Cowbell Challenge Race Report

Race day in Davidson, NC brought sweltering heat and humidity. Just during my warm-up, I went through a bottle and had to refill at a nearby ball park. It was a 10am start and already the temperature was 84 degrees.

It was a strong ladies field and the butterflies were fluttering in my gut. What more could I do? Coach had me dialed in for an "A" race. After 8 months under her tutelage, I was confident that I had a strong chance to take it. When Bruce called us up and asked, "Who wants this today?," I think I was the only one that immediately raised my hand.

The mayor sounded the horn for the start and we were off ... fast! There was a sharp left-hand turn onto the greenway and a curb to negotiate. I was surprised no one went down. I hit it so fast I think I closed my eyes and prayed to stay upright.

I stayed close to Rebecca through the 7 miles of pavement/greenway. A woman in a Barbasol kit took the lead and grabbed the first QOM (Queen of the Mountain) climb. I wasn't worried about her. In years past, I claimed the QOM prizes, but this year I had my sites set on the win.

When we hit the singletrack, we immediately began a 150 yard climb. It was so humid that my glassed began to fog. Rebecca and I had our eye on Mrs. Barbasol, who was about 30 seconds ahead. Once we hit the techy singletrack, we reeled her in and passed on a grassy, off-camber downhill section.

From there, I just focused on staying on Rebecca's wheel for as long as I could and watch for any signs of weakness (Yeah, right ... who was I kidding ... Rebecca doesn't have any weakness!) But I was hoping that the horrendous heat and humidity would hurt her more than I. After all, I had 3 weeks to acclimate!

As we went through the third section of singletrack, the roots were still pretty slick from the past week's rains. Rebecca was kind enough to point those out to me as she fish-tailed and nose-dived her way through this section.

Once out in the open flat field section, I was a bit afraid that she would power away from me. I held onto her wheel pretty comfortably. Soon, however, she got a stick caught in her wheel and had to pull off to dislodge it. It was now or never; I accelerated a bit more to try to put as much time between her and me. Three climbs at the end of the lap were coming up fast and I know how domineering she can be on this type of terrain.

I felt really good powering up the climbs and I loved Taylor's little "Snowshoe downhill trail." I had practiced it pretty heavily the day before because I knew that this section could make you or break you. It was a slip-slidy tricky descent between trees immediately followed by a short uphill where you had to hop over a slicker 'n snot diagonal, off-camber log. The first lap it was still so wet that I did a cyclocross dismount, hop over, remount move. I was able to clean it on laps 3-6.

Upon coming in to my pit area after the first lap, my awesome pit crew of Mom, Doug, and Carly were awaiting. I did not stop but slowed down enough to where Carly fed me a new bottle and Doug doused my back with ice water.

Upon starting the second lap, I was just waiting for Rebecca to come up behind me and pass me like I was standing still (as she had in the previous Cowbell's). But, to my surprise, that did not happen. I was feeling really good. Legs were happy, breathing was under control. So I do what I do best ... rock 'n rolled on the singletrack and stayed consistent on the open flats and climbs. I was feeling the love of the Cowbell today. The second, third, and fourth laps flew by! I could tell it was getting hotter, but my body was adjusting. My pit crew did a fantastic job of keeping me cool and hydrated.

Beginning the fifth lap, I could tell the heat was taking its toll. Racers were lying and sitting around everywhere. It was beginning to look more like a social ride than a race. And then the heat began to affect me as well. A couple times I got a bit dizzy and had to dial it down a notch. I also took two bottles on the 5th lap and drank them both (42 ounces in 45 minutes!). At this point I was beginning to think ... just a bit ... that I could win this! I had no idea how far Rebecca was behind me. So I kept it pegged, just below heat exhaustion level.

As I began lap 6, Zeke told me that I had 8 minutes up on Rebecca and that it was my race to lose. Holy cow! I had never been in this position before. What do I do? I was still feeling pretty good, so I treated the last lap as an XC race ... for about the first 4 miles. Then my hamstring began to tighten. Nooooooooo! Not a cramp ... this cannot be happening. I immediately backed it down and began to soft-pedal. Everytime I thought it was gone, I would slowly bring it back up to speed, but then the cramp would come right back. I finally figured that if I kept my HR under 165, the cramp would not come upon me.

The last 4 miles felt like an eternity. I just knew that Rebecca would reel me back in. But then I would think that she has to be hurting at least as much as I. Upon climbing up the last little powerline climb, I looked back to see who was behind me. No one!

I rolled through the finish with one of the biggest smiles of my life. I gave it my all and took the win! I tried to cool down on the bike, but with a finishing temperature of 100 degrees, that was not happening. I rolled back to my pit and fell into a chair. My Mom immediately began to put cold, wet towels on me. It took 15 minutes for my HR to drop back down to normal. And all that time I was pretty weak and light-headed.

This was definitely a victory for the family. I could NOT have done it without them ... it was a team effort! They were able to get me in and out of the pits in less than 30 seconds ... the first three times I did not even stop. Carly gets the award for "Best Bottle Feeder" ... she did not drop any. After I got my senses back, I asked Carly how my demeanor was when I rolled into the pits on each lap. I thought that at one point I was pretty bitchy. But she summed it up best when she said, "It's o.k. Mommy, you were just trying to win."

Taylor, the race promoter, was all over the course, during the race. From working on the Snowshoe downhill to make the log crossing a bit easier, to cheering on us racers at various points, to hosing us down with water on the last lap, Taylor was there. The course this year was definitely tougher than last year. I loved the new technical sections! Kudos to Taylor and his efforts. What an awesome event!

Rebecca Rusch is to women's mountain biking what Chamique Holdsclaw was to Lady Vol's basketball. A fierce competitor as well as an inspiration to all women wanting to excel on the bike. I have great respect and admiration for her and am glad to be her friend. I can't wait to see her kick a$$ at 24 Hour World's! I am glad that the Cowbell wasn't a 12 or 24 hour event as I know she would have kicked mine.

Thanks to Coach Lynda for her expert guidance and perfecting my training.

Dedicated Athlete's Rapidade kept me hydrated and almost cramp-free. But I don't think my cramps were brought on by electrolyte imbalances but by just pushing beyond what my body was capable of.

Indy, my Specialized Era, rocked the course and never faltered. What an freaking sweet machine!

Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle kept my butt happy and chamois-brand free. Unlike last year at this course, where I had a reminder of what sand and pitiful chamois cream can create down there.

Congrats to Sophie, a 13 year old who won the 17 and under class ... and who girled her Dad in a sprint finish! You are awesome!

If It's Rockin' Don't Be Knockin'

Zeke surprised me this past week with a new vehicle ... and no, it is not the Ford Edge that he was thinking about last summer. It is a bare bones '08 Ford cargo van. He says it is so that we can haul our stuff to Canada for TransRockies. But let me tell you, there is enough room in there for a queen size air mattress. Hmmm....

Or he may have gotten the van just to try to win 1 bet with me. This one was how long does it take to warm up a van from 32 degrees to 50 degrees. We made that bet a long time ago and I have forgotten how many minutes I said. I will say 15 minutes from the time you start the engine.

Anyway, I rode with him down to Raccoon Mountain this past Friday. It will definitely fit all our gear and my parents when we head to British Columbia. But I did not quite feel right riding in it; it was like I was missing something. Oh yeah, I know ... a Pepsi uniform. Or maybe white pants and a white T-shirt, like painters wear!

Discburner 6 Hour Race Report

After back-to-back 40 hour workweeks, I was ready to unleash some stress on the trail. Yeah, 40 hours may not seem like much, but when you are only used to 20 ...

My training plan called for 3-4 hours of race effort this past Friday. Having to motivate yourself at that intensity for that length of time can be quite difficult. Luckily, Dave Holmes' race, the Discburner, was happening Saturday. And Coach gave me the o.k. to race the 6 hour! Game on!

It was a LeMans start. I ran pretty decent and got onto the trail in the front group. The course was fast and flowy, with a few techy spots and a few tight, twisty sections. Climbs were in the 30-60 second range. Considering how tough the last two weeks were on me, I felt really good and was able to push the pace. On one occasion my front tire washed out and I kissed a tree. At that point, I made a conscious effort to back it down a notch. After all, this was just a training race.

I raced with bottles, with was really sweet! I stashed my cooler underneath a tree just before the Start/Finish line and grabbed a bottle each lap. Pit times were just under 10-15 seconds. The first 4 hours I kept it pegged. Temps were in the mid-80's but most of the course was in the trees, so heat was not really a factor. I managed 5 laps in 3:50 minutes. Each lap was 46 minutes and some change. I was happy with my consistency. I felt that I could still have gone hard, but backed off the pace as Coach instructed and just cruised around the course the last two laps.

I came away with the win and an awesome training day. Dave put on a great event and some awesome schwag ... too bad I registered late and missed out on the Mountain Hardware T.

Thanks to my hubby for coming out and cheering me on, too! He had Reese, our 13 year old Lab in tow. Unfortunately (or comically) for Charlie, there were just way too many male dogs around, and Reese ended up peeing on his shoe. Never done that before, but I guess Reese was making sure that everyone knew who his human was.

It was also good to see Eddie and Namrita out there rippin' up the course.

I hope I feel as good at the Cowbell as I did at this race. Could the third time be the charm?

Syllamo's Revenge Race Report

The day before Zeke and I pre-rode the first 10 miles of the course, then got off-course by mistake, and ended up riding an additional 2 hours and 20 miles trying to find our way back to the truck. There were so many ribbons of different colors up on the course we had no idea which ones to follow. I had a map I had printed off the web, but when the thunderstorms struck, it disentegrated. Oh, well, it could have been a lot worse as we were riding on a fireroad along a ridgeline when the worst of the storm struck ... talk about no time inbetween the lightning strikes and thunder!

Luckily, the storms that hit DSG the morning of their race came through Arkansas the night before my race. Race day saw perfect temps and beautiful skies. The start was fast and furious as everyone wanted the "hole shot." The singletrack was super-tight and made passing difficult. The first mile was a fireroad climb at 10% gradient. The rain made it soft and muddy in areas so it was important to fight for the line of least resistance. I followed Zeke as he weaved his way through riders (Zeke is awesome on the fireroads!) I managed to get in the first group to hit the singletrack.

From there it was a bit of a train over the next 8 miles. There were lots of short hike-a-bike sections as we had to maneuver around fallen trees and holes left by the root balls (some were big enough to swallow a small car. Towards the end of the yellow trail I began encountering lots of slippy wet and muddy rocks. These were flat slabs of limestone that were pretty sketchy to ride; you had to keep your rpm's up and have a smooth pedal cadence. At first it was difficult but soon enough I began to find the rhythm of riding these sections and that was where I made a lot of passes as other riders were bumbling around.

I stopped at the first aid station (mile 16)long enough to have my race number marked and then proceded onwards. The next section on the White River Bluff Loop and the Bald Scrappy Loop was even rockier and more technical. I managed to come upon a racer that obviously ridden this before as he was rockin' it. I was content to stay behind him and follow his lines as his were pretty sweet! I eventually went around him when he face-planted on a super-technical downhill that had several creek crossings. I did stop and made sure he was o.k.; he was, save for his ego.

By mile 25, I had settled in with a small group of riders. Our riding abilities seemed equal and we were all moving along very well together. After a rather long river crossing which felt oh so good on my feet, I rolled into the second aid station and refilled my Camelbak and gel flask.

From there began a long arduous switchback climb up Scrappy Mountain. It was here that I was able to pass a few racers with my superior hike-a-bike skills (thank you, Lisa, again). One poor singlespeeder opted to wear the Keen commuter sandals. What was he thinking? I rode what I could, but opted to run when I knew that was the faster method of negotiating the techy trail. I hiked up the "Stairway to Heaven" bouldery section thinking how fun it would be to ride down it!

Once on top, it became fast and flowy again with just a few short logging roads that connected the singletrack. By now, the course was beginning to take its toll on many riders. I still felt good at this point and was relishing getting to the red trail as I had heard that it was superfast and flowy with not much change in elevation.

I arrived at the final aid station, had my race plate marked, and rolled out onto the red trail. Only 14 more miles to go! Shortly though my happy face turned to one of concern as I saw the devastation that Mother Nature had done to this section of the course. It was like riding Brush Creek, but instead of the trailbed being smooth dirt it was a bed of sticks and branches and root ball holes. The trail was ready to eat your derailleur and devour your spokes! Definitely not a time to be racing with your Ipod; you wanted to listen intently to your tires and wheels in order to avoid disaster.

At this point I figured I had a pretty good lead and the race was mine to lose. So instead of rockin' and rollin' this final stretch, I went into conservation mode. I did a lot of soft-pedaling and coasting. I was also off the bike multiple times to pull sticks out of my derailleur and wheels. But I did manage to survive and popped out onto the fireroad descent back into the finish.

Whoo Hoo! What a fast and furious descent! I had my Powertap on for this race and at one point it clocked me at 127.81mph! I crossed the finish line in 5:48: good enough for the women's win and a 9th overall.

This was one of my favorite courses so far in my history or riding. Not many places you can race that has 99% singletrack in one big epic loop! And the rocky terrain makes for one hell of a ride; there are several spectacular views along the course.

Thanks to Saris for making a power meter that can handle the abuse I give it. Thanks to Specialized for one awesome ride. Indy ate this course up!

My trophy weighed in at 30 pounds ... a slab of Arkansas flat rock engraved with the race logo. Awesome!

Tour de Blount

Yeah, I know I need to write up Syllamo's Revenge. However, today's ride with my Dad and daughter was just too amazing not to write about ... and it is fresh on my mind. Syllamo's Revenge will follow ... shortly.

Today was an organized road ride (or race?) of 27 miles. We opted for the shorter route; Carly has built up to a max saddle time of 3 hours. We left the high school parking lot at 8:30 am. I am so proud of my Dad for he usually is NOT awake at 8:30 on a Saturday morning. The ride started out easy enough with us enjoying the breathtaking views of the Smokies. This was good as I was scheduled for an easy ride of about 3 hours. It was short-lived, however, as a Daddy/daughter trail-a-bike tandem soon passed us.

I was content to keep my easy pace; however, Carly was not. I guess the racing bug is in her genes. She immediately told me, "They are getting ahead of us, Mommy." I told her that this was just a ride, not a race. We did manage to keep them in sight. The Dad (John) was on a Cannondale road bike. We were faster on the descents and would catch up. But then they would pull away on the flats and climbs. We soon lost sight of them.

As we rolled in to the first rest stop (mile 9), guess who was there? Carly enjoyed the cookies and Starburst candies. I was content with bananas. After about 5 minutes we took off. We managed to get a head start on John and Sarah. Carly was all smiles since we were in "the lead." After about 15 minutes, Carly pointed out the fact that they were catching up to us. She told me to go faster and then I felt Carly pedaling for all she was worth. We were able to stay ahead of them until the pavement kicked up to a 10% gradient. Sadly we had to watch them pull away from us.

Meanwhile, Dad is watching this from all angles: behind, alongside, and sometimes in front of us. At this point, he was probably empathizing with Zeke! But he was holding his own quite well; he later said to me that his RPE was a 7.

For the next several miles, we climbed quite a bit, with some rollers thrown in as well. As we came around a curve, there was John and Sarah, stopped. John was answering his phone. Now was our time to attack! And we did. Carly told me she had energy so we dug deep. Once we finally crested the long climb, the view was spectacular! I had to stop and take some pictures. Carly was not pleased. She said, "They are going to catch up." And they did.

John was nice enough to stop and take some pictures of the three of us. And my Dad returned the favor. Carly, in the meantime, was rocking the bike, indicating she was ready to go! The next 3-4 miles was mostly downhill. We had a blast! This was Carly's favorite part. One section was like a rollercoaster ... we topped out at 30mph. (Yeah, some knothead will read this and have me arrested for child endangerment!) We whoo-hoo'd the whole way. Carly said she was going so fast, her shorts were coming off. She could feel the wind billowing up her soccer shorts.

At the second rest stop(mile 18), John and Sarah caught up to us. We talked for a bit and found out that they were pretty cool people. Sarah was Carly's age, just a few months older. They were just as enthusiastic as us about riding together. Carly was once again pushing the pace as this pit stop was shorter than the first. We left John and Sarah sitting in the parking lot, eating cookies.

The last section along River Road was fun, mostly flat. When I asked Carly how she was feeling, she said, "Good." When I asked her if she wanted to take it easy or go for the win, she said, "What do you think?" I don't know how she did it, but I could feel the engine in her the last 9 miles. Our only close call was when my tire kicked up a worm on her leg. She started screaming and bouncing back and forth. It was all I could do to keep the bike tracking forward! She finally managed to flick the worm off and then all was o.k.

She kept looking back for the other trail-a-bike and would give me updates every few minutes. With about a mile to go, we thought we had it. But then, just ahead, was a stranded cyclist. Doh! I did not want to stop, but knew it was the right thing to do. As I was handing him a CO2 cartridge, John and Sarah passed us. Dad pointed his finger at the cyclist and said (jokingly, I think), "If we lose, I am going to blame you."

However, they slowed down and as we caught back up to them, asked us if we and the other cyclist was o.k. They were gracious enough to allow us to finish first ... a Lance Armstrong kind of manuever. Carly, Dad, and I pulled in to the high school parking lot with smiles. Carly had to high-five me. The racer in me wanted to celebrate, but the parent in me explained to Carly how this wasn't a race, but just a really fun ride. It is not about winning ... but just having a really good time with your family. I guess I will see, over time, how she responds (I am secretly hoping for that racer's energy and drive!).

Post-race (no, ride) meal was Papa John's pizza. I fell off the wagon and had 3 pieces. Man, was it good! Sarah and her Dad sat down beside us and the girls chatted. Come to find out, Sarah had a soccer game at 2 pm. Wow, I hope she had some energy in reserve. But after looking at Dad, I suspect she did. John looked about how I felt. I was tired! But what a great day!

Needless to say, my 3 hour easy ride turned out to be a 2 1/2 hour tempo ride. Sorry, Coach, but Carly made me do it. My power file will be uploaded soon ... or maybe it should be accidentally deleted.

I will definitely be looking for another ride in the Maryville area. Mostly because our Friday night meal at Aunt Jo's was spectacular. That woman can cook! Antipasto salad, white chicken chili, zucchini casseroles, herbed ciabatta rolls, and brownies. I ate so much I was still full Saturday morning. Thanks, Aunt Jo!

Made It To Arkansas

After a long day of travel, with a midway stop at Montgomery Bell State Park to loosen up the legs on some sweet singletrack, Zeke and I finally arrived in Mountain View, Arkansas. This will be our base for Syllamo's Revenge.

Since Zeke had done this race before, he was given the task of acquiring a room for the 3 days that we would be here. All I requested was a coffee pot, microwave, frig, and wi-fi. Being the nutrition geek that I am these days, I like to bring all my food so that I know EXACTLY what food I am fueling my body with.

So when we pulled up to the Dogwood Inn, my first thoughts were "No Tell Motel." There was bird poop on the room door and a fly swatter on the AC unit. There was also a peculiar odor to the room, one that I did not quite recognize ... other than it not being smoke. But all the appliances worked, the bed was comfortable, and the shower hot. And the fly swatter works!

The funniest, or perhaps saddest, thing that happened to us on our drive here, was being "strafed" by a group of kamikaze honey bees. Yes, as we were speeding along at 70mph, the windshield was hit all at once by at least a hundred bees. It was so loud, it sounded like pea-size hail. At first I thought we were "poo'd" upon by a flock of birds. Then I noticed about 10 honeybee carcasses stuck on the windshield wipers.

I have never really thought about the carnage that occurs on my windshield on a daily basis. These poor bees, with legs full of pollen, dutiful little workers, on their way back to the hive to deliver food to the family, were now smeared across the truck, their lives snuffed out in a second. I had a small "Awww...." moment. Back to reality ... now we had to stop and clean the windshield so that we could see where we were going!

Tomorrow is a recon of the first section of the race. From what I have been told, it is an all out start on a fireroad climb, about 1 mile, to get the "hole" shot into the singletrack, where, for the next 49 miles, it is difficult to pass.

Fowl Play and Swine Flew

I have been riding the Rich Mountain trail for years.Monday I did the Stanly Gap section.Upon arriving at my truck I realized something was missed.The rooster!Yes the rooster.For whatever reason a rooster has been living on this trail.He would attack you on the way down the single track.He jumped on Sam Curlee's helmet two years ago.Of course on these technical trails the rooster is way faster than us so the guy has a big advantage.And yes it is a rooster,not a quail,pheasant or grouse!It must have escaped or was chased off by the hens and like myself lived in solitude.We have many wild things up here;hogs,bear,bob cats,coyote,wolf and panthers.But a rooster is most strange. > Over the years I have met other birds on the trail.I was riding in Stanley,Idaho and ran into a tall bird.The thing was at least the height of my son(6'6").Man I thought the 60's were catching up on me!But sure nuff it was a dang big bird.It would not get off the trail and I was forced to ride behind it.Gee I hoped a ranger or PETA person didn't see me cause they would have thought I was chasing it.Finally the thing got off the Fisher Trail and I was free.Fifteen miles later I saw why the bird did not want to leave me,a big cougar!Way too much wild life for this ole boy!The locals told me the big bird was a Sand Crane. > In 05 I was racing the NMBS marathon in Waco Texas,held on a huge ranch.Around the ten mile point I had to pass Long Horn Cattle but hey,this is Texas.BUT I was not expecting to be nose to beak with an ostrich!The neighboring rancher had them and they mingled with the cattle.Well this thing came running up to me and started pecking at my nose.Yes my nose is a big target!I had to swat the ostrich to make it leave me a lone. > My most humbling bird experience was a dang turkey right here in Hells Hollow.I was hiking a mile from my house when I saw a flock of turkeys.Big ole Mr.Tom attacked.Now a turkey's beak is the same height as my hips,so guess where Tom was leaning in to attack!Having had a V,I did not want to set on ice bags ever again!I riped off my hat a started slapping ole Tom on his head.I ran but he was faster!So I had to kick him.Great!He liked that!My only resort was to slug him,which worked. > Seems I have had more than my share of weird animal experiences:One day I was driving on I-285 around Atlanta when traffic jammed up.Ha,nothing new.Inching my way north I spied an eighteen wheeler on it's side,nothing new either.BUT what was new was,pigs!Pigs all over the road;some dead others running.Those Swine Flew all over the place!---- GOD speed-- Zeke.