As the State Time Trial goes, I can say I did it and that's about it. I went in a little over confident and a lot under-prepared for the challenges of an hour long FTP session in the aero position on a TT bike. To say I was humbled would be an understatement.
First 20minutes were great, next 5 I started feeling weird strain in my hips and legs. The remaining 35minutes were a combination of soreness, strain, hell, and total discomfort. My legs and body simply weren't ready for what pushing the TT bike needed from them. Combine that with the heat radiating off the freshly paved blacktop and I was done.
After the turnaround (20k out and 20k back) I could not get the power meter to get up over 300watts for more than brief periods of time. The whole way back I struggled to just keep moving toward the finish line at a 20+mph speed. I sat up at least a dozen times to try and get relief or to find a position I could even remotely generate a little power from. I told my legs to shut up and work and they didn't even respond with a sarcastic comment or anything they just simply wouldn't work.
I wanted and knew I was capable of doing 55minutes. I ended up with 59min even. A horrible, horrible outing. That TT bike is very unforgiving on longer distances if you haven't taken much time to ride it. Lesson learned...
Things went from bad to worse when I crossed the finish line. As I stopped pedaling the pain in my upper legs and hips started to present themselves. I rode over to my car and some how managed to dismount the bike. Not sure how I was able to grab a jug of water and stagger over to the grass but somehow I did. Michelle had to help me up and get me changed. My hipflexors, glutes, and surrounding muscles were all completely locked up. I've never experienced that before. I eventually sat in the car for a bit as Michelle waited for the results. We eventually just left, I didn't care about my results as I knew they weren't going to be great. I had been worked over and all I wanted was to get on the couch.
I was pretty much stuck on the couch the rest of the weekend. The muscles in my legs and hips are still trashed today.
I will likely never do a TT race over 25k again. If I do I'll be sure to spend at least 100 hours on the TT bike prior to the race.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Warda XC Race 2014
When I got to Warda Saturday morning I was feeling pretty good. We parked next to John Madden and he and I were talking and hanging out at the cars. Wally Groda rides by and is parked in the next row behind us. John takes note and mentions that instead of racing for 2nd (Will Black was in the 40 class) that they were now racing for 3rd. I laugh and walk over to talk with Wally. My laughs are short lived when Wally informs me he's racing the 30 class so he can get an extra lap... I put my mind in check because it started to go south on me again. First Robert Baird, then Joch Da-bla-bla, Dale, and now Wally... I tell myself I'm just going to ride smart and stay with them, I'm fast enough to go toe-to-toe with any of these guys, the funny thing is, this time I believe what I'm telling myself.
There's a little discussion in the front during the top10 call-up at the start. Some of the guys moved up so everyone else in the top10 does too including Robert B who is NOT in the top10 (only because he's only raced one race.) Ultimately things work themselves out and Robert stays at the front. Wally looks over at me from our 2nd row positions with a snicker. Top10 wise I was 11th going in to this race so I stayed back but I wasn't worried as it's a LONG start here at Warda! Gun goes off and we're on our way.
I'm not liking where I end up in the pack once we settle in after the initial little climb. I'm midpack if that, likely back half. I notice I'm behind Jessica R. and I'm not liking the lack of draft I'm getting off of her. At the same time I see Wally, Zack, and Robert up ahead of me and I feel compelled to go up and get next to them. I tell myself "be patient, it's a long way to the cattle guard." As we round the 1st and 2nd corner and start heading back toward the front I move up a spot or two. Midway through the field the pace isn't too high but it just felt like things would explode at any moment. I know something's got to happen soon so I make another move to go up the left side to the front. There's approx 5 people between me and the front and we're rolling in two pace lines.
Time to make a move and get a little closer to the front, I hit the gas and as I pass the 3rd person, still nobody has gone yet. The cattle guard is a couple hundred yards and closing quickly. As I come up on the front riders I see some movement on the other side and I figure others are now going too so I put down a little more power to get on to the surge that seems to be happening on the other side.
I slam the pedals and surge out in front of the group. I put my head down and just drive in to the pedals. As I cross the cattle guard there's nobody in front of me and nobody in my slip stream. I hit the funnel and I'm now moving through the dirt around the lake. My goal was to be in the front 3 going in to the woods. The attack I put down was just to make sure I was out front with the big motors. Not only am I'm out front, I've got a huge gap and I'm all by myself. KIA and Noob are yelling at me from a shade tree as I shoot up the false flat into the single track. I back it down a little once I make the woods because I need to recover.
This was pretty much the race. I knew at the time the attack would go really good or really bad. Either way I was not going to go in to the single track midpack without a fight. It paid off and the gap widened as the race went on. I finished the race about 50sec ahead of 2nd.
Throughout the race the guys would close me in to about 15-20 seconds and then sometimes I'd get the gap back to 30-40 seconds. It was really fun to be out there solo but at the same time it was very unnerving knowing that they were likely going to come flying up on me at any second. Ultimately nobody every closed me down and I seemed to open the gap a lot through the last lap.
Lap3 I almost went off the side of Gas Pass after the switchback. The only thing that saved me was that I kept looking ahead to where I wanted to go and not where the bike was headed. Literally I was on the front tire (back tire off the ground) at over 12mph on the edge. How I didn't go over the bars, let alone the edge, is beyond me. All I did was just keep looking ahead up the trail and tried to let the bike keep itself upright. Unbelievable when I think about it but I'm incredibly grateful I was able to ride that mishap out.
This was by far one of the best races I've ever had. The field had some seriously strong and talented riders and the course required a good mix of skills. Getting away early and staying out front was a challenge. In the end I got the win.
3 Podiums (two wins and a 3rd) in 4 races (1 DNF), 15th at the Rattler, not a bad Spring race season! Now it's time to focus on Leadville.
There's a little discussion in the front during the top10 call-up at the start. Some of the guys moved up so everyone else in the top10 does too including Robert B who is NOT in the top10 (only because he's only raced one race.) Ultimately things work themselves out and Robert stays at the front. Wally looks over at me from our 2nd row positions with a snicker. Top10 wise I was 11th going in to this race so I stayed back but I wasn't worried as it's a LONG start here at Warda! Gun goes off and we're on our way.
I'm not liking where I end up in the pack once we settle in after the initial little climb. I'm midpack if that, likely back half. I notice I'm behind Jessica R. and I'm not liking the lack of draft I'm getting off of her. At the same time I see Wally, Zack, and Robert up ahead of me and I feel compelled to go up and get next to them. I tell myself "be patient, it's a long way to the cattle guard." As we round the 1st and 2nd corner and start heading back toward the front I move up a spot or two. Midway through the field the pace isn't too high but it just felt like things would explode at any moment. I know something's got to happen soon so I make another move to go up the left side to the front. There's approx 5 people between me and the front and we're rolling in two pace lines.
Time to make a move and get a little closer to the front, I hit the gas and as I pass the 3rd person, still nobody has gone yet. The cattle guard is a couple hundred yards and closing quickly. As I come up on the front riders I see some movement on the other side and I figure others are now going too so I put down a little more power to get on to the surge that seems to be happening on the other side.
I slam the pedals and surge out in front of the group. I put my head down and just drive in to the pedals. As I cross the cattle guard there's nobody in front of me and nobody in my slip stream. I hit the funnel and I'm now moving through the dirt around the lake. My goal was to be in the front 3 going in to the woods. The attack I put down was just to make sure I was out front with the big motors. Not only am I'm out front, I've got a huge gap and I'm all by myself. KIA and Noob are yelling at me from a shade tree as I shoot up the false flat into the single track. I back it down a little once I make the woods because I need to recover.
This was pretty much the race. I knew at the time the attack would go really good or really bad. Either way I was not going to go in to the single track midpack without a fight. It paid off and the gap widened as the race went on. I finished the race about 50sec ahead of 2nd.
Throughout the race the guys would close me in to about 15-20 seconds and then sometimes I'd get the gap back to 30-40 seconds. It was really fun to be out there solo but at the same time it was very unnerving knowing that they were likely going to come flying up on me at any second. Ultimately nobody every closed me down and I seemed to open the gap a lot through the last lap.
Lap3 I almost went off the side of Gas Pass after the switchback. The only thing that saved me was that I kept looking ahead to where I wanted to go and not where the bike was headed. Literally I was on the front tire (back tire off the ground) at over 12mph on the edge. How I didn't go over the bars, let alone the edge, is beyond me. All I did was just keep looking ahead up the trail and tried to let the bike keep itself upright. Unbelievable when I think about it but I'm incredibly grateful I was able to ride that mishap out.
This was by far one of the best races I've ever had. The field had some seriously strong and talented riders and the course required a good mix of skills. Getting away early and staying out front was a challenge. In the end I got the win.
3 Podiums (two wins and a 3rd) in 4 races (1 DNF), 15th at the Rattler, not a bad Spring race season! Now it's time to focus on Leadville.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Big Ring Challenge XC Race 2014
Yesterdays race at Double Lake made this my 5th year of racing and broke the tie between finishing and DNF’s at our hometown course.
2010 – Cat3 Win
2011 – SS Open 4th
2012 – Pro/Cat1 DNF
2013 – Cat1 DNF
2014 – Cat1 Win
It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since those guys at EnvrioInks convinced me to do a TMBRA race, the Double Lake race. The race bug got me at that race and my racing ‘career’ has been an up and down battle between love and hate for the sport. Yesterday was a high point.
On the start Dominic got out a little in front of us. I closed him down and had my front wheel at his crank as we approached the funnel and he waved me through. We set off in to the single track and while I didn’t win the hole shot as I wanted, somehow the race was going to plan. We hit the first right-of-way and I thought I’d test the field. Surging ahead I went wide open until the 180 turn back in to the single track. While the move spread the field out, there were still 4-5 guys breathing down my neck. Much to my dismay Tootall was back there.
On the jeep road climb I attacked again and briefly broke away but Dale was quick to grab my back wheel. I threw everything I had at him and the rest of the guys on that climb and they were still back there. I decided to back it down some and be patient; I wasn’t powering away from my 4-5 man entourage.
About ¾’s the way through lap1 Dale went down. Tootall bridged up to me and told me of the wreck. Maybe 5 minutes later I hear talking in the group and Dale is back! Geez, this is not good I thought, we were rolling a good pace through the woods and he’s somehow closed us down.
I led the whole first lap and as soon as I got through the sand pit I opened it up again to attack the group. I put a gap in to the field but it cost me and I had no choice but to back it down and recover in the single track. My gap was quickly gone as Dale was there with me again. A short time later we’re back to 3-4 riders again. Dang if Tootall isn't in there too.
We get to the first right-of-way and Dale comes around me. I’m all but appreciative of this move. It’s not easy work sitting at the front, I’ll follow someone else’s lines and let them pull on the open roads. Halfway through the first lap it’s just Dale, me, then Tootall and I’m now focused on saving energy until that last fire road. I have to get to the single track at the end of the road in first.
We get out to the fire road and I quickly grab Dale’s wheel and tuck in. Tootall is a little ways back and I don’t see him on my wheel. Dale starts taking up the pace but I feel like he’s out of burst energy. I sit there for about 10 seconds but I am not a patient man. I attack and open a gap and just keep driving the pedals until the single track. When I hit the single track I’ve got a nice gap on Dale and Tootall is back a ways from him. I keep the pace up in the single track but I back it down so I can recover a little. 2 minutes in and I still have a huge gap on Dale, I don’t even see or hear him. Another few minutes and I still don’t see or hear him.
Here I tell myself ride defensive, we don’t need a mishap and if they close I’m in the prime spot and I like my chances at a sprint finish. Midway through the Luge I hear Dell and catch a glimpse of his red kit. I’m on it again. I’m not giving up the gap that easy. I exit the single track and I know I’ve won but I don’t take any chances and push through the finish line.
That was a good win and I had the 2nd fastest overall time in cat1. I was extremely pleased with the race and the time. Happy racing anniversary to me!
One thing I’d like to say is Toot’s has a motor now. He’s always been fast but it was mostly due to really good bike handling but damn, he’s finally got a motor. I’m going to have to go race the 40 class now as I figure he’s figured something out and will likely get stronger going forward. Good job Andrew, I’m pretty damn impressed, I threw everything I had at you every time I had a chance and you were still there like my shadow!
2010 – Cat3 Win
2011 – SS Open 4th
2012 – Pro/Cat1 DNF
2013 – Cat1 DNF
2014 – Cat1 Win
It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since those guys at EnvrioInks convinced me to do a TMBRA race, the Double Lake race. The race bug got me at that race and my racing ‘career’ has been an up and down battle between love and hate for the sport. Yesterday was a high point.
On the start Dominic got out a little in front of us. I closed him down and had my front wheel at his crank as we approached the funnel and he waved me through. We set off in to the single track and while I didn’t win the hole shot as I wanted, somehow the race was going to plan. We hit the first right-of-way and I thought I’d test the field. Surging ahead I went wide open until the 180 turn back in to the single track. While the move spread the field out, there were still 4-5 guys breathing down my neck. Much to my dismay Tootall was back there.
On the jeep road climb I attacked again and briefly broke away but Dale was quick to grab my back wheel. I threw everything I had at him and the rest of the guys on that climb and they were still back there. I decided to back it down some and be patient; I wasn’t powering away from my 4-5 man entourage.
About ¾’s the way through lap1 Dale went down. Tootall bridged up to me and told me of the wreck. Maybe 5 minutes later I hear talking in the group and Dale is back! Geez, this is not good I thought, we were rolling a good pace through the woods and he’s somehow closed us down.
I led the whole first lap and as soon as I got through the sand pit I opened it up again to attack the group. I put a gap in to the field but it cost me and I had no choice but to back it down and recover in the single track. My gap was quickly gone as Dale was there with me again. A short time later we’re back to 3-4 riders again. Dang if Tootall isn't in there too.
We get to the first right-of-way and Dale comes around me. I’m all but appreciative of this move. It’s not easy work sitting at the front, I’ll follow someone else’s lines and let them pull on the open roads. Halfway through the first lap it’s just Dale, me, then Tootall and I’m now focused on saving energy until that last fire road. I have to get to the single track at the end of the road in first.
We get out to the fire road and I quickly grab Dale’s wheel and tuck in. Tootall is a little ways back and I don’t see him on my wheel. Dale starts taking up the pace but I feel like he’s out of burst energy. I sit there for about 10 seconds but I am not a patient man. I attack and open a gap and just keep driving the pedals until the single track. When I hit the single track I’ve got a nice gap on Dale and Tootall is back a ways from him. I keep the pace up in the single track but I back it down so I can recover a little. 2 minutes in and I still have a huge gap on Dale, I don’t even see or hear him. Another few minutes and I still don’t see or hear him.
Here I tell myself ride defensive, we don’t need a mishap and if they close I’m in the prime spot and I like my chances at a sprint finish. Midway through the Luge I hear Dell and catch a glimpse of his red kit. I’m on it again. I’m not giving up the gap that easy. I exit the single track and I know I’ve won but I don’t take any chances and push through the finish line.
That was a good win and I had the 2nd fastest overall time in cat1. I was extremely pleased with the race and the time. Happy racing anniversary to me!
One thing I’d like to say is Toot’s has a motor now. He’s always been fast but it was mostly due to really good bike handling but damn, he’s finally got a motor. I’m going to have to go race the 40 class now as I figure he’s figured something out and will likely get stronger going forward. Good job Andrew, I’m pretty damn impressed, I threw everything I had at you every time I had a chance and you were still there like my shadow!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
2014 Austin Rattler
We got to RHR Friday afternoon and went to pick up my packet and just have a look around. There were a LOT of foreign (non-Texas) kits on the riders who were there and just as many out of state license plates on the cars in the parking lot. I had no interest in pre-riding, as it was too late in the day and I felt there was really nothing for me to see. Dave Weins handed me my packet. He’s a pretty big dude, much bigger than he appears in Race Across the Sky. I listened to a few pre-riders talk about how dry and dusty the trail was. “Going to be really dusty tomorrow after all the bikes go around a few laps” was one of the comments I heard.
We headed back to the hotel in LaGrange to chill. TV was quickly disturbed by emergency weather broadcast. A fast moving storm was dropping rain and hail across Austin. “Sucks for Austin” I thought and we went to grab some grub down the street…
The storm crossed Austin and headed SE down 71. I watched my weather app in disbelief as the storm quickly hit Bastrop and kept on his course. Then Smithville. Then LaGrange. We watched from the restaurant as small pea sized hail pinged off the cars and ground. Luckily I parked by a huge SUV that seemed to block most of the hail from my car. In 15 minutes the storm was mostly gone but some rain persisted. I was thinking “I hope it gets soaked up quickly” as we headed back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we were up early and got to RHR around 6:45am, race was at 8. The line literally stretched approx. 60 cars long on the road. Many more got in line behind us. I thought, “Shit there’s a lot of people out here.” (Later one of the Leadville folks said 512 participants.) After about 15 minutes we were handing them our $10 a person and getting waved into one of the fields toward the front.
The field was all mud except for a few patches of grass. We found a grass patch and parked. The prius tires were covered in a 2” coat of mud. The ground was wet and all around us was muddy clay waiting to stick to whatever touched it. “shit, there goes my sub4 hour time" as I thought about how muddy the course must be and things got even more tragic when I thought about my tire selection - a Racing Ralph and a Furious Fred.
After getting dressed and screwing off for a bit I noticed lots of folks making their way to the start. I headed over to the portacans. When I got back people were piling in and the start line had grown considerably. I stuffed 4 portables into my jersey, took a swing of water, unwrapped an extra portable and started eating as I put on my helmet. I headed over to the start line. I still hadn’t seen Nathan, Mark, or anyone else that was supposed to be there though we were all trading txt messages. I got over to the start line and there were 200 or so people already a head of me so I just got in line.
Brandon Barbour pulled up next to me and I figured I had at least one of my buddies with me. Big Zach Ross showed up shortly after and was 2 rows behind me. The road behind me quickly filled and we were literally 10 across all the way around the pond. “Man, there’s a lot of racers!” Armando and a few of the Bike Barn guys were also next to me. We chit-chatted. Wink and Mark show up and they make their way toward the front of the line. I’m tempted to piss off the 50 riders between me and them by moving up but decide I’ll just stay where I am.
The gun goes off – literally a shot gun. Time doesn’t start until we roll across the line (we all have electronic tracking chips.) A minute has transpired before I roll through the start. Before I’m even rolling I see the front lead pack getting lead out by some kind of off road motorized vehicle at a controlled pace and they are out of sight before I’m clipped in. We get rolling and it’s a mess. Literally hundreds of riders in front of me "how do I even get through this mess – it’s like the MS150" I think to myself. I see Zach make a move on the outside and quickly pass 10 riders so I do the same thing. "It's on now!"
A few more passes like this and I’m somehow in front of him. It's like the freeway at rush hour, you make the wrong move and suddenly your line is being passed by all the other lines of cars. In this analogy, I'm on the shoulder and I'm passing everyone. “This is kind of easy” I think and then I get really aggressive with the passing. I’m passing people off the jeep road, riding through the loose rocks and grass on the side of the road. It's the only way to get around the hoards of people. Before we get to Fat Chucks climb I’ve already passed 50+ people. I get up to Wink and Mark on Fat Chucks. “Holly crap, it’s completely blocked up” riders 4-5 deep on the narrow jeep road all the way up. I go back to my new technique and start passing on the loose rocks and grass on the shoulder. I quickly pass another 20 people including Wink, Sarah, and Mark. Wink yells “Don I’ll be there in a minute, let me get through this crowd.” A rider unclips in front of me and dismounts so I pop back on the jeep road and crest Fat Chucks at 2mph with the hoard. A gap opens and I’m on the gas, the road is thinning out as people sit-up behind other people to catch their breath. It tightens up again and I see PT in front of me. I ride his back wheel for a bit and then I’m off on my own.
We’re in Jeep road territory now and I figure with all the passing I’m up in the top100 riders now. It’s cost me a lot of time and matches but its significant progress, I’m the only one of all the fast folks in the back with me that is up here. While it’s progress, the speedsters are gone and I know there’s no way I’m bridging up to them. Time to put the big diesel motor to work.
I bridge from group to group. I sit in, recover, go, bridge up to the next group, and repeat. There’s not a lot of single track but we hit a little. "Holly crap, these guys can’t ride single track. Holly crap, I can’t really ride single track either!" I’m riding dry hard pack tires and they do not like the slick clay and roots. The Wall climb was a nightmare as guys rode their brakes and stopped toward the top. I get through this madness and eventually make it to the jeep road that takes you to the front. Lap 1 is almost done and I’m barely over 1 hour. That was a lot of matches burnt but I’m not sitting in the top 50 or so. Everyone I pass from here on out should be a solid rider.
As I’m going out for Lap2 I pass Wink coming in to finish his first lap. I’ve got about 2min on him. So much for having a domestique today. “You’re on your own Donny!" I tell myself.
Lap 2 is pretty uneventful. I pass quite a few people in the first half as I jump from group to group. Occasionally folks try to bridge with me, typically I ride them out of my slip stream. This is a power-costly strategy and I’m starting to wonder if it’s sustainable. Man, if I had another motor to ride with, life would be great. Midway through Lap2 I hook up with a guy who has a motor. We start making really good time putting a dent in things. We ride together with him doing a lot of the work, this new strategy IS sustainable. As we get to the front to finish the lap he sits up and rolls off. I guess he's stopping in the feed zone. So much for that partner. I get a bottle handup from Michelle and I start lap3, solo.
Lap 3 is very solo. I’m picking off a few stragglers. Midway through the lap as the trail loops back on itself I see Wink, he’s about 5min back. Shortly after I start running up in to lapped traffic. These folks typically get out of the way but sometimes they don’t. I’m tired, they’re tired, I just do my best to get around them. I’m not wasting energy to call out. I figure I’m in the top 30 now but it’s very unlikely I’ll break 4 hours. I’ll just keep my head down and keep going. ¾’s of the way through the lap I’m in deep lapped traffic. The single track is drying now and the clay is getting tacky and fast and I burn matches on the road to beat the lapped traffic to the single track.
Toward the end of lap 3 in the single track after the Wall, I go to pass a lapped rider who is spinning a 120 cadence at 2mph and bobbing all around his saddle. I know better, and yet I call out and go to pass. As I pass, he whips over and I grab brakes, hit a root, and I go down. A few expletives later, I’m up and rolling, it was a slow speed crash and I’m okay. I’m off and rolling, hit the jeep road, grab a hand up from Michelle, and I start the final lap.
I'm a little giddy that it's already the last lap and I'm riding strong. As I’m going out, my legs are heavy. I’ve burnt a lot of matches and fatigue is starting to sit in. I see Zach coming in, and it inspires me to lay the hammer down. I’ve got 2 minutes, maybe 3 on him and I’m not letting him catch me. As I drive the pedals I hit fat chuck and pick off a few riders who are not lapped traffic. Yes! I see a group up a head that looks too strong to be lapped riders so I bridge up to them. I sit in for a few minutes and recover. Then I go. We hit some hills and one of them goes with me. We drop the group, but they’re still trying to chase. We pass a lapped rider and he says you guys are 14 and 15, maybe 15 and 16! “Holly Shit, I’m in the top15!?”
Reality sets in, I think “this is a lapped rider, what does he know? Then again, what if I am..?” Suddenly I have a shot of adrenaline. The next hill is a good one and I hit it wide open and quickly drop the guy on my back wheel. I get to the top, and the guy not only dropped but he popped, he’s sitting straight up spinning up the climb very slowly. No time to gloat, I’m on the gas!
I pass more lap riders but see no more potential “places” for me to pick off. More importantly nobody is closing me down and I don’t see Zach either. I get to the Wall and it’s a traffic jam. I fly by everyone off to the side screaming “Lap 4 rider breaking 4 hrs.” Everyone clears the way and cheers me on.
I hit the jeep road to the front and I just lay in to the gas. Everything I have left I pour in to the pedals. I’m screaming down the jeep road by the barn at close to 30mph. Lapped traffic looks like its standing still as I fly by. I get the front sit up to look and I see nobody sprinting so I know I’m not going to pick anyone off. I pour the gas to it again as I make the final loop around the lake, I’m going so fast I have to slide off the road into the grass because the tires won’t grip on the loose gravel road. "Don't wreck Donny but don't scrub any of this speed" I tell myself.
I make it under the finish and then let the bike coast down the course through the feed zone before I turn off and just sit there on my top tube for a minute and recover. I’m done! Sarah comes over and says I did a 4:05. 5 minutes over my goal but I’m happy, that was a good as I could have done considering the circumstances. I have no idea where I stand or if I even qualified.
After an hour or so somebody comes up and says I got 15th. I go over and look. I’m 15th overall and 4th in my age group. That’s a hell of a finish for me. Going in to this I was looking to be in the top25 and be under 4 hours. I really wanted that front Gold corral at Leadville (had to be sub4hrs to get it.) While I didn’t meet the time, I exceeded my expectations in the placing. I also beat a LOT of really fast people so I can’t help but be happy with the race.
We headed back to the hotel in LaGrange to chill. TV was quickly disturbed by emergency weather broadcast. A fast moving storm was dropping rain and hail across Austin. “Sucks for Austin” I thought and we went to grab some grub down the street…
The storm crossed Austin and headed SE down 71. I watched my weather app in disbelief as the storm quickly hit Bastrop and kept on his course. Then Smithville. Then LaGrange. We watched from the restaurant as small pea sized hail pinged off the cars and ground. Luckily I parked by a huge SUV that seemed to block most of the hail from my car. In 15 minutes the storm was mostly gone but some rain persisted. I was thinking “I hope it gets soaked up quickly” as we headed back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we were up early and got to RHR around 6:45am, race was at 8. The line literally stretched approx. 60 cars long on the road. Many more got in line behind us. I thought, “Shit there’s a lot of people out here.” (Later one of the Leadville folks said 512 participants.) After about 15 minutes we were handing them our $10 a person and getting waved into one of the fields toward the front.
The field was all mud except for a few patches of grass. We found a grass patch and parked. The prius tires were covered in a 2” coat of mud. The ground was wet and all around us was muddy clay waiting to stick to whatever touched it. “shit, there goes my sub4 hour time" as I thought about how muddy the course must be and things got even more tragic when I thought about my tire selection - a Racing Ralph and a Furious Fred.
After getting dressed and screwing off for a bit I noticed lots of folks making their way to the start. I headed over to the portacans. When I got back people were piling in and the start line had grown considerably. I stuffed 4 portables into my jersey, took a swing of water, unwrapped an extra portable and started eating as I put on my helmet. I headed over to the start line. I still hadn’t seen Nathan, Mark, or anyone else that was supposed to be there though we were all trading txt messages. I got over to the start line and there were 200 or so people already a head of me so I just got in line.
Brandon Barbour pulled up next to me and I figured I had at least one of my buddies with me. Big Zach Ross showed up shortly after and was 2 rows behind me. The road behind me quickly filled and we were literally 10 across all the way around the pond. “Man, there’s a lot of racers!” Armando and a few of the Bike Barn guys were also next to me. We chit-chatted. Wink and Mark show up and they make their way toward the front of the line. I’m tempted to piss off the 50 riders between me and them by moving up but decide I’ll just stay where I am.
The gun goes off – literally a shot gun. Time doesn’t start until we roll across the line (we all have electronic tracking chips.) A minute has transpired before I roll through the start. Before I’m even rolling I see the front lead pack getting lead out by some kind of off road motorized vehicle at a controlled pace and they are out of sight before I’m clipped in. We get rolling and it’s a mess. Literally hundreds of riders in front of me "how do I even get through this mess – it’s like the MS150" I think to myself. I see Zach make a move on the outside and quickly pass 10 riders so I do the same thing. "It's on now!"
A few more passes like this and I’m somehow in front of him. It's like the freeway at rush hour, you make the wrong move and suddenly your line is being passed by all the other lines of cars. In this analogy, I'm on the shoulder and I'm passing everyone. “This is kind of easy” I think and then I get really aggressive with the passing. I’m passing people off the jeep road, riding through the loose rocks and grass on the side of the road. It's the only way to get around the hoards of people. Before we get to Fat Chucks climb I’ve already passed 50+ people. I get up to Wink and Mark on Fat Chucks. “Holly crap, it’s completely blocked up” riders 4-5 deep on the narrow jeep road all the way up. I go back to my new technique and start passing on the loose rocks and grass on the shoulder. I quickly pass another 20 people including Wink, Sarah, and Mark. Wink yells “Don I’ll be there in a minute, let me get through this crowd.” A rider unclips in front of me and dismounts so I pop back on the jeep road and crest Fat Chucks at 2mph with the hoard. A gap opens and I’m on the gas, the road is thinning out as people sit-up behind other people to catch their breath. It tightens up again and I see PT in front of me. I ride his back wheel for a bit and then I’m off on my own.
We’re in Jeep road territory now and I figure with all the passing I’m up in the top100 riders now. It’s cost me a lot of time and matches but its significant progress, I’m the only one of all the fast folks in the back with me that is up here. While it’s progress, the speedsters are gone and I know there’s no way I’m bridging up to them. Time to put the big diesel motor to work.
I bridge from group to group. I sit in, recover, go, bridge up to the next group, and repeat. There’s not a lot of single track but we hit a little. "Holly crap, these guys can’t ride single track. Holly crap, I can’t really ride single track either!" I’m riding dry hard pack tires and they do not like the slick clay and roots. The Wall climb was a nightmare as guys rode their brakes and stopped toward the top. I get through this madness and eventually make it to the jeep road that takes you to the front. Lap 1 is almost done and I’m barely over 1 hour. That was a lot of matches burnt but I’m not sitting in the top 50 or so. Everyone I pass from here on out should be a solid rider.
As I’m going out for Lap2 I pass Wink coming in to finish his first lap. I’ve got about 2min on him. So much for having a domestique today. “You’re on your own Donny!" I tell myself.
Lap 2 is pretty uneventful. I pass quite a few people in the first half as I jump from group to group. Occasionally folks try to bridge with me, typically I ride them out of my slip stream. This is a power-costly strategy and I’m starting to wonder if it’s sustainable. Man, if I had another motor to ride with, life would be great. Midway through Lap2 I hook up with a guy who has a motor. We start making really good time putting a dent in things. We ride together with him doing a lot of the work, this new strategy IS sustainable. As we get to the front to finish the lap he sits up and rolls off. I guess he's stopping in the feed zone. So much for that partner. I get a bottle handup from Michelle and I start lap3, solo.
Lap 3 is very solo. I’m picking off a few stragglers. Midway through the lap as the trail loops back on itself I see Wink, he’s about 5min back. Shortly after I start running up in to lapped traffic. These folks typically get out of the way but sometimes they don’t. I’m tired, they’re tired, I just do my best to get around them. I’m not wasting energy to call out. I figure I’m in the top 30 now but it’s very unlikely I’ll break 4 hours. I’ll just keep my head down and keep going. ¾’s of the way through the lap I’m in deep lapped traffic. The single track is drying now and the clay is getting tacky and fast and I burn matches on the road to beat the lapped traffic to the single track.
Toward the end of lap 3 in the single track after the Wall, I go to pass a lapped rider who is spinning a 120 cadence at 2mph and bobbing all around his saddle. I know better, and yet I call out and go to pass. As I pass, he whips over and I grab brakes, hit a root, and I go down. A few expletives later, I’m up and rolling, it was a slow speed crash and I’m okay. I’m off and rolling, hit the jeep road, grab a hand up from Michelle, and I start the final lap.
I'm a little giddy that it's already the last lap and I'm riding strong. As I’m going out, my legs are heavy. I’ve burnt a lot of matches and fatigue is starting to sit in. I see Zach coming in, and it inspires me to lay the hammer down. I’ve got 2 minutes, maybe 3 on him and I’m not letting him catch me. As I drive the pedals I hit fat chuck and pick off a few riders who are not lapped traffic. Yes! I see a group up a head that looks too strong to be lapped riders so I bridge up to them. I sit in for a few minutes and recover. Then I go. We hit some hills and one of them goes with me. We drop the group, but they’re still trying to chase. We pass a lapped rider and he says you guys are 14 and 15, maybe 15 and 16! “Holly Shit, I’m in the top15!?”
Reality sets in, I think “this is a lapped rider, what does he know? Then again, what if I am..?” Suddenly I have a shot of adrenaline. The next hill is a good one and I hit it wide open and quickly drop the guy on my back wheel. I get to the top, and the guy not only dropped but he popped, he’s sitting straight up spinning up the climb very slowly. No time to gloat, I’m on the gas!
I pass more lap riders but see no more potential “places” for me to pick off. More importantly nobody is closing me down and I don’t see Zach either. I get to the Wall and it’s a traffic jam. I fly by everyone off to the side screaming “Lap 4 rider breaking 4 hrs.” Everyone clears the way and cheers me on.
I hit the jeep road to the front and I just lay in to the gas. Everything I have left I pour in to the pedals. I’m screaming down the jeep road by the barn at close to 30mph. Lapped traffic looks like its standing still as I fly by. I get the front sit up to look and I see nobody sprinting so I know I’m not going to pick anyone off. I pour the gas to it again as I make the final loop around the lake, I’m going so fast I have to slide off the road into the grass because the tires won’t grip on the loose gravel road. "Don't wreck Donny but don't scrub any of this speed" I tell myself.
I make it under the finish and then let the bike coast down the course through the feed zone before I turn off and just sit there on my top tube for a minute and recover. I’m done! Sarah comes over and says I did a 4:05. 5 minutes over my goal but I’m happy, that was a good as I could have done considering the circumstances. I have no idea where I stand or if I even qualified.
After an hour or so somebody comes up and says I got 15th. I go over and look. I’m 15th overall and 4th in my age group. That’s a hell of a finish for me. Going in to this I was looking to be in the top25 and be under 4 hours. I really wanted that front Gold corral at Leadville (had to be sub4hrs to get it.) While I didn’t meet the time, I exceeded my expectations in the placing. I also beat a LOT of really fast people so I can’t help but be happy with the race.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Rocky Hills Ranch XC Race 2014 (UCI Short Course)
Yes! I finally completed a cat1 race without a DNF!
Start wise, I was a row back from the front behind Agauyo and a fast looking guy who hell bent on getting in the front row. Good enough for me. Start goes off and I'm up toward the front. Not bad. Sitting in 7th or so as we go up to the windmill. I think we pass a guy that blows up before the BMX stuff. I'm behind Agauyo, this is exactly where I want to be and we're packed in from 1st to where I am. As we weave around through that field of new trail, Agauyo gets caught up in the loose stuff, loses control but saves the bike as he cuts across the field. He's burped his tire in the mayhem and pulls out before we do the final bmx stuff and head off the camping field.
Behind me some jerk hole keeps buzzing me. HAHA, I'm kidding because afterwards I found out it was Tootall. We were bunched in tight and there was no where to go except tire to tire a few times. As we start the climbing gaps start to open and they really start to open in front of the guy in front of me. I go to pass on the switchback and try to cut inside to which he cuts down and in on me which closes the door causing me to unclip and put my foot down. I hear "ride smooth Don" but I couldn't figure out who it was and wasn't about to turn around and look. Next chance to pass I get around the guy and bridge back up to the pack. I'm now in 5th'ish.
We hit Fat Chucks and the wheels start coming off for people. At the top I'm in 3rd. Working my way through the single track I pick off Dom on the fence line jeep road which leads to the front and then I catch Dale after the feedzone, I'm now in 1st?!?! Dale and I ride together through Fat Chucks with me in the front then he goes around as I recover and try to keep him in site. We get out to the jeep road and 3rd is back there behind me. He grabs my wheel for a free pull down the jeep road and through the feedzone. I notice Robert Baird is not far behind. He's a cat2 roadie with a BIG motor and I know it's just a matter of time before he pulls us in or blows by us. We get to the windmill and they attack. I let them go, we have another lap after we complete this one. I got to be smart, I'm riding my race, not theirs.
I keep them in site through lap3. Things are uneventful but the course and the pace are starting to take a toll on me. Oh ya, it's starting to get freaking hot temperature wise.
Lap4 I ride alone through the opening mile of the lap. I see 3rd place not to far ahead, there is a chance for podium if I can bridge up before the end jeep road BUT that is a long way from where we are. The guys behind me aren't letting up. I keep seeing Totall and 2 or 3 other jerseys. First thing is first, I have to keep 4th position and then I can focus on 3rd. As I turn to start the gravel section of fat chucks I see 3rd going up. "Oh man, he's mine" I think. I pedal the downhill and then power up the uphill. Do the same for the next and I catch him midway up the final climb. I back it down and just sit on his wheel (I need to recover anyway.) I stick his back wheel to the single track and let him then open a little gap on me. I've already conceded that 2nd and 1st are way out of site and I don't have the umph or enough trail to reel them in but 3rd, 3rd is all mine!
I let a gap open between us. I want him to burn himself out trying to further gap me. He seems to be picking up the pace. I keep him in site for the most part. I'm trying to recover now and get ready for the last mile of the race. We get up blacktrack and I see him at the top as I'm crossing the road. I've got him! I see him at the wall. Oh man I'm getting excited! The boys in 5th and 6th are still back there but they aren't catching me, not today!
We get to the jeep road I quickly reel him in and just sit on his back wheel. He's done this to me on subsequent laps, now I'm on his wheel. I'm literally ready to drill it before we get to the barn. "Patience!!!" I keep telling myself. We get by the barn, "Patience" I tell myself. As we get to the road in front of the spectators I pull along side of him and ride there for about 100 yards. I see him move his finger to shift and I drill it. I gap him quickly opening several bike lengths and it's pretty much over as I stay on the gas to the finish.
That was a tough course. I didn't look at the numbers but someone said for 4 laps it was 16miles and 2,600' of climbing. For me, it felt like Leakey all over again. The UCI format was pretty cool and I actually liked it a lot. I'd like it if we had more courses like this where you get to make several laps. I'd like it if the whole field did such a course - kind of like a short track race. It would be pretty cool to watch and cheer for others as a spectator and pretty cool to keep passing your friends and family as a racer.
Totall was killing it out there. Congrats again man. I kept seeing him and thinking "damn it you little skinny f'er stay away from me, stay away." Agauyo was strong as ever, I hated his tire burped he would have had a really good chance to podium. Moots on the podium, congrats! Chad, moving up to the big leagues, NICE! There's a ton of people I'm forgetting. It was pretty cool seeing all the new DIRT kits out there. Hell, I didn't even recognize some of the folks. WTF and DIRT jerseys seemed to be placed in every class out there. I got to see SR, Miguel, Jek, Frank, KIA, and DBD on the course or finishing. Everyone was looking good though it was the first time I ever heard frank say 'waho' at the end of a race in an almost nonchalant whisper. Jim, congrats on your first cat1 race. It's different here and you're arguably in the 2nd fastest TMBRA class where everyone has a motor and experience. Sounds like you learned quite a bit, keep chiseling away at it.
Thanks to everyone who cheered and to Chad for the pro level handup - hahaha 3 bottles in one feedzone at speed - maybe it's a new record? Man, that water was good!
Start wise, I was a row back from the front behind Agauyo and a fast looking guy who hell bent on getting in the front row. Good enough for me. Start goes off and I'm up toward the front. Not bad. Sitting in 7th or so as we go up to the windmill. I think we pass a guy that blows up before the BMX stuff. I'm behind Agauyo, this is exactly where I want to be and we're packed in from 1st to where I am. As we weave around through that field of new trail, Agauyo gets caught up in the loose stuff, loses control but saves the bike as he cuts across the field. He's burped his tire in the mayhem and pulls out before we do the final bmx stuff and head off the camping field.
Behind me some jerk hole keeps buzzing me. HAHA, I'm kidding because afterwards I found out it was Tootall. We were bunched in tight and there was no where to go except tire to tire a few times. As we start the climbing gaps start to open and they really start to open in front of the guy in front of me. I go to pass on the switchback and try to cut inside to which he cuts down and in on me which closes the door causing me to unclip and put my foot down. I hear "ride smooth Don" but I couldn't figure out who it was and wasn't about to turn around and look. Next chance to pass I get around the guy and bridge back up to the pack. I'm now in 5th'ish.
We hit Fat Chucks and the wheels start coming off for people. At the top I'm in 3rd. Working my way through the single track I pick off Dom on the fence line jeep road which leads to the front and then I catch Dale after the feedzone, I'm now in 1st?!?! Dale and I ride together through Fat Chucks with me in the front then he goes around as I recover and try to keep him in site. We get out to the jeep road and 3rd is back there behind me. He grabs my wheel for a free pull down the jeep road and through the feedzone. I notice Robert Baird is not far behind. He's a cat2 roadie with a BIG motor and I know it's just a matter of time before he pulls us in or blows by us. We get to the windmill and they attack. I let them go, we have another lap after we complete this one. I got to be smart, I'm riding my race, not theirs.
I keep them in site through lap3. Things are uneventful but the course and the pace are starting to take a toll on me. Oh ya, it's starting to get freaking hot temperature wise.
Lap4 I ride alone through the opening mile of the lap. I see 3rd place not to far ahead, there is a chance for podium if I can bridge up before the end jeep road BUT that is a long way from where we are. The guys behind me aren't letting up. I keep seeing Totall and 2 or 3 other jerseys. First thing is first, I have to keep 4th position and then I can focus on 3rd. As I turn to start the gravel section of fat chucks I see 3rd going up. "Oh man, he's mine" I think. I pedal the downhill and then power up the uphill. Do the same for the next and I catch him midway up the final climb. I back it down and just sit on his wheel (I need to recover anyway.) I stick his back wheel to the single track and let him then open a little gap on me. I've already conceded that 2nd and 1st are way out of site and I don't have the umph or enough trail to reel them in but 3rd, 3rd is all mine!
I let a gap open between us. I want him to burn himself out trying to further gap me. He seems to be picking up the pace. I keep him in site for the most part. I'm trying to recover now and get ready for the last mile of the race. We get up blacktrack and I see him at the top as I'm crossing the road. I've got him! I see him at the wall. Oh man I'm getting excited! The boys in 5th and 6th are still back there but they aren't catching me, not today!
We get to the jeep road I quickly reel him in and just sit on his back wheel. He's done this to me on subsequent laps, now I'm on his wheel. I'm literally ready to drill it before we get to the barn. "Patience!!!" I keep telling myself. We get by the barn, "Patience" I tell myself. As we get to the road in front of the spectators I pull along side of him and ride there for about 100 yards. I see him move his finger to shift and I drill it. I gap him quickly opening several bike lengths and it's pretty much over as I stay on the gas to the finish.
That was a tough course. I didn't look at the numbers but someone said for 4 laps it was 16miles and 2,600' of climbing. For me, it felt like Leakey all over again. The UCI format was pretty cool and I actually liked it a lot. I'd like it if we had more courses like this where you get to make several laps. I'd like it if the whole field did such a course - kind of like a short track race. It would be pretty cool to watch and cheer for others as a spectator and pretty cool to keep passing your friends and family as a racer.
Totall was killing it out there. Congrats again man. I kept seeing him and thinking "damn it you little skinny f'er stay away from me, stay away." Agauyo was strong as ever, I hated his tire burped he would have had a really good chance to podium. Moots on the podium, congrats! Chad, moving up to the big leagues, NICE! There's a ton of people I'm forgetting. It was pretty cool seeing all the new DIRT kits out there. Hell, I didn't even recognize some of the folks. WTF and DIRT jerseys seemed to be placed in every class out there. I got to see SR, Miguel, Jek, Frank, KIA, and DBD on the course or finishing. Everyone was looking good though it was the first time I ever heard frank say 'waho' at the end of a race in an almost nonchalant whisper. Jim, congrats on your first cat1 race. It's different here and you're arguably in the 2nd fastest TMBRA class where everyone has a motor and experience. Sounds like you learned quite a bit, keep chiseling away at it.
Thanks to everyone who cheered and to Chad for the pro level handup - hahaha 3 bottles in one feedzone at speed - maybe it's a new record? Man, that water was good!
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