Firecracker Race Report, Part 2

So, coming through the Start/Finish, after the first lap, I felt pretty good, or so I thought. I hopped back onto some singletrack which led back to the Boreas Pass climb. People (I think Erica and Josh) were cheering for me, which helped to get me pumped for the climb. I am Mrs. Consistency when it comes to laps, so I figured I would be able to ride the second lap aound 2:30 as well, especially since there would be less congestion on the singletrack.

The climb up Boreas pass went uneventfully. I was making about the same time as Lap 1. At Aid Station 1, I dropped my Camelbak and decided to run just water bottles. I figured I had enough calories left in my gel flask to finish the race.

But when I started the double track/singletrack climb back up to Iowa Mill, something bad began to happen (which has NEVER happened to me before). I was overcome with nausea and stomach cramps. Thank God I wasn't above treeline because I made a beeline for a large spruce ... and unloaded at both ends. After what seemed like an eternity, I forced myself to get back on the bike and soft pedal up the remainder of the climb.

I thought about throwing the towel in; well, for a millisecond, but once I got to the top of the climb, I started feeling a bit better. The descent down to Sally Barber mine and on down to French Gulch Road was a thrill ride; no people to pass, cramping was fading, and I didn't have to pedal.

The climb up Little French Gulch was painstakingly slow. I had to dismount a couple times as whenever I tried to power up, my stomach would remind me of what happened a few miles back. So I took it easy, crossed Little French Creek, and rode the flume uneventfully.

As I was coming into Lincoln Meadows, I passed a woman in my class, who was having a mechanical. Sweet for me, as I was back in 5th. Then just up ahead I saw Melissa. Knowing I did not have it in me to power past her, I went into "stealth mode," keeping a couple guys between her and I, and hoping my GI system would improve.

Climbing back up the road to Sally Barber mine, I began to feel the strength flow back into the legs. So, about 20 meters from the top, I said, "What the hell; let's see what I got." So I clicked Indy into the big ring and made a jump. I raced past her like a scalded dog. I knew there was about 1 1/2 miles to the singletrack, so I just hammmered. I felt for sure she would leap onto my wheel. But when I looked back after a minute or so, she was nowhere in sight. I did not let my guard down as I knew she was an excellent descender.

I passed a couple guys, hit the singletrack, and pedaled my heart out. Thankfully, I did not awaken the Gods of Spewing, and several minutes later, finished in 4th place.

All in all it was a good day. It could have been worse; I was just happy that there was not a DNF after my name. And I would not have changed how I managed the week leading up to the race for nothing. I had such a fabulous time with Zeke getting my Colorado singletrack fix in such awesome places as Salida, Gunnison, Crested Butte, and Breck. Memories that will last forever!

I am already trying to figure out how I can get back out there next year!

Firecracker 50 Race Report

Race day brought beautiful skies, cool temps, and thousands of people lining the streets for the 4th of July parade through downtown Breckenridge. The race would lead off the parade at 11am. No butterflies today! Just thoughts of having fun and finishing the race in one piece.

The 40+ open women class had 12 starters, with some super fast local (and by local, I mean Colorado) women. I was tired, but mentally prepared for a day of suffering. I was looking at this race as part of the bigger picture. I was going to treat this like a final stage of the TransRockies.

It was supposed to be a neutral start, meaning STAYING behind the lead-out volunteer, with a speed of 10mph, until we turned left onto Boreas Pass Rd. Then the race would be on. However, about half the field took off and proceded to pass the lead-out person. I stayed behind, as I did not want to be penalized or DQ'd. Not being from here, I was unsure of the rules.

But after I saw the group ahead of me getting smaller and smaller, I decided to go around the neutral start person, just before we made the left onto the climb. I took it relatively easy on the 6 mile climb up to Baker's Tank, hoping that those in front of me would blow up. I slowly reeled in several and upon hitting the singletrack, was in 6th place.

The first bit of singletrack was pretty mellow and flat, but to me it felt like I was still climbing. I soon found out that racing at 10,000-11,500ft was a heck of a lot different than riding at that altitude. Everytime I tried to hit the gas a bit to punch it over the short climbs, I sputtered. Not liking that feeling, I stayed in the saddle and spun it out as I had no "mashing" ability at this elevation.

This was the first race where I was passed quite a bit on the climbs by the guys. After what seemed like an eternity, the doubletrack topped out at the highest point of the race. From there there was some descending down some washed out doubletrack. When it came to descending on the first bit of singletrack, Nightmare on Baldy, I was stuck behind those same guys, applying WAY too much brake. So frustrating ... but that's racing.

Once we popped out onto the Sally Barber mine dirt road descent, I was able to get around them and one woman in my class. So now I was in 5th. After this super fun and ridiculously fast descent, I began the climb up the French Gulch. It started out easy and on doubletrack, but soon turned into singletrack and was wicked steep, with lots of loose shaley rocks. I was able to climb all but the last 20 meters or so, having to dismount, when several guys in front of me bobbled.

After I topped out on this climb, I was treated to some flat to rolling singletrack, the Little French Flume. This was fun, but would have been funner at 2000ft. I was still having trouble tunring over the pedals at speed. After this bit of singletrack, the course went up and down until it brought us back to the dirt road climb back up to Sally Barber mine. It was here that I was passed by Melissa, so I was once again in 6th.

After the 1 mile climb up to the mine, it was pretty much downhill to the Start/Finish line. I had an absolute blast on this 3 mile descent, especially once it turned to singletrack, with its swoopy, flowy lines. Not too technical, but it did have its share of rocks and roots. The final bit of singletrack into Carter Park was like a dual slalom course with its high banking switchback turns. Yee haw!!!

I may have been sucking wind on the climbs, but at least I could have fun on the descents and just let it go!

I rolled through the Start/Finish line with a time of 2:31. I was only hoping to do as well on the second lap, but my body had different ideas ....

To be continued ... (got a plane to catch!)

Colorado -- Days 3 and 4

Tuesday morning saw us leaving our gracious Salida hosts, Kent and MaryAnn. We were off to Gunnison, to explore Hartmann Rocks. I only knew that there were rocks and swoopy, banked turns.

When we arrived, it was like different planet. Out of the high desert plains, jutted up mounds of huge rocks. It looked like a giant had molded it out of brown play-doh. I immediately identified the supersteep dirt road climb up to the playground. Fortunately, it was dry, Namrita, as was the rest of the system. With bluebird skies and temps in the 70's, I knew it was going to be a good day.

The first techy rock trail threw me off a bit, as I just was not used to the granular surface and granite rocks. Not sure of the trail's name, this was one where you did not want to make a mistake or ride off the trail because you would likely fall to your death several hundred feet down.

However, after warming up and hitting a few more, I found my flow and thoroughly enjoyed the supersteep rocky descents and bouldery ascents. The Luge Trail, so aptly named, was a rollercoaster of fun. With its banked turns and smooth surface, I was able to rail it! The Rattlesnake tested my skills and left me exhilarated.

After 5 hours of fun and our bodies slowly turning brown in the Colorado sun, we packed up and headed to Crested Butte. This town is very quaint nestled in a valley surrounded by 14'rs. Zeke took us up along the Slate River to a campground which would be our base for the next couple nights.

Wednesday morning we awoke to cooler temps and tired bodies. Zeke was nursing some severe purple sage allergies and I was trying to move the lactic acid out of my legs which had 20 hours of riding under them. We headed to town and refueled at The Paradise Cafe. With bellies satiated, we went back to the campsite and from there began to tackle the dirt roads and trails.

After about an hour climb up the Slate River Road, FSR #734, and FSR #811, we topped out at 12,000ft to begin Trail #403. Most of the trail was rideable, but there was one 3/4 mile section of snow we had to hike through. And then the descent down to Gothic campground was pretty treachorous. Supersteep, with loose rocks, and several drop-offs, I took one spill. After that, I played it smart and walked a couple sections. Once again, no room for error! One mistake would send you head over heels down the slope for several hundred feet.

More fireroads took us to Snodgrass, Lower Loop, Upper Loop, and Woods Walk Trails. #401 was still heavily snowed in, so perhaps next time ... After 6 hours of bliss, it was time to call it a day. My heart longed for more, but my legs reminded me of a little race on Saturday! I could spend a week in Crested Butte and still not ride all the trails they have to offer.

Off to Breckenridge ...

Colorado -- Days 1 and 2

Zeke and I arrived in Salida Friday afternoon. He drove the van and picked me up at the airport. We are staying with Mary Ann and Kent, 2 amazingly interesting people who lead an idyllic life. They are ex-adventure racers, who have travelled all over the world, competing in some of the hardest races, including the Raid Gauloises.

On Saturday morning, we rode the 6 miles of trail that Kent and Mary Ann built on their property ... just a little slice of heaven. I tried out my legs and lungs at 7000 feet and felt pretty good. The only time I felt the altitude was on a sustained climb greater than 1/4 mile.

After lunch, we rode from Kent's house up Bear Creek to Rainbow Trail (ele. 9000ft). It was a 7 mile climb, both gravel road and gnarly doubletrack, to the trailhead. NOW, I was feeling it. I just settled into a good aerobic pace and did not try to push it. I had heard stories of people going too hard too fast, and then falling apart on subsequent days. And I want to ENJOY all my days in Colorado, so I took it easy.

Well, taking it easy came to an abrupt end, once I hit the Rainbow. Oh my God, it was so sweet. It rolled along for 6 miles along a side cut, with a few openings revealing the beauty of the Rockies. The trail varied from smooth and flowy to some fun rocky sections. I felt great breathing in the thin air and my legs were hammering. Much better than I expected. We finished up the day with a screaming descent back down to Kent's house.

On Saturday, Kent took us up to the Monarch Crest Trail. This trail has not been open very long and we were one of the first to ride it in its entirety. Being at 11,500ft, it takes awhile for the snow fields to melt and the trail to become visible. We had to climb over 3 fields, with one having a 10 foot drop. On this one, we had to do a butt slide down. Zeke managed to tear his shorts and had to dig a few rocks out of you know where. Kent, being a gentleman, grabbed me as I slid towards him, and cushioned my landing.

There were so many OMG moments. With the vistas, the wildflowers, and the Aspens, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My head was swirling, not because of the altitude, but because of the immense beauty. It was sensory overload!

And the trail was to die for! From open and flowy along the Continental Divide to rough and rugged through the pines along the Colorado. The smells of the pine, spruce, and sage were unbelievable. All my senses were engaged. And during the times I stopped to take pictures, it was absolutely quiet! No planes, trains, or automobiles up here.

The trails along the Monarch Crest, Continental, Colorado, Silver Creek, and Rainbow each had their own character. As we slowly descended down from 11,500 to 7,500, I was captivated by the beauty of each ecosystem.

Once again, I was surprised how my body was handling the altitude. I expected it to be a lot rougher. However, along this 36 mile stretch of the Crest I only gained 3000 feet of elevation. So I know that the FC 50 with its 5000 feet of gain per 25 mile lap is going to hurt like a mother. But I did come to realize that I may not be able to go as fast up, but I can still scream down the descents!

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?