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!

Assault on Mount Curahee Race Report

Loving this February with bluebird skies and springlike temperatures.

This is Chainbuster Racing's first gravel race in the Southeastern Gravel Series, a 3 race series.  I had not planned on racing this one, but it fell perfectly within a training block.  There is no better way to suffer through a threshold work out than this, along with those of like minds and legs, so I made the journery over to the comfy, cozy little town of Cornelia last Saturday.

I began to doubt my weapon of choice, when I started seeing an unusually high number of mountain bikes.  I had taken Lisa Randall's advice and brought along my Industry 9 equipped Cysco.  Well, at the very least, it would be a good day of skills work.

The start was on tight, twisty narrow pavement, followed by a long descent.  Having not raced in a pack for some time, it was nerve-wracking.  I chose to back off and not fight for the top 20 positions in the first miles of the race.  Although only 36 miles long, there was plenty of time to make a push. I chose to await the gravel and the climbs.  Besides, my legs were slow to come around, what with the punishment they took earlier in the week.

When I hit the first bit of dirt road, the pack was still thick.  I slowly weaved my way through racers as they struggled with the stutter bumps, pot holes, and millions of sweetgum tree seed pods.  I saw more than one racer go down on Mother Nature's "marbles."

My legs came around after 8 miles and I was slowly able to reel in the women ahead of me.  I had no idea how many there were, but focused on putting the power to the pedals.  There was a 1 1/2 mile section of single track to keep things interesting.  It was pretty mellow, save for a deep creek crossing and a grunty climb afterwards.  Fortunately, there was a racer just ahead of me who was my "gauge" for how to approach the water crossing.  It was deep!  The water was above my cranks and hubs, but I powered through.  Then I  had to keep the hammer down to make the technical climb back up to the ridgeline.  Thank God I have been single speeding and could muster the strength to push the pedals over the top and keep the bike moving forward.

On the 1 mile climb up to the top of Mount Curahee, I envisioned myself in full battle gear with a 30 pound pack, M-16, and boots provided by the lowest bidder, shuffling up to the top (been there, done that at Fort Jackson, Fort Leonardwood, and Fort Bragg).  That mentally made it a helluva lot easier to claw my way up on a 18 pound bike.  On the way up, I saw two women in front of me.  Carrots!

Making my way back down the mountain was more difficult, what with all the stutterbumps.  I thought my eyeballs were going to rattle out of my head!  Finally a smooth surface, and my brain could quit sloshing back and forth in my cranium.  The next few miles were a mix of smooth gravel road and rolling double track.  Somewhere along mile 22, I began doubting as to whether I was still on course.  I was pretty sure I was, but not seeing any confirmation tape had me a little worried.  I hate this feeling as I tend to come off the gas a bit and spend more time looking at the road's shoulder rather than where I wanted my wheels to go.  Finally, I saw a large mud bog with enough bike tracks to convince me I was on course.

Soon afterwards, I saw a competitor up ahead about 30 seconds.  I put forth a little more effort, despite my legs disapproval. She was with another racer and staying tight on his wheel. I also had a partner and together we worked to reel them in. We would catch glimpses of them as the road straightened out and were gaining precious seconds.

At mile 28, we came to an intersection in the road with nary a sign.  Oh ... crap!  There were 3 possibilities.  I quickly dismissed the far left as it did not look well used.  So I was left with the opportunity to go left down the hill or go right up the hill.  After what seemed like an eternity, but was really only 20 seconds, I chose to follow my the racer I was working with down the hill.  For the next few minutes I was dreading having to climb back up this road if indeed it was the wrong way. Finally I saw a ChainBuster sign!

The gravel turned to pavement as we made our way through the Lake Russell Recreation area.  My cohort and I continued to work together, but I could tell he was tiring.  I about blew through the right turn up onto an old decommisioned road bed, thinking that the turn was further up ahead.  How I could think that despite ALL the signage there along with hay bales, I don't know.  I suspect it had something to do with a zone 5 heart rate.

We pulled each other up this road and then hit the main road back to town.  Still going up!  I could see her and her cohort again, still about 30-40 seconds ahead of me.  The climb was brutal and my partner popped off my wheel. I could dig no deeper and watched her crest the hill for the final descent back to town.

Thankfully I did not get stopped by the train (which came by a minute after I had crossed the tracks). I rolled under the Maxxis finishing banner in 2:33:23, 29 seconds behind her.  At this point I thought I was in third place, but when the results were posted, I was second!  I can only assume that one of the women who I saw bombing down Curahee Mountain had gotten off course.

Apparently some "waste of my oxygen" hooligans had taken down the course markings at the intersection at which I had stopped. There were many who had gone off course.  I really hate that this happened, but know that this possibility exists.  I was lucky I had chosen to go left as I had not pre ridden the course, nor had downloaded it to my GPS.  I know that Eddie was extremely frustrated and upset over this.  As much as it is up to him to do everything within his power to reduce the risk of shit like this happening, it is as much our responsibility to do everything within our power to know the course.  I am sure that next year Eddie will probably have more confirmation tape and perhaps send a volunteer out to drive the course and check the course markings the morning of the event.

Afterwards, all racers were treated to free Terrapin beer and an awesome meal at Natalie Janes, which I took home and my daughter devoured!

Snake Creek Gap TT 50 Mile Race Report

You have to fight for every mile on The Snake!

Having an impromptu pit stop enroute to the start line was a foreboding sign but was quickly dismissed as the "race day jitters." Besides, I was pre occupied with what to wear, going over what seemed like 3000 possibilities.

It was dark when I arrived at the Dry Creek parking lot.  Stepping out into a pile of horseshit should have been another sign of a potentially "shitty" day.  I swear ... one day ... I am going to poo just outside the door of a horseman's vehicle!  Horse feces is no different than human and people should respect each other enough to use a pooper scooper.  It ... is ... not ... that ... difficult ... to ... clean ... up ... the ... mess ... that ... your ... animals ... create.  Just pure laziness and disrespect in my book!

Another attack 20 minutes prior to the start and I became a little nervous about my GI distress.  You see, I had recently finished taking a round of antibiotics for mastoiditis and had been having some issues.  Surely, between the "making race weight" back at home and these two additonal breaks, I had no more offerings to the "poop" Gods.

Oh well, back to race kit decisions. With subfreezing temps and a brisk wind, I had the bottom half figured out, but not the top half. Fortunately I made the right decision and was just a tad chilly at the start, despite the running in place for 10 minutes while awaiting the 8am start.

The crowd seemed thinner than January's edition and I was closer to the front.  Starting off with a single track climb, my legs felt fresh.  I must give Virginia Lee of  "Hands On Healing Southside" (soon to be Revive) a huge shout out for her massage on Thursday that revived my dead legs.  Ladies, I highly recommend her services!

The 18 mile prologue went by quickly and easily.  Trail conditions were perfect!  The muddy spots of last month were gone.  After 30 minutes, my fingers thawed out and all body parts were toasty.  The legs were happy and my RPE was where it should be.  Remembering how I felt last month, I was assured after this section that I would easily better my time.

Heading up the fire road to the first single track section, the gravels seemed to have settled and the climb was more pleasant than last month.  I was in my own little bubble of happiness entering the single track. I was riding my new bike, the Niner RKT 9 RDO, and the rear end traction was a noticeable improvement over my Niner Jet 9 RDO.  Must be the shorter chainstays.

The descents were a little tricky as the cold wind made my eyes water to the point of blurriness.  At times I had to rely on trail memory to see me safely down.  On the final climb before heading to the Snake Creek Gap parking lot, my guts began to churn.  I hopped off the bike and immediately fertilized a tree.  Thank God I had decided to go with tights as opposed to bibs!  Finishing the climb, Kaysee Armstrong came up and made a pass on me.  Having just come off a 2nd place finish at Trans Andes, she still looked strong.  Using this race as a recovery ride, no doubt!

I followed her down to the SAG stop.  Guts still rolling, I forced myself to chug a Red Bull.  While shedding my Buff and head gear, Laureen rolled on through without stopping.  Kaysee was about to throw a tantrum in the pits until she found the box of doughnuts.  While a mechanic got her bike back to working order (Kaysee had hastily built it up the night prior and was having some issues), she found her happy place again.

Meanwhile I took off, shouting out to her that I was her "rabbit."  That first climb out of the parking lot was brutal ... and went on forever.  It felt like they added an extra half mile to it.  I tried to bridge the gap back up to Laureen ... until I had to make another gift to the forest. Ugh!  How could one so little have so much?!?  At this point, I began to realize that my race had gone from sparkly to one of survival.  Rather than beat myself up, I was determined to enjoy, as much as possible, the last 14 miles.

Thankfully, I only had to make one more short pit stop,  I made a game out of the last miles, bound and determined to not let Kaysee catch me on the long descent to the mutiple creek crossings.  I let it loose, following a single speeder's line, and had fun raging it!  Kaysee didn't catch me until the final fire road climb up to the last bit of gnar.  My energy stores were on "E" and I just settled into recovering on the climb so that I could have some fun on the rocks.  Not being totally gassed when riding the last 7 miles makes it so much more fun.  I found new lines as I made my way around some 34 milers.  As much as I enjoyed the last few miles, I was still extremely happy to see the towers telling me the end was near.

I rolled through the finish in 4:45 and some change.  Fortunately my January time was good enough for me to finish third.

In awesome company ... Jamie took 1st and Kaysee 2nd

I was skeptical of the change up for this year's Snake.  Although I would prefer to have just a 34/17 mile event as those trails are the "heart" of the Snake, I do understand how difficult it is to have a 3 event series in a point to point race and the enormous amount of volunteer hours it takes to run something of this magnitude.  We racers are very fortunate to have this longstanding event, as alot of good races have not been able to withstand the test of time.  A big double fist pump to all of the volunteers!

Christopher Bean Coffee

Translated to “flower garden”, Taman Dadar is an exceptional coffee grown organically by the small-time farmers in the volcanic soil and high altitudes of Ijen Plateau in Eastern Java. Apart from the organic farming techniques these farmers have mastered over the generations, they also employ a variety of practices that are typical in region such as inter-cropping, wet-hulling, the use of shade trees and natural fertilizers. Also, the farmers that grow the Taman Dadar are independent from the government thus oversee a small scale operation and are more concerned with quality than quantity. An impressive Java coffee packed with rich dark chocolate flavor and hints of herb and nutmeg that results to a steaming cup of syrupy, creamy, earthy goodness. 

Java Taman Dadar is just one of many roasts that Christopher Bean Coffee offers.

2016 marks my second year being sponsored by this artisan coffee roaster out of Florida.  CBC has been operating since 1996.  I love the fact that they roast to order so you know your coffee is fresh upon arrival and not been sitting on a store shelf for God knows how long.  I was hesitant, at first, to accept a sponsorship, as I had not tried their product.  I gave it a go, and was hooked instantly with the wonderful flavor, low acidity, and lack of bitterness ... even with their darkest roasts.

In addition to the variety of roasts, Christopher Bean Coffee also

1. is cost comparable to big name coffees, i.e., Starbuck's, Peet's,, Seattle's Best, Dunkin Doughnuts
2. autoship option (which comes with a 5% discount)
3. Bean Bucks program (every dollar spent = 1 point.  100 points = $5 off future purchases)
4. free shipping over $50
5. money back guarantee

CBC also has special sales periodically.  With hundreds of offerings, a taste to your liking is sure to be found.  I enjoy trying out the new arrivals and have yet to be disappointed. 

In additon to coffee, they also sell tea, mugs, coffee grinders and brewers, and trucker hats!

If your passion is cycling (or not), I encourage you to give CBC a try.  Why not support a company that supports us?  Use Team25 and receive 25% off your first order.

Snake Creek Gap TT 50 Miler Race Report

Photo Credit:  Jeff Bartlett

Trepidation.  The word that I could not shake out of my mind in the last few days leading up to the race.  I had been "off plan" for 8 weeks, my GI system decided to do a self cleanse without my permission, and I was dogged tired.  Blah, blah, blah, wah, wah, wah!  If it is one thing all of us mountain bikers is good at is creating excuses.  Sometimes there are good reasons for a lackluster performance, but more often than not, they are spoken in the presence of our competitors in an attempt to justify why we did not CRUSH them.

With that in mind, I decided to keep the first 20 miles in HR zone 2, essentially a good deep warm up, hoping that I could endure the last 30 in the suffery zone.  Laureen and I started out together.  She is such a great steady state rider that it was enjoyable to follow her wheel.  We watched and commented as a multitude of men passed us within the first 10 miles.  I could tell which ones I would see later by their degree of "squirreliness" when they made the pass.  Save for the first "wheel-eater" creek crossing on the Wheat Trail, the Dry Creek system was pretty tame.

By the time I popped out onto the energy-sucking deep gravel climb up John's Mountain, 1 hour and 50 minutes had passed.  And no, the legs were not any happier.  However, mentally I was good.  I was taking the cards I was dealt with and making the most out of it.  The gravel was definitely annoying, almost as annoying as the mud bogs of years past. Hitting the single track, the legs were feeling better.  When I asked for more torque, they responded, which was a good thing, as this first bit of single track was a bit muddy and called for consistent power.

Laureen was right there with me the whole way.  Knowing the course, I was able to make gaps on the descents, but she would always reel me back in on the next climb.  By far, the trail was in near perfect condition and I thorougly enjoyed the descents.  The take away message here is:  no matter how advanced you think your riding level is, you can always benefit from a skills camp.  All the techniques I had learned last year were now embedded solidly into my subconscious. No white knuckle moments today!

I rolled into the Snake Creek Gap parking lot, tossed my CamelBak, chased an Espresso gel with a Red Bull, grabbed a bottle, and began the climb up Mill Creek Mountain.  This climb always seems to be the hardest one on the course for me.  I knew I needed to save something for the last 8 miles so I just nursed my granny gear.  Once on the ridge, Laureen and I started coming upon alot of 34 mile racers.  Everyone was so pleasant, making more than enough room for us to get around. I graciously thanked each and everyone.  Laureen was great at shouting out words of encouragement.   Heck, at the rate I was spinning, it seemed she was able to give 5 minute pep talks.

After one more raging descent, I began the doubletrack/gravel slog up Middle Mountain   Laureen passed me as we entered the final single track section.  I just about decided to let her go.  I really wasn't wanting to enter the pain cave, but more just wanting to have fun with this last bit of gnar.  But then I realized that in order to have fun here, one must embrace the fatigue demon and fight through the heaviness.  So I did.  I caught back up to her and reconnected the invisible rubber band between us.  I must give her a huge double fist pump for her mad skilz on these chunks of gnar.  She rode through these rock gardens like this was her backyard trail.

Photo credit:  Randy Ware

Laureen put a surge in at The Wall.  At the top she was able to open up a slight gap.  I refused to wave the white flag and so began the chase.  With bulging eyeballs and burning glutes, I slowly rode back onto her wheel.  By the time we hit the fire ring, I knew I had to counter.  Now or never.  So, when Laureen bobbled a section, I made the pass.  I truly expected her to latch on, but fortunately the technicality of the trail did not let up and knowing the lines, I slowly stretched the elastic until it snapped.

Hitting the final climb up between the two slabs of rock, I lit my last match.  My body responded, my heart rate soared, and I hammered it all the way down the gravel road.  I came close to taking out a fella snapping pics who was right where I needed to go to "straighten" out the road.  Just missing catching onto a racer's wheel rolling down the pavement, I had to pedal an rpm of 120+ to keep my speed up.

Seeing the finish line was exhilarating.  Racing 50 miles in January on The Snake was tough.  But having an awesome competitor to pace with made the day so much more enjoyable.  Got to hand it to Laureen, but for my knowledge of the trail, I would be holding third instead of second.

Another great motivator today was all those out on the trail that gave me a shout out.  Sorry if I did not recognize all of you, but you made my day as well.

I have raced The Snake every year since its inception in 2005.  Every year I look forward to the challenge.  And every year, NWGA SORBA does not disappoint.  I like the new format and look forward to the balmy temperatures and dry conditions that February will bring.

The Last Aid Station Interview on Mountain Bike Radio

Here is the link:  http://mountainbikeradio.com/the-last-aid-station/carey-lowery/

On that blistering hot day back in August, when I was racing the Maah Daah Hey 100, a gentleman racer held up a cattle gate, allowing me to ride through first.  I would never have thought crossing paths with Steve Hamlin during a race in North Dakota would lead to an interview on Mountain Bike Radio.  I don't remember Steve as he remembers me, but I DEFINITELY remember his wife, Lynn. With temperatures hitting 100 degrees, no shade, and just shy of becoming a heat casualty, she filled my Camelbak with ice out of her cooler.  I could have cried, if I wasn't so dehydrated.

And so I got a FB message last week, asking if I would care to give an interview.  Well hells yeah, I would.  I have enjoyed listening to Mountain Bike Radio (MBR) over the past year or so, in particular The Last Aid Station and JRA.  Never having had an opportunity like this, and being the "A" type personality, I had Steve send me a list of questions we would cover.  Despite doing some homework, when the interview started, my mind was in "Speedy Gonzalez" mode, but what came out of my mouth seemed more like "Porky Pig" speech.  (At least that is what it seemed upon reflection afterwards.)

So, being "Mrs. Perfect", I feel inclined to clarify a few things.

On the topic of the pushing more women to get involved in the sport, I feel that if anyone one group is particulary responsible, it is we (other women) who need to encourage and support women's growth.  And not necessarily pushing them into racing.  If we can show our ladies a great time on the trail through local bike shop group rides and industry-backed women's programs like Bell Joy Ride and Rebecca Rusch's SRAM Gold Rush Tour, then there is going to be a gradual and ever increasing trickle over to the racing aspect of mountain biking.  If we can create more women's cycling groups like Sorella and Velo Vixens, then the camaraderie will grow and with it more entries into races as we like to have the friendship and support of others when tackling a course, be it a 9 mile XC loop or an all day epic adventure into the wilderness.

On the subject of field size, since I haven't participated in alot of "mainstream" races such as the NUE series or the regional XC series, I have not seen any significant growth.  More often that not, I am lining up with only 3-5 other women.  Having said that, in the races that fall under NUE's umbrella or those that have a festival like weekend associated with it, I do believe the numbers have increased since I entered the sport more than a decade ago.

What would I have done differently 10 years ago?  Better nutrition, listening to my body ... and taken a skills camp or two.  Anyone can "ride" a bike, but to "handle" the bike and make you a better rider, there are a lot of skills than need to be learned the correct way.  Having taken two skills camps this year, I have learned so much and had to retrain my way of riding and handling my steed.  The result is that I have become faster and more confident.

Thanks for listening!

Coldwater Enduro Race Report

The only time I had ridden at Coldwater had been in August of 2012, when the first 11 miles of trail had just been built.  At that time, I wasn't all that impressed.  It felt like a never ending downhill pump track followed by a relentless climb up a series of loose, short, and steep little grunts that all looked the same.

After the memories of that trip had faded and with many more miles of new trail built, I decided to give the mountain another chance.  And what better way to experience it than at the hands of the 3rd Coast Enduro Series.  So after packing up after the Cahaba 50, I drove up Saturday night, set up camp, and slept beneath the hum of the power lines.  I opted out of the night enduro, but heard the next day that it was scarily fun!

I chose to see it as my lucky number.

After a solid night's sleep and a much more laid back morning, I pedaled off to the top of Talledega to the first stage.  I took it super easy on the transition, as my legs were barking after the previous day's effort.  Along the way I met some new friends, including Kayley Burdine, who was trying out this "new to her" enduro thing.

Talledega ... think wide open and fast!

Stage 1:  Talledega --> Trillium --> OHV trail --> Tortoise --> Hare. Everyone was just milling around at the top; no one but me, seemed eager to get started.  Finally "Mama Bear" yelled at the men to get their heads out of their a$$es and GO!  After a few fast dudes went, I hopped in line.  Attempting to go from 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds hurt!  With legs screaming, I flew down the double track and hopped onto some sweet flowing single track.  Traction was better than I thought and I did not have to use the stoppers much.  The OHV trail reminded me of fall line Pisgah trail; no need to pedal here, it was all about finding the fastest line and not being bucked off by the large baby heads.  Tortoise and Hare were super flowy with a few tight switchbacks which had me going from 60 to 0 quickly.  Two dudes were riding up; they were lucky I came upon them during one of the tight turns or I would have been the bowling ball and they the pins!  Other than the long delay of stopping my transponder at the end of the run, I felt pretty good about it.

Stage 2:  New Trail --> Jump Trail.  This one was quite pedaly and I felt like a slug.  I also completely boofed the rock garden!  Being in too hard a gear, I had to dismount and run it.  That was costly!  In a couple spots with no confirmation taping, I slowed a couple times, wondering if I had missed a turn.  I thought this one was a short one and when it seemed to go on and on, I began to have doubts.  Finally I saw the white SRAM tape that indicated the finish was near.  I clocked out, mentally kicking myself for the mistakes.

Transition to Stage 3

Stage 3:  Talledega --> OHV trail --> Goldilocks.  Heading South on Talledega the left hand turn came up quickly.  Fortunately for me, but unfortunate for Eric, I had seen him go the wrong way down the double track and so knew to go left.  Later I heard that a couple others did the same as Eric. Goldilocks was fun.  The downhill pump track feeling that I hated 3 years ago I now thoroughly enjoyed!  I opted to roll all of them due to my tired legs and loose over hardpack conditions, but given a fresh body and hero dirt, I could see how it would be "oh so fun!" to send it!

Stage 4:  Bomb Dog Bypass --> Bombdog.  By far the funnest!  And, being 3 hours into the race, my legs were finally warmed up.  Feeling the flow, this run felt the best.  The trail rolled well, the corners were sweeping, and not much pedaling involved.  I tried to conserve every bit of momentum possible, concentrating on all the skills I had learned during the two skills camps I had taken this year. I felt really good about this run.

After pedaling back up to the Start/Finish area, it would now be a waiting game.  At least this time, I wasn't the first one done.  While waiting, I was able to clean up, eat, and break down my campsite. Finally the times were posted.  I was first.  Kayley came in second, but only because her mistakes were more costly than mine.

Ladies with mad skilz (but directionally challenged)!

I am glad I gave Coldwater a second chance.  I need to get back and explore the rest with fresh legs.

Thanks to Brent and Shelly for another nice event and cash payout!  I am looking forward to Cranksgiving.