memory and clarity.  This year we took Buckhorn Gap out to the road as opposed to following Avery Creek to the end.  That saved us a solid 5 minutes. After my 15-20 minute mistake earlier, it was a small victory. I think we surprised the team that we had been yo-yo'ing with all day when we blew by them on the 477 descent after they had taken the Avery Creek route.

After all the hike a biking earlier in the day, the last little bit up Black Mountain seemed like a molehill.  Then it was all fast and happy down Black to the finish!

6 CP's in 10:20 (8:20 with the 2 hour bonus)

Even despite our misfortunes, we managed to make the top step in the Women's division (there were 6 teams).  I am SO PROUD of Lisa.  She endured to persevere through 6 hours of pain.  And when I really think about it, we still made pretty good time.  I am thankful to have her as a team mate; we are a good set of checks/balances.  I would not have wanted anyone else for this race.  A week later, I am happy that she figured out what turned her stomach upside down as she has some pretty big adventures left this year.

I am hoping that this weather pattern will hold and I will be able to see the trilliums in full bloom in a little over a week as I get ready for P111/55.5.

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.

6 Hours of Warrior Creek Race Report

After racing solo for the past 3 years at this race, I decided to change it up a bit and race with my friend Ursula Sandefur.  It was a low key event for me, as I am building up for May's Pisgah Productions' events.  I also needed some single speed therapy, so what better way than to hit the bermy flowy trail of Warrior Creek.  This trail is a true testament to the dedication and skillful creative minds of the Brushy Mountain Cyclists Club.

Ursula used her seniority to sit out the first lap.  So I got to enjoy the party train.  The start was less than ideal for me.  Taking one last nature break prior to lining up cost me about 20 rows.  I ended up mid pack for the start.

The gun went off.  I surged forward for about 100 yards ... and then I seemed to go backwards as racers with all their shifty bits were able to pull away from me.  Spinning a cadence of 120, I felt my legs were going to wrap themselves around my cranks and detach from my hips.

Finally, I hit dirt and entered the single track, my domain.  Although it seemed like I was in 235th place, I knew that I needed to be patient and let the trail come to me.  I passed ALOT of people, mostly on the climbs and burnt a few matches in the process.  Since I had a teammate, I could restock a few of those burnt ones while Ursula was out on the trail.

Photo Credit:  Ursula

Each lap was 13.8 miles in length and had about 1300 feet of climbing.  However, with momentum being my best friend, I probably only had to pedal up 900 of those 1300 feet ... on my 2nd and 3rd lap, anyway.

I finally caught up to my SuperSport teammate Lisa Randall who was racing solo, towards the end of the lap.  We came through the Start/Finish together.  I could tell she was going to have a good day as she looked really strong.

While Ursula was out, I refueled, stretched, and rested.  When I thought it was time for her to roll through, I made my way up to the transition area.  When Ursula came through on her first lap, we were about 4 minutes behind first.  I was bound and determined to make up the difference after my frustrating first lap.

I was on fire my second lap.  Finally in my own bubble, I was able to focus on being smooth and efficient.  With no one in front of me, I let go of the reins and went as hard as I could.  I soon caught Lisa again.  From her body language, I could tell she would be able to give Andrea a run for the money.

She was not too far behind Andrea as I caught up to her within a minute or two.  As I passed quickly by her, she asked if I was solo or duo.  I said, "What do you think ... duo."  There was no way I would be blazing by her if I was solo; she is one strong racer chick.  Andrea then asked if anyone was ahead of her to which I replied, "It's just you!"

With 6 miles to go, I finally caught the first place team.  I passed and then surged, not wanting her to latch on.  I continued to race "like a scalded dog," and when I came through the Start/Finish line, I gave Ursula a 4 minute cushion.

Back at the vehicle, I was preparing for my final lap when Lisa zoomed in.  I asked what she needed; she looked desperate.  She finally told me she had lost a contact and could not find a spare in her vehicle; they were all at the hotel.  Not being able to focus well enough at high speeds, she pulled the plug.  Damn!  I felt really bad for her because she was having such a good race.  Guess what now will go in her hydration pack alongside the tube, CO2, and other bike repair items?

Ursula had another amazing lap, maintaining our lead.  Knowing that this would be our final lap, I became a wee bit conservative as now was not the time to be fixing a flat or peeling oneself off a tree.  I was also feeling my fast second lap ... on the short steep climbs.  Legs began to bark!  I managed to catch up to Shaggy and he gave me enough motivation to grunt and grind my way up the switchbacks.

I finished us up at 4:01 pm.  We ended up 19 minutes ahead of second with a total of 5 laps.  Ursula had been a nervous Nelly about living up to my expectations, but in reality she had nothing to worry about.  Ursula is 55 years young and does a lot of butt kickin' to women half her age.  I just hope that I can keep my fitness like she has hers.

All teams completed 5 laps

Once again, I have to commend the Jason Bumgarner and his crew.  The couse was pristine, the start was on time, the food was most excellent, the prizes are things I will actually use, the awards were on time, and I got to bring beer home for my hubby.

Cash for duos, too!

A big shout out to my team mates Jeff Clayton who won the 40+ solo category and to Van Mixon who was 4th in the 40+ solo.

Podium Pottery!

Cysco Cycles CX Gravel Grinder Review

I have had this work of art built with love by Richie Moore, owner of Cysco Cycles and designed by Chris Williams for 4 months.  I have racked up several hundred miles, including one race.  I feel now that I can share my experiences with you about how well she rides.

Beautiful welds.

I wanted the frame as lightweight as possible, but still strong enough to minimize flex.  That being said, Richie ran with a 1 1/2" downtube and 1 3/8" top tube and seat tube.  Chainstays were 5/8".   Having PF bottom brackets on all my other bikes (and having no issues), I opted for the same.  It has an oversize tallish HT for comfort and I wanted thru axles front/rear so the rear is a Paragon Machine Works PolyDrop.

Paragon Machine Works eye candy!

3.6 pounds

I'll take the weight penalty for a real head badge.

I went with a Whiskey #9 Fork (475 grams), Cane Creek 110 headset, Stan's Ravens 700 x 35 mounted on Industry 9 UL CX wheels (1400 grams w/ tape and valve stems), SRAM Red 22 groupset (mechanicals now, but going back to hydraulics), Specialized CG-R seatpost, Specialized Toupe saddle, Thomson seat binder and stem, Specialized Women's carbon bar, King Ti bottle cages, and Xpedo M Force 8 Ti pedals.

As a basis for comparison, Lisa let me borrow her Cannondale Super X last fall.  In the two months that I had that amazing machine, I put a ton of miles and the Pisgah Monster Cross on it.  I loved how it handled and so based my Cysco off it.

With a wheelbase of 1013mm, HT angle of 69 degrees and a BB height of 270mm, she is stable!  I feel very at ease descending and cornering on the steepest of fire roads.  The only time I get a little rattled (both mind and body) is on stutter bumps.  Or descending Pisgah forest service road 2250 in fog so thick visibility is only 20-30 feet!

It is stiff enough for me.  Probably not as big an issue for me as a more heavily muscled, powerful rider, I don't feel any flex when hammering out of the saddle.

The compliance is unreal.  I was worried that the Whiskey fork might be too stiff being a thru axle, but I have been very comfortable on rides/races in the 4-5 hour range.  When I initially had the SRAM hydraulic brakes (pre-recall), I felt comfortable and in control descending on the hoods (unless I encountered long sections of deep stutter bumps).  During the HardFord 50, I descended mainly in the drops due to weather conditions and the mechanical brakes.  Couple the frame to the "cobble gobble" seat post and my tush was very happy ... no "jack-assage."  I also experienced no hand/finger numbness or shoulder/upper back achiness.

S-Bend Seatstays make for a forgiving ride.

Funky yet functional.

My only dislike is that on occasion, like when I am trying to manhandle her out of the saddle on 20% grades or turn around in a tight space, my foot will tap the front tire.  Not a fault of the creator, but due to how I run my cleats so far back on my shoes.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have had a slightly longer top tube.  But ... this has had no negative effects on my rides and race.

I am very pleased with my new steed.  Custom may not be for everyone, but I think everyone ought to try a titanium frame.  It's all about carbon right now, but everyone forgets how nice a ride titanium can be.  Richie has been building frames for 19 years, starting out with Litespeed and for the past 5 years via his own company.

Richie has standard geometry as well as custom.  Chris is the best and most patient person I know when it comes to the design.  He was always available to talk, no matter what hour of the day. And Cysco Cycles offers a lifetime warranty!

The big question is:  had I not been a sponsored racer, would I still purchase a Cysco?  The answer is undoubtedly YES!  I just would have had to wait a little longer while I worked some additional shifts.