Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
ElevationMonday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Friday, April 08, 2011
The snow is melting, I hope...
Over the winter I ordered a new Salsa Spearfish frame. Unfortunately I learned that it was so popular that there were none left for any team riders. So I was left with the quandry of waiting to see if a frame showed up at some point during the season or make alternative plans.
What I decided to do was to take a look at Niner bikes. They have been known as innovators of the 29er bike segment and since that's what I like I decided maybe a Niner frame was a good place to start. After talking to some folks who know bikes I settled on a Niner Jet 9 frame.
Jet 9
Rumor has it that the UPS Man, aka Santa has delivered a nice sized cardboard box to the office so I think that the frame had landed. Guess I have this weekend to begin the build process.
So with the addition of a new bike to the stable I am going to have to thin the heard and sell my Salsa Dos Niner as a complete bike. Here's a pic of it on the roof of the car.
It is a large sized frame with no dents or dings or damage, Rock Shox Reba Race fork, Salsa Delgado wheelset, Sram X9 drivetrain, Avid BB7 disk brakes, Salsa cockpit, Tektro carbon brake levers and WTB saddle. Great soft-tail ride, efficiency of a hard tail with a bit o squish on the back end as well. Let me know if you are interested. dennis.morgan2(at)gmail.com
JJ
What I decided to do was to take a look at Niner bikes. They have been known as innovators of the 29er bike segment and since that's what I like I decided maybe a Niner frame was a good place to start. After talking to some folks who know bikes I settled on a Niner Jet 9 frame.
Jet 9Rumor has it that the UPS Man, aka Santa has delivered a nice sized cardboard box to the office so I think that the frame had landed. Guess I have this weekend to begin the build process.
So with the addition of a new bike to the stable I am going to have to thin the heard and sell my Salsa Dos Niner as a complete bike. Here's a pic of it on the roof of the car.
It is a large sized frame with no dents or dings or damage, Rock Shox Reba Race fork, Salsa Delgado wheelset, Sram X9 drivetrain, Avid BB7 disk brakes, Salsa cockpit, Tektro carbon brake levers and WTB saddle. Great soft-tail ride, efficiency of a hard tail with a bit o squish on the back end as well. Let me know if you are interested. dennis.morgan2(at)gmail.com
JJ
Monday, March 07, 2011
Bikes and snow
I rode my bike to work a couple weeks ago on a day that it seemed like a good idea. I froze my ass off and by the time I was ready to head home it was dark and I didn't bring my lights. So here my bike sites, propped up against my desk covered in all my snivel/cold weather gear waiting for the call to head home. It's now March and there is no way we will be riding in the woods any time soon, even after a weekend of heavy rain. We still have feet and feet of white stuff hiding out in the woods that will take weeks to melt away and then more time to allow things to dry out properly.
Hopefully temps start to rise enough for the road bike to get some use as I have a race only 5 weeks out and I don't think my 30 min. spin sessions are going to do the trick.
One good thing is I placed my order for a new frame.
Salsa Spearfish
Problem is availability is tight and it might be mid-summer before it arrives. Anticipation....
JJ
Hopefully temps start to rise enough for the road bike to get some use as I have a race only 5 weeks out and I don't think my 30 min. spin sessions are going to do the trick.
One good thing is I placed my order for a new frame.
Salsa SpearfishProblem is availability is tight and it might be mid-summer before it arrives. Anticipation....
JJ
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, December 20, 2010
Another Great TWAFHGG In the Books
It was cold, but not too cold (mid 20's), the gravel roads were clear of snow (but not of ice!), the crew was eager (to get back and eat), and most of us (well maybe only me) had enough extra "padding" to ensure that we were going to stay warm for the duration.
Folks started showing up at around 9ish, well not really considering CW lives 40 feet away, so I guess he was there much earlier as I'm sure he slept in his own bed, but he was over the property line and in my yard around 9am looking to air up his bike. He knew where the pump was so off he went, only to return a short time later holding the torn off schrader valve in his hand.
Now if felt like a TWAF ride, as we had busted gear for me to fix! Of course I quickly realized I didn't have any schrader valve tubes and his bike is 8speed so I didn't have a wheel that would work. Instead we opted to just put him on another bike, this is exactly why having a quiver is so important!
Jon showed up a few minutes later and gets the award for the longest drive, making the trip from Waterbury, VT. We then had a few riders bail, Mike the Weeble took a fall on ice the night before that had him questioning his recently rebuilt shoulder (so he gets a pass) and Bishop bailed because, well we really don't know why but he did. However the crew had a final count of six, and the number six represented the final count of riders. No more than six, but certainly one more than five.....
The count was: Jon Conti, Alan Ashenfelter, Frank Ostrow, Chris Webb, Grady Vigneau, and myself. By about 9:50am we headed out and within 5 seconds a few people were cold. For those who haven't ridden a bike in cold temps the issue of windchill becomes apparent very quickly. Unlike Nordic skiing where you're upper body is actually doing some work, on a bike your upper body gets cold easily without making sure you've got ample wind protection. This is especially true with your hands and ears. The other spot that has a tough go- feet. Especially when you factor in you have shoes that have a metal plate, attached to a metal cleat, which attaches to a metal pedal. Let's just say someone should invent a "heated pedal" where the metal to metal isn't so cold- it would make for much more comfortable winter riding!
Our first crash of the day came about four miles in on a climb that had some ice hidden in the perfect spot. A few of us made it over barely, and then GV put a bit too much power to the rear wheel and slid out in fantastic fashion. It wouldn't be his only fall, and certainly not the only one to fall on the ride.
Up next to hit the deck was yours truly, again ice was the culprit as I took a quick trip to the ground and despite the pain my right knee was feeling, I was just glad the ice didn't give way under my heft as laying in water at that point would have really put a damper on the ride.
We soon made it out to Monk Road and everyone got their sweat going pretty good on the long grind up to the top where it meets Ben Hale. Of course, then you descend for about a mile on pavement so all that heat is quickly lost, and soon we had a few folks who were on the chilly side.
Up next was the climb to the top of Hawk Mountain. We made it about 3/4 of the way up before we ran into a serious ice flow that had us bush whacking to get up the mountain. Once in awhile we'd try to get back on the trail itself but it was pretty slick, AA took a nice slide that looked sort of fun it it weren't for the rocks that were poking through the ice that looked to do some damage if you hit them wrong. Needless to say Alan found a safe spot to get back OFF the trail and continued his climb. This flow was about 300 meters or so long and once we got past it we were able to remount the bikes and finish up the route to the summit. Once we got there everyone was pleased we had put in the effort as the views were excellent. We scrambled around on the rock for a bit, took some shots, and then suited back up for the final push home.
We opted for a secondary route down as we really didn't feel like dealing with the ice flow again. We took a route that JJ and I had scouted about a month ago, I was nervous as it was very wet then, but it wasn't that bad this time around. A snowmobile club had obviously been doing some trail work as there were a lot of branches and saplings that had been cut laying in the trail, which also meant a lot of little pungi sticks on the side of the trail. We took it easy on the way down, but we still saw CW go over the bars as well as GV hit the deck a couple of times. Let's just say the ground wasn't giving much, but fortunately neither of them were any worse off after their gravity check.
I had assumed that to be the last tough piece of riding, as the rest of the route was on gravel road or pavement, however the final stretch of gravel proved to be the diciest from my point of view as there were deep, frozen ruts that were having a good time trying to throw us from our bikes. While everyone stayed upright there were some pretty big sighs of relief when we got down to the pavement. From this spot we could look back up and see where we had just been up on Hawk Mountain, and while not a huge climb the way the elevation displays in front of you in the form of a cliff face it certainly looks impressive.
From here it was a paved cruise back to food and beer. The sole town line was snagged by the only one who knew where it was (me) and the final climb up Chadbourne Hill was a slow one as we worked our way up through campus trying to flatten the hill as best we could. In the end we had spent just over 2.5 hours out on the bikes, got over 1800 feet of climbing and logged a respectable 17 miles. The post ride feed of chili (thanks Jon), wings, beer and other good stuff certainly tasted good and felt well deserved.
Now winter can begin in earnest!
Ride on.
DEA
Thursday, December 16, 2010
TWAFHGGPF2010 Update
The TWAFHGGPF2010 is set for Sunday morning at 9:30 am (December 19).
Weather is looking good- low 30's maybe some snow.
For those who haven't ridden in colder temps here are some thoughts:
balaclava under the helmet is a good idea, or at least have one that maybe you stash in a pocket, but a hat is a must under your helmet.
warm gloves that provide dexterity- a good idea, lobster claw style mittens are the warmest, but at least something more than just a liner glove but not quite a full on alpine ski glove
FEET- don't try to pack too much sock into your shoes if it makes them tight as that will make your feet colder. A shoe cover is ideal- and the redneck solution is an old pair of wool socks that you don't mind sacrificing and wear them over your shoes. Maybe even a bread bag over socks sometimes works.
for legs, bike shorts as a base and then tights over them, what ever you'd wear XC skiing
Upper body- baselayer, an insulating layer, a vest and then a shell.
If you have a camelback style pack you can always pack an extra layer.
Now for bikes:
I currently have a bike for Alan to use and one for Fletcher to use.
If you need a bike let me know asap so I can try to work that out (Webb?)
This is a gravel grind, so you don't need some trick mountain bike. I'll likely ride a cross bike (looks like a road bike with bigger tires)- so if you've got an old Ross Mt. Shasta and the tires hold air and the chair still moves that could work. A true road bike won't work, but hybrids, fully rigid mountain bikes, etc will work fine. There will be points where you can take a shorter route home, so everyone should feel welcome regardless of fitness
Post ride- we'll be cooking up some wings, soups, I know Jon Conti is bringing Chilli. There will be some beverages provided but feel free to add to the selection!
My goal is for us to actually start riding by 10am, so showing up by 9:30 is a pretty good goal for everyone. Nick- if you come show up at 9am so we can get all your mechanical issues resolved before we try to ride ;)
Back to the post ride- I'm guessing we'll be out for about 2 hours. The over under on that, no idea. That doesn't mean we'll be riding the whole time as there is a lot of hanging out on route to let everyone gather. So for those who are either coming only for the post ride, or have kids or sig others who are coming for the post- I think a noonish goal works.
Parking- there is plenty of room on the grass to the right of the garage so park away!
Also feel free to invite others, the more the merrier.
Questions?
Hope to see you there.
cheers,
DEA (sven)
Weather is looking good- low 30's maybe some snow.
For those who haven't ridden in colder temps here are some thoughts:
balaclava under the helmet is a good idea, or at least have one that maybe you stash in a pocket, but a hat is a must under your helmet.
warm gloves that provide dexterity- a good idea, lobster claw style mittens are the warmest, but at least something more than just a liner glove but not quite a full on alpine ski glove
FEET- don't try to pack too much sock into your shoes if it makes them tight as that will make your feet colder. A shoe cover is ideal- and the redneck solution is an old pair of wool socks that you don't mind sacrificing and wear them over your shoes. Maybe even a bread bag over socks sometimes works.
for legs, bike shorts as a base and then tights over them, what ever you'd wear XC skiing
Upper body- baselayer, an insulating layer, a vest and then a shell.
If you have a camelback style pack you can always pack an extra layer.
Now for bikes:
I currently have a bike for Alan to use and one for Fletcher to use.
If you need a bike let me know asap so I can try to work that out (Webb?)
This is a gravel grind, so you don't need some trick mountain bike. I'll likely ride a cross bike (looks like a road bike with bigger tires)- so if you've got an old Ross Mt. Shasta and the tires hold air and the chair still moves that could work. A true road bike won't work, but hybrids, fully rigid mountain bikes, etc will work fine. There will be points where you can take a shorter route home, so everyone should feel welcome regardless of fitness
Post ride- we'll be cooking up some wings, soups, I know Jon Conti is bringing Chilli. There will be some beverages provided but feel free to add to the selection!
My goal is for us to actually start riding by 10am, so showing up by 9:30 is a pretty good goal for everyone. Nick- if you come show up at 9am so we can get all your mechanical issues resolved before we try to ride ;)
Back to the post ride- I'm guessing we'll be out for about 2 hours. The over under on that, no idea. That doesn't mean we'll be riding the whole time as there is a lot of hanging out on route to let everyone gather. So for those who are either coming only for the post ride, or have kids or sig others who are coming for the post- I think a noonish goal works.
Parking- there is plenty of room on the grass to the right of the garage so park away!
Also feel free to invite others, the more the merrier.
Questions?
Hope to see you there.
cheers,
DEA (sven)
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
TWAFHGGPF2010 Just Days Away
It's that time of year again, when we pull out the bikes and go find gravel to ride all in the spirit of having fun with great friends.
For most of us we've made the switch from cycling season to ski season, and this ride on Sunday is a great way to celebrate the 2010 season, and to make sure our bikes are so covered with road grime that we'll never get them clean before spring!
The ride is set for Sunday, December 19th- (a day later than originally planned due to a conflict on Saturday). We'll leave from the Cole residence in beautiful North Bridgton Maine.
The route is still up for debate, the weather leading into the weekend will have a definite impact on where we go.
We'll plan on leaving by 9:30 a.m.
Hope to see you there.
For most of us we've made the switch from cycling season to ski season, and this ride on Sunday is a great way to celebrate the 2010 season, and to make sure our bikes are so covered with road grime that we'll never get them clean before spring!
The ride is set for Sunday, December 19th- (a day later than originally planned due to a conflict on Saturday). We'll leave from the Cole residence in beautiful North Bridgton Maine.
The route is still up for debate, the weather leading into the weekend will have a definite impact on where we go.
We'll plan on leaving by 9:30 a.m.
Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Porky Gulch Classic
Porky Gulch Classic, the single greatest weekend of bike racing of the year. I didn’t have the week leading up to the PGC that I had wanted, as work was crazy, however I credit the PGC with helping me keep my sanity during that week.
For those who don’t know what the PGC is all about, here is the run down- it starts with a two mile time trial up the first two miles of the Mount Washington Auto Road- gaining just under 1200’ in two miles (after you get to ride back down as well), then later that same day you run a crit INSIDE Story Land- perhaps the most fun you can have on a bike. The following day the weekend concludes with a cross race up at Great Glen Trails. Three races over two days.
The race kicked off with the climb, with is done as a TT with 30 second intervals. I am not much of a climber so I look at the climb as my ticket to be able to race the crit later in the day. My goal was to make it to the one mile mark before getting passed by Pete Ostroski- who got third in the actual HillClimb earlier in the year and who also raced in the mountain bike World Championships this year. I used to be able to beat Pete, when he was like 10, but now he just crushes me (as well as everyone else)- but it is great to see a local kid having success on the bike (and skis). I made my goal, but only because the time gap between us on the starting grid worked to my favor! The crazy work week meant I didn’t swap out my crank for something a bit more hill climb friendly, so I ran my road set up (compact- so a 36x28) which worked but definitely found me weaving at times.
We finished up the climb, I was notably slow, but I was OK with that. The ride down was FAST. I’ve ridden down the road many times in this race as well as way back when I used to work there, and it still tweaks me out how fast you pick up speed and how hard it is to scrub speed on that hill. I will admit I much prefer descending the road on my mountain bike with disc brakes- it’s just I don’t like trying to ride that much heavier bike up the hill!
Once down everyone got warmed up again and we headed down to Story Land for the crit. The course is two parts- the long shot around the outside of the park, followed by the craziness inside the park. For the power riders they can make up time on the outside, but once inside it is nothing but cornering, braking, and accelerating. To say it’s been awhile since I’ve led a road race is a bit of an understatement. I think the last time I was at the front of a road race Bill Clinton was still the new kid on the political block. With that in mind when the cannon (literally) went off and I saw a chance to get the hole shot into the park I went for it and spent ALMOST the entire first lap at the front. Coming into the final few (10) corners of the first lap I skipped a pedal and had a couple of riders slip past me as we came back out to the start finish. They wouldn’t be the only ones to pass me, but they were the ones that bummed me out the most- more of a pride thing. I looked down at my Garmin and my heart rate was sitting in the mid 180’s. The adrenaline of leading the lap had me pretty jacked up and I knew that that effort was going to cost me. Over the next two laps I progressively lost positions until I was sitting more toward the tail end of the field. However it was about at this time when bodies started hitting the ground and it became a bit of a game of who could stay upright.
The last few laps we had formed up a small group, and a guy I’ve been racing with for a few years and I traded pulls and he was the guy I really wanted to “race”. I took over our small group with two laps to go and rode tempo for the second to last lap and then began to ratchet up the speed on the last pass across the front of the park- knowing that would be the easiest spot for him to get by me. Once inside I knew all I really had to do was go hard up Heidi’s Hill and then just hold on for dear life through the rest of the park. I was surprised when I opened a small gap on the climb and really just had to stay upright for the rest of the lap.
The Story Land crit is one of those races that you just get faster and faster each lap as you get to know the course and build confidence. It is also one where you legs and lungs are glad when it is over, but your mind still wants to go at it- cranking through corner after corner is just way too much fun.
Saturday was now behind us and all that was left was the cross race on Sunday.
As a guy who is really a weekend warrior these days, and one who thinks core work is something that is fun to talk about doing, but never finds the time to do, I’ve had (surprisingly) issues with my back over the past few years. That being said I hadn’t had many issues so far this season and maybe I got a bit cocky about being “over” my back issues. I’m not sure why I thought that, I know better, but I had thought it anyway. Well the cross race turned out to be the reality slap that I needed so that I can start talking about doing core work again.
The race began and the field broke into three groups pretty quickly. The fast guys, the sorta fast guys, and the not so fast guys. I was in the second group and actually felt pretty good. I was technically riding well and making up ground on the barriers and the run up that was rideable if you hit the line. I found myself near the front of the sorta fast guys group a number of times and even toyed with the idea of really upping the pace and seeing if I could bridge up to the other group, which looked to be up the course by about 20 seconds or less.
Just as I was imagining my inner Sven Nys putting the power down and bridging the gap I began to feel that awful feeling of my lower back starting to misfire. I was confident it wasn’t going to cramp and lock up, but I knew the power was about to spike- in the wrong direction. Within a half lap I went from being at the front of the sorta fast group, to the back of the sorta fast group, to dangling and riding the straight shots sitting up and trying to stretch out my back. I was pretty bummed as I had felt good, but I was also being pretty honest with myself about the fact that maybe it was time to stop talking about core work and to actually start doing some!
That little bit of a respite from going full bore was enough to keep me from locking up and actually by the last lap I felt about 80% again and chased back to the dangling stage for the finish.
It was then all over and my favorite weekend of racing was once again something that I was walking away with great stories and memories and great anticipation for the next year.
For those who haven’t raced the Porky Gulch Classic, I highly encourage it. It is fun, it’s down to earth and it is a weekend that will keep you smiling.
Ride On- DEA
For those who don’t know what the PGC is all about, here is the run down- it starts with a two mile time trial up the first two miles of the Mount Washington Auto Road- gaining just under 1200’ in two miles (after you get to ride back down as well), then later that same day you run a crit INSIDE Story Land- perhaps the most fun you can have on a bike. The following day the weekend concludes with a cross race up at Great Glen Trails. Three races over two days.
The race kicked off with the climb, with is done as a TT with 30 second intervals. I am not much of a climber so I look at the climb as my ticket to be able to race the crit later in the day. My goal was to make it to the one mile mark before getting passed by Pete Ostroski- who got third in the actual HillClimb earlier in the year and who also raced in the mountain bike World Championships this year. I used to be able to beat Pete, when he was like 10, but now he just crushes me (as well as everyone else)- but it is great to see a local kid having success on the bike (and skis). I made my goal, but only because the time gap between us on the starting grid worked to my favor! The crazy work week meant I didn’t swap out my crank for something a bit more hill climb friendly, so I ran my road set up (compact- so a 36x28) which worked but definitely found me weaving at times.
We finished up the climb, I was notably slow, but I was OK with that. The ride down was FAST. I’ve ridden down the road many times in this race as well as way back when I used to work there, and it still tweaks me out how fast you pick up speed and how hard it is to scrub speed on that hill. I will admit I much prefer descending the road on my mountain bike with disc brakes- it’s just I don’t like trying to ride that much heavier bike up the hill!
Once down everyone got warmed up again and we headed down to Story Land for the crit. The course is two parts- the long shot around the outside of the park, followed by the craziness inside the park. For the power riders they can make up time on the outside, but once inside it is nothing but cornering, braking, and accelerating. To say it’s been awhile since I’ve led a road race is a bit of an understatement. I think the last time I was at the front of a road race Bill Clinton was still the new kid on the political block. With that in mind when the cannon (literally) went off and I saw a chance to get the hole shot into the park I went for it and spent ALMOST the entire first lap at the front. Coming into the final few (10) corners of the first lap I skipped a pedal and had a couple of riders slip past me as we came back out to the start finish. They wouldn’t be the only ones to pass me, but they were the ones that bummed me out the most- more of a pride thing. I looked down at my Garmin and my heart rate was sitting in the mid 180’s. The adrenaline of leading the lap had me pretty jacked up and I knew that that effort was going to cost me. Over the next two laps I progressively lost positions until I was sitting more toward the tail end of the field. However it was about at this time when bodies started hitting the ground and it became a bit of a game of who could stay upright.
The last few laps we had formed up a small group, and a guy I’ve been racing with for a few years and I traded pulls and he was the guy I really wanted to “race”. I took over our small group with two laps to go and rode tempo for the second to last lap and then began to ratchet up the speed on the last pass across the front of the park- knowing that would be the easiest spot for him to get by me. Once inside I knew all I really had to do was go hard up Heidi’s Hill and then just hold on for dear life through the rest of the park. I was surprised when I opened a small gap on the climb and really just had to stay upright for the rest of the lap.
The Story Land crit is one of those races that you just get faster and faster each lap as you get to know the course and build confidence. It is also one where you legs and lungs are glad when it is over, but your mind still wants to go at it- cranking through corner after corner is just way too much fun.
Saturday was now behind us and all that was left was the cross race on Sunday.
As a guy who is really a weekend warrior these days, and one who thinks core work is something that is fun to talk about doing, but never finds the time to do, I’ve had (surprisingly) issues with my back over the past few years. That being said I hadn’t had many issues so far this season and maybe I got a bit cocky about being “over” my back issues. I’m not sure why I thought that, I know better, but I had thought it anyway. Well the cross race turned out to be the reality slap that I needed so that I can start talking about doing core work again.
The race began and the field broke into three groups pretty quickly. The fast guys, the sorta fast guys, and the not so fast guys. I was in the second group and actually felt pretty good. I was technically riding well and making up ground on the barriers and the run up that was rideable if you hit the line. I found myself near the front of the sorta fast guys group a number of times and even toyed with the idea of really upping the pace and seeing if I could bridge up to the other group, which looked to be up the course by about 20 seconds or less.
Just as I was imagining my inner Sven Nys putting the power down and bridging the gap I began to feel that awful feeling of my lower back starting to misfire. I was confident it wasn’t going to cramp and lock up, but I knew the power was about to spike- in the wrong direction. Within a half lap I went from being at the front of the sorta fast group, to the back of the sorta fast group, to dangling and riding the straight shots sitting up and trying to stretch out my back. I was pretty bummed as I had felt good, but I was also being pretty honest with myself about the fact that maybe it was time to stop talking about core work and to actually start doing some!
That little bit of a respite from going full bore was enough to keep me from locking up and actually by the last lap I felt about 80% again and chased back to the dangling stage for the finish.
It was then all over and my favorite weekend of racing was once again something that I was walking away with great stories and memories and great anticipation for the next year.
For those who haven’t raced the Porky Gulch Classic, I highly encourage it. It is fun, it’s down to earth and it is a weekend that will keep you smiling.
Ride On- DEA
Friday, November 12, 2010
Playing Catch Up on Race Reports
Where did October go? As I write this I have one CX race left and have six races already done, so I guess you could say I'm behind on my reporting.
The season kicked off, for me, at the Downeast Cross up at Pinelands. The season had been planned to get kicked off at the Casco Bay Cross, but Mother Nature had other plans and dropped so much rain that the race was canceled due to potential damage to the park on the Eastern Prom.
Heading to Pinelands I began to have a few butterflies as I realized I really hadn't done any CX work to get ready for this race. I'd been riding, but more in the manner of going out and enjoying the woods and roads of Maine, not in the lung busting, cross-eyed manner in which CX races are enjoyed. Add to that I hadn't done any dismount/remount practice this year, so I knew I was very well prepared!
I got to Pinelands and realized that the big upside to trying to move up to a 3 would be that I could sleep in for another hour AND the temps might be a bit more humane. However I have done little to try and get myself in shape to move up so early, cold starts are the reality I'll have for awhile.
The course was super fun. Lots of twists and turns, great flow, very little climbing, but lots of energy sucking accelerations on grass made me realize that sometimes climbing is much easier! I took my time on my warm-up laps and did get in a few dismount/remounts done before the start and began to feel a bit more comfortable before I headed down to the start.
The start, well the start of a CX race always catches me off guard. I am just not a fast starter, for two reasons- one I like to ease into a race, and two it scares the hell out of me to go full out, elbow to elbow and wheel to wheel from a dead stop. With that said I took my place at the back and planned on riding my way to outside of the first hard corner so I wouldn't get chopped in the corner.
The starting whistle was blown and we were off and I was quickly in my planned position of back of the group, however I felt like I was riding way too hard to be already at the back. The cold air combined with hard breathing had my lungs searing a bit and I was quickly in full on chase mode. I moved up a bit on the opening lap but the reality was that the lead group had already formed and was cranking along, and I wasn't anywhere near them, nor would I have been able to ride their pace. My heart rate was pretty much pegged from the gun and my goal was just to hold on for dear life.
The racing was fun and my goal became to just ride my own race and not get lapped. I rode pretty well, stayed upright and felt pretty good through the barriers. I moved up a bit as the race went on, but still finished near the back of the pack. I did however catch a guy on the line, but he was racing in the 4's and not the Master 4's- so that effort didn't show up on the result sheet.
Day two was colder than day one and I found myself sitting in the car with the heat on full bore trying to thaw out my toes before the start. I had decided to ride harder at the start and see if I could get a better finish. With that in mind the start went pretty well and I was up in the front group for half of the first lap before sliding out hard on a corner and spending some time on the ground. I chased back only to fall again on a stone wall crossing. That fall did actually hurt and it took me a minute or two of riding to get back to feeling like I could go full gas. I again found myself racing my own race and just tried to be smooth and have fun, and stay upright from that point on.
The course on day two was tougher as it had three dismounts and all three lacked (for me) any real rhythm. It was still a very fun course and I was happy with how I rode. I finished up closer to mid pack on day two and was pleased considering the time I had spent laying on the ground.
In all it was a good weekend of racing.
DEA
The season kicked off, for me, at the Downeast Cross up at Pinelands. The season had been planned to get kicked off at the Casco Bay Cross, but Mother Nature had other plans and dropped so much rain that the race was canceled due to potential damage to the park on the Eastern Prom.
Heading to Pinelands I began to have a few butterflies as I realized I really hadn't done any CX work to get ready for this race. I'd been riding, but more in the manner of going out and enjoying the woods and roads of Maine, not in the lung busting, cross-eyed manner in which CX races are enjoyed. Add to that I hadn't done any dismount/remount practice this year, so I knew I was very well prepared!
I got to Pinelands and realized that the big upside to trying to move up to a 3 would be that I could sleep in for another hour AND the temps might be a bit more humane. However I have done little to try and get myself in shape to move up so early, cold starts are the reality I'll have for awhile.
The course was super fun. Lots of twists and turns, great flow, very little climbing, but lots of energy sucking accelerations on grass made me realize that sometimes climbing is much easier! I took my time on my warm-up laps and did get in a few dismount/remounts done before the start and began to feel a bit more comfortable before I headed down to the start.
The start, well the start of a CX race always catches me off guard. I am just not a fast starter, for two reasons- one I like to ease into a race, and two it scares the hell out of me to go full out, elbow to elbow and wheel to wheel from a dead stop. With that said I took my place at the back and planned on riding my way to outside of the first hard corner so I wouldn't get chopped in the corner.
The starting whistle was blown and we were off and I was quickly in my planned position of back of the group, however I felt like I was riding way too hard to be already at the back. The cold air combined with hard breathing had my lungs searing a bit and I was quickly in full on chase mode. I moved up a bit on the opening lap but the reality was that the lead group had already formed and was cranking along, and I wasn't anywhere near them, nor would I have been able to ride their pace. My heart rate was pretty much pegged from the gun and my goal was just to hold on for dear life.
The racing was fun and my goal became to just ride my own race and not get lapped. I rode pretty well, stayed upright and felt pretty good through the barriers. I moved up a bit as the race went on, but still finished near the back of the pack. I did however catch a guy on the line, but he was racing in the 4's and not the Master 4's- so that effort didn't show up on the result sheet.
Day two was colder than day one and I found myself sitting in the car with the heat on full bore trying to thaw out my toes before the start. I had decided to ride harder at the start and see if I could get a better finish. With that in mind the start went pretty well and I was up in the front group for half of the first lap before sliding out hard on a corner and spending some time on the ground. I chased back only to fall again on a stone wall crossing. That fall did actually hurt and it took me a minute or two of riding to get back to feeling like I could go full gas. I again found myself racing my own race and just tried to be smooth and have fun, and stay upright from that point on.
The course on day two was tougher as it had three dismounts and all three lacked (for me) any real rhythm. It was still a very fun course and I was happy with how I rode. I finished up closer to mid pack on day two and was pleased considering the time I had spent laying on the ground.
In all it was a good weekend of racing.
DEA
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Columbus Day
Rode Columbus Day morning. It was very chilly at just about freezing when we started out. Got to ride some new singletrack which was great. Made our way up to Redneck Slab and had some great views of the Fall colors. Need to get out more soon.
Time: 01:11:39
Distance: 8.18 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,217 ft
Calories: 1,081 C
JJ
Time: 01:11:39
Distance: 8.18 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,217 ft
Calories: 1,081 C
JJ
Friday, October 01, 2010
Late September
Saturday:
With the onset of school and the practical end of Summer coming Labor Day weekend, my bikes have gotten very lonely. I think I had about 25 total miles of riding in September leading up to last weekend with all of that composed of 3 rides in the woods. None of this lack of riding had been due to anything other than lie being too busy. Up until this week, it has been almost drought-like so the trails have been bone dry, dusty if anything. So last Friday, I was in Court and as I returned to my office, I found a note on my chair. It asked if I wanted to get out for a road ride on Saturday morning with a proposed rout that would take us up the Kanc for ten miles or so and then up and over Bear Notch into Bartlett and then to North Conway and finally home. My friend said it would be 30 something miles. I thought the idea of a ride sounded great and the weather was supposed to be spectacular. As I thought about the rout I began to question the distance as I had a relatively tight time window. So I looked at some old ride data as I had done a similar loop before, but in a different direction.
Google Earth shot of ride
It came up with a ride in the mid 40's. So I decided to do the rout on Map My Ride which if you have not played with is a pretty cool, and free site. It came up with 48 miles. SO I knew either way it wouldn't work with the times I was thinking. So I called John and said we'd have to leave pretty early and ride at a pretty good pace to make it work. He said he was game.
I then went out to the garage and wiped the cobwebs off the bike and checked it out, filled some water bottles and laid out some clothes. 5:45AM was going to come awful early.
My Alarm woke me up and I started to get dressed for a virtual night ride in late September, I was expecting to need knickers and a long sleeve jersey with arm warmers underneath. I decided to check the temp, and was amazed that it was already 61 degrees out. So I put the snivvel gear back and just went with the normal summer day kit. That was nice to not have to be bundled up at all.
I rolled down the hill towards John's house at 6:10AM. It was dark. Not like the sun's about to come up dark, but middle of the f'ing night dark. I had no headlight and just a single little knog LED blinkie light on my seatpost, but fortunately the moon was almost full and it was shining bright. It was so silent and peaceful for that first part, just coasting along sorta stealth-like.
We were on the road by 6:15AM and it was still dark. John said he would pull for the first 15 minutes as he had no light at all and that way my little red blinkie light would be at the back. We started at a pretty good pace as we headed down into Conway Village towards the Kanc. The air was a little heavy and weird. We would be riding along an suddenly hit very warm pockets of air and the cool pockets of air. I likened the warm air pockets to someone peeing in the pool.
We encountered very little traffic which was nice. The ride up the Kanc was very peaceful, the sun was beginning to brighten the skies and you could start to make out the colors in the foliage.
Lower Falls on the Kanc
With the Swift River on our right to climbed towards the first break spot, the Lower falls, which for me was a chance to realize that I wished I had brought a better camera than what was on my Blackberry Storm. As John hit the facilities, I snapped a couple of pics.
First break at Lower Falls
The sun was just starting to light up the rock face on one of the mountains near by giving a great look and feel with the colors of the leaves, top that off with the early morning blue sky and a full moon above and it was a pretty cool thing to see. Better than sleeping even.
View up the Kanc
We made our way up through Bear Notch and I was pleasantly surprised to be riding on fresh pavement. The only issue was with the weird weather we were experiencing, the road was actually wet from the humidity I was guessing. As we worked our way up through the Notch the riding was very nice and my legs were feeling good. As I approached a scenic overlook, I knew that we were almost at the top. I stopped and John rode up shortly and we each got some water and I ate a couple fig newtons. We were now refueld and readt to hit the top and descend the other side.
Looking up the road
None of this side of the Notch is super steep, just a nice consistent grade. The Bartlett side, the one we were descending was different. It was a consistent grade but much steeper and turnier. Another fun thing was the pavement was new on this side too but still wet. This can mean a greasy road surface. We started down and were quickly cruising along at 30+ mph and a desire to push it, but he wet corners were enough to give me some pause. So I just coasted. That was a great descent. Well worth the climb. The views were great, but at that speed and with those road conditions I didn't get to see all that much for too long.
Once we got to the bottom in Bartlett we were doing well on time. We figured we had enough time for a pit stop in North Conway at The Front Side Grind. We had a nice little break and a bagel and we were off on the home stretch. It was not pushing 80 out and while still feeling good, I could tell I had not been on a bike as much as I had hoped.
Once I pulled in the driveway at home, these were the numbers from the Garmin:
Time: 02:49:46
Distance: 47.43 mi
Elevation Gain: 2,258 ft
Calories: 3,516 C (wow, that's like a case of beer, or a pound of fat)
A great ride and awesome way to start the weekend.
Sunday
I had sent a text to Sven on Friday to see if he wanted to get out for a ride over the weekend. With his current schedule dictating our ride location, I drove over to his place at Bridgton, Maine early Sunday morning. Once nice thing was that it wasn't quite as early as Saturday's start time.
With the upcoming TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder 4.0 fast approaching, Sven had some sections of the ride he wanted to do some recon on. The ride started out right behind Sven's parent's house following a fence-line in the woods. This was the only real singletrack of the ride and didn't last but a mile or so. We were then out of the woods riding on some powerlines trails that are part of a snowmobile network in the coming months. Most of these trails are nice rolling hills up and down. For some reason power lines are never laid out on flat ground around here.
Google Earth Image 09-26-10
After the powerlines we had a short bit of pavement before a dirt road that climbs up Hawk Mountain. This road is one that we did last year in the TWAFHGG 2009 and it is much like an access road to a ski area. It just basically goes up. This time we took another route once we had ridden most of the way up. This trail went up even further and ended up at an exposed slab on the top of Hawk Mountain.
Sven pointing something important out
We had some awesome views up there. Sven was busy pointing out all of the landmarks one could see off in the distance as I snapped a few photos. Unfortunately it was overcast instead of the bluebird sky that I had the morning before. Even still we had very good visibility.
Dennis posing at the top of Hawk Mtn.
Sven at the top of Hawk Mtn.
Sven surveying the landscape
As we were coming down off the mountain we had a very nice descent down a washed out jeep road. It was eerily reminiscent of a section of the Pat's Peak 24 Hr race course. Shortly thereafter we were on pavement for a stretch and were doing some nice fast downhill coasting.
After this section we found another jeep road which we had also ridden last year, but we took another trail off of this for some more uncharted territory for me. These were all basically doubletrack trails but pretty fast and rolling terrain. It is really difficult to find much of anything flat in these parts.
The final stretch back to Casa Cole was on the pavement. We still had some good climbing left and by this point my legs were really cooked. I felt like I had very good legs the day before, but the lack of regular riding caught up with me this day as there was little left in the tank by ride's end. Overall it was a good ride with over 16 miles and almost 2,000 feet of climbing. Stay tuned to the TWAF blog for news and updates on this year's TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder 4.0, it's sure to be wicked good.
Time: 01:39:20
Distance: 16.17 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,867 ft
Calories: 1,412 C (that's like 10 beers worth!!)
JJ
With the onset of school and the practical end of Summer coming Labor Day weekend, my bikes have gotten very lonely. I think I had about 25 total miles of riding in September leading up to last weekend with all of that composed of 3 rides in the woods. None of this lack of riding had been due to anything other than lie being too busy. Up until this week, it has been almost drought-like so the trails have been bone dry, dusty if anything. So last Friday, I was in Court and as I returned to my office, I found a note on my chair. It asked if I wanted to get out for a road ride on Saturday morning with a proposed rout that would take us up the Kanc for ten miles or so and then up and over Bear Notch into Bartlett and then to North Conway and finally home. My friend said it would be 30 something miles. I thought the idea of a ride sounded great and the weather was supposed to be spectacular. As I thought about the rout I began to question the distance as I had a relatively tight time window. So I looked at some old ride data as I had done a similar loop before, but in a different direction.
Google Earth shot of rideIt came up with a ride in the mid 40's. So I decided to do the rout on Map My Ride which if you have not played with is a pretty cool, and free site. It came up with 48 miles. SO I knew either way it wouldn't work with the times I was thinking. So I called John and said we'd have to leave pretty early and ride at a pretty good pace to make it work. He said he was game.
I then went out to the garage and wiped the cobwebs off the bike and checked it out, filled some water bottles and laid out some clothes. 5:45AM was going to come awful early.
My Alarm woke me up and I started to get dressed for a virtual night ride in late September, I was expecting to need knickers and a long sleeve jersey with arm warmers underneath. I decided to check the temp, and was amazed that it was already 61 degrees out. So I put the snivvel gear back and just went with the normal summer day kit. That was nice to not have to be bundled up at all.
I rolled down the hill towards John's house at 6:10AM. It was dark. Not like the sun's about to come up dark, but middle of the f'ing night dark. I had no headlight and just a single little knog LED blinkie light on my seatpost, but fortunately the moon was almost full and it was shining bright. It was so silent and peaceful for that first part, just coasting along sorta stealth-like.
We were on the road by 6:15AM and it was still dark. John said he would pull for the first 15 minutes as he had no light at all and that way my little red blinkie light would be at the back. We started at a pretty good pace as we headed down into Conway Village towards the Kanc. The air was a little heavy and weird. We would be riding along an suddenly hit very warm pockets of air and the cool pockets of air. I likened the warm air pockets to someone peeing in the pool.
We encountered very little traffic which was nice. The ride up the Kanc was very peaceful, the sun was beginning to brighten the skies and you could start to make out the colors in the foliage.
Lower Falls on the KancWith the Swift River on our right to climbed towards the first break spot, the Lower falls, which for me was a chance to realize that I wished I had brought a better camera than what was on my Blackberry Storm. As John hit the facilities, I snapped a couple of pics.
First break at Lower FallsThe sun was just starting to light up the rock face on one of the mountains near by giving a great look and feel with the colors of the leaves, top that off with the early morning blue sky and a full moon above and it was a pretty cool thing to see. Better than sleeping even.
View up the KancWe made our way up through Bear Notch and I was pleasantly surprised to be riding on fresh pavement. The only issue was with the weird weather we were experiencing, the road was actually wet from the humidity I was guessing. As we worked our way up through the Notch the riding was very nice and my legs were feeling good. As I approached a scenic overlook, I knew that we were almost at the top. I stopped and John rode up shortly and we each got some water and I ate a couple fig newtons. We were now refueld and readt to hit the top and descend the other side.
Looking up the roadNone of this side of the Notch is super steep, just a nice consistent grade. The Bartlett side, the one we were descending was different. It was a consistent grade but much steeper and turnier. Another fun thing was the pavement was new on this side too but still wet. This can mean a greasy road surface. We started down and were quickly cruising along at 30+ mph and a desire to push it, but he wet corners were enough to give me some pause. So I just coasted. That was a great descent. Well worth the climb. The views were great, but at that speed and with those road conditions I didn't get to see all that much for too long.
Once we got to the bottom in Bartlett we were doing well on time. We figured we had enough time for a pit stop in North Conway at The Front Side Grind. We had a nice little break and a bagel and we were off on the home stretch. It was not pushing 80 out and while still feeling good, I could tell I had not been on a bike as much as I had hoped.
Once I pulled in the driveway at home, these were the numbers from the Garmin:
Time: 02:49:46
Distance: 47.43 mi
Elevation Gain: 2,258 ft
Calories: 3,516 C (wow, that's like a case of beer, or a pound of fat)
A great ride and awesome way to start the weekend.
Sunday
I had sent a text to Sven on Friday to see if he wanted to get out for a ride over the weekend. With his current schedule dictating our ride location, I drove over to his place at Bridgton, Maine early Sunday morning. Once nice thing was that it wasn't quite as early as Saturday's start time.
With the upcoming TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder 4.0 fast approaching, Sven had some sections of the ride he wanted to do some recon on. The ride started out right behind Sven's parent's house following a fence-line in the woods. This was the only real singletrack of the ride and didn't last but a mile or so. We were then out of the woods riding on some powerlines trails that are part of a snowmobile network in the coming months. Most of these trails are nice rolling hills up and down. For some reason power lines are never laid out on flat ground around here.
Google Earth Image 09-26-10After the powerlines we had a short bit of pavement before a dirt road that climbs up Hawk Mountain. This road is one that we did last year in the TWAFHGG 2009 and it is much like an access road to a ski area. It just basically goes up. This time we took another route once we had ridden most of the way up. This trail went up even further and ended up at an exposed slab on the top of Hawk Mountain.
Sven pointing something important outWe had some awesome views up there. Sven was busy pointing out all of the landmarks one could see off in the distance as I snapped a few photos. Unfortunately it was overcast instead of the bluebird sky that I had the morning before. Even still we had very good visibility.
Dennis posing at the top of Hawk Mtn.
Sven at the top of Hawk Mtn.
Sven surveying the landscapeAs we were coming down off the mountain we had a very nice descent down a washed out jeep road. It was eerily reminiscent of a section of the Pat's Peak 24 Hr race course. Shortly thereafter we were on pavement for a stretch and were doing some nice fast downhill coasting.
After this section we found another jeep road which we had also ridden last year, but we took another trail off of this for some more uncharted territory for me. These were all basically doubletrack trails but pretty fast and rolling terrain. It is really difficult to find much of anything flat in these parts.
The final stretch back to Casa Cole was on the pavement. We still had some good climbing left and by this point my legs were really cooked. I felt like I had very good legs the day before, but the lack of regular riding caught up with me this day as there was little left in the tank by ride's end. Overall it was a good ride with over 16 miles and almost 2,000 feet of climbing. Stay tuned to the TWAF blog for news and updates on this year's TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder 4.0, it's sure to be wicked good.
Time: 01:39:20
Distance: 16.17 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,867 ft
Calories: 1,412 C (that's like 10 beers worth!!)
JJ
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Planning The TWAF Holiday Gravel Grinder
JJ and I got out for a good recon ride on Sunday morning. We ended up riding much of the same stuff we did last year, other than a trip up to the summit of Hawk Mountain, and just when we got to the new section we began to run out of time. My goal is to get him back over this way soon to go check out a new piece for this years route. Part of the planning has been taking advantage of the updated images on GoogleMaps. This area was updated recently and that has made for a great way to scout gravel.
I am still looking for my first cross race of the year but have not pulled the trigger on a registration as of yet. I am hoping to race the CascoBay Cross Race set for a couple of weeks out, but am on duty that weekend, so hoping i can find a creative way to make it all work. Beyond that I will most likely just race the GGTOC series and Porky Gulch.
Looking at next year K and I have talked about my racing a stage race, either Trans-syvlania or Breck Epic. If we go to either one I'm guessing it'll be in PA, but one can always hope!
I am still looking for my first cross race of the year but have not pulled the trigger on a registration as of yet. I am hoping to race the CascoBay Cross Race set for a couple of weeks out, but am on duty that weekend, so hoping i can find a creative way to make it all work. Beyond that I will most likely just race the GGTOC series and Porky Gulch.
Looking at next year K and I have talked about my racing a stage race, either Trans-syvlania or Breck Epic. If we go to either one I'm guessing it'll be in PA, but one can always hope!
Monday, September 20, 2010
It's September?
Where did the summer go? Today is the last day of summer and I'm not quite sure how that happened. But it did, and now I am looking at fall and trying to figure out what cross races I can make happen.
I think this year will be a bit low key in terms of cross racing, as I can't "start" training on September 20th and expect much good to happen. That being said I can certainly go and have some fun racing around on the grass!
The cycling season sort of ended for me after the 24HOGG. Not that I wanted it to, but life got crazy busy. Now I find myself trying to get back into the flow and to throw my leg over the bike a bit more. With that in mind I am looking for an adventure of some sort. What that is I don't yet know, but it'll include loading up the pack and heading out for a day of riding where I'm really not sure where the heck I am going- anyone game?
DEA
I think this year will be a bit low key in terms of cross racing, as I can't "start" training on September 20th and expect much good to happen. That being said I can certainly go and have some fun racing around on the grass!
The cycling season sort of ended for me after the 24HOGG. Not that I wanted it to, but life got crazy busy. Now I find myself trying to get back into the flow and to throw my leg over the bike a bit more. With that in mind I am looking for an adventure of some sort. What that is I don't yet know, but it'll include loading up the pack and heading out for a day of riding where I'm really not sure where the heck I am going- anyone game?
DEA
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
24HOGG Re-Cap
The cannon went off and then 24 hours latter it went off again, in between there was a lot of racing to be had.
Ok I guess I can write a bit more than that, especially since I've been given a hard time for not having a write up ready to go on Monday morning. Jeez TWAF fans have high expectations!
This was my 14th go at the race, and my fourth go as a solo, but my first running it solo on a geared bike (got all of that?). In addition to gears I ran the Big Mama so there was plenty of squish to keep my back a bit more comfy. Add to that that K has had me doing planks and some core work (when I remember) and for the first year in a long time my back was not really an issue, other than general fatigue.
The weekend started on Friday when I drove up to get our camping area set up so that Saturday morning would be a bit less hectic. I found a spot in the solo area and set up the Bridgton Academy pop up as well as our actual sleeping tent. I picked up my registration packet and drove home so that I could have dinner with my family as my sister was home from Colorado for a super short trip for a wedding. (If you're looking to book a group for skiing at Eldora give Sony Cole a call!)
Saturday morning I packed up early and thought I'd be heading up hours before K and the girls, but a transformer blew in the early AM near our house leaving us without power, so the female contingent headed up to GGTOC soon after me. I got camp set, bikes set, food set, and then headed over to the tent for intros and the captains meeting. It was cool to meet Laird Knight- in many ways the father of 24 Hour Racing, being the promoter of the original 24 Hours of Caanan. He still oversees Granny Gear Productions and handles timing for a number of events.
I got my intro as the forum moderator and then grabbed a seat in the crowd and listened as we almost had a major change to the finish rules go unchecked. Laird was talking about the timing system and said you didn't need to have a rider on course at the time of the finish- which would have broken a 14 year tradition- I asked Howie (the GM at GGTOC and the Auto Road) and he agreed that we didn't want to make that change at this point so he got the attention of the crowd and got the issue resolved. I was glad as having to be on course at noon sort of keeps me motivated to keep riding. If I could go out and ride for a few hours and knew I didn't need to do at least that last lap I could see myself really mailing it in.
After the meeting I headed back to camp, stopping to catch up with people I seem to only see at the 24HOGG but who feel like long time friends. That is one the parts I love about bike racing is the "culture and community". While I don't see a lot of these people all the time they are people who I get to suffer with on course and who share a lot of common stories. Many I can't even remember their names- but I can tell you that I know their faces- and many of them I can pick out their ass out of a line up, having spent hours over the years riding behind many of them. Some may only recognize me by my ass.
The family was over at the camp and K was getting ready to be the Pit'B for the race. JJ had planned on doing it, but realized that watching some of the race would be fun, but staying for the full 24 might be overkill. Which I can understand. It was a bummer not racing with JJ, as this is a race he and I have done together many, many times. I'm looking forward to him being all healthy and un-broken next year. Who knows, maybe we'll do a two person or maybe a full bore TWAF reunion race with a 4 or 5 person team next year.
I found my way to the start, K had the bike, and you could feel the energy build. The race starts with a run around the pond for a LeMan's style start. Having done this race enough I know you have two choices- run like hell and try to stay at the front so that you can actually ride the Blueberry Hill, or walk around the pond and get to your bike a minute or two after the main field but then catch most of them on the Blueberry Field hill anyway. I let experience dictate the tactic and walking was the choice. I mounted up and rode with Mike and found that our prediction was spot on.
The course was DRY and very rideable. And that allowed the field to string out pretty fast as we didn't have a lot of crashes on the single track clogging things up. By the time I wrapped up my first lap I didn't feel the course was congested at all, and that made for good riding.
The course is just over 8 miles and has 1000 feet of climbing per lap. You climb a lot and you climb often. Most of the climbs are not technical at all, but traction can be a bit of an issue. I found myself using the granny gear a fair amount and it was very different than past years when I was racing on a single speed. In that same vein I definitely noticed the additional weight of the bike on the climbs, but enjoyed the descending and root eating ability of the Big Mama the rest of the time.
The laps started to tick off and I felt pretty good. It was HOT so I was blasting through water and gel and the occasional Cliff Bar. K was doing feeds and keeping the Enduolytes coming as well, but I was already falling behind in hydration, a fact that became very clear on my fourth lap. For those who have followed this blog for awhile you will remember "Pam and Tommy" my infamous inner thigh leg cramps that I first dealt with during the Jay Challenge at a time when my mind as starting to shut down. Anyway Pam and Tommy began to "fight" about halfway through my fourth lap and had me standing on the side of the trail trying to stretch. I'd ride a bit, then have to walk a bit and I was getting concerned that this might be a bit like 2008.
I limped my way through that lap and really started hammering the water, a full bottle while in pit along with another bottle on the bike. I headed out for #5 with Mike and the idea that after that lap it would be time for some real food as we'd be approaching having been on the bike for nearly 6 hours.
Mike and I took it easy and it felt pretty good, the cramping wasn't always on the verge and when I could feel it coming I could walk a bit to work it out. We wrapped up lap 5 and I was stoked to get some food. I headed to the pit with the girls and K made me a sandwich and I hammered the liquids. While I was sitting there I saw Mike go out for another lap, which got me all wound up as I was ready to have a beer and kick back for a bit, but soon I was kitting up and hoping I could get in number 6 before A) it got dark and B) the Moat stopped serving their Pulled Pork BBQ.
I headed out and rode fairly comfortably, with only a few minor slips on a few roots showing a bit of moisture as the temps began to fall. I rolled into the tent with about 10 minutes till the Moat BBQ shut down so K headed over to grab me a plate while I rolled back to camp to clean up a bit. Any yes the food tasted fantastic, especially with a couple Long Trails to keep the fluids going!
At that point we called it a night and climbed into our tents, and while I can't say I slept great I slept enough the when I woke up a 5am I was feeling ok. I kept hammering the water and headed over for a quick breakfast and coffee before embarking on another six hours in the saddle.
Morning is always interesting, as when I went to bed I was likely tied for third place in my category, but by the morning I had dropped like a rock down the standings. While I was feeling somewhat refreshed and ready to go, so of the other riders where looking like hell- and they should have, having ridden all night.
I kitted up while the bag piper ushered in the hour of 6am, and headed out- determined to ride strong until the finish. The course had held up well over night and the laps felt good. K was giving me good feeds and encouragement and I actually felt ok. As 10am approached I was trying to figure out if I wanted to give it a bit of a go and try to see if I could make 12 laps or if 11 was going to be more realistic, as I finished #9 I realized that I would really have to crush #10 and #11 to possibly make it in before noon so that I could go out on #12- and the ability to crush had left the building.
Once that realization was made I just put it in cruz control and tried to ride smart and smooth. I heard the cannon go off while climbing Dugway, and knew that I only had about 15 more minutes or riding to do.
I was riding with Chris Meier and we took our time rolling around the course. But as we got closer to the finish I could feel myself wanting to ride fast, but there wasn't any juice left to get me moving much quicker than I was going.
I crossed the line at 12:23 with 11 laps, about 90 miles and over 11,000 feet of climbing.
It was a good year, missed my goal by 2 laps, but still came away happy.
Next year will be my 15th run at the race, and I can't wait.
Thank you to my wife Karen and the girls for pitting, to the Morgans for coming up and cheering us all on and shooting some cool pics, the Webbs for checking out all the craziness, Big Al at Bikeman.com, and everyone else who raced, cheered, crewed, watched, cooked for, sponsored, worked on, volunteered, and whatever else I'm forgetting.
Ok I guess I can write a bit more than that, especially since I've been given a hard time for not having a write up ready to go on Monday morning. Jeez TWAF fans have high expectations!
This was my 14th go at the race, and my fourth go as a solo, but my first running it solo on a geared bike (got all of that?). In addition to gears I ran the Big Mama so there was plenty of squish to keep my back a bit more comfy. Add to that that K has had me doing planks and some core work (when I remember) and for the first year in a long time my back was not really an issue, other than general fatigue.
The weekend started on Friday when I drove up to get our camping area set up so that Saturday morning would be a bit less hectic. I found a spot in the solo area and set up the Bridgton Academy pop up as well as our actual sleeping tent. I picked up my registration packet and drove home so that I could have dinner with my family as my sister was home from Colorado for a super short trip for a wedding. (If you're looking to book a group for skiing at Eldora give Sony Cole a call!)
Saturday morning I packed up early and thought I'd be heading up hours before K and the girls, but a transformer blew in the early AM near our house leaving us without power, so the female contingent headed up to GGTOC soon after me. I got camp set, bikes set, food set, and then headed over to the tent for intros and the captains meeting. It was cool to meet Laird Knight- in many ways the father of 24 Hour Racing, being the promoter of the original 24 Hours of Caanan. He still oversees Granny Gear Productions and handles timing for a number of events.
I got my intro as the forum moderator and then grabbed a seat in the crowd and listened as we almost had a major change to the finish rules go unchecked. Laird was talking about the timing system and said you didn't need to have a rider on course at the time of the finish- which would have broken a 14 year tradition- I asked Howie (the GM at GGTOC and the Auto Road) and he agreed that we didn't want to make that change at this point so he got the attention of the crowd and got the issue resolved. I was glad as having to be on course at noon sort of keeps me motivated to keep riding. If I could go out and ride for a few hours and knew I didn't need to do at least that last lap I could see myself really mailing it in.
After the meeting I headed back to camp, stopping to catch up with people I seem to only see at the 24HOGG but who feel like long time friends. That is one the parts I love about bike racing is the "culture and community". While I don't see a lot of these people all the time they are people who I get to suffer with on course and who share a lot of common stories. Many I can't even remember their names- but I can tell you that I know their faces- and many of them I can pick out their ass out of a line up, having spent hours over the years riding behind many of them. Some may only recognize me by my ass.
The family was over at the camp and K was getting ready to be the Pit'B for the race. JJ had planned on doing it, but realized that watching some of the race would be fun, but staying for the full 24 might be overkill. Which I can understand. It was a bummer not racing with JJ, as this is a race he and I have done together many, many times. I'm looking forward to him being all healthy and un-broken next year. Who knows, maybe we'll do a two person or maybe a full bore TWAF reunion race with a 4 or 5 person team next year.
I found my way to the start, K had the bike, and you could feel the energy build. The race starts with a run around the pond for a LeMan's style start. Having done this race enough I know you have two choices- run like hell and try to stay at the front so that you can actually ride the Blueberry Hill, or walk around the pond and get to your bike a minute or two after the main field but then catch most of them on the Blueberry Field hill anyway. I let experience dictate the tactic and walking was the choice. I mounted up and rode with Mike and found that our prediction was spot on.
The course was DRY and very rideable. And that allowed the field to string out pretty fast as we didn't have a lot of crashes on the single track clogging things up. By the time I wrapped up my first lap I didn't feel the course was congested at all, and that made for good riding.
The course is just over 8 miles and has 1000 feet of climbing per lap. You climb a lot and you climb often. Most of the climbs are not technical at all, but traction can be a bit of an issue. I found myself using the granny gear a fair amount and it was very different than past years when I was racing on a single speed. In that same vein I definitely noticed the additional weight of the bike on the climbs, but enjoyed the descending and root eating ability of the Big Mama the rest of the time.
The laps started to tick off and I felt pretty good. It was HOT so I was blasting through water and gel and the occasional Cliff Bar. K was doing feeds and keeping the Enduolytes coming as well, but I was already falling behind in hydration, a fact that became very clear on my fourth lap. For those who have followed this blog for awhile you will remember "Pam and Tommy" my infamous inner thigh leg cramps that I first dealt with during the Jay Challenge at a time when my mind as starting to shut down. Anyway Pam and Tommy began to "fight" about halfway through my fourth lap and had me standing on the side of the trail trying to stretch. I'd ride a bit, then have to walk a bit and I was getting concerned that this might be a bit like 2008.
I limped my way through that lap and really started hammering the water, a full bottle while in pit along with another bottle on the bike. I headed out for #5 with Mike and the idea that after that lap it would be time for some real food as we'd be approaching having been on the bike for nearly 6 hours.
Mike and I took it easy and it felt pretty good, the cramping wasn't always on the verge and when I could feel it coming I could walk a bit to work it out. We wrapped up lap 5 and I was stoked to get some food. I headed to the pit with the girls and K made me a sandwich and I hammered the liquids. While I was sitting there I saw Mike go out for another lap, which got me all wound up as I was ready to have a beer and kick back for a bit, but soon I was kitting up and hoping I could get in number 6 before A) it got dark and B) the Moat stopped serving their Pulled Pork BBQ.
I headed out and rode fairly comfortably, with only a few minor slips on a few roots showing a bit of moisture as the temps began to fall. I rolled into the tent with about 10 minutes till the Moat BBQ shut down so K headed over to grab me a plate while I rolled back to camp to clean up a bit. Any yes the food tasted fantastic, especially with a couple Long Trails to keep the fluids going!
At that point we called it a night and climbed into our tents, and while I can't say I slept great I slept enough the when I woke up a 5am I was feeling ok. I kept hammering the water and headed over for a quick breakfast and coffee before embarking on another six hours in the saddle.
Morning is always interesting, as when I went to bed I was likely tied for third place in my category, but by the morning I had dropped like a rock down the standings. While I was feeling somewhat refreshed and ready to go, so of the other riders where looking like hell- and they should have, having ridden all night.
I kitted up while the bag piper ushered in the hour of 6am, and headed out- determined to ride strong until the finish. The course had held up well over night and the laps felt good. K was giving me good feeds and encouragement and I actually felt ok. As 10am approached I was trying to figure out if I wanted to give it a bit of a go and try to see if I could make 12 laps or if 11 was going to be more realistic, as I finished #9 I realized that I would really have to crush #10 and #11 to possibly make it in before noon so that I could go out on #12- and the ability to crush had left the building.
Once that realization was made I just put it in cruz control and tried to ride smart and smooth. I heard the cannon go off while climbing Dugway, and knew that I only had about 15 more minutes or riding to do.
I was riding with Chris Meier and we took our time rolling around the course. But as we got closer to the finish I could feel myself wanting to ride fast, but there wasn't any juice left to get me moving much quicker than I was going.
I crossed the line at 12:23 with 11 laps, about 90 miles and over 11,000 feet of climbing.
It was a good year, missed my goal by 2 laps, but still came away happy.
Next year will be my 15th run at the race, and I can't wait.
Thank you to my wife Karen and the girls for pitting, to the Morgans for coming up and cheering us all on and shooting some cool pics, the Webbs for checking out all the craziness, Big Al at Bikeman.com, and everyone else who raced, cheered, crewed, watched, cooked for, sponsored, worked on, volunteered, and whatever else I'm forgetting.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
52 Hours To Go
I'm sitting here realizing I've got 36 hours of work to get done in only 16 hours of "office time" and only 52 hours to go until I mount up on the bike and try to ride to a simple majority in a 24 hour race (for those trying to keep up that would be doing 12+ hours of actual racing).
I've been watching 24 Solo (thanks Mike) for the last few nights. Those guys are amazing. I "race solo" but I don't race for the full 24-25 hours. I go out and ride a crap load in a 24 hour period, but I also sleep a bit and take some time off the bike. It's like doing to really epic (sorry couldn't resist "epic") days back to back with just a few hours sleep in between, and starting the second day really early.
I've done zero long rides this year. The most saddle time has been two three hour rides with Ames over at Kingdom. However I've been much more consistent in the past month with my riding- so that is good.
I'm already thinking about the 2011 24HOGG, and don't tell JJ this (since he never reads this blog I think I'm safe)but I'm gonna try to talk him into doing a two person team next year. Next year will be my 15th go at the race and that is the only team configuration I haven't done. Well that and both he and I only race 12-14 hours in the solo category anyway- so maybe it's time we team up on that! Add to that the last time we did a team he wasn't on it- he bailed on the TWAF team and NK had to step in.
So there it is- the next 72 hours are pretty much set in terms of what is going to happen. Now we just need to get there.
DEA
I've been watching 24 Solo (thanks Mike) for the last few nights. Those guys are amazing. I "race solo" but I don't race for the full 24-25 hours. I go out and ride a crap load in a 24 hour period, but I also sleep a bit and take some time off the bike. It's like doing to really epic (sorry couldn't resist "epic") days back to back with just a few hours sleep in between, and starting the second day really early.
I've done zero long rides this year. The most saddle time has been two three hour rides with Ames over at Kingdom. However I've been much more consistent in the past month with my riding- so that is good.
I'm already thinking about the 2011 24HOGG, and don't tell JJ this (since he never reads this blog I think I'm safe)but I'm gonna try to talk him into doing a two person team next year. Next year will be my 15th go at the race and that is the only team configuration I haven't done. Well that and both he and I only race 12-14 hours in the solo category anyway- so maybe it's time we team up on that! Add to that the last time we did a team he wasn't on it- he bailed on the TWAF team and NK had to step in.
So there it is- the next 72 hours are pretty much set in terms of what is going to happen. Now we just need to get there.
DEA
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