Sunday Epic

I had big plans of riding Sunday with DEA over near his place in Maine. Unfortunately that didn't work out due to his work schedule. Luckily for me Chris was looking to do a ride this weekend so we made plans to ride from his house on Birch Hill. We each sent out invites to a bunch of folks, but as we got ready to roll out this morning, only Eric joined our trek. I had checked all my gear the night before and made sure I had my Garmin GPS packed as we planned to ride some stuff I have never been on before. I had my bike all ready and put the GPS into the mount on the bars and turned it on. It chirped and gave me a message, "Battery Low" was being shown on the screen. I said some choice words and took it off my bike and tossed it into my car. Its amazing how tech reliant I have become over the past 3 years riding with the GPS. I am always looking at it for distance traveled, elevation gained, speed and heart rate data. Without it I feel quite lost (not that I ever use it for directions), but it isn't always a bad thing.



Chris has a trail right from his front door that connects him to the Cedar Creek trail network. It was really windy last night and as a result most of the leaves that were on the trees were now on the ground. There were sections where it was actually hard to follow the trail. After a little over a mile into the ride Chris came upon a large pine that had blown down across the trail and tried to ride around it through a bunch of smaller downed branches. He made it almost the entire way around it and then he went down in one of those slow motion crashes that seem to happen and there's nothing you can do to stop it. He hit the ground pretty good and wacked a tree or branch or something like that as he impacted the ground. It left a pretty nasty mark on his lower leg just above his ankle. Luckily the damage all appeared to be internal. Either way it hurt a bunch. He walked it aff for a couple minutes and then we got going again.



After a good couple of loops in Cedar Creek we started the long climb up one of the National Forest fire roads to High Street which is not much more of a road than the WMNF fire road. This climb is a few miles of continuous gravel grind. Once you hit the gate at the end of the fire road and turn right onto High Street you have another mile plus of climbing up the end of the road and the beginning of the trail head to the Mineral Site Trail.

The trail had sections where it was deep with leaves and other areas where it was mostly pines and there were very few leaves on the ground which was a nice change. We had almost reached the trail known as Sherwood Forest when Chris caught a slick root beneath the leaves funny and went down. This time it seemed pretty clean and he had no further injuries from the crash. We got moving and started the fast entrance to Sherwood Forest. All three of us were flying along pretty well and then all of the sudden the trail was covered in a very deep blanket of leaves. The leaves made steering your bike much like steering a boat. Control was somewhat lacking. This trail is all downhill and has some really fun sections.

Eric and Chris, both better downhillers than I, which I attribute to my numerous ER visits, pulled ahead of me a bit. I then came into a switchback section and there was Chris, stopped in the middle of the trail. As I rolled up he flipped his bike over and showed my his rear wheel, it was flat, not low but completely flat. Eric was ahead of us and didn't hear us yell that we were stopped to change the flat tire. Once the tube was out we could see the slice in the tube that looked like it might have happened when he caught the root minutes before.



Chris pulled out his spare tube and pulled the wheel off and started to change the tube out. He started to re-inflate the tube once it was swapped and it just didn't seem to want to hold any air. He pulled the tube out of the tire and we examined it and found that alos had a hole in it. What we didn't know was if it had a hole in it before Chris put it into the tire or if it got the hole during the installation, either way it wouldn't hold air. Neither of us had a patch kit either.

Eric now came riding up as he realized that we were delayed due to something. We now had a problem, we had no more 26" tubes. Eric runs a 29er as do I and he runs a tubeless setup. I had a spare 29er tube and I pulled it out and tossed it to Chris as I figured it was better than walking. Unfortunately once Chris had it in place and started to inflate it he had the same issue with it as he did with his tube. We were now thinking he was going to be walking back home. Luckily for us two other riders came up the trail and were a great help and gave us a tube to use. This one held air. Yahoo. Unfortunate thing was that now we had no spare between the three of us.



Once we finished Sherwood Forest we had another fire road climb. A little less than a mile but by this point we were all feeling our legs a bit. The next trail section I think is called the Carol Reed Trail. It has a nice water crossing over a 2x10 that was a little sketchy. We all just went for it and made it without issue. I had not ridden this trail before so this was nice to ride. It was a twisty rocky rooty trail that had a gradual climb in elevation. We came to a junction of the Stoney Ridge Trail. We went to the left onto the Upper Stoney Ridge Trail This trail was nasty. It goes up and up and just when you think you are done, it turns and goes up some more.



I was very glad that Chris had said I would want a bike with gears today instead of my singlespeed. I was in full on granny gear mode and happy to have it. After a good bit of pretty slow climbing and a little hike-a-bike we came to some slick-rock.



This section I was told is known as the Whitehorse Ledge Trail. The slickrock was pretty cool and very steep. We climbed across it and then dipped back into the woods. I though we had seen what we were going to see. The climbing unfortunately was not over and we worked our way towards the southern end of Whitehorse Ledge.



I was riding the trail and it looked like it just went into the blue. As I approached the clearing Chris yelled out to make sure to turn and its a long way down if you go straight. I was going nice and slow and made my left turn to follow the top edge of the ledge.

This is what Whitehorse Ledge Looks like in a few weeks with a dusting of snow.



As you can see in the above shot there is some significant exposure up on top. It is pretty cool being up there. Here's a few Shots from the top with a view back to the East and North with Echo Lake below, and North Conway to the East.





Riding slickrock is not all that common around our area as it seems it is much more common in places like Moab. It was a lot of fun to ride across, something new for me for sure. I had a 3 hour time window when we left Chris' house and it was about 11AM when we hit the top of Whitehorse Ledge. We decided it was time for us to start back so I could make my 12PM appointment. No more than a half a mile into the ride, while on the Stoney Ridge Lollypop trail section it was my turn for some bad luck. I was descending with Chris behind me and I was off my saddle and was just beginning to get seated again and as my weight hit the seat it gave way.

I have been on a few rides where this has happened to other folks, DEA and NK for a couple, but it has never happened to me before today. One difference for me than what happened to DEA and NK was that I didn't break the seat post bolt that holds the saddle onto the top of the seatpost. I stopped and got off my bike and looked down. My saddle was sort of sitting on top of my rear tire askew. I picked it up and saw that it had broken clean off at the top of the carbon fiber seatpost.




The aluminum insert into the post that attaches to the saddle had snapped. We were still quite a few miles from Chris' house and I was looking at my watch knowing I had about 40 minutes to make it to his house and then to pick up my kid from lacrosse practice at noon.

I put the seatpost into my pack and bunjied the saddle to the back of my pack. I tried to ride as well as I could but you never realize how much you use the saddle of a bike when you ride, even when standing. Without it I was really struggling on the rocky rooty trails. The trail came to a clearing and I decided that if I was to head into the clearing I would be able to find pavement and then ride roads back to Chris' house. I left Chris and Eric and made my way towards the roads.

I got into my big ring so that I could peddle and have enough resistance to keep moving. After about 20 minutes of riding this way I was completely spent. I made the turn onto Birch Hill Road to Chris' place. It is all up hill to his house and I was suffering. I looked at my watch and saw that I had 15 minutes left. I figured I could walk the last steep section of the road and have about 8 minutes to make it.

As I walked I decided I should call my wife and tell her I was probably going to be a few minutes late due to all of our issues of the day. As I grabbed my phone I saw I had a text message which told me that I didn't have to pick up my kid. It was a huge relief. I walked the last couple hundred yards to the top and then got onto the peddles and coasted into Chris' driveway. As I rolled in I could see that Chris and Eric had beaten me back.

It was a long and very tough ride that was filled with a few unfortunate and unexpected things, but overall it was a lot of fun. Chris had his GPS and it said we had done about 15 miles and over 2,330 feet of climbing.

Now that its been a few hours since the ride, I am wicked tired, a good night for the hot tub me thinks.

JJ

Sunday Ride

Planning a Sunday morning ride over in the Cedar Creek area. What I'm told is there is a trail that goes across White Horse Ledge and has some nice exposure. We'll have to see. Heading out around 8:30 AM which is like 9:30 with the time change. Anyone who's interested, let me know by sending me a txt to 6036628768 and I'll give you directions on the meet up.

JJ

Porky Gulch Classic

For Immediate Release: October 29, 2009

Contact: Ryan Triffitt
Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center
Office: 603.466.2333 x 177 / Cell: 207.837.5045
ryan@mt-washington.com

Porky Gulch Classic: The Most Unique Cycling Race in New England

Pinkham Notch, NH—The best all-around cyclist in New England will be crowned on Saturday & Sunday, November 7 & 8 at Great Glen Trails during the Porky Gulch Classic. Three stages over two days, the Porky Gulch Classic combines a hillclimb, criterium and cyclocross to make the most unique cycling race in New England.

On Saturday, the Porky Gulch Classic begins with the Toughest Two, a two-mile hillclimb up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, home of the toughest hillclimbs in the world. In the afternoon, the competition shifts to Story Land in Glen for the Story Land Criterium as cyclists race through the famous amusement park—it’s a wild ride. Sunday morning, the action heads back to Great Glen Trails for the cyclocross portion, the Rockpile Rampage. Cyclocross is a fall and early winter form of bike racing that combines elements of mountain biking, road cycling and cross country running—with some steeplechase mixed in for good measure.

Points are awarded based on finish order in each event. The cyclist with the most combined points after the three events is declared the champion. The race features categories for riders of all skill levels from experts to beginners, and prizes are awarded in each category.

Porky Gulch Classic Schedule:
Saturday, 11/7:
Toughest Two: 9:30 am All Categories
Story Land Criterium: 12:00pm Beginners, 1:00pm Intermediate and 2:00 pm Elite

Sunday, 11/8:
Rockpile Rampage: 9:30am Beginners, 10:30am Intermediate and 11:30 am Elite

Complete information and registration is available at www.PorkyGulchClassic.com.

For those looking to get a sneak peek at the cyclocross course, the ‘Cross in the Glen Cyclocross Series continues on Sunday, November 1 at Great Glen Trails. More information is available at www.GreatGlenTrails.com.


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Mud and Sun

Saturday I headed over to New Gloucester, ME, to take part in day one of the Downeast Cyclocross race. I needed to go over and face a demon from last year, but as I rolled onto the Pineland campus I was directed to a totally different part of the facility, so while it was still Pineland it wasn't the same spot as previous years- oh well.

I should mention the temp when I arrived was 38 degrees and it was pouring. Good times. The course this year included much more cow shit and a ride through a barn, which was nice as you got at least a little bit of warmth and dryness for about 4 seconds per lap.

I tried to warm up, but the weather was such that I really just wanted to sit in the van and wait for the start. I rode a lap and a half and decided that hot coffee and some Black Eyed Peas in the van was a much better option. I headed back, cleaned up the bike a bit, stripped off my muddy over pants and jacket so I didn't totally trash my car, and kicked back for about 20 minutes while I waited for the clock to approach 9:30am. Usually before a race I feel like time is flying and I don't have time to get everything done, this go around the clock just seemed to not move, which was bad as I was cooling down and loosing motivation to go out and race.

Just then the rain stopped and the clock had gotten close enough to 9:30 that I grabbed my helmet and gloves, slugged down the last of the coffee and headed over to the start. The lack of rain was short lived, but now the excitement of the race was taking over.

I got into the staging area, near the back and found Marc D'Amour who rides for the hosting club, Downeast. Marc and I have been riding "against" each other for a few years and it's always good to see him at a race. We took our place near the back and began the typical "anti-smack" talk, who was going to be the slowest, how many laps until we got lapped, etc. Nothing like lowering expectations before a race! We (35+ Cat 4's) were set to go about a minute after the Senior 4's, so there would be plenty of rabbits to chase.

The whistle was blown and we were off. Surprisingly Marc and I both moved up through the field pretty quick on the start, which caught me off guard. This isn't to say I saw the front of the race, more like I saw what the back of the pack looked like from inside the pack instead of taking up the caboose position. The course had plenty of passing spots so I felt better letting the race come to me instead of blowing up right out of the blocks.

The course was wet, muddy, slippery, muddy, and rutty. It was one of those races where there was ZERO rest, as even on the flats you were going hard just to keep moving. If I was a runner I would have jumped off and run on the flats and likely been passing people in the process. Instead I sat and ground away at the gears trying to find a line that enabled me to feel like I was moving.

I started to get my heart back down into my chest a bit the legs began to remember what it was like to pedal hard. We came into the first set of barriers and somehow the connection between my brain and the rest of my body took a short break and I'm not sure how to explain what I tried to do (I can tell you it didn't work). Basically I unclipped my right foot, started to swing it around the back of the bike, at the same time I took my right hand and reached down to grab the top tube- while my right leg was still coming around the back, all the while my weight was shifting to my left and the barrier was coming up fast. At that point I woke up and actually said something out loud about my apparent attempt at combining modern dance with cross racing, I said this just as my front wheel plowed into the barrier and by some stupid luck I came out of my left pedal and managed to get that foot over the barrier on the ground safely while the bike launched up and over the barrier with a little bit of guidance from my hands. Somehow I stayed upright and got over the second barrier and back on my bike thanking my lucky stars and feeling much more awake!

The rest of the race was a test of lines and an effort to keep momentum on my side. I was pleased with my bike handling, as I took efforts to really find my limits on some of the corners. I spent a good amount of time sliding through turns, barely hanging on, but keeping the Chilli Con upright. It gave me confidence as the race went on and I got faster each lap through some of the trickier turns.

With a lap to go I got a Cat 4 rider in my sites and planned to catch and pass him on the final climb. I had been cleaning that climb each lap and passing riders who where trying to run (unfortunately many of them would then pass me back on the following mud bog), I was sure I could make the catch on that spot and then hold him off to the line. However I struggled on the climb and lost traction and momentum about half way up and watched him pull away. I assumed I wouldn't be able to catch him at that point but as we came into the finish S turns I found myself on his wheel and I put in the effort to go by. I'm sure he was wondering why I was trying to pass him for such a low placing, but I had two good reasons- one it was a race, and two- I was really racing him to the bike wash so I could then get changed and warm!

It was a good ride and it gave me a bit more confidence in my bike handling. It also gave me a pile of nasty laundry and a fair amount of bike cleaning to do. It took me a good couple of hours to feel warm and comfy again, but by Saturday afternoon I was feeling human again and looking forward to racing at Great Glen on Sunday.

Sunday morning rolled around and this time the entire family was going to head to the race as the weather was looking much nicer.

We rolled out, a touch behind schedule, and I had promised the girls a "treat", which translated into a stop at Burger King for some breakfast. I chose to pass on the BK feast (which was hard to do!)

We made it to GGTOC and I was met with a bit of grief as registration had closed already (oops), but it turned out to be just a bit of grief as they took good care of me and I got a chance to race. I did a very short warm up and then lined up for the Elite/Intermediate race. This is a course I know pretty well having raced there for about five years. At the start I took my familiar place near the back and again had an interesting go at the first set of barriers. Looks like that is something I'll need to work on. Soon it was a bit of a battle for the back of the pack with Michelin Mike and a guy racing on a SS and yours truly took turns riding at the back. The course was pretty fast and (for the most part) dry.

There was a fair amount of wind (surprise, surprise- wind in Pinkham Notch)and for the most part I rode either alone or did short stints with MM and the SS guy. My wife and kids where on the hill above the tunnel and K was doing a good job of not letting me slack off to much. I was feeling a bit fatigued and couldn't really get my heart rate up into the numbers I usually see when racing, but as the laps ticked off I did manage to pull away from MM and SS guy.

The course was fun and the weather was great. This is the first of three races up at GGTOC. I'll likely miss this weekend, but will then be ready for Porky Gulch Classic the following weekend, looking forward to that!

Ready to Get Wet

The game plan is to race tomorrow at Pinelands (in cold, pouring rain)in the Downeast Cyclocross Race and then head up to Great Glen on Sunday for the kick off race for their series. This will be a good warm up for Porky Gulch, perhaps one of my favorite races of the year (despite never riding real well).

Looks like the weather will be good on Sunday, but tomorrow may be a sufferfest of cold and wet- should be fun!

Gotta get back to building K's new cross bike- I'll uploads pics soon.

DEA

Casco Bay Cross

I headed to Portland this past weekend to take part in the 1st Annual Casco Bay Cross presented by Bikeman.com. What a fantastic venue, right on the Eastern Prom with Casco Bay as a backdrop, a playground in the middle of the set up and a kick ass course.

My family made the trip with me and while getting ready my wife asked if she could do anything to help. I asked her to take my spare wheels to the pit for me, she looked at me and laughed- the sort of “my husband is being a poseur” laugh that only a wife can provide. In a way I agreed. I had succumbed to the “buy my way to fast” adage that I hated 20 years ago when I first started racing. When the older guys would show up with the most zooted out stuff but a lack of race fitness. Well guess what- I’m thumbing my nose at my 16 year old self ‘cuz I like all my cycling toys, especially my Salsa Chilli Con Crosso- even if I am slow these days.

Anyway I was darn glad I had brought that extra set of wheels- more on that in a moment. I warmed up on the trainer and tried to figure out what to wear- shorts or knickers, light long sleeve jersey or the heavy one. I went with knickers and the heavy jersey. I was plenty warm, but not overly, so I was happy with my decision.
The course started with a mild climb on pavement then jumped onto grass for a few 180 type turns, then a fast (or it was fast for some) stretch down to the first of many off camber turns. It was here that the Pit was located, which was good to know because I was soon going to need it. I was near the back of the back at the start but felt I’d get a chance to move up once I had a lap into my legs.

Little did I know that ¼ of the way through the first lap I was going to tear out the sidewall to my rear tire, and while it didn’t flat, it did urge me to ride very gently back to the pit as I wasn’t sure when it was going to blow as the tube was making its way out of the casing, I’m assuming to enjoy the fresh ocean air. The tire was thub dubbing inside the frame and driving me nuts, but I nursed it back to the backside entrance to the pit- where Craig Harrison was yelling at me to go faster on the descent, which I was riding very slow trying not to blow the wheel out completely.

I got to the top of the run up and yelled to see if I could Pit from that side (the sign said yes- but I was a bit cross-eyed from the run up- about the only place I’d been able to go all out). Big Al jumped over to help me take out the rear wheel- I think I tried to make a joke about Cadel Evans and his wheel change at the Vuelta- or maybe I made that joke in my head to myself- not sure. But soon I was off- after a bit of wrestling with the straddle cable.




I was in last place- but plenty of people to chase! So off I went. Soon I’d caught one rider and was moving up on another- the main pack was well up the course- so I was in a bit of a TT, but that was ok as the course was so much fun the ride. I took lap 2 and 3 fairly clean and felt I was gaining on a few riders who were now in striking distance.

On a remount I felt the front wheel slide as I came down on the bike, and a second latter the thub dub again, this time my front wheel (which was good as I didn’t have a third rear wheel)- argh! I nursed the bike back around the course- losing ground and again taking up last place. Another wheel change, and then a big effort as I headed out for my bell lap.

I had one guy in my sites, fellow Bikeman.com rider Herb Keller, and I gave it all I had to catch him- after all I had paid my race fee- so I was supposed to race right? I felt pretty good, but realized I really didn’t have any top end speed at all (maybe I should work on that).

I finished up and the girls wanted to know why I kept “popping” tires. K laughed and said that it was a good thing I had brought extra wheels. I looked at the wheels and thought- maybe I should have ridden with more air (check that- I know I should have ridden with more air) and need to look at the where the brake pads engage the rim. Then I looked up and took in the view. Casco Bay at our feet, cross racing at our backs- it doesn’t get much better.

Kudos to everyone who worked on the race- job well done. I’m sure we’ll see it again next year. Thanks to Big Al for helping me in the Pit and thanks to my wife and kids for coming out and cheering. Can’t wait for the next race!

Ride on,

DEA

Back to the races.

I get back to racing tomorrow. It'll be good to go out and ride hard, although I know it's going to hurt- a lot. It's that reality check that I sometimes think I crave. To know that you're not quite as fit as you might think you are, and to give you a reason to go out and ride more. That, and of course the sheer grin factor of racing your bike as fast as you can. I can't fly- so racing my bike is as close as I'll ever get (I won't be a birdman- although it does look cool).

I'm wondering if my wife will get a bit of an itch to race tomorrow. If she doesn't I'm sure my oldest will. With that in mind I ordered up a cross bike that the two of them can fight over. Bikeman.com had a screaming deal on a KHS frame and a full carbon Origin 8 fork, so I took the plunge and will build it up with a Dura-Ace kit I've gut literally lying around. It'll be a pretty nice set up, and if nothing else will give K an awesome gravel grinding rig.

Got in my first cold night ride of the year last night. Full snivel gear, and I was glad I had it all. I wore my winter Pearl Shoes, but no booties. My feet were ok but by the end (out for just over an hour) I was starting to loose feeling in my feet- but had I had on my booties they would have been fine. I still feel like a cold night ride should give you double fitness as it is "tough"- but alas you get the same workout as a daytime ride. Oh well.

So that's it at the moment- looking forward to giving a race report after this weekend. As well looking forward to building up K's new bike.

Ride on.

DEA

A Gravel Grind Type of Weekend

I got out for a couple of good rides this weekend,which was nice considering my ass was starting to forget what a bike seat felt like. On Saturday I grabbed the Chilli Con and headed out for a ride with no real idea about where I was going to go. I chose to hit up every gravel road I could find, and then veer off onto jeep roads if they looked passable. I "found" some great terrain that I hadn't ridden in probably 15 years or so and connected several dots in my memory, as I explored trails that I have been wondering about for the past couple years. Many of these were trails I'd roll by and tell myself that I thought I knew where it went, but wasn't quite sure- well now I'm sure. I ended up getting in about 20 miles on Saturday and was quite pleased with the adventure. The only guilt was that I didn't shoot the soccer game at work, oh well. (The team ended up winning handily, pretty much just playing keep away in the second half, this years soccer team is pretty much dominating the prep school schedule- ok enough about work).

Sunday I talked K into going out with me for a gravel grind on the mountain bikes. Per my usual MO I ended up tearing apart her bike and "fixing" things that didn't need to be fixed. It almost cost me my riding partner as by the time I went back in to see if she was ready she was almost asleep. She rallied and we headed out for about an hour of easy spinning through a fantastic fall day here in Maine. The leaves have really popped, in some cases have gone by- but it was a great day to be out on the trails.

K looked at it as a recon mission as she is looking for longer running routes that aren't just on pavement- we found her a great 8 mile loop (I won't be going with her, unless I ride while she runs- which is possible).

After that I headed out for about 30 minutes of work on the cross bike- plenty of barrier sessions and off camber corners. It felt good- but I also felt slow- oh well.

First cross race of the year next weekend- still trying to decide which one- but it looks like this one. A good chance to fly the Bikeman.com colors.

Ride on.

DEA

A screaming season pass deal.

If you are like me and have this pesky thing called work chewing up the vast majority of your daylight hours, yet find that skiing just on the weekends isn't quite satisfying your skiing needs- then check this season pass deal out from Shawnee Peak.

Shawnee Peak has most of their mountain lit up, so you're not skiing on only a couple of trails. They do a nice job grooming in the later afternoon so the mountain is in good shape for night skiing. Plus they are only about an hour from Portland or 25 minutes from North Conway.

It's the mountain I grew up skiing at so I have a soft spot for it, but even it that weren't the case I'd still say it's a hill you don't want to miss.

I do think this pass deal does run out in about a week, so if you're interested don't delay!

Time to go clean my bike.

DEA

Trail Building

Since my move back to the land of vacations and taxes, otherwise known as Maine (of course when you live here you don't get to take vacations as you always have to work to pay the taxes), I've been lacking in quality trails right out the back door. I'll admit I was pretty spoiled over in Conway with Davis Hill out the back door and the great trails of Peaked, Sticks and Stones, and Cedar Creek all within riding distance of the house. Of course in Conway there is also a very large riding community, but over here in Bridgton there seems to be a large contingent of people working far too much just so they can pay their taxes.

What this has meant is that there are many trails that are overgrown or places where a trail should just appear. I keep thinking that will happen, but alas it has not.

That has meant a bit of picking away at some sections of trails that needed to be cleared and this week it has meant a bit more flagging, raking, cutting, and moving things like downed trees and rocks. I'm making a bit of progress and now have a couple of good loops (short, but fun), and am starting to enjoy the process of building. The best part- no damn bridges! Although there are a few sections that will require bridges, but they will be a good 36-48 inches wide with grip tape applied to the riding surface.

Last night I wanted to go check another stand of woods where there were some good trails about 10 years ago, but has since been logged. I was all of three minutes into the ride when I had a very quick and violent trip over the bars while I was not rolling very fast. I managed to not smash up my face, as the helmet took the hit, but it rattled my skull pretty good and I managed to mash my wrist and shin in the process. I kind of wish someone had a picture of my on the ground trying to untangle as it was one of the better scorpion poses I think I've ever had.

Of course being by myself, it being three minutes into the ride, and knowing I had a hall pass that lasted for at least another hour, I picked myself up checking to make sure that I wasn't about to be treated to that pain that takes a minute but when it hits it knocks you on your butt. But things seemed to be working. The blood coming out of my shin seemed to be only a trickle and the swelling was going to happen regardless of if I stood around or rode, so I remounted. I think I was trying to convince myself I hadn't thrashed myself so I took off and before I could realize that my vision was off a bit and my neck and arms weren't really communicating all that well I found myself flying through the air once again. This time the landing was fairly tame, however it really shook my confidence.

I choose to walk out of the woods and remount after I found a trail that I had already raked, and rode slowly to a place where I could at least make some trail improvements for my next ride. My neck and shoulders got pretty tight, but I was able to rake and clear debris for the next hour or so and almost go another loop completed (maybe tonight). Needless to say Advil has once again become a good friend of mine.

My hope is that I can find some other riders who live in the area. We have a few kids on campus who have said they'd like to get out and ride. One of whom I've gotten out with a couple of times. I've seen a vehicle rolling around with some nice shiny bikes on the roof, but have never seen the bikes actually being ridden- I'll have to work on that.

That's it for the moment.

DEA

Weekend riding in VT and NH

Saturday morning I picked up Mike D, aka Outdoor Addict for a trip up to Kingdom Trails for a day of riding. We left about 7:30AM and arrived at the home base for the FODOFT a bit after 9. Apparently they stayed up too late the night before and were just getting around when
we pulled in. After everyone got their gear together and all lycra'd up we made our way to the Darling Hill section of Kingdom Trails.

Craig and his 80's era bike, nice green machine

The morning started out wicked chilly with temps around 40 degrees. I was riding my SS 29er and figured once we started to peddle that I would be plenty warm. A few guys were decked out in jackets and the like, only to begin the stripping process about 10 minutes later.

Our trek started on Loop and then onto a black diamond trail called Pound Cake. (Name makes me think of the Van Halen song of the same name) Its a nice bit of singletrack and a couple technical spots. A good place to get warmed up. After a trip around Fence Line and some other nearby trails we started our way towards Webs and Riverwalk. Some new bridging down by the river is nice.

Our group was about 10 strong and at about noon we arrived at Sidewinder, which for many folks is one of the main reasons they come to KT in the first place. This pic was taken at the end of Sidewinder, as you can see, plenty of smiles.


the FODOFT Crew

After 2 trips down sidewinder and back up we started our way back towards the parking lot. Once we crossed Darling Hill Rd. we made a quick left onto a double black diamond trail known as Jaw. I had ridden Jaw earlier in the summer, well actually walked a bunch of it cause it was a complete mess. I had heard that some new bridging had been done and that it was in nice shape. I was skeptical but figured that I would give it a shot. It was great. All of the really crappy sections were now passable by nice new bridges. Great work by the KT trail crews. After Jaw we made our way up Sugar Hill to Ridge and finally out to Heaven's Bench which has some of the best Vermont views there are.

SUrviving the climb to Heaven's Bench


View from Heaven's Bench


After our pit stop at Heaven's Bench we headed to Bill McGill and made our way back to the parking lot. All in all a great day of riding at Kingdom Trails.


Mike D, Team GT



Mike and I drove back to North Conway and I called DEA to see if he was up for a ride on Sunday as he wasn't able to make it to KT. He was in so we met up Sunday AM at Wal-Mart to ride, doesn't everyone meet at Wal-Mart to mountain bike ride?

DEA was accompanied by Chris, a student from BA, a lacrosse player I believe. We had a good ride of a couple hours. It was fun showing them around some new trails they had not been on before. Sort of being a tour guide. After about an hour and a half my legs were pretty spent. There wasn't a lot of life in them to begin with from the day of riding on Saturday at KT.

Sven and his love for walking bridges

Both days the riding was great. Cool temps, dry trails and great riding mates. What more can you ask for but more of the same. Who's up for a ride this weekend???

JJ

Kingdom Trails

This weekend is our annual trip to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont to the Mountain Biking Mecca of the East known as Kingdom Trails. The nice part is that it it less than 2 hours drive. Even better is the 100+ miles of singletrack riding.



Unfortunately DEA is not able to make the trip but Mike D is going for his first time. I think he'll be wicked pleased with the riding, except he's bringing a bike with gears. What's up with that??? Here's some video of KT Video. Some pretty cool stuff.


Hope to get some pics and maybe some video. Catch ya later on with a ride report.

JJ

Fall Riding

Fall isn't here just yet, but it's feeling like it. Cool nights, damp mornings, in fact I've even seen trees starting to shake off their summer coats.

I dig fall riding, usually as the pace is mellow and the legs are good. The trails are usually pretty buff and the bugs had died in the last frost. With all that said I'm hoping I can get out and do some fall riding! Work has gotten busy and weekend hall passes are hard to come by. My wife would like me to get out and ride but it's the office that is keeping me tied down. I keep thinking it will even out, but so far it hasn't. Oh well.

October will be a bit better and there will be a couple of cross races to give me something to shoot for. The only weekend I'm keeping as sacred is Porky Gulch, I love that race.

Other than that not much to report. Ski season will be here soon and morning skin trips up my local hill will keep me entertained. Still working on passes for the winter, hopefully we'll have that dialed soon!

Until next time, ride safe.

DEA

Oh my.

JJ found this, and I wanna play.



DEA

Performance

Where Did My Bike Go?

It's been one week since I swung my leg over a bike. I guess that is what happens when school starts and you work 14 hour days every day! Life gets a bit more back to normal in a couple and I will likely try to start riding again. With that in mind I need to bring the Chilli Con back to life as it is still in pieces from Newton's Revenge back in July.

At some point I also need to come to grips with my cross season and figure out what races I can make a reality. I need to look and see if there are any weekly cross sessions down in the Portland area as that could be a good way to get in a bit of good training/racing.

That's it at the moment- a recap of the Summer Series coming soon.

DEA

24-14=10 Hours of Great Glen

My season started out with 2 major things on my calendar. One was the 24 Hours of Great Glen in early August. The other was a 2 week vacation at a villa on the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean. I was feeling pretty solid up through June and July. I was even beating DEA on occasion which is not the norm. I like to tell myself it was due to my superior fitness as opposed to his recovering from injury that was the reason.

Needless to say when July 17 came, we loaded up the car for phase on of our summer vacation which was with the whole family. We hit the Baseball Hall of Fame and then went to Niagara Falls and visited family. I saw almost no time on the bike that week. Then on July 24 we flew to St. Maarten where we spent the next 11 days eating very well (the same as too much) and staying well hydrated (lots of adult beverages) and very little physical activity. I was thinking of the three weeks from my last real ride to the 24 Hr race as a nice taper. Fool.

When the race began DEA, A1 and myself hung at the back of the pack to let the crazy fast people and just plane crazy or ignorant people lead off the front. We made our brisk walk for the Le Mans start and got to our bikes. I was running my Some Juice 29er as a 32x22 singlespeed. Basically the same gearing as was DEA but a bit tougher than the dinner-plate 24 I ran last year, but it was in the tool box in case I needed it. A1 was running his 32x20 since he's a tough guy.

The first lap was pretty smooth and I was trying to be smart about what to ride and what to walk of the course. The three of us stayed together for another lap until A1 decided to not pit at all between laps and just go. DEA and I pitted after each lap to reload our water, get a gel and take care of anything that needed attention.

We rode lap 3 together and as we headed out for the fourth lap I started cramping a bit. I felt like I was getting enough water and was taking the Endurolytes each pit but was not feeling good. It was warm but not hot by any means. About half way through lap 4 My back began to stiffen. It made pushing my bike difficult let alone riding. As we hit the pits after Lap 4 I decided that I needed to take a break. DEA figured that if he stopped as well he wouldn't go back out so he got some water and headed back out. I found a chair and his leg massager stick thingie and worked on my calves.

DEA's wife was in camp with mine and they got the grill fired up and put some burger and dogs on. A few minutes later the beers were out and I decided I enjoyed this more than riding at that moment. My day of riding was over. AS a result I ended up with a snail like 14 hour lap number 5 which I completed Sunday morning.

When I did go back out Sunday morning I had checked the standings. Regardless of how hard I pushed I was pretty much locked into the finish position I was in as long as I rode 3 laps in the final 4 hours. That was not a problem as unfortunately for me I felt much better Sunday morning than I did the day before.

I ended up with 7 laps and 6th place. DEA was 5th with 10 laps.

I had a good time with the whole weekend, but I definitely was very disappointed with how I rode Saturday. I will blame the excessive taper this time. Next year I will have a different excuse.

JJ

24 Hours of Great Glen- another one in the books

Not every race starts with cannon fire that causes you to just about jump out of your skin. You’d think I’d know better as I’ve raced the 24 Hours of Great Glen a total of 13 times, but that cannon fire still catches me off guard.

Once again I found myself racing in the solo SS category along with fellow Bikeman teammates, JJ and George Lapierre as well as TWAF teammate A1. JJ and I took up our usual spot walking the lap around the pond with the knowledge that you either have to run super fast to get out front early, or take your time and catch all those running fools on the blueberry field climb only minutes after you grab your bike. Experience does have its benefits!

I got to my bike and mounted up for lap #1 with JJ and A1. The weather had finally come around and we had enjoyed a few days of fairly dry weather leading up to the race. This meant the course was in pretty good shape, and for the most part the course was rideable if you have the legs to do it. That being said the legs I would have needed are still stuck in 2006 and despite my attempts to get to them with the flux capacitor, I was stuck riding with my legs of 2009. Either way I knew it was going to be fun, and my goal was to go and ride and enjoy the weekend.

Originally I had designs on riding 100 miles, meaning I was going to need to ride 13 or so laps. The course had been shortened a bit and was coming in at 7.7 miles and climbing was just under 1000 feet per lap. The riding was going well, having broken the cardinal rule of racing on gear that I had yet to actually give a legitimate shakedown on. I was running my Salsa Mamasita that had gone through a bit of a metamorphosis. Gone was the Reba fork, replaced with an Origins 8 rigid carbon fork. Gone was the SRAM x9 drive train, replaced with a White Industries Eno wheel with a White Industries freewheel. What was still there were the trusty Ergon grips and my 1995 Shimano XT crank. The bike was working and the 30x20t gear was turning over and when it wasn’t my granny gear (me walking) seemed to be working quite well.
The first two laps JJ, A1 and I rode together, laps three and four JJ and I rode together. We were out having fun and enjoying the course. The Hammer gels and Endurolytes were doing their trick keeping me moving (along with beef jerky) and the duct tape that I used to tape my heels with after the second lap were keeping my feet in ok shape.

After four laps my goal of riding the 100 miles began to wane a bit as the miles began to add up and the reality of not having put in the hard work this summer began to show. We rolled into camp after four laps and our families were there asking when we were going to break for dinner. Dennis was thinking he was done for a bit, and I knew that if I sat down I’d be done for awhile as well, so I grabbed a Hammer gel, a fresh bottle and headed out for lap five.

I felt pretty good. No cramping issues which had been plaguing me on rides over three hours for years. The bike was running well and the course was in pretty good shape. I cruised my fifth lap and pulled into camp with the idea that a beer and a burger would taste mighty good.

I got out of my wet and muddy kit and went to sit in the river for a minute to clean up. The water was shockingly cold and any lactic acid in my legs quickly jumped out the pores on the back of my neck and made its way to dry (and warmer) land. It was that type of cold that hurts so good. I walked back to camp feeling refreshed and sat down to a feast of burgers and beers- perfect!

Of course the comfort of camp made it difficult to get kitted back up, and the company at camp made it even more difficult. We ended up visiting with good friends and somehow beer kept showing up. I looked at my bike and said, “we’ll get back at it in the AM.”

This meant I would likely not hit my 100 miles, but I was ok with that. I climbed into my -20 bag and was soon glad I had brought it as the temps dropped. I slept well, awoke to the bagpiper and decided to go get in a lap before breakfast. The sun was up and the air was beginning to warm. The course had improved in some places and gotten a bit sloppy in others, but all in all it was in good shape. I loosened up and my legs began to get into the ride. I came in with an idea of breakfast, but decided to keep it rolling as Dennis was up and ready to go. We cranked out another two laps, stopping to get gel and fresh bottles each lap and then it was time to make the call- put the hammer down and get in two more or sit up and just ride the final lap needed to be at the finish for noon. If I got two it meant I’d get 10 laps, my fall back goal, so I bid Dennis adieu and hit the trail with purpose. The lap went well and I actually felt fast in a couple of spots. I came into the timing tent at 11:35 with a lot of cheers as the crowd likes it when solo’s are going out for that last lap (little did they know I had slept for 10 hours!)


I bottled and gel’d up one last time and put the hammer down. It felt good as I was in the fifth our of riding for the second time in a 24 hour period and I was pleased that my body was reacting well. My arms and neck actually were the sorest parts of me and I knew I only had about 50 minutes left of discomfort. I found I was catching a fair number of people and starting to feel a pretty good grove. I got caught by the two lead teams, and they were FLYING, it was an impressive display. Their speed motivated me a bit and picked up my pace, riding the climbs a bit harder (and longer) and letting it fly a bit more on the descents.

Coming into the Chute the cheers were loud and invigorating. I cleaned the last tricky section and just went hard for the finish. As I rolled in Dennis was there at the dismount point with a bottle of Tuckerman open and ready, I took the hand up and rolled into the tent- feeling pretty good and pumped with the event.

It was cool to see all the Bikeman jerseys at the race. Kudo’s to George, Jason, and Dennis who I got to ride with at various points during the race. Kudo’s to the Bikeman guys on the teams as well. We were all well represented.

For those who haven’t done the race- put it on your calendar for 2010- you’ll be stoked you did.

24 hours until the 24 hours of great glen

I have Europe "it's the final countdown" stuck in my head. This happens every year before the race. I don't really know any of the words other than "it's the final countdown" and then I can hear the power cords being played.

In 24 hours I'll start getting all nervous and feeling like I've forgotten something. Then I'll start wishing the race began at 9am so I would be about to start. That's just the way it is!

So today is the get some work done, get some packing done, gather my food, clean the bikes, give the bikes a shake down ride, try to get our camping space dialed, go home and sleep and then get up and get it going.

In keeping with tradition I'm doing what you are not supposed to do, race brand new gear that you haven't had a chance to ride. That's what I do. I like doing that, it offers a built in excuse if things go south or a great way to really put something through the paces if they go well.

I'll have my trusty Salsa El Mariachi but I'll also be bringing my newly converted and refurbished Salsa Mamasita that is now a carbon forked, White Industries ENO's single speed. I did give it a short ride last night and the fit is close. I may still shorten the steerer tube by a centimeter still- but we will see.

I did build a nice custom chain ring guard out of a spent 32t chainring from 1995. A bit of grinding and then drilling out the pins that help with shifting. As usual it took a lot more time than I had planned- but in the end it worked and that's all that matters! Now I was able to use the 32t as I'm running a 30t for my front ring as my freewheel is a 20t- and yes I'm going for a baby gear, but considering better than 1000 feet of climbing per lap, and hoping for 13 or so laps- that's a fair amount of climing- so better safe than sorry.


K is going to pit for me this year, which will help, especially when it comes to bottle hand ups as I only want to carry one bottle on the bike. It will also help to see her each lap as she'll make sure I'm eating and taking the Endurolites (which I'm hoping help with the cramping).

Either way it's going to be a fun weekend. JJ and A1 are both racing Solo SS as well so we'll get a chance to ride together for a bit (I hope). I haven't ridden with A1 at all this year, so I'm looking forward to that.

That's my take at the moment- oh and in other TWAF news- NK starts work at Bridgton Academy on Monday- so two TWAF'ers will once again be working in the same place! At one point three of us worked together, and at this moment in time none of us work together so this will be like a mini reunion.

Ride safe and hope for sun.

DEA

August is almost here

Summer is slogging by here in the Northeast. The weather has sucked, but that's just the way it is so no point in complaining. What it has meant is that I haven't ridden my mountain bike much at all, I've been racing on Tuesday nights, but other than that it's been road riding.

The Tuesday night races have been fun up at Great Glen Trails. It is more of a TT format, where you can start when you show up and race one of three courses- Mini, Short, or Long. Mini is for the real little kids, short of the kids and beginners, and Long for everyone else. Our routine is we roll up to Great Glen and I ride with Elizabeth for her race (short course) with Emma on the trail-a-bike in tow. It's fun as there is a bit of singletrack on the short course, but it's mild enough that I can ride it with Emma on the back. She's been a trooper as it's been wet so she's getting covered in mud after each lap- but she thinks it's fun so we keep it going!


Liz is doing well, but she's starting to get competitive when she sees the results but when she's actually riding I have a hard time getting her to go fast. I keep telling her that she can just enjoy the ride and check out the flowers and animals, but understand that she won't have a fast time, or she can try to go fast but that it will require some effort. I think he wish is that the other girls would just slow down!

My races have been fine, back of the expert pack. But for a SS I feel like I'm putting in ok times, as there is a fair amount of big ring fireroad on the 5 mile course (that is the long course) and I'm running a 32x18 on the 29er. There is a fair amount of spin/coast/spin/coast. The battle has been between JJ, Charles and I. JJ has been cleaning up but his two week vacation may have tipped the scales- we won't really know until August 11th or 18th as I'll miss next Tuesday's race.

The race on the 11th may be off as well as both JJ and I will have just come off the 24HOGG as solo single speeders. We had planned to do double single but I chickened out as I didn't want to have JJ dictate when I was riding or sleeping. I'm looking at this as either a two or three part race- a five or six hour section, a couple hour section, followed by a morning 5 to 6 hour section. So the high end will be 13-14 hours of actual racing- which means I fully intend on spending some time off the bike. I'd like to get 13 laps as the goal (that would put me over 100 miles), with 10 being the minimum that I'll be happy with. We'll see!

The other wrinkle is that I'm heading down to DC for a few days with my wife and our friends Cecile and Jonathan who are here from France for a couple weeks. That means I'm not sure what I might get in for riding over the next few days. Then we get back and I'm hoping for a big box from Team Bikeman.com World HQ that will enable me to build up the Mamasita as a light, rigid, kick ass SS. Then I'll want to get that shaken down for the weekend, but doing so with no real effort- hmmmm. We'll make it work!

That's it for now, oh here is a pick from Newton's Revenge from a couple weeks ago. This is near the top, that is Chris Proulx from RSN tv16 chasing me with the camera. I tried to give him a good promo, but I was out of breath. He keeps telling me he's going to post the video, but I have yet to see it.

Either way ride safe.

DEA

24 Hours of Great Glen

There is this race, you see, where you ride around this course up in the woods at the base of Mount Washington, and well you just keep riding around for like, a day. Not just the day part of a day, but for 24 hours, actually in some cases more like 25 hours.

Sound's tempting doesn't it. The next big thing on my cycling season that wasn't is the 24 Hours of Great Glen, a race that has been a part of my year for longer than I've been a Dad.

This year it looks like JJ and I are going to race the two person format. I've done the four person, the five person, and solo, so this is a format I have yet to try. I think it'll be fun and it gives me a much better shot at having a sense that we put in a good race than I would have if I raced solo (unless I did the 12 hour format).

I'm getting excited and nervous as I'm still heavy and haven't put in any looooong rides yet this year. If the stars align I'll get in a good road ride on Saturday, out through Bethel and up and over Evan's Notch- we'll see how that feels. It also looks like the Mamsita will be in SS glory for the race- details when the big box from Bikeman World HQ shows up next week.

Just heard from Mary, the event director up at 24HOGG- prize money went UP this year,not a bad thing in a year that many events have been cutting prize money. Of course the downside is that I won't be in the money, but it's nice to know that those that are actually do get some! Top team takes $1000. Overall solo for both men and women walk with $500, and top pro-four person teams (both male and female) walk with $600. There's more but those are the highlights. I wonder what bottom of the results sheet guys get? Hmmmmmm.

Ride safe out there, speakign of that have you checked out Dave Z's site- Yield to Life? Certainly a good cause- but between this and all the Road ID ads I see I feel like I'm supposed to get smacked by a car- been there done that, don't need to do it again.

later,

DEA

Milestone?

Just saw that we've posted 500 times to the TWAF blog, not sure the level of excitement that I am supposed to feel. Does this image show the appropriate level of excitement?


Just got word from Garmin that my 705 is enroute, and when I checked the tracking it is slated to get here today- so I am excited about that. I hate to admit it but I am a data junkie now. I dream of someday running a SRM singlespeed crank just so I can be super cool. Maybe I can get one of the head units in a special TDF color. Here is to dreaming.

So my weight loss is happening, very slooooowwwwwly. I've decided the next time I get hurt and can't do anything for a long period of time that I'm going to ingest tapeworms that I have tied floss to (so that I can pull them out when the time is right) to help with weight control. Not sure if it will work, but it's a thought. Better yet- don't get hurt again and just keep the weight off to start with (boring!).

JJ and I are considering, strongly, racing 24HOGG as a double/single instead of both racing solo. Part of this is that we are both a bit soft this year and, well, he's just flat out old. I have concerns that if he doesn't rest from time to time he may get lost in the woods. Ok that's not really true, or maybe it is- but the truth is I looked at last years results and realized we would have been on the podium as a Double/Single team. With that intel we got all excited. However, since that epiphany I have gone back to look at the registration for this year and it looks like others have found the Double/Single category to be one that is of interest. A few names I recognize and to beat them would take very subversive tactics, like stealing their bikes during the LeMans start or swapping their energy bars with Exlax. As evil as I am I just can't bring myself to doing either of those things. So I'll have to revert to just sending them an email saying the race has been postponed by 12 hours so they show up for the wrong 24 hour period- with a 12 hour head start JJ and I could kick their asses!

No tour to distract me today, and that is a good thing. Hopefully I'll get in a good, easy ride today and then go up to Great Glen tomorrow for the weekly series and put in a good ride.

That's about it for excitement at the moment- but I'm sure I'll let you know if something pops up.

Ride on.

DEA

Check Newton's off the List

“The winds at the summit are currently a calm 10-15 mph, visibility is 65 miles, and it is looking like a beautiful day on top of Mount Washington.”
Those were the words of the race director about 45 minutes before the start of Newton’s Revenge, a race up the famed Mount Washington Auto Road. While I heard the words and enjoyed the idea of idyllic weather, I also cringed knowing the weather gods heard the words as well and I was sure they would look to show just how futile predicting the summit weather could be.
I had signed up for Newton’s Revenge back in the winter when I had had great intentions of rolling into the 2009 cycling season in great shape and having trimmed down to a nice 180lbs. That was of course prior to falling down and going boom at the end of the ski season that left me doing nothing (other than enjoying adult malted beverages) for a month and a half and not getting onto a bike for real until mid May. That left me coming into the season at a legitimate Clydesdale weight, and far from being in shape- but it didn’t matter- I could ride my bike and that made everything A-OK with me.
Toeing the start line I looked up at the Mountain that I’ve had so many great adventures on, mostly in the winter. I thought back to the night my wife and I and a group of friends did a night ride up the road to above tree line, talking our time and enjoying a beautiful summer night. I thought about all the Toughest Two’s I’d raced in (the hillclimb TT portion of the Porky Gulch Classic Stage Race- a race worth doing). But at that moment I realized that today I was riding all the way to the top. Not stopping at two mile, not stopping at tree line, but going all the way to the top- 6288 feet in 7.6 miles.
The cannon fired and we were off. I took it very easy in the start as I had forgone doing a really good warm up with the intent of warming up on the hill. That had more to do with being lazy than it did being a good strategy. I soon found myself spinning my 22x32 and enjoying the gear but not the lack of speed.
I was racing on my Salsa Chilli Con that had gone through a couple changes for the race. The crank had been replaced by a Truvita Stylo 180mm with a 22t chain ring. The rear end of the bike say the SRAM 10 speed cassette give way to a 9 speed cassette 11-32. With that change the Rival derailleur was swapped for a SRAM x9 with I had tried to operate with a 9-speed Dura Ace shifter. For whatever reason I couldn’t get the Dura Ace shifter and the X9 to play nice, so off came the drop bars and the flat bars with the X9 shifter made their way to the bike and all the shifting issues were resolved. I was running bar ends (Ergon grips, the greatest grips of all time) and found the position quite comfy for the climb.
Back to the race, not much exciting happened in the first hour other than being passed by the fast age groupers who started behind me. A couple of them were breathing so hard as they went by that I just couldn’t believe they would make it to the top. Of course I realized that when I usually “race” I breath that hard as well- ahhhh the joys of approaching the event as a tour!
Once about the treeline the views were fantastic. Looking out into the Great Gulf, and being on a bike on the road gave me a great opportunity to dream about skiing next winter, especially when I looked over and saw snow over on Jefferson. I noodled my way up the mountain, not moving very fast, but moving up the hill one turn of the cranks at a time. Newton’s Revenge is a bit smaller race so there were times that I felt like I had the road all to myself, of course that was until a group would catch me and blow by me from behind.
At about the five mile mark I started having some cramping in the thighs and lower back, I decided that walking for a bit to stretch out my back would be a good idea. I would give myself about a minute of walking before I would jump back on, the irony was that when I was walking I found that I gained on a few riders ahead of me, only to just maintain or slip back once back on the bike!
As I rode up I thought back to when I worked for the Summit Road Company, and did press for the big Hillclimb the first time Tyler Hamilton won the event. I rode in the back of one of the vans with the doors open yelling splits to him as we went up, the only problem was the splits were junk as they were being called down to the driver via radio and then yelled to him from me and half the time I couldn’t hear the driver that well. Tyler seemed fine with that and went on to crush the record and drive away with an Audi A4. I thought of how fast he road up that hill, and how slow I was going. I decided I was having a much better time as I got to really enjoy the scenery!
The road is unrelenting, averaging 12% for 7.6 miles, with a finishing kick of over 22% that you have a hard time keeping the front wheel on the ground. You can see the road go up ahead of you and it can get discouraging, then you can see the road below you and your realize how far you have come, it’s pretty cool.
I saw my wife about 500 meters from the summit and she gave me a good boost of encouragement. I then knew all I had to do was make the finishing “wall”. As I started up the wall and struggled to keep my front wheel down I started to panic as I had removed my rear brake to “save weight” (how much does a set of Avid canti’s weigh?) and realized that if my front wheel came up and I started to go over I didn’t have a way to stop it- that was good motivation to push up and through as fast as possible.
I cleared the wall and road across the finish line to get my medal and famed fleece blanket. The winner had been up topside for over an hour, but all the racers are great about cheering everyone on. I found my wife and we did the walk down the stairs to the car where I got cleaned up and just sat and looked out and New Hampshire below my feet. It was a pretty amazing view, and one that was that much better because I earned it on a bike.
I can’t wait to do it again next year.

First MTB Race of the season

It seems odd to be into July and to be finally doing my first race on dirt of the year, but that's how it worked out. I guess I should restate that and say first race off the pave as it was clearly not on dirt but rather in the mud.

So Tuesday was the first race in the Dakine Summer Series at Great Glen Trails. We had planned to arrive at about 5 or so and have myself and my two sons who are 5 & 10 race as well. At about 3PM I got a call from my wife asking my to check the radar as there was a large green blob moving towards us. Knowing that the rain was coming soon we decided to head to Great Glen sooner and arrived there about 4PM. The whole drive up was in the rain but as we pulled into the parking lot the rain subsided. I usually will pre-ride the course or at least do a lap on the short course with my kids as a warm up before racing, however I decided to just go out cold and try to get my race in before the skies opened up.

A couple of friends went off a few minutes before I did and I stood in the start house awaiting the count-down. Eli told me right before I was to go that he expected a 24 minute lap from me. I said "Eli, look, I have only one gear." He just smiled and then I heard the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go....

I was off. Within about 200 yards my heart rate was already at 167. I could feel that I was red lining right from the start. The course changes every year and this year even had some new singletrack. As I rode the mud and roots were wicked sloppy. About 1.5 miles in I came upon a friend who had started before me. She was off her bike trying to get through a really muddy almost bog like section at the entrance of Moose Alley. I figured that maybe she had just picked the wrong line and decided to just ride right through it. I hit it and it almost sucked me right in and threw me off my bike. I came to an abrupt halt and slowly churned through the peanut-butter like ooze and then proceeded on my way. That was almost a disaster so I decided to be a bit more careful as I approached other similar sections.

There was a good bit more of carriage roads before I came to the entrance to Whiplash, a section where I have had some great success riding it and other times great difficulty, including some very bad crashes. With that in mind I stared into it and made it to about the half way point until I decided it was much more prudent considering the conditions and my present heart rate of about 300 that I get off and try to run this section as opposed to ride it and break myself or my helmet, again.

I ran some, but not enough and got back on too soon, I got back off and ran some more and then got back on only to jump off yet again and finally start yelling at my dumb ass as I jogged along, the whole time thinking that the clock was going as I was farting around getting on and off my bike instead of riding.

Finally I was able to get on my bike and actually ride it. I completed Whiplash and headed out onto the carriage road, I had taken my glasses off due to the fog that appeared on them as I was running(walking). I tried to pull them out of my jersey pocket and put them on while going as fast as I could. It was not a good idea as I proceeded to hit a water bar with one hand on the handlebars and almost stuck the glasses in my eye and just plain crash. I averted that mishap and thought I was ready to head back to the start/finish area. My heart rate was still in the low 170's and had been there since almost the start with no let down. I figured I was going to struggle getting back in a good time and as I looked at my clock I was thinking I was looking at a time of about 27 minutes.

I peddled my bike as fast as I could considering what was left in the tank and was cruising along at a blistering 14 mph. I really could have used a few more gears at that moment but was stuck with the only one I had. AS I headed up the final hill I could really feel the legs starting the not feel good and my lungs were on fire. To top that all off I was thinking I was going to taste my lunch again shortly. Gotta love when you get to enjoy a meal twice.

AS I hit the tunnel to the home stretch I saw that I was still under 25 minutes. I drove for the line and came in at 25:01. Just missed the 24. Not too bad considering the amount of time off the bike and being spun out as much as I was. Oh well, that's racing on a single-speed.

After the race everything needed a good hose down and as I was loading the car up with all of our bikes Sven rolled in with his crew. I told Sven's oldest to make sure he took his time on his lap and she asked me what my time was, I fibbed and told her I put up a 30. Guess I wanted to give Sven some false sense of my time thinking he'd take it easy out there.

Overall I ended up in 8th p[lace in the expert division, but I think I was the top singlespeed finisher so that's cool.

My oldest son took second place in his division and our youngest who is 5 and was racing for the first time took first place in his division. Nice job fellas.

Next week is Week 2 of the series as well as the second race in the Red Jersey Race Series.

Good luck to Sven on the hill climb Saturday. Better him than me.

JJ

Newtons Revenge

This weekend is Newtons Revenge, the sibling to the Mount Washington Bicycle Hillclimb. Same course, same hill- different date, different name.
(racing to the top of this, yes there is a road- 7.6 miles, average grade 12%, gain 4400'
I haven't "trained" for the ride, other than riding. I don't have a goal, other than to finish on the same day I start. And until last night I wasn't nervous.

Race nerves- do they ever go away? I felt nerves before the Four on the Fourth running race just the other day- and I'm not a runner so I wasn't really "racing". I felt nerves getting ready for the first race of the Dakine Summer Race Series- which is about as laid back as you can get. I just get those butterflies when it's time to toe the line, yet I don't when I know we are going out for some epic ride- hmmmm.

So last night I began to tear apart my Salsa Chilli Con, which I found ironic as it is still in shakedown mode from the initial build. Off came the chain, cranks, derailleurs, and on went a MTB crank I had bought over the winter that after I got it I couldn't figure out why I had bought it- but it found it's home as it is a 180mm crank that has a small ring of 22t. The other chain rings came off and just the 22t remained.

Tonight I'll pull the cockpit apart as that bike is currently build with SRAM 10sp and I'm not throwing down for a SRAM XX cassette (at $300) so I'll use an old Dura Ace lever and a SRAM X9 for my rear shifting giving me a 11-32 cassette in the back. Then I'll get it all buttoned up and go up and down Chadbourne Hill a few times to make sure it all works. Then before the race I'll pull the rear brake off and save a few more grams- why- why not?

I thought of using my road bike, but knowing how next week is, I didn't want to have to find time to rebuild that bike for road riding- see there is an advantage to having a quiver of bikes!

Next week we have the Dakine race then on Thursday the second race of the Red Jersey Series- so in two weeks I'll have gotten in five races (one running, one hill climb, three mountain bike races)- jezzz that's almost like I'm using racing as "training".

Hopefully by the end of July I'll start feeling a bit better about 24 Hours of Great Glen. Right now I'm nervous about racing solo as I just not in shape. But a good three weeks of riding and racing may change my perception of that (or not)- either way I'll be at Great Glen and it'll be fun.

That's it for now.

Ride on.

DEA

So here was my race

Liz: "Dad, Dennis rode the course in 30 minutes- you better not take longer than that!"
Dad (Dad being me): "I'll try kiddo, but it's pouring and well I'm not fast anymore."
Liz: "Don't try that on me Dad."
Dad: "Ok, go watch your sister."

Eli: "You ready to rock this course like a hurricane?"
Me (feels weird to do refer to myself as Dad when talking about Eli): "Ummm, maybe?"
Eli: "5,4,3,2,1 go, go like the wind."
Me: actually I already couldn't speak, out of breath

Me: (in my head- and even in my head I sound out of breath)- "damn this is hard, watch that entrance, duh, ok, run, watch your shin, ouch f$*&cking pedal, you stupid bastard, ok get on go, go, go- this frikin hurts"
Me: (still in my head, later on course- Whiplash to be exact): "can that time be right, I'm at the top of the course and I'm at 15 minutes, damn I'm flying, I'm going to crush that Dennis Morgan- I'm going to crush him like potato chips on the floor of my car, I'm going to crus... oh shit- ground coming up quick. Ok back up, why did that happen, why can't I see, why is this cloud bank so think, wait it's my glasses, you dumb ass, take them off, into the pocket, where is the pocket, why are you like a retarded monkey drunk on skunked beer- why did I just think that, ok put the damn glasses in the pocket- now run, ok walk, but walk faster, back on the bike you sissy- there you go, hey I'm flying now- ok back off the bike, run, walk, back on, back off, this is getting stupid, go, go, ok ride the rest of this- wow look at that slug- I bet the slugs are loving this weather....."
Me: (in my head, back on gravel): "Oh look at this time, I'm killing it- I can be back in in 5 minutes, I'm the man, Lance ain't got shit on me, I'm so fas......oh crap, A LEFT, are you kidding me A LEFT, I could be so much faster if I went straight- argh, nobody would know if I went straight, just go straight- why are you going LEFT!!! You make some crap decisions in you life, but you do the right thing here- what the hell is wrong with you, ok just keep going, maybe you're not as fast as you thought, oh man another Left- are you kidding me- I can be fast through here- crap traction, don't nut yourself, who is coming up on me? Why are they coming up on me so fast? This sucks. There he goes- look at him all fit and trim and in a UNH jersey, I wonder if they have scholarships for cycling, I wonder if he dopes, I wonder if he's like the next Lance Armstrong, I'm so sick of hearing about Lance, almost as much as Michael, watch that root, duh...."

Me: (back on gravel)- "I can still crush Dennis, I can regain my crown as the fast guy formerly from Center Conway when you only consider a carefully selected group of people, I can get in by 28 minutes, oh I'm cranking now. Wait- a little piece of new single track, sweet, save some climbing, oh I can be in in under 27 minutes- I'm the Mac Daddy! Wonder what Mac is doing? The prick is probably in the hot tub drinking a beer, argh, and I'm racing in the rain in 52 degree temps in July- I'm just stupid, why is there a camel over there? Ok crank this hill, damn I'm going fast, damn I just blew up, damn just get me in, here comes the finish- is Eli even paying attention try to say something, can't, he'll see me- ok- DONE."

Me: (out loud): "I kicked Morgan's Ass!"

Liz: "Dad you beat 30 minutes, but Dennis did it in 25 something."
Dad: "Argh, are you kidding me. Oh well, I can live with that."

Fast forward to this morning- I click on a Garmin Connect link, it shows 24:41

Me: "Damn, I've got work to do. Maybe I should write a funny thing to send to Dennis letting him know that I tried like hell to crush him, but instead was the one crushed, yeah that's a good idea- it'll only take a minute"

Moral of the story- if I can cut the amount of time it took me to write this damned thing- I'd be faster than you!


By the way- it's raining.


later,
DEA

How did the Fourth of July come and go?

How did that happen. One minute it's March and now it's July 6th? Hmmmm, I need to look into this as I think this whole Obama and change that has messed with the time space continuum, might need to invest in a flux capacitor.

Anyway summer is "officially here"- we don't think of the summer solstice as the start of summer, we use the 4th of July. And for good reason, this year we were still in long tights and booties up to the 4th of July as "spring" really sucked this year. But now the sun is out (for now) and maybe the trails will dry out by next year.

The summer race series begins up at Great Glen tomorrow night. It'll give me a chance to get away from the tour on TV (and NOT in HD in Maine!!! grumble, grumble, grumble).

The tour could shape up to be interesting, or Contador is just going to crush everyone and just make Lance mad- that might be funny. I know Lance is trying to say he's ok riding for the strongest man- but that's because he's never had to do it. Ok he did at teh TOC for Levi- but that was in the winter- we never got to see him ride back up from the cars with 12 water bottles stuffed down his jersey- that's what I want to see.

I've got another race next weekend (two races in a week- I feel so pro)- but this one is a hillclimb and I'm scared. 4400 feet in seven miles- gulp. Should be ok, building up a super low geared bike this week just for the occasion. Hopefully it works! Who knows with all this racing and tour watching maybe I'll start gettign some speed and endurance for that silly 24HOGG in August. I hope the course dries out by then (I'm not kidding- it could take that long!)

Back here at work we're still working on getting the last few kids in the door (so if you know of 18-19 year old male who is still wondering why he didn't get into Harvard and is still looking for options next fall- send him my way!) I'm starting to think about trying to build a cyclocross program here at Bridgton Academy. Not sure if we'll start this year, but I'm thinking it could be fun. There are quite a few races fairly close- and I'd bet I could work a deal with a bike company to get a few rigs here cheap- hmmmmmm. Food for thought at least!

Ok that's if from here. Hoping to get out for another ride with JJ in the near future (he's gonna kick my ass tomorrow night- you heard it here first!). We hit up Kingdom Trails last Friday, and it was good. It was slick, but still super fun. That being said- they do have roots over at Kingdom, if I tell you they don't- then I am lying!

Ride safe.

DEA