My Journey to the MG100 Buckle Attempt Begins NOW

This photo came across my FB feed on Crystal Kovac's timeline.  This lady inspires me on a daily basis and right now I am trying to bridge the gap and catch her wheel.

Today I did a 20 minute power test to establish my FTP (functional threshold power).  This number represents the mean maximal power I can sustain over an hour.  Using LWCoaching's power calculator, my FTP is 93% of my average power over that 20 minutes.

For my non cycling friends, think of this test as going ALL OUT HARD and feeling like you are either going to puke or die and then looking down at your time, realizing you still have 5 freakin' minutes left!

The temperature was not ideal (35 degrees) but at least the winds were calm.  After a 30 minute warm up, I pegged it for 20.  I knew that today's numbers were not going to be ideal, so I placed a piece of tape over the power number and then just paced it off perceived exertion. While I felt my performance was solid, as in I left it all out there, my watts were down, compared to my last test (May 2018).

Trying to find out a racer's FTP number is like asking a woman her weight.  I am going full disclosure because I am chronicling my journey in what is soon to be my 51st year of life.  By telling the world, err ... about 50 people, it will help me to stay accountable and focused on the task at hand. It is just a number, like my age and weight. 

One cannot simply judge a cyclist on their FTP.  Although the power to weight ratio (FTP/ weight in kg) is one of the best single predictors of performance, there are many more factors that determine an outcome of a race.  Health on race day, technical skills, and mental fortitude to name just a few.  FTP reflects your bike fitness and thus serves as a good marker of how your training is going.  With challenging and focused training, my aerobic fitness should measurably increase every few weeks.  Stacking LWCoaching 12 week training plans, I should hit my peak on September 21.

This chart uses 95% of the best 20 minute effort

Today my FTP was 176 watts.  With a weight of 112 pounds, my power to weight ratio is 3.46.  Now, while not as high as I have been in the recent past, it is still respectable.  And with 7 months to prepare for the Marji Gesick 100, my goal is to get as close to 4 watts/kg as possible.  Having that number will give me the confidence to see that sub-12 hours is possible.

So the way I see it is that the only direction is up.  I officially go on Lynda's plan on Monday.  Having used her as a coach for the past 9 years, I trust in her plans and know that she will get me physically ready for the MG100.  It will be up to me to

Snake Creek Gap TT Race Report

This year I opted to go back to the original, the meat of it all, the 34 miler.  After 3 years of racing the 50 mile edition, I was good.  The 34 has always been my favorite distance, but I did the 50 because that is where the $$$ were.  I also opted to ride single speed because of the simplicity and brutality of 1 gear.  2019 is the year of #doinghardthings in preparation for the Marji Gesick.  I also wouldn't have to worry about being in the wrong gear ... because you pretty much always are!

I definitely chose the right bike because The Snake lived up to its beastliness in that it was a mudfest!  Only 6 days into the new year and we are already an inch above average in precipitation!  The creeks and rivers were ragin'!  The starting temp hovered around 40 degrees.  My toes and fingers were toasty with the chemical warmers shoved in the gloves and shoes.  That didn't last long though as this was what the Armuchee Creek crossing looked like.

About 3 feet at its deepest where it is normally only about a foot.

At only a mile in, I hit this bridge and immediately everything below my knees were drenched.  Bye bye chemical heat!  Over the next 3 miles of climbing up to the first single track, my toes turned to frozen blocks of ice.

The first bit of single track is the closest I guess I'll be to experiencing a cross race.  Ribbons of thick mud made the climbs a lesson in body positioning and steady torque while the descents taught me to be light on the brakes and bars and steer with my hips.  The blinding ball of fire in the sky also made things interesting as well. I was grateful for the warmth it began to provide, but not too appreciative when I couldn't see the trail and just had to trust that my cat like reflexes would keep me upright.

Amazingly Pine Needle Hill and the descent and trail that followed all the way out to Pocket Road was in fairly decent shape.  I was able to recover a bit here and ready myself for the remaining single track to the Snake Creek Gap SAG.  Although it was only 5.5 miles to the SAG, I am sure I spun my wheels enough to get in at least another mile based upon wheel revolutions!  The mud was insane! And of course, all uphill!  I wisely chose to hop over the 29'r wheel deep creek ditch prior to the mud wall.  I probably was influenced by the racer up head that took a nice endo attempting to clear it.

As I began the first of several HAB (hike-a-bike) sections either through deep mud or the loose, steep pitches where I could not stay on top of my gear, I used this opportunity to drink and stay on top of my nutrition.  It is much easier to forget this valuable part of the plan when one is not all hot and sweaty.  Not only was I burning an insane amount of calories from the difficulty of the course, but I was having to keep the fire stoked to stay warm.  Remounting was a challenge as trying to clip back in to the pedals when you can't feel your feet is darn near impossible.  More than once a most sensitive part of my anatomy got sucker punched by the top tube.

I rolled into the Snake Creek Gap SAG at the 1:54 mark, quite a bit slower than years' past, but given the nature of the beast, I considered it a small victory.  Mike helped me get in and out in less than a minute.  While I swapped bottles and gel flasks, Mike cleaned the mud off my glasses.

Thank goodness the Mill Creek Mountain climb out of the parking lot was leaf and mud free.  This is hard enough in pristine conditions.  At 1.5 miles in length, I was gassed when I hit the top.  I managed to sit and pedal a wee bit as I waited for my heart to settle back down to a life-sustaining rate.  This ridge line was in great shape and my shot of Espresso gel finally kicked in.  As I began descending down to the multiple creek crossings, the trail became muddier and soon just turned into a small creek itself.  Not being able to see the bottom of these crossings, I was happy not to have "boofed" any.

The fire road climb up to the last single track section was an energy-sapping slog.  I still felt like I was making good time; I was thankful for the caffeine's ability to lower my perceived exertion.  I passed several guys who had just come completely apart.  At least I felt that I had a bit left to negotiate the rock gardens that lay ahead.

It was nice to finally have dry trail.  The traction was good and the first half seemed to pass by relatively quickly.  But after the wall, the death march began.  At least I had Single Speeder Sponge Bob to push me.  I call him this because he had a shoe that squeaked when he HAB'd.  We went back and forth over the remaining 4 miles.  He would get me on the descents and I would catch back up on the climbs. 

On the last pitchy climb, as I was walking my bike, a large stick somehow managed to wedge itself in my wheel, flip up, knock me in the right shin, and take me down.  Yep ... I crashed while walking.  That told me right there just how spent I was. 

Despite going down, I somehow managed to catch back up to Sponge Bob and make a slo-mo pass and slowly pull away from him.  I was hoping to ride his coat-tails down the pavement.  But alas, I was once again on my own, in a semi-Froome like tuck, trying to gain every bit of speed I could muster. 

Absolutely spent!

I came across the finish with a time of 4:16.  Quite a bit off my best time and 16 minutes slower than I anticipated, but still proud to have emptied the tank.  And having sunshine and 57 degrees of heat at the finish made all the suffering and discomfort worthwhile.  And seeing all my awesomely sweet team mates! Despite the rough conditions, Rescue Racing made a respectable representation with several that will be defending their podium spot come February.

Scott, the SS Slayer, Harper

Scott and David came down from Ohio to ruin their drive trains ... err, have fun in the mud.

Georgia Gravel Grinduro 3G Race Report

This inaugural race was put on by Tim Molyneaux of TopView Sports, a predominantly road racing promotions company.  Tim's friends pushed him into getting a little dirty and creating this "groad" event.  The start/finish was in Helen and was one big ass clockwise loop in the mountains of Northeastern Georgia. There were 3 distances:  108, 64, and 30.  You already know which one I chose.  I was the only woman in a field of 14 bike-crack addicts.

The course consisted of predominantly gravel, but with enough pavement that I chose to ride my Niner RLT RDO with Maxxix Rambler 40mm up front and 38mm in the rear.  My gearing was a 34T ring with an 10-42 cassette.  I was never really spun out on the road as I used the fast sections to spin easy and recover.  But what that gear ratio afforded me was less time in the red zone on the super steep climbs, of which there was a cornucopia.

The start was a crisp 38 degrees.  Surprisingly I did not find myself shivering uncontrollably.  It was a controlled start through town.  At about the 3 mile mark, where the first gravel section began, we were unleashed.  My plan was to use the first climb up to Unicoi Gap as my warm up.  After a nice pedal along some smooth dirt that paralleled the Chattahoochee River, the 6 mile climb at 6-10% grade began.  I found a good steady pace that had me gradually reeling in a throng of racers over the next 45 minutes.  Towards the top I caught up to JOM of gravelcyclist.com and we chatted a bit.  He even video'd me so maybe I will get my 15 seconds of fame.

At the top of Unicoi was the first aid station.  I felt so bad for the volunteers because it was brutally cold.  I passed by without stopping and began the 7 mile paved descent.  Despite a layer of duct tape on my shoes, 2 pairs of gloves, and Hot Hands in both shoes and gloves, they turned into blocks of ice!  My eyeballs were so cold, I was afraid to blink for fear of my lids freezing to them like a tongue to ice cold metal!  I had a couple more miles of pavement to try to thaw out before the first KOM/QOM segment.

Perfect day to view all the colors!

The Addis Gap segment was 13 miles long and included both the climb up to the gap as well as the descent down Wildcat Road. When I crossed the timing mat to begin the segment, I could at least blink my eyes, but I could not yet feel my extremities.  This gravel climb was super chunky, much more suited to a mountain bike.  It was slippery as well, what with the embedded mossy rocks and freshly fallen leaves.  With shadows cast by the rising sun, it was all I could do to make out "the line."

After beginning the descent off the gap, I quickly realized that the climb was the easy part.  I wanted to go fast, but also did not want to risk a flat or a crash.  I felt like I was descending blindly, using my front wheel as a blind man's stick.  It was crazy, what with all the leaves and shadows!  I barely had time to steer away from wheel-damaging holes and drops.  Once I popped out of the ORV-like trail to the gravel of Wildcat, it didn't get much easier.  Talk about rowdy!  I hung on for dear life and a few times felt the "pinging" of the spokes as I slammed the front wheel into some chunks of rock rearing their heads above the gravel surface.

Rolling into the second aid station after passing over the finishing timing mat, I stopped to check in (1st mandatory check point for the grinduro racers), shed some clothing, refill my bottles, and use the porta-potty.  There was a throng of racers ravenously pillaging the provided food.  I reached into my feed bag, pulled out a Honey Stinger GF waffle and enjoyed it while making the push to the next gravel section.

Unicoi Gap 📷: TopView Sports 

I was relieved to see that the owner of the pack of dogs at the top of Popcorn Road had kept them up.  I was ready with my trusty hickory stick I had procured in the drainage ditch.  During my pre ride I had to use one to fend off their shark frenzy behavior.

The next "fun" section was Rainbow Creek Road.  This gravel road morphed into single track that began just inside of private property that kinda looked like a fighting rooster farm/meth lab. I saw the orange ribbon that led the way to primitive single track along a creek.  It was about 1/2 mile long and included a creek crossing and a 30 yard hike a bike.  From there it was an old gnarly road bed with mud holes galore.  Slow going for me as several of those mud holes had me skirting around them, off the bike style.  I had no intentions of swimming today!

I rolled into the third aid station at mile 50 to sign in (2nd mandatory check point for the grinduro racers), wolf down a banana, and refill 1 bottle. From here it was 8 miles of pavement to the second KOM/QOM segment.  I used this time to refuel and perhaps recover a little as the upcoming section was 16 miles long.

This timed segment started with the dam climb, a one mile grade at 15-22% and then meandered around Lake Rabun and Lake Seed.  About 5 miles of pavement, the remainder was fairly smooth gravel, but the turns were tight.  Think of it as a gravel version of Tail of the Dragon.  After the damn dam climb, I enjoyed the ups and downs and turns of the segment.  The flow was mmm so good! Once it turned to gravel, I had to be more cautious as the road narrowed.  Along this road were high dollar homes and I encountered several cars (think BMW, Mercedes, Lexus) and several people out and about, usually with a dog or two.  Fortunately, everyone played nice ... even the unleashed dogs!

The last 2 miles of this segment were brutal.  No less than 9 damn climbs, of about 30-45 seconds duration.  These would follow after a fast descent, but I could not carry my momentum at all. At the bottom of every descent would be a tight right-handed turn into stutter bumps. And then the road would shoot straight up at 10-12% ... on loose gravel.  Each one felt like I was in a boxing ring, getting pummeled.  I was never so happy to see the finishing timing mat.

Despite 30 miles to go, I was smelling the barn.  Looking at my Garmin and doing the math, I set a goal I thought was doable ... sub 9.  I had one more KOM/QOM segment, beginning at mile 85.  So I had about 5 miles to get my shit together.  I stopped at the 4th aid station, shoved a banana and waffle down the hatch while hitting the porta potty.  I am the queen of multitasking at aid stations. After the last segment, I could tell my legs were fried and my low back was tired of assisting.  Both body parts were close to calling a mutiny.  I was hoping that calories would bide me some time.

My GI had time to process the food on the paved section leading to Piedmont Mountain Road.  This final KOM/QOM segment was 8 miles of gravel.  Though nowhere near the climbing of the earlier segments, it was far enough into the race that it felt the hardest.  Starting off with a 2 mile 6-10% grade and then continuing on with a series of descending rollers, I buried myself in the pain cave for 35 minutes. 

The last 13 miles was a bit of a blur. The miles and minutes ticked on by.  Hitting the final gravel stretch, I knew it was just a bit of a climb, then onto Unicoi Hwy for a nice descent back into Helen.  But wait?  What?  At mile 98, Tim decided to throw in a little detour that ended up being a Brasstown Bald type of climb.  Good LORD!  In some sections the grade was 22%!  Finally, finally I reached the top and quickly descended the 1/2 mile back down to Bean Creek Road, a 1/4 mile further down from where I had turned off Bean Creek to do this "cruel and unusual" section.

Descending back down to Helen, I noted the time and was confident in making it under 9 hours.  As I approached the city limits and smells of funnel cakes and other fried foods, I hit traffic ... and lots of it.  Swarms of people lined the sidewalks, crosswalks, and idling vehicles on Main Street made for slow going.  I even had a horse and carriage pull out in front of me.  Nothing like the intermingling smells of desserts and manure. 

My sub-9 was thwarted by the human lemmings, but I still managed first in the women's race with a 9:03.  Yeah, I know.  I just had to finish to win.

Also got $150 for the QOM. Thanks #whereswhincup!

I want to thank Tim and Joey for an awesome course.  When I was initially getting the beta on the loop, I was a little bit disappointed in the amount of pavement.  But now knowing how it felt putting it all together on race day, I was delighted.  It was kind of a Jekyll and Hyde course, with the brunt of the climbing being up front.  The scenery was spectacular and the paved roads took me through beautiful countryside.  I was very thankful to hit each and every bit of pavement, as a bulk of the gravel was ROWDY!

Be warned:  although the course is marked, mostly, you still need to rely heavily on your GPS.  Which is perfectly fine with me, as I like this kind of self-supported racing.

I look forward to next year and perhaps doing the 200K version.

5 Points 50 Race Report

Although a month late, the first true day of fall fell upon race day.  Waking up to a starting temperature of 50 degrees, I had the first goosebumps of the season waiting for the race to begin.  I had no expectations other than to have fun and perhaps capture that third step.  With Jen and Kaley in the Open class as well, I knew I would be chasing them all day.  I did have a slight hope that if they ended up in a heavy battle for first, I might be able to reel one or both if either of them imploded.

The first 2 1/2 miles I was able to stay with the front group, but when we hit the first pavement climb, the group splintered into several small ones, and I settled into the third group.  I never saw Jen from then on and was only able to keep in contact with Kayley until we entered the single track.

I was with a small group of guys and ended up having to burn a match or two on the climb up Windy Shot, passing a few that began to sputter on the steeper pitches.  Normally I have some reserves for these early moves, but today my legs felt heavy.  Meh.  Whatever.  It was still early on and perhaps the diesel was just not warmed up enough; shoulda turned the engine heater on this morning!

The trails were in tacky good shape.  It felt great to be able to rail and carve corners.  Hanging Wall, Foot Wall, and Kettle Bottom were fassst!  Mostly because they were downhill.  The next section of trails heading over to CapRock were a bit more climby and my quads once again felt heavy.  No worries, though, as I still felt I was making good time through this section. Even so,  I was passed a few times and at the appropriate time by respectful racers.  One fella did call to my attention that he wanted around.  However, it was in a pretty tight descent and I was not about to come to a complete stop to let him around.  So he decided to attempt the pass without proper warning and came close to ruining both our days.  Man o man, I was wanting to flog him like only a Banty rooster could.  Fifteen seconds later the trail opened up and I let him by.  Good riddance!

Approaching the CapRock trail, despite wind proofing my shoes with duct tape, I began to lose feeling in my toes and forefoot as Raynaud's kicked in.  And if you don't know how much you need that tactile foot connection both to the bike and trail to ride through technical sections, believe me, you do.  I wasn't sure how I was going to manage the rocky climb, but alas, some poor fella just in front of me bit it hard on the steep descent into it.  He was ok, but it forced me to dismount and hike the bike ... which was probably just as fast.   But it still sucked, kinda, because I have cleaned this many times before.

I rolled on through the aid station and looked forward to Kindergarden, my favorite trail of all!  It was a bit congested here and with my frozen feet, I buggered it on the first section.  Then I had a heck of a time clipping back in because I could not feel my feet at all.  I finally got lucky and heard the audible click of reconnection.  From there on, I focused intensely on the trail and somehow managed to make it through unscathed.

Rolling back through the aid station and heading over to Hogsback, my legs finally decided to come out and play.  The heaviness had finally left and it felt great to power over the humpiness of this trail. The remainder of the 5 Points section left me all smiles as it flew by quickly and almost effortlessly.  The LongBranch connector section has 3 punchy loose cathead climbs that can beat you down both mentally and physically.  This is usually where I have my "low" of the race but today, I felt pretty good through this section.  Before I knew it I was at Aid 3, where I stopped, dropped my CamelBak, and grabbed a bottle for the final 15 miles.

Climbing up the freshly paved tarmac, it felt like the asphalt was grabbing my tires and slowing them down.  This reminded me of the 2007 LaRuta and climbed a 3 mile freshly asphalted road that was absolutely hellish!  Fortunately today's climb was short and soon I was descending the gravel into the Lula Lake Land Trust.  Quickly followed by the steep and punchy loose gravel climb, which, in year's past, was brutal.  Today, however, the legs were happy, the feet had finally thawed, and I powered the pedals over and over until the road planed out and soon I was rolling along the Bluff Trail.

The Bluff Trail was new for this year.  Due to some logging in this area, a portion of the course had to be re routed.  This happened to be a blessing, as the views along this trail were spectacular!  I managed to reel in one of my team mates, Michael, and got around him just as we were entering the Jedi Trail, which this year was raced in the opposite direction.  Still, so much fun.

The trails in the trust were in the best shape EVER!  Hero dirt galore!  Even the South Creek Trail which normally is slickety-slidy was perfect.  No dabs today!  Approaching the creek crossing, I smartly opted to walk it keeping my bikes bearings happy and me in one piece.  People do attempt to ride this crossing, but I just don't get it.  Risk to reward ration is much too high for me!

The other difference to this year's course is that instead of 2 miles of pavement followed by the infamous Powerline climb, the course directed us onto a short doubletrack climb up to the White Lightning Trail.  Mo' betta!  Even so, there was still a bit of climbing to get up to the connector trail.  I started feeling the heaviness settling back into the legs, but by this time I was also smelling the barn and able to fight through the pain.  Just get to the top, I told myself, and it would be all downhill from there.  I was able to catch my breath on the connector descent to FireWater.  Then it was a short climb to Bathtub Gin, my second favorite trail.  I passed a couple 25'rs here, encouraging a woman attempting one of the many technical rock features.  I can remember those days when I struggled like her and told her that she would conquer that rock face ... just keep trying!

As I was approaching the end of Bathtub Gin, I couldn't believe it but there was Mr. Smooshie P McDiggles, aka Scott Harper.  He was all bonkers.  I offered him a swig of my gel flask, but was pretty sure he wasn't wanting to swap spit.  He asked how much more of a beating he had to take and I told him, 4 miles.  I think I might have jinxed him when I made a DFL remark on a recent FB post.  Or was that a premonition? 

The final bit of connector trail had more ups than I remembered.  Soon, though, it was all downhill to the finish.  I rolled through in 4:30, good enough for third place.  Even though Jen finished 4 minutes ahead of Kayley, there wasn't any battle royale that might have enabled me to close the gap. These ladies are just too strong to leave any pieces for me to pick up!

Stoked to share the podium with such Powah!

Justin and Amy, of Roost Racing, put on another excellent edition.  I do miss the old school trails of the LongBranch area.  However, despite that, I feel that this course is the best of them all.  You really nailed it this year, Justin!  I hope that you will continue to use this one in the future.

Do The Hard Things

If you saw my basement "lair," your first thought might be that I am a serial trail killer.  With bikes, race plates, tool chests, trophies, and water bottles strewn around, all that is lacking is newspaper clippings tacked to a board.

I thought that I was done with the Marji Gesick 100.  After a brutal 2017 finish, I had missed the belt buckle time cut off once again.  My 2016 finish was my best at 12:41.  I told myself that two finishes and two wins was good enough and that I was just not fit enough to get it in under the 12 hour cut off.  I wasn't getting any younger and there were other races out there to conquer.

But when the hundreds of MG FaceBook posts began pouring into my feed in the weeks leading up to the 2018 race and then with all the race day posts, the race began to call my name.  I was ok with not having raced it this year; I needed the break.  But Todd Poquette, race director extraordinaire, has a way of motivating those who want, who need a challenge.

Even though this race may be touted as the "hundred miler with the highest DNF race" and therefore perhaps the hardest single day mountain bike race, Todd and Danny, deep down inside, want each and every participant to finish.  And they will wait all day AND all night at the finish to personally hand each finisher their token.  The course is just straight up DAMN hard.  90% single track and super technical ... it never lets up.  As I coined the term, "no free trail," even the descents will work you over.

As I will soon turn 50, I've been thinking about 2019 aspirations.  I have had a very blessed life.  For the most part, it has been relatively easy.  But I believe that is because I have been raised to have a strong work ethic and that nothing in life is free.  If life was easy, would it truly be worth living?  I wonder about that at times.  I think it is in our nature to strive and overcome the hardships.  It gives us a sense of purpose. This is something that we as a society have lost as everything has become automated and can be had at the "click" of a button.  That one can get disability and have the government take care of them for stupid shit is just outrageous. That one would rather have a "magic" pill rather than work on improving their lifestyle and health to resolve a medical issue is unbelievable. We are turning into Jabba the Hut.

Whether it be at work or at play, when I am faced with a challenge that seems out of reach, the feeling of accomplishment when I pursue it and conquer it gives me a high that no drug can even touch.  That damn buckle will be my struggle for 2019!  It may be hard, it might be just out of reach, but come hell or high water, I will fight the good fight and accomplish that goal that has been out of my reach the past 3 years.

I encourage each and everyone of you to seek a goal, an aspiration, that you might think be out of reach.  I guarantee with hard work, grit, determination, and perseverance, YOU CAN OVERCOME the struggle and SUCCEED!

As David Goggins, former NAVY seal, ultra runner, and now motivational speaker says, "When your mind tells you you're done, you are only at 40%."  You have a reserve that is bigger than what you think.  So embrace the discomfort, embrace the suck, and destroy your limits!

To Be Continued ...

Dirty 130 Race Report

Finishers patch

Put on by Chilhowee Outdoors, this grassroots gravel race is a self-supported adventure through the Cherokee National Forest.  This is not for the faint of heart, as it boasts 16,000-18,000 of elevation gain, depending on your GPS. There are no aid stations nor is the course marked.  It is up to you to navigate and find resupply points.  Having said that there are a few stores along the route that you can hit up for food and water ... if you get there during business hours.

I ITT'd it last year due to a conflict with the Grand Depart.  My time last year was 12:54 with a moving time of 12:07.  I really was not in "racer" mode then, so I figured that a sub-12 hour time was doable.

"Crockett" be his name, adventurin' be his game!

All this packed onto the bike.  Nothing on my back, save for my phone.

The 6 am start called for the use of a light.  Since the first 10 miles are a climb up Brock Mountain, I used a Bontrager Ion Pro RT mounted on the bar.  Enough lumens to light up the gravel and enough run time to get me out of a jam, should I need a light on the finishing miles.

I was in the fun company of Chris Joice and Scott Rusinko.  We merrily made our way to the top and were greeted with a beautiful sunrise.  Have I said just how much I enjoy riding into the dawn?  Well worth the 4 am wake up call.

They stopped at the top to fiddle with their gear.  Chris had a slow tire leak and Scott needed to take one.  I motored onto FS 80.  Mostly downhill, but chunky as the road bed was made up of rock slabs.  The guys eventually caught me and passed me, along with the TVB dudes and another single speeder.  I approached this descent cautiously, as I did not want to risk a flat for only a couple minutes gain in time.

The Lost Creek (FS 103) passed by swiftly as my legs were feeling sparkly and the was smooth dirt.  I hit Webb Store (mile 32) in 2 hours 43 minutes and caught up to all those who had passed me on the descent.  I took my place in line to refill my bottles from the bathroom sink, dumped in some Infinit powder (this stuff is the crack cocaine of liquid nutrition/hydration), applied some Chamois Butt'r, and began the push to Coker Creek, where the next water stop would be.  I somehow managed to leave before most of the guys.

Crossing creek alongside the rail road in waist deep water, I just "voided" the earlier Butt'r application.  The water wasn't even cold enough to make it pleasant for my feet.  As I saddled back up and hit the gravel of FS 27, I began imagining what my chamois would begin to grow over the next 8 hours. I caught up to Chris and we rode together over to Starr Mountain.  We had some great conversation.

Freshly laid gravel in the first few miles of Starr had me fishtailing through the corners.  Along the false flat, an older gentleman and a young boy had come out to watch us racers.  They also  had a mini aid station set up for us!  That ... was ... so ... cool!  Unfortunately I could not partake, as I had topped off back at Webb's.

Chris slowly pulled away as the road steepened.  I was soon joined by Scott, Colin, and John.  Those 3 miles up to the ridge is one of the harder climbs on the course.  Once at the top, I rolled quickly along and then plummeted down to Hwy 315.  Now that was fun;  the gravel was golden and traction was amazing!

The stretch from Hwy 315 over to Hwy 68 and the Coker Creek Welcome Center is 10 miles of pavement.  But even those are not easy miles.  Ivy Trail and Towee Road have several steep pitches that had me in granny gear.  I even began to question:  Is my brake rubbing?  Is my hub seizing?  Then there are the neverending undulations of Epperson and Hot Water Roads.  Sheez!

I had one of many dog encounters on Towee Trail.  As I passed by a lady who appeared to be holding a GPS like device, I said, "Good morning."  Immediately her 60 pound black retriever mix gave chase.  I soon realized what she was holding was a shock collar remote.  As this dog gave chase, he would be thrown off track by a shock.  It deterred him but did not stop him.  Each time she hit the button, he would wheel around and bite at his side; I suppose he thought yellow jackets were after him.  Even though I was at my limit trying to outrun him (uphill), I had to laugh!

Once the road semi-flattened out, I pulled out my first of two rice cakes.  It had fallen apart in the ziploc so I just tore a corner off and squeezed it like a gel into my mouth.  That savory taste was mighty good going down the hatch.

Rocket fuel!

I rolled in the welcome center (mile 64) in 5 hours 30 minutes.  Still feeling fantastic, I repeated the process I had done at Webb's and rolled out of there chasing John (Team Quigley) and Scott Rusinko.  Joe Brown Highway (FS 40) was a bumpy gradual climb.  Time seemed to fly by and I was wondering why I felt so great.  Could it have been the rice cake I ingested 1 hour earlier?

I descended down to Shuler Creek Road and went into TT mode along this 5 mile flat section.  As I was approaching the turn off to Buck Bald, I came upon Audrey.  WTF?!?  How was she ahead and why was she riding in the opposite direction?  I slowed down just a little (as I was in a zone and feared stopping and legs seizing) as I approached.  She seemed just as confused, turned around, and began back tracking.  I kept it a wee bit slow as I turned onto FS 311, hoping she might catch up.  She seemed to slow up as well, so I went back on track.  I figured it would make for a good campfire story later. (Found out that night that she had ridden the "sucker" part of the lollipop in the reverse direction)

Once again Chris caught me as I was climbing up to Buck Bald.  Which was a good thing, as his phone and Wahoo were both misbehaving.  One of the rules of the race was that you had to take a selfie on Buck Bald.  Since Chris' phone was not working, I vouched for his being there.

How did we ever survive w/o cell phones and GPS?

The mountain in the background is where I am headed.

The descent off Buck Bald and back down to Hwy 68 did not seem as rowdy as last year.  After a brief pedal on 68, I turned left onto Bailey Road and immediately grabbed a good size stick out of the ditch.  Last year I had to fend off two aggressive pit bulls.  Today I got lucky as the owner was out and called one of her dogs back (the other probably had died of East Tennessee lead poisoning or heartworms).  As I thanked her, she responded that it might be wise to carry bear spray or mace.  I had to bite my tongue as I wanted to respond that I wouldn't have to if you were a responsible pet owner.

One steep kicker up to Duckett Ridge (FS 22) and I was rolling along and feeling fantastic.  I love this section; it has super flow!  I rocked it all the way down, crossed the little bridge and then that devil of a 1 mile climb up McCulley Mountain.

I caught back up to Chris as he was HAB'ing this section and throwing some food down.  I must say I really enjoyed his company for a good portion of the day; a great motivator.  Sadly, this would be the last I would see of him.  The remainder of the ride I was by myself.  Which is not a bad thing;  it is during these times of the race, when you are hurtin' and have to dig deep that you truly get to know yourself. Having done hundreds of races, I know that these lows are inevitable.  Where before I feared them, now I embrace them.  They will pass.

Motoring along the pavement of Towee Pike and Childer's Creek, I stopped alongside the road and filled two bottles from the adjacent creek, popping a filter tablet into each.  I did not want to pedal off route to purchase water at the Reliance C-Store.  I knew there was a piped spring around mile 106, but would need water before then.

Pedaling along PowerHouse Road, I relished my second rice cake and took a time check.  It would be interesting to see if I had the same surge of energy (in about an hour) as I did with the first cake.  Kim was roadside taking photos.  I slowed down and briefly chatted; she said that Rusinko was just ahead.  I didn't take that to mean too much as "just ahead" could be 30 seconds or 30 minutes!

After crossing the Hiwassee, I began to smell the finish.  Kim had prepared home made chili and I was eager to be off the bike and not seeing food as fuel but as an opportunity to enjoy the company and stories of the other racers.   By now, the rice cake had time to kick in ... and I can say that I did feel the surge of energy.  I hit the 4 mile FS 236 climb aggressively, utilizing every bit of glycogen and grit that I had.  I stopped at the pipe spring to refill one bottle.  Then a short descent, a bit of a false flat, and then the "test your mettle" climb began.

The last big push (1800 feet, 11 miles) was daunting but doable.  I wanted to do it fast! But at 107 miles in, with everything aching, fast was only in my mind.  The first 3 miles I felt great, all things considered.  Yes, my low back was achy, my left shoulder felt like someone had a knife in it, and my right foot was on fire, but I was good.  THEN ... the right hand turn onto the double track of death climb.  Oh My God!  So chunky that I began to cuss every slab of rock.  Just around the corner would be more climbing.  The short descents were no fun either ... just a way of making me climb the f*!! more.  Even drinking water became an effort, causing my heart rate to increase by 10 bpm.  I looked at my GPS, seeing 10:25 elapsed time.  I told myself, "You can suffer 1 hour longer ... you got this."

A mile later, after I tried another little surge, my field of vision narrowed and I got a little wonky.  Hmmm ... this must be what low blood sugar feels like.  So I stopped and threw down a handful of Cliff Shot Blocks.  Hopped back on the bike and eased back into the climb.  Within 10 minutes, I felt better and proceeded to descend the final bit down to FS 68.

Hitting 68, there were still 5 more miles of climbing before I would begin the final 10 mile descent.  As I was chugging along, I was passed by about 15 motos, a wee bit annoying as a couple came rather close to me.  Once at the top, I saw I had a chance to hit the finish in 11 1/2 hours.  I also knew from last year that this descent is not easy.  My body was so thrashed that every little bump felt excruciating.  It's funny, for the past 3 hours, I was looking forward to getting to this point, but now that it was hear, I was dreading it.

The miles ticked by ever so slowly that it felt like climbing miles.  Just get me to the pavement, I kept telling myself.  Never was I so looking forward to blacktop.  I relished the few brief ups as it gave me a chance to stand and relieve the pain in my hands and low back.  I came upon the moto guys who were spread out all in the road.  I had to "ahem" them several times before they gave notice and moved their machines.  If they only knew how many miles I had pedaled under my own power, many egos would have been popped.

Finally to the pavement, where mph's exceeded 40!  Yaaassss! Almost there.  I almost got taken out by the Great Pyrenees, who thinks that section of road is his to protect.  Close call!  I was just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the finish.

I had the brief thought of. "I am getting too old for this shit!"  But then quickly realized I picked a sport that is ageless.  So I guess I am stuck with doing this crazy pedaling for hours on end.

I rolled through the finish line in 11:28, beating last year's ITT by 1 hour 26 minutes!  I also managed a 3rd overall, which I am pretty stoked about.  Guess I am not too old.

Kim Murrell out did herself with this Grand Depart.  I had a cold creek soak, followed by a cold water hose shower, and bottomless chili with all the fixin's.  And great stories to be had around the picnic table as we awaited the arrival of others.

#bestdayever

Winner's buckle

Relive 'Dirty 130'

       

Pisgah Monster Cross Race Report

This year's course was different, lollipop style and not using the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The "stick" was 20 miles and the "pop" was 31 miles, with 25 of that being new gravel and pavement.  I was glad to have endured an out and back drive from my home a couple weeks back to recon the "pop."  My weapon of choice was my Niner RLT RDO.  Although the new gravel had some chunk to it, there was not enough to justify the Niner Air 9 RDO.  I ran Maxxis Rambler 40/38 combo.

At the start, the temperature was a comfortable 68 degrees, and conditions dry.  I looked around to see both familiar and unfamiliar faces in the women's field.  With no pressure being placed upon myself, I was looking forward to a day of brutal fun, which is what I would expect from a Pisgah Production event.

The start was controlled until the turn off onto FS477.  After that, the dust kicked up as the front runners pulled away.  I was soon among a few slowly churning up the 5 mile climb.  While I was waiting for the engine to come to life (which these days seems like 1 hour), I felt twinges of tightness and slight pain in my left hamstring.  Not like a cramp, but like I had a slight pull.  When the gravel pitched up and I had to up the wattage, the hammie would start to complain.

Me:  Hammie, why are you being so fussy today?
Hammie:  Probably because you made me run twice this week.
Me:  Well that should not be a big deal.
Hammie:  Well, it is.  I don't like it.
Me:  If you keep whining, I am going to go to Revive Massage Therapy and have Virginia work on you.
Hammie:  Oh, GOD!  Please, no!  Not those hands of steel!  I'll be good.  Just give me another 30 minutes to loosen up.
Me:  15 and it is a deal.
Hammie:    O.K.

I endured the tightness up FS477.  Once on the ridge, I was able to connect with a small group and ride their coat tails down to Hwy 276 and over to FS475B.  Fortunately, the tightness and pain worked its way out on the short climb up FS475B.  As I was descending the 5 miles down to FS475, I was smiling almost the whole way, until I realized that I would be climbing back up this SOB in about 40 miles.

The first aid station was at the intersection of FS475B/FS475 at mile 15.  I had no need to stop and so motored on.

I felt life coming back into my legs as I climbed up FS475B and chatted with a JA King racer who had done the Ozark Trail 100, which is coming up in 3 weeks for me.  We were talking so much up the climb that we might have semi-annoyed another racer in our company.

The descent off Gloucester Gap had my eyeballs bouncing around in my skull with all the stutter bumps.  If that wasn't enough jarring to give me an "on the bike" concussion ... sheez!

Taking a right onto Hwy 215, I began the arduous 5 mile climb.  At least it was paved.  I settled into a rhythm which kept my heart rate in zone 3.  For the most part I was alone.  There was one group of 2 that passed me halfway up.  At first I latched on, seeking a little shelter from the wind, but when I saw my heart rate heading to zone 4, I knew I had to back off.

Then Mr. Squeaky Shoe showed up.  He passed me at a pretty good clip so I didn't immediately latch on.  And I really did not want to hear that god awful noise for the next 15 minutes.  But then he must have slowed up a tick or two as I was able to bridge.  Fortunately, the noise was a metronome for my breathing, so I just made a game of it and all was well.  I was able to push it slightly faster, get some drafting in, and do some good abdominal breathing the remainder of the climb.

Turning left onto FS4663, I passed Mr. Squeaky Shoe and saw some racers just ahead.  So now the carrot game ensued.  This section of gravel was more of a freshly graded dirt surface.  Mostly packed, but with some soft spots, I was grateful that it was not raining as this would have been a muddy mess.  This section was rolling and with just a few short kickers that I could stand and power over, I was in my zone!  Towards the end it turned down sharply and I had to be light on the bike as pointy little rocks began showing up through the dirt.

The gnarliest descent of the day was on FS 4663C, about 1 mile of pretty steep chunky and loose rock.  This was one place, albeit short, where a mountain bike would excel over a gravel bike.  I caught up to Rich here, but having a hard tail with fat tires, I soon lost sight of him.  I just told myself to settle and not do anything stupid, like bang a rim or slice a tire.  I had already seen at least 5 racers with flats leading up to this point.  I would rather be a bit tentative than have to plug or tube a tire.

Popping out onto Charley's Creek road, I rode onto the wheel of none other than THE Rich Dillen, who was questioning his decision to be out here today.  I am not sure what happened to his "old man watts" as he is usually far ahead of me.  Mebbe too much carbo loading the night before or mebbe (as I can attest to) being a parent of a teenager had his adrenals shot.  Whatever the case maybe, I think I stoked his fire a bit, as he passed me on the next section of gravel, Wolf Mountain Road.  This 5 mile section was fairly rugged on a gravel bike, what with dodging mud holes and wash outs, descending chunky embedded rock, and then climbing short but steep pitches.  My eyes were definitely glued to the "road."

I came into aid 2, mile 38, did a bottle swap, and gulped a caffeine laden gel.  Hopping back on the bike quickly enough so that my legs did not think the day was over, I hit the second deep gravelly descent (the first was just before the aid station).  Not fighting the bike but letting it go where it wanted to, I "skied" down to where the road turned to pavement.

I let go of the brakes and enjoyed some free speed off the mountain, about 2 miles worth of curvy ass road.  That ... was ... fun! Turned left, rode across a bridge, and then the road went straight UP!  Ouch!  This 1 mile grunt had my legs calling me all sorts of terrible names.  Cresting the top, I enjoyed some more free speed downhill before hitting the final 4 miles of pavement back to Hwy 215.  After looking behind me and seeing no one in sight (I was hoping I could latch onto a train), I put my head in TT mode and drilled it.

Hwy 215 came and went and then I was back on the "stick" portion of the route.  Indian Creek Road came and went as I had a racer pass me, which then encouraged the body to go a little bit harder. When I turned onto FS475 and hit the stutter bump section, I had to fight for every inch of that climb.  Too loose for me to stand and hammer, I had to sit and endure the back wrenching bumps.  Time seemed to come to a standstill here.  I finally hit Gloucester Gap.  My back still felt like someone was putting a hot iron to L5.  I endured the pain during the 4 mile descent, knowing relief would come during the 5 mile climb up FS 475B.

I think the caffeine finally kicked in on this arduous climb, as I flew by several racers.  One told me that I was the second woman.  That was a pleasant surprise, for all day long, I had no idea, other than Kaysee, who might be ahead of me.

It felt oh so good to just stand and hammer, giving the back some much needed relief. Standing for 20 revolutions, sitting for 20, I repeated this process until the short descent down to Hwy 276.  As I began the final climb back up the highway and onto FS477, I felt like I was carrying some pretty good speed.  But halfway up, I had a single speeder pass me.  I couldn't let him go without a fight.  I picked up my wattage and bridged the gap.  As we hit the rollers, I passed him slowly, allowing him to latch onto my wheel.  We stayed together until the gravel pointed downwards.  At this point I seemed a little more willing to take chances through the sketchy corners and dropped him.

As the road flattened out beyond the horse stables, I was in as low a gear as I could go.  I had two guys (who I had passed earlier on the FS475 climb) pass me doing mach 4 and didn't even have a chance to give chase.  They managed to just stay out of my reach.  Dang!  That would have been nice to tuck in behind them for the last mile or two!

The barriers make it Eric Wever legit!

Photo Cred:  Icon Media Asheville

Too tired to attempt barrier hopping, I at least managed to crawl over them without falling.  I finished with a time of 5:38:37, good enough for second.  But most importantly another coveted buckle!

No better podium company than these fine lasses!