Endurance races, ski trips, musings, and adventures on the East Coast.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas Snow!

We got a late Christmas present in Vermont on Sunday night - snow. Lots of it actually. We were home visiting family, and 12 inches fell overnight, with another 4-6 accumulating over the course of the day. Not much incentive to go anywhere, especially when our backyard looks like this...


...lower down...


The sunset run...


...too sweet...


...the short commute home.



Thanks for the photos Vanessa.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Pow and Planning

The snow just keeps on coming, sort of, if you know where to look. But yesterday we hit it right, although unfortunately we didn't have it together enough to actually take pictures of the crazy powder face shots on the way back down. Oh well, they'll be more chances. So here we are, it's Deepcember, Christmas time, and I'm spending a lot of time thinking about seeing family and watching weather reports and radar trying to figure out when to clear the calendar for skiing.
But it's also time to start planning the season ahead, the bike season that is. The NUE 100 miler series schedule just got released, and most of the year's stage races are tentatively penciled in at this point too. So, how to put them all together? I was talking to a friend the other night, and Bank of America came up. "Oh yeah," I said, "I closed that account down." The reason for closing it? Well, when I left for Colorado last summer I had just enough money to pay for gas to get get to this Bank of America I'd looked up online outside of Buffalo, NY, where I could close out an old account and get $60 or so (there are no Bank of America's in Vermont), which was then enough to keep me on the road until my paycheck was deposited on Friday. Car breakage? Not an option. That memory brought up the idea of planning, namely that I could do a better job this year. Sleeping in the back of my car at Wal-Marts will probably still be part of the agenda, but there's definitely some room for improvement.
So, in trying to get it right I'm trying to start early. I'm on a new team for this year, which should make things a bit easier. There will be lot's of NUE racing on tap, a stage race for sure, and a 2011 edition of Bike Week somewhere out west: that's the plan anyway. Winter is awesome, but racing season will be here soon enough. Here's to it!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Pow, pow, powderlicious

Somewhere in Vermont this weekend...

We skinned up on the late side, mostly in the shade, but the lighting on the mountains to the east was pretty amazing

Heading towards the light, and hopefully some fresh now too.

De-skinning at the top of an untracked run is always a pretty sweet moment.

The line opened with a nice little ledge drop.

Time for ripping it up.

Yup, yup, awesomeness.

Nothing like skiing without a track in sight to put a smile on your face, and, as Anne put it, "whoever invented skiing was pretty awesome!"

Friday, December 17, 2010

Weekend's Coming

It's Friday! Weekend's these days mean lots of time to play in the snow, which seems to be coming about again. In the process of psyching myself up for skiing I came across a few shots taken by a friend last weekend. Here's to hoping for more of the same tomorrow and Sunday.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

And the season starts.....now!

I suppose I'm lucky that exercise is one of the best ways for me to relieve stress. I've got a pretty stressful job, and so training is often what I most want to do at the end of the day. Maybe that's why working and racing work for me; they seem to compliment each other nicely.
I've been on the skiing train recently, for sure. And the snow's been good. Last week there were some pretty wild powdery runs to be had. I went solo mid-week, but these VT skiers brought the camera along. Check it out, pretty rad.
Right now though, there isn't much base in the mountains, which makes skiing at night a little bit sketchy, even with a bright headlamp. And it was dark when I got home, and I've been telling myself that mid-December is go time for training for a while now. So out came the trainer. I dusted off some old freeride movies, hooked up the headphones, cranked the volume, and pedaled. And you know, it was pretty fun to mull the recently released NUE 100 miler series schedule and stage race logistics over while listening to loud music and feeling my legs spin circles for the first time in months. My roomates were cooking for a potluck, it was snowing outside, and there I was with my head stuck in July, envisioning the deathmarch that was the Breck 100, the early morning start at the Wilderness 101, and the brutal heat of this year's ORAMM.
Turns out, I really love spinning my pedals in pursuit of rad trails and great views. And I love doing those things with friends even more. It's been great to have some time off the bike, but I'm ready. Because this year, I want to go really, really fast. So, I'm not asking for stress, but when it comes, the trainer will do just fine thanks.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Real Jobs and Training Part 1

Time for some musings:

It's a huge challenge to balance a "real job" and professional level racing. I work as a high school educator, so I can't just call in sick on days I need to get in a long ride or leave early for a race. Often it means my preparation is less that ideal. Most importantly, I think, is that it sometimes makes recovery hard. I teach outside; we're always moving i.e not resting or recovering.
Part of my hope with this blog is to articulate my fumbling attempts to balance these two parts of my life. How do they compliment each other? Because in reality they have to. It's not totally clear how many mountain bike pros make a living by racing their bikes in the US. Suffice it to say it's not many. A dozen maybe? Less? For the rest of us, there is a balance to be had somewhere.
This week, it worked out just fine. It's definitely time to start the long process of working towards race fitness once again. But, I live in Vermont and it's snowy. So I'm skiing - which is a great sport and a good workout. What makes it better from a training standpoint? A little competition. This week my competition was the sunset. Powder showed up in Vermont, literally 18-24 inches worth in a two day period. We don't get this kind of snow too often, so I've been super motivated to get out and sneak some turns in. The only problem is that it gets dark at 4:30, I have to work until close to that, and the lack of a base (and therefor the abundance of rocks) makes skiing by headlamp sketchy. So it's been a good game. Sneak out of work as early as I can, and sprint up the mountain to try to get some descent turns in before dark. I've been cutting it close but it's been working out, and I'm breathing hard doing something that doesn't feel like training.
So, for one week at least, work and training are complimenting themselves quite nicely.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Fast Grass

Winter is coming back to the mountains in Vermont after a brief hiatus. And while the near-constant flurries isn't adding up to feet yet (don't we wish), it is making the mountains skiable once again. Here is a quick shot from Sunday's outing, in which a New England favorite, "fast grass" was in full effect. Seriously fun skiing, you just didn't want to fall. Plus, I got to ski some new skis. I know what you're thinking, "not the best day for new skis!" Unless of course you are talking about the new Marquette Backcountry boards. 140cm long. 130mm waist. These things own marginal conditions, and I'm thinking they'll be pretty fun on some backdoor powder stashes later in the season. Check 'em out online. In other news, the iRide Adventures/MTBRacenews.com team is coming together for the 2010/11 season. Looks like we'll be ripping it up all over the country come springtime. Stay tuned to the blog for more backcountry ski adventures/photos and some fun winter training tips coming soon.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Ultimate Race Drivetrain

I recently wrote a comparison of Sram XX and XO component groupos for MTBRacenews.com that has been up for a few weeks now. If you're debating a new drivetrain for your bike, check it out. Or, if you prefer, here's the quick version: 2x10 is Awesome and is here to stay, and, unless you're a World Cup racer or an obsessive gram counter/tinkerer, XO is a great option.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Unorthodox Training Tips

I've never been one for organized training plans. Perhaps I'll hit a point where I need one, but to date, I've never been able to follow one. They just seem to make me bummed out. That said, I still need to train - a lot. Especially in the off-season. I'm certainly not a coach, and most of these training techniques could get you hurt, so don't come suing me, but without a lot of structured training I've settled on a few things that I mix into my week pretty regularly to ensure I'm fast on race day.

1. Find another sport. Seriously. Cross training is good for the mind and the body. In the winter I ski. Sure, I have a trainer and I ride a few days a week indoors to keep in touch with cycling. But there are dudes who ride year-round in New England. They're crazy. Snow is for skiing. Go earn some turns and you'll maintain some fitness and come away with a huge grin on your face.

2. Find your local pump track. For real. They're awesome, tons of fun, and wicked good for your skillz. You'll find yourself pumping rollers (and saving energy) in races, hitting more jumps, and having more fun on the trail. Plus, pump tracks help build your upper body strength, which a lot of bikers ignore at their peril. Mentally, it's a nice change of pace too.

3. Ride the wrong bike. Okay, I have to give my good friend Pat credit on this one. Try riding your road bike on a mellow trail, airing out your xc bike at the dirt jumps, or doing hill sprints up a road on a squishy dual suspension rig. Just don't come yelling at me if you crash or break stuff. Even better, piece together a crap bike out of junk parts and rage that for a while. I once had a friend ride across the Sierra Nevadas to CA on a free, junky fixed gear that didn't look like it could make it across the parking lot. Just saying. It makes you sharpen your skills, have fun, and if your bike breaks in a race, hey, you're used to it.

4. Find an interval workout you like. So, this is a kind've standard one, but it's important. Intervals can help you go faster. Finding a workout or two that you can throw in as the spring winds down that can get you that last little bit of fitness without burning you out is key.

5. Just ride, a lot. Really, that's what makes it happen. Ride your bike. Ride it on trails, on roads, to the grocery store, to the creemee stand, to the coffee shop, to dinner parties. Riding is riding - it all counts.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Kinda Mind Blowing

Something clicked in the brain this week, and all of a sudden I'm thinking about bike racing again. Maybe it's been the emails about the team next year; maybe it's all the cyclocross videos on the internet and La Ruta coming up. Not sure, but ski season has barely started and I'm already thinking about riding again. Hmmmm. I think I'll have to let that feeling build up for a few more weeks - definitely need to bank some motivation for trainer sessions this winter.

In the meantime, nothing like Danny MacAskill to get you psyched about riding a bike. Maybe you've already seen this, but if you haven't, it's more than worth it. Kinda mind blowing actually.

Click here to watch Way Back Home.

Monday, November 8, 2010

2011 Sponsor News

It's no secret that my racing season has been over for a little while now. It's been good to kick back a little bit, but I'm feeling ready to train again. Mostly it's been long forays into the mountains to ski (a great way to build a nice aerobic endurance base), and sprints on the bike to the grocery store and the pump track. I've also been testing some equipment and thinking about next season. With that - the big news....I have a 2011 Sponsor: MTBRacenews.com. I've been writing race reports for them for a year or so, and now I'll be flying the colors and looking for some podium time in the kit while filing reports from around the country. Check out the site; it's a pretty rad group of folks trying to promote grass roots (and big time) mountain bike events from around North America. Check out the site and help us grow the sport of mountain bike racing. Happy winter training.


www.mtbracenews.com

Another Weekend....

The snow keeps rolling into Vermont. We had one of the snowiest Octobers in recent memory, and though it's raining out my window right now - it's snowing up high on the summits. So while it's been a consistent 30-45 minutes of hiking to snow recently, we've been consistently rewarded with fun turns. A few pictures from Mad River Glen this weekend:November always means lots of really cool mist and fog rolling in and out.

We had a good group out to snag some turns off the double chair.
You can almost ski to the base........winter is close.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

It's Only October...Really?

We've been treated to some early season snow this past week in Vermont. What fell over a week ago as super heavy "powder" settled into a nice spring-like corn snow. Taking advantage of the long weekend, I got out with some friends for some sweet turns. With an Indian Summer rolling in today though the skiing is over, at least for now. Time for some last minute bike rides after work...yikes, it's hard to think I'm going to have to get back on the indoor trainer soon. Anyone got any good trainer movie suggestions? Anyway, here are a few highlight shots from the weekend.




Saturday, October 16, 2010

Shoulder Season

I'll admit it; I haven't been terribly motivated to get out on a bike recently. The weather has been colder, my allergies and asthma have yet to subside, and works been rather busy. Plus, my body and mind are feeling pretty tired on a bike these days. Something about all those training and racing miles that I put on this summer. So, I've been looking for some distractions. I've got some carpentry projects going, and we're building a mountain bike skills course in the back yard, which is going to be pretty rad. There has been some brewing and lots of bread baking. But the distraction I was really looking forward too finally rolled in yesterday. Sure, it was nothing more than cold rain in the valleys........but up high it was another story. An early wake up got us to a rainy parking lot. But after hiking for a half hour or so we hit skiable snow. Way up high we were treated to some truly awesome skiing, with a wind loaded snowpack of 2.5 feet and more. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures up there, but really, it's true. The first deep knee bend tele turns of the year were pretty amazing. A few whoops for sure. Time to start oogaling over some big fat backcountry boards. Hmmm.......
Pretty sure the snow will be gone by tomorrow. Should be a few more good riding days to go before winter totally sets in. As one friend described it, "hiking up was like hiking into the future." Yeah. It was pretty sweet too.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Kingdom Trails

I headed up with some friends to the Kingdom Trails in Burke, VT for some riding and bike testing. The awesome folks at Trek were holding a demo day; gotta love the chance to rage on some fun carbon wonder bikes. The new Superfly hardtail is so fast it's silly. Really. I also got to have some fun on the Fuel EX. I don't really ever ride little wheels anymore, but it was pretty fun on the berms and the pump track (and other places too). Can I have both? Not even gonna let myself check to see just how big my credit card limit is. Anyway, the day was picture perfect VT fall, the trails were dry, the company was awesome. Bikes are so sweet. I'm stoked we have another month or two to hit up the pump tracks and trails before the snow is really here.

Vermont 50 Report

So, what does a secret recipe bacon-apple pie have to do with my last race of the season. Well, the Vermont 50 let me know loud and clear what I'd sort of known for weeks: my body is tired and ready for an off season rest. Actually, my legs weren't terrible. Especially given that we started at 6am in the dark and I only managed like 2/3 of a cup of watery coffee. Bummer. There were some fast guys at the 50 this year (like Team Jamis men Aaron Snyder and Jason Sager), so the start was wicked fast, but I jumped on the train to see what happened. Well, breathing not so good. Inhaler use 1. Then it didn't get too much better. Inhaler again. Then again. By mile 13 or so I was okay-ish, and I managed to make a move for the front end of the race until about mile 25 or 30. That's when my inhaler fell out of my jersey pocket while I tried to eat. Crap. 2 or 3 minutes I figured this out. A red inhaler in a trail full of red and yellow and orange foliage? Not gonna happen - I thought. Apparently everyone and there mom saw it on the trail, so it wasn't actually that hidden. Double bummer. So of course the breathing got terrible quickly, and so I limped the final 20 miles to the finish wheezing and granny gearing. Oh well. One of these years I'll actually race this race. Gorgeous scenery though, and lots of friends. So you've gotta love it. Plus, Vanessa rocked it and won the women's sport class. Rad. So, what did the race plus the colder weather put me in the mood for: some calories. Enter said pie. The recipe needs some refinement. But that's what winter is for right!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Fall Vermont Riding

It's been a pretty rainy week around here, and between the weather, work, and other commitments my training has been less than ideal. Yesterday though, was gorgeous. Though I didn't get to ride quite as much as I would have liked, I did get out for a late day cruise. The riding this time of year is really just phenomenal. It really makes you forget the fact that you're behind on training/life. It's just nice to be out spinning the pedals, catching the afternoon light, and exploring some swimming holes.
Oh yes, and gathering. We stopped on the roadside for some sumac flowers for sun tea later this week.

Veggies

It's that time of year - all of Vermont just seems to be edible. Okay, maybe we're a bit passed peak harvest season, but the fresh veggies just keep rolling in. An easy and fun time to eat well and healthy, that's for sure. The other day's dinner included tomatoes, carrots, leaks, potatoes, onions, and some other fresh goodies. Potato soup was made, fresh tomato sauce got stashed in the freezer for cooler months (coming soon, yikes), not to mention stir fry. Yum.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Learning to Ride Roots Again

I spent a lot of time this summer traveling and racing out west and down south, which was awesome. Thoroughly awesome actually. But I seem to have forgotten a little bit about how to ride roots. Colorado was all about super high-speed riding over loose terrain. Asheville, okay some rooty riding there, but's it's all wicked fast. And PA, man, I have never sworn at inanimate objects (ROCKS) like I have in the Wilderness 101. That was a purely hateful relationship, though I'm trying not to linger on that one too much. So anyway, I'm back in VT and training again after some nasty asthma episodes. And roots, man, they're everywhere. You have to jump and weave and stuff. I guess I grew up on this stuff, but it takes some getting used too. It's Rad though. That's for sure. With the VT 50 coming up soon I gotta get myself in shape for them. Technical riding a few days a week, some strength work, and recovery rides on the road. Hopefully that will get me enough fitness to be a contender in a month. Anyone want to go ride Hinesburg Town Forest sometime soon?

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Coming off the Break

There is a lot of good racing going on right now.....the Breck Epic, Windham/Worlds, some local 6 hour raced up here in Vermont. Unfortunately I haven't been partaking. I got back from PA at the beginning of the August completely trashed from a month of ultra-endurance racing and traveling. The prescription: couch time, movies, swimming, and blueberry picking. All the things I didn't really get to do in a month on the road. All pretty nice really.
The plan was to take two weeks off, come back for the Millstone Grind and the Race to the Top of Vermont and get ready for the VT 50. But the allergens in Vermont and my asthma had other ideas. For three weeks I could barely breath. So no Millstone and Race up Mt. Mansfield. Not much point in racing when just going for an easy spin is hard.
Fortunately, things are looking up. I finally got well enough to bust out a couple of hours of awesomeness at Perry Hill the other day. Technical and fun. Check it out. Last night (Wednesday) was the last Catamount Training Race of the season. It was more like a dirt crit than a mountain bike race this week due to the lack of light and the need to finish before it was completely dark outside. I started with the leaders, got dropped, managed to rage to two tiny quasi doubles solo on lap two, got in with a chase group, got in enough of an attack to hit the doubles first on lap three (yay), and then sat in for the rest. Good to remind the legs and head what it feels like to race.
Now its back to training. I'm switching gears a bit, but hopefully I can get enough good training in to make a go of it at the Vermont 50 in September. That may be it for the year, but who knows, maybe a late season race or two will sneak into the calendar for me.
Stay tuned for some local VT trail reports and photos coming soon. Thanks for reading.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Wilderness 101 Report

Man, was it really only five days ago that I was racing in PA. I've gone back to work this week, getting ready for the school year, and the summer road trip seems like a long time ago. It was rad for sure, and the riding was awesome. I wish it could have ended on a better race note, but there are still more races to come I suppose. Anyway, the Wilderness 101. This race actually is 101 miles by the way, not like those other namby-pamby 100 milers that end on an even number. But I lined up not being too worried. I knew I hadn't been recovering that well in the week leading up to the race, but I didn't think my body was too worse for wear after three weeks of hard races. I figured I'd go for, after all, it was my first race as a pro. So we hit the first climb, which wasn't that hard, and I more or less hung in. I dropped off right at the top; the lead group was still really big at that point. But I settled in, rode with some groups, and worked my way up.
First thoughts in the race: this is fast roady riding. I swear there is no single track in the first 30 miles. I was stoked to finally get to some. Then I realized how many rocks there are in PA. We're supposed to have rocky soil up in VT, but I guess compared to these trails that's not really true. Rock gardens. More rock gardens. I also had a valve stem fail the day before the race which meant racing with a tube at 40 psi. Man, I was feeling some serious vibrations coming through that aluminum to the body. Death grips central. But anyway I was doing okay out of aid stations #1 and #2. Then I started to feel really, really, tired. I cracked on the single track climb out of aid station #3, and thought, well, I'll just back off a bit. No good. Kept cracking. Coming unglued really. I was riding the rocks so terribly and death gripping myself out of the race. And then it just got worse and worse.When the faster weekend warriors started going by I knew I was in big trouble. My body didn't want to eat, and I was having a hard time forcing it to. I did get some fluids in, but they only go so far (not that far at all really) in getting you through a nine hour effort.
I finally made it to aid station #5 and still couldn't eat more than a banana. I kept thinking I could make it, but it wasn't happening. I finally stopped at a stream, got some cold water on my face, and managed to eat half a Pay Day bar. That got me up the last climb. From there it was a rail trail stretch and some technical single track I was too tired to even think about riding.
So it was a sub nine-hour finish. Actually my fastest ever. But it was not a fast day. I think I was in the 80's somewhere (overall). At the finish I threw up (nothing in the stomach though), and had blurry vision (really bad) for a while until I could find a way to get some food into. That began a long multi-hour process of eating enough food to be able to handle a beer from the "hospitality" tent. After a couple of hours I was mostly conscience again and able to sample some brew. Pretty alright. Seriously, the 101 has one of the most festive atmospheres out there. It was rad. The people were awesome. It was a good time - except maybe that racing part.
Eight or nine hours of driving and I was exhausted but home in Vermont. Haven't been on a bike since PA, but I'll get there soon. Right now the focus is on some pretty solid recovery. But I've regained normal human status enough to start thinking about racing again. Maybe a six hour in a few weeks. Then the Race to the Top of Vermont at the end of the month. Should be rolling again by Shenandoah. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

America's Newest Pro

Wow. I've literally spent years trying to get a pro license. This summer I decided to finally try and make it happen for real, but it always felt like a long shot. So I've been traveling around, living (and sleeping) in my Volvo station wagon, trying to link up the biggest races of the summer. And I've had some good results. Being the VT state champion was definitely a thrill, and since then I've snagged podiums here and there at some big events, started to learn how to ride endurance races, and ridden a ton of amazing trails. Then this morning I emailed USA Cycling putting in my "please make me a pro" plea one more time. Three hours later and it was official! Dang, I was pretty surprised. But here I am, a professional mountain biker! Guess I gotta order than international racing license now. Maybe I'll be at the start line in Windham next year? Who knows. This Pro thing has been a dream for as long as I can remember, but now I feel like I can really start dreaming. Life as a pro, I guess it starts now.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

ORAMM

Well, I can't say I didn't try. The Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell is always a season highlight for me. It's hard, but man, any race with Heartbreak (a rad downhill) in it wins me overall. That trail might be my all time favorite descent - it always reminds me why it is I love riding mountain bikes.
Plus, I've done well here before. Last year I actually got fifth and was on the podium. This year, well, I just missed it. Thomas Turner raged it all day and lowered his course record by three minutes. The rest of us; we were just happy to survive the heat which topped out around 104 degrees when you factored in the humidity. Ouch. So what happened? Well, sitting on the line 30 seconds before the start I heard air leaking from my rear tire. Not a good start to the day. I hoped the Stan's would seal it, and it did for a while. I was able to ride with the lead group for most of the first climb, and I entered the Kistsuma single track in 4th. Awesome. Things were going well. I cruised the technical descent, and the tire was still holding air. Cool.
A couple of guys caught me right at the base of Kitsuma, which was fine, since it meant I had some help taking pulls on the road section that followed. We hit the single track climb up Star Gap and Josh Fix drilled it, riding away on his way to 2nd. My legs weren't that good, and I just had to watch him ride away. Oh well, I was okay with knowing I wasn't going to win. Nathan Wyatt and I rode together for a while, and I was feeling good, still riding in the top 5, when my rear tire finally went on Jacobs Creek road. On the road? Oh well. I was able to fix it without anyone passing me, which was surprising as we weren't too far into the race. I guess the time gaps got big fast.
I made it to the base of Curtis Creek, a monster 9 mile climb that gains 3,500 feet in elevation, 2:30 down on Nathan, and was intent on bringing some of that back. Big ring cranking. Ah yeah. Then halfway up I didn't feel so good, funny how that works. I had to dial back the pace pretty significantly, then more, then a little bit more. I was just about granny gearing by the top, and had been passed by a couple of guys who were looking strong. The aid station at the parkway felt like a miracle, and it meant fresh (full) bottles, which was great since I was pretty dehydrated by that point.
So I chugged some water and a whole bunch of flat coke on the downhill road section that followed Curtis Creek, recovering enough to mostly hang with Team Fraser rider Greg Kuhn when he came by me on the next climb to Heartbreak.
Oh Heartbreak. Best trail ever. And I raged that one I have to say. Once you know the lines and the switchbacks you can take it pretty darn fast, scary fast in fact. I must have known the trail a bit better than Greg, because I caught him pretty quickly and cruised on by. Alright, I thought, I'm not totally out of this.
Heading through the bottom of Heartbreak on onto the final climb up Mill Creek I caught back up with Nathan Wyatt and Will Black (single speed machine). I think at that point I was in 6th and on track for the Open Men podium. Radness. Just drop these guys on the climb and survive Kitsuma. That was the plan. And it almost worked, except that my rear brake failed on Kitsuma. Not good. That is a scary trail with no rear brake, wicked technical. And I was tired and trying to race it. I managed to summersault off the trail only once, which I considered an accomplishment. And Will Black was the only one who passed me, and he was a single speeder, so I still had a podium spot. Okay, only two miles to go.
Then Greg came flying by. I thought I was descending much better than him so I didn't think he could make it back to me, but he must have rocked Mill Creek and then eaten into my advantage on the descent due to the brake issue. Anyway, he looked like a rocket ship on his way by. Maybe I should have tried to dig deeper, but he put 2 minutes on me in the final 2 miles, so I am pretty confident it wasn't going to happen.
I ended up 8th overall, in what was a far more competitive field than last year. So I was pretty stoked, especially given my mechanical issues. And hey, that's bike racing. Stuff happens and you've gotta deal.
After the race I more or less sprinted for the creek. I've never been as hot as I was in the race. I couldn't drink enough it seemed, and riding gravel road climbs next to creeks had been pure torture. So I jumped in and lay face down for a bit. Sooooooo goooood. Wow. Pretty nice end to the day really. Hanging out with friends in a creek, drinking soda and a beer, eating pasta, and watching the rest of the race. Yeah, that was pretty cool. My buddy Aaron (who's putting me up) knocked close to 2 hrs off his time from last year and rolled through in 70th, which was rad, and we hung out to watch Katie come through. She rocked it despite having an stomach issue. Awesome effort.
All in all, pretty awesome day. Blue Ridge Adventures puts on a good show. Check out the Pisgah Stage Race or the Swank 65k, both of which are coming up this fall. They're sure to be a good time.
Next up, the Wilderness 101 in PA this weekend. Here's to hoping it's my first hundred miler in 8 hrs or less. Man, that would be nice.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Some Colorado Pictures


I'm in North Carolina now, having swapped altitude for heat on this road trip. And speaking of the road, that was a drive. 27 hours in two days. But hey, I am not the biggest fan of the open plains, so I was happy to bust it out and get to some good old east coast mountains. As I was going through some of the pictures from the trip though there seemed to be some good pictures to share. First of all, mountain goats are awesome. Man, I wish I could scramble around on rocks like those guys (and gals). I hiked a fourteener while in Breck (Quandry Peak), and got to see them for the first time ever. So cool. Turns out the peak is a really popular hike, but I went late enough in the day that there wasn't really anyone up there. I had the whole summit to myself and the mountain goats were pretty psyched to come up close and check me, and my funny camera out. Speaking of the summit, it had a pretty rad view of Summit
County, as they call it. Lots and lots of big mountains all around. And plenty of amazing camping spots down low. So this is where I should have been my whole week here, I was thinking to myself. Oh well, by that point the race was only a couple of days away and I was in full on prep mode.





Speaking of the race, the Breckenridge 100, I thought I was throw in a podium pick.
Nice work to all the guys who made it into the top 10. That was a wicked effort. I'm hoping that by the Wilderness 101 I'm going to have to recruit someone to take this podium shot for me! Thanks for tuning it. More to come soon.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Breckenridge 100 Is Done

Oh man, well, it was almost my day. The Breck 100 was my second hundred miler effort ever, and I'm learning fast. The newest lesson-run beefier tires and always pack extra food.
It was a fast, hard race. Over 13,000 feet of climbing at altitude, by which I mean 9,500-12,500 feet. Yeah. Up there. The course opened with an unending climb up through the ski area to Wheeler pass, over 3,000 feet of uninterrupted up right off the bat. I just tried to ride within myself and not blow up, particularly when climbing up through the small, loose scree near the top that can really zap the legs. We turned off the jeep road onto a barely noticeable single track, then hit some hike-a-bike, then headed DOWN.
It was a really rad descent, technical, rock gardens, high speed. A lot of people got flats, I heard Schalk got two actually. I was cruising, and managed to pass like ten people by the bottom. Then it was some bike path cranking and then a gradual up through some rolling single track back to the start finish to close out the first 30 miles. I was able to rage the single track and keep the body and bike together and get myself into the top 20 by then end of the first loop. Things were looking good.
The second 30 mile loop was the hardest. I knew the first climb would be long and hard. Pace yourself. Pace yourself. I thought I did. I was eating. I was passing people. Then I hit the descent, a fast single track to open forest road deal. Then I hit climb number two. Okay, feeling alright. Looks like the top is close. Nope. Not at all. I kept trying to read the topography, thinking I was just one corner away from the top of this single track on the Colorado Trail. That was two or three miles from the top. But I managed to suffer it out and only get passed by one guy, and then it was time to rail some single track at 30 plus mph all the way down. Scary fast, especially on a hardtail (29er) with skinny race tires. Fun though. A few more little but painful climbs and it was time for loop three.
Ouch. Over the continental divide twice in the last 30 miles, totally over 4,000 feet of climbing. Dang. I was going backwards - that's for sure. I'd been eating and pacing well, but after seven hours of racing I was getting tired. Then the top of the climb wasn't so steep, and I was able to hit the big ring and crank. Okay, I was feeling good. Then the Gold Run descent felt really good. I was going for it, riding back into the race. I was passing people. Cool. Only 15 miles to go and one climb and I might have a top 15, I thought. Turns out I was close to the top 10 actually, but it didn't matter because aforementioned skinny race tires failed and I got a flat .5 miles from the end of the single track. Bummer. I fixed it fast and was riding into the top 20 though, and onto the age group podium, when I got to the last climb. The only problem was that there was no aid station. I needed that one. So there I was, no food, no water, and I guy I needed to drop if I was going to make the podium. So I went for it. Up that last climb I was going pretty well until about two miles to the top. Then I cracked. I mean shattered. Race over. Game over.
So there I was, sitting on my bike thinking, okay, count to 10. Okay good. Now get on your bike and pedal as steadily as you can to the aid station at the top because that is the only way home. Ouch. I can't really even describe it. That's never happened before. I made it to the aid station and sat and drank water and ate bananas. It was amazing. Back on the bike my butt was too sore to sit, I could barely pedal, and it hurt to hold onto the bars. So I coasted the last downhill sections and came through in 22nd. Not bad all things considered. And really I'm just glad to be able to say I did it.
Next time, extra food. I think I could have had it, but man, once the body goes like that at altitude it takes days to recover. So, I got some new tires, and they'll be some GU in the Camelback next time - oh yes, that would be ORAMM this weekend, followed by the Wilderness 101 at the end of the month. Until next time.......

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Breckenridge 100 This Weekend

I've been in Breckenridge for a few days now. I was going to try to pre-ride much of the course, but the focus has been on recovery instead, so looking at topo maps with cool shop guys has been as close as I've gotten to the course. The legs are feeling really good though, so hopefully something will come together results wise. Stay tuned here and at mtbracenews.com for my reports from the day. Last time I did one of these, this is what I looked like halfway through. Here's to hoping I pace myself a bit better (and eat more) this time. Off for a hike.....see ya.

CTS International Classic

So, I was one for one in XC racing this year, having won the VT State Championships in late May. But something told me that a.) racing at altitude in CO Springs and b.) the really hard training week I did right before the race would conspire against me. Still though, I was optimistic.
That lasted about two minutes into the time trial on day one. I felt terrible, and struggled through the 4 miles to finish 2:30 back. Ouch. Nice way to spend a Friday night.
Fortunately, the CTS Classic followed a three day mini stage race format this year. So, after the time trial Friday night we still had two XC races to go on Saturday and Sunday. I ate a bunch of food, drank some gatorade, and hit the sleeping back to try and recover.
Saturday went a bit better. Turns out there were more New Englanders than Coloradians and this race, funny, but it meant the pace was such that I could ride my way into the race. 3rd on the day put me third overall. A little rain on the last lap was rad too because man it was hot out there. Pizza, pasta, and a third dinner I can't remember got me ready to sleep.
Sunday I felt tired. But hey, it turns out everyone else felt worse. I was finally learning how to rail the loose pebble over hardpack desert trail that had been making me feel like a sketch ball all weekend too. The I came through the first lap in a lead group of two, then got dropped, and just tried to ride steady. It was the middle of the day, wicked hot, and almost impossible to stay hydrated. 3 hours later and I was 2nd on the day and into 2nd overall. Holla, podium. Pizza and sooooo much water and gatorade later and I was feeling a bit better, ready to drive to Breckenridge. Thanks for checking in.

Welcome to the Blog

So here I am, sitting in a Starbucks in Breckenridge, CO finally getting around to this blog thing. It seems like you gotta do it if you're an aspiring mountain bike racer these days. This'll be the place for my race reports, adventures, etc. Check in, I'll be posting as often as I can from the road. Pictures always seem to be what people are looking for, so I'll throw a few in here.
I've been driving around in this old Volvo. It's pretty much awesome, trying to connect all the big races of the summer. Vermont to the CTS International Classic to the Breckenridge 100 to the ORAMM to the Wilderness 101. Okay, the big races if your an endurance junkie. Nationals missed out, but I haven't heard the best things about the course anyway. Plus, I had an awesome week of riding in Crested Butte as a bonus.

Yeah, snow biking is amazing, even better when it's July 5th and it's warm outside. Gotta love Colorado. Thanks for visiting. Race reports coming soon.