Prisoner At Granogue

Wow, I forgot how fast a Pro level MTB race starts.... I can't remember the last regular XC race I did; but it was at least 2004. Now I know why I like Triathlon and endurance events! Actually, the Granogue race this past Saturday was a lot of fun, and definitely what I needed to wake up to the effort needed from me in June. The XTERRA East Championship in Richmond is on similar terrain, and definitely something I want to be ready for in a few weeks. The big difference is the start.... when you get out of the water and on the bike in XTERRA you are already in race mode, and the competition is spread out. Not at Granogue; the first section of the start was the same as the cyclocross race in October with the climb by the tower; then we went down and around a few fields which was good, but then we hit the singletrack. There was literally a line at least 10 deep waiting to get into the trail. The last time I saw that I was in Minnesota in 1997 at the NORBA XC in the pouring rain. After a good 30 seconds we finally got rolling again. I was definitely impressed with the fitness level of my competitors, and their technical ability on the twisty course. After the first hour I was finally feeling pretty good and ready to try to move up a little. I ended up passing a few guys here and there, but the race was definitely over before it really started for me on the first lap. Its a different kind of effort required for XC racing and I definitely don't miss it! The good news is that when the race was over I was ready for a run. I definitely enjoyed the race and the course, and maybe one day I will be training for XC racing again. There is one thing for certain: I did not Escape From Granogue and I have a feeling that place will always have me as a prisoner!

Just a word on the rest of the weekend..... this may have been the nicest weather I have ever had on Memorial Day! A great 3 hour brick workout on Sunday followed by a good road day Monday has left me happy, and even showing a little farmer tan. That almost never happens to a 9 to 5'er, but I will take it! I changed my racing schedule this coming week so I could try some road racing for a change. I may be looking into more road events in 2009 with some friends so I will give it a try. Hopefully it will be another great weekend of weather!

April is the Cruelest Month?

The weather on last night's ride confirmed that 2008 is at least a month off. It is definitely like April... we left the Hunt Valley shop under dark skies for the ride and by the time we got to the start it was raining slightly. There was a big turnout which was somewhat suprising considering the weather forecast, and temps in the 50's. Going up Cuba road it started to drizzle, then come down steady. Sean and I were feeling a little uncomfortable with the large group in the rain so we went to the front and tried to create a split. After about 15 minutes we were away with a group of 2 new guys from out of town, Trevor, and Trek MTB superstar Chris Eatough. I was still hoping it was going to be passing showers, but it wasn't to be. After a while we were all miserable and cold! It had to have been in the mid 40's, and it was windy. I was having a hard time feeling my feet and my shifters, my shoes were literally swimming on me, and I was just hoping to stay upright. The good thing was that nobody wanted to stop; we were already wet and cold so we just wanted to get the workout in and finish the ride. Quite a difference from the MX crowd on the weekend where they cancelled the 2nd motos, and this was just a training ride! By the end of the ride we were all happy and smiling, there were no crashes; and we all got in a great workout. I read and article recently about the US Navy looking for their elite SEAL squad in new areas; cycling in particular. I can definitely see their logic! Cyclists have to perform in a wide variety of weather conditions, and be able to ignore the pain and focus on the task at hand. We ride when its wet, dry, hot, cold, snowy, icy, muddy, windy, dark, humid, arid.... you name it! We are definitely a unique group of people and I am happy to have spent the last 15 years becoming one of us.
I was sorry to hear that Mike Eatough, Chris' dad had a big get off on the motorcycle recently. Evidently he was riding with some friends and went down hard fracturing 7 ribs, his sternum, and some vertebrae. Mike is one of the most talented riders I have ever met, and a great guy to boot. I wish him a speedy and full recovery!
Its Memorial Day weekend coming up and if things go OK I should be racing at the MASS Escape From Granogue in Delaware on Saturday. After that I hope to enjoy some May weather for a change! This could be the wettest May on record here in Maryland and I think T. S. Eliot may have had it wrong.... for cyclists May is when the racing starts in earnest. The early season is over, and the majority of riders are coming into racing form. That in addition to this weather makes May the cruelest month!

Big Brown and Big Mud

The weekend started well... I went to the Preakness at Pimlico here in Baltimore Saturday to see an impressive athlete.... Big Brown. I grew up on a horse farm and we had 1 or 2 racehorses at a time growing up so I am used to being around the horse racing scene. I have always followed racing, but I haven't seen a horse as impressive as Big Brown in a long time. When I was little I was lucky enough to see back to back Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew in 1977, and Affirmed in 1978. They were amazing and had a big impact on me and my racing aspirations. I always liked to see a dominating performer in action. This year we have something special and may actually have a horse to take the Triple Crown. Big Brown crushed the field at the Kentucky Derby, and he just repeated his dominance at the Preakness. It was a great day with lots of sunshine and fun with no training... what a nice way to spend a Saturday!
On to Sunday... I left my house under sunny skies at 6AM to go to Tomahawk MX and the Masters of MX series race. So far we have had 3 out of 4 race weekends be raining and muddy; last week was cancelled so I was itching to get to the event. Tomahawk used to be my training track and its always a good place to ride. Little did I know what was happening in the mountains.... by the time I crossed the AT in Frederick it was drizzling, and out on I-81 it was pouring. Well, it was another muddy race! I always feel like I have an advantage in the rain because of my MTB racing experience, but it was tough going. I got the holeshot in my first class moto and ended up having a good race finishing 3rd. My second class didn't go so well. I did get the holeshot again, but was passed quickly after taking a rutted line and bobbling after losing traction. That is when the trouble started. I got totally roosted and couldn't see a thing! I waited until a section where I could go for a tear off (usually you can do them in the air, but when its this muddy NOBODY is jumping far!) and I pulled off ALL of my tear offs by accident. In my defense there was so much mud on the goggles I could barely find the hook to tear away! After that I had 2 tip overs which is actually pretty good on a track that was getting worse by the second. I ended up 4th in the race and was looking forward to getting back out there. I tend to have better 2nd motos and it gives me an advantage when the other guys get tired. Well, for the 2nd time in 3 races they cancelled the 2nd motos! I kind of expected it, but when your best attribute is your fitness, and the mud makes the effort more than 100% harder and longer you want to have your advantage. I guess 48 degrees and raining is miserable, but we were already wet, right? I can't blame anyone for not wanting to go back out, but I sure would like to have it go my way one of these days.
After the race it was an exercise in mud removal and truck preservation! I was covered in mud head to toe with a bunch of muddy gear so it was quite a task. To top it off by the time I got back home at 4pm and through the car wash with the bike the sun came out. It was nice for a while and started me thinking of going out for a run.... I went upstairs and got some clothes together... and then it started pouring again. Something was telling me to call it a day. The bonus was the Moto GP on Speedvision... it was time for a beer and some couch time! I hope you had a bearable weekend... I may do my first mountain bike XC in so long I can't remember on Saturday we will see how the week goes! I hope all of the mud comes out in the wash!

Mean Street

What a week! Early morning workouts and busy evenings have me whipped! At least I had time to make it to the Wednesday night training race/ride. I had my new Cervelo crammed into my loaner car's trunk; there is nothing like going from a Nissan Titan crew cab to a Hyundai accent for a week to make you aware of your personal space! The funny thing is that the Cervelo is probably worth more than the loaner car, and DEFINITELY faster! I was happy to get out with some friends for a good training workout. The group was bigger than usual, and I wasn't feeling very comfortable. I decided it was time to do some longer efforts so I went out on my own. My bike position is definitely coming along, although I rode a longer stem which wasn't to my liking; the bike felt great! Its been a long time since I thought a bicycle gave me an advantage, and got me excited to ride it. Most of my enthusiasm was due to loving the new machine! All went well, and even though the group stayed together much longer; it all came down to 4 guys at the finish. I don't think I will ever learn where this virtual finish line is! As we went up the last climb almost 100% it was time to dig for the end.... I went hard, got a gap, and just withered a slow death! It was much better than last week, and hopefully soon I will be able to hold the effort all the way to the line... wherever that is. The mood of the ride at the front definitely warrants the title of this post; and the fact that I went to see Van Halen Thursday night in Baltimore! What a great show! Check out the picture... Next up is Masters of MX at Tomahawk in WV... if it ever stops raining!

Rain Out....

I don't really care what the calendar says, to me it is April. Rain a few days every week, cold temperatures, wind, overcast.... these are classic Spring days. They are also the reason I love summer, and want to move to the desert. By the time May rolls around this kind of weather should be out of here, right? Haven't we had enough of this weather since October?
The Masters of MX Series race at Blue Diamond Park in Delaware was cancelled due to weather Saturday. Its funny how much something like that thorws off my schedule. I was all packed and ready to roll Saturday AM and I checked my mail to be safe... cancelled. I can definitely understand because running a race is a lot of work, and you want people to show up so you can get paid for your work. With heavy rain Friday night, and a bad forecast it is bound to keep people at home. I personally would have raced regardless. MX is new to me so I have that enthusiasm you get with something new.... it is a new challenge. I wouldn't like getting my KTM wrecked with mud and water, but it is only a bike right? Its funny what racing a mountain bike for 15 years does to your sanity, isn't it? The last race I did in the mud I kept saying to myself... its only 20 minutes; what are these guys complaining about? Sure its 38 degrees, but I am not wearing a skinsuit! Its not 4 hours in knee deep mud pushing your bike like previous NORBA Nationals I have done; Seven Springs, Snowshoe, Helen, Mt. Snow, Hunter Mountain, Red Wing, I have dome them all. How about 1995's 24 hours of Canaan?... I know I am dating myself with some fo those names, but I was there for them all. But I digress...
When I get a break from my routine I don't know how to handle it. I spend most of my time working, training, and racing. This means packing bags for morning workouts, commutes, evening workouts, races, etc... I have developed an amazing ability to pack work clothes, and not need an iron. Once I had a convention here in Baltimore and I rode to work 90 minutes in the rain with 2 suits in my messenger pack, stayed downtown overnight; then commuted home the next night. Nobody could believe I didn't drive down in my iron box and pay $23 a day to park. People don't understand what its like to be a working athlete using every free moment to train so you can compete at a high level. The funny thing is once you break that cycle, I don't know what to do. Saturday I basically decompressed.... I ordered some clothing for my new training service cycling team, caught up on some other stuff for starting a website, and slept! I slept until 10:30.... it was like someone had given me sleeping pills! I have been getting up at 5:30am to swim and train since March, but this is the first break I have really had. The funny thing is that I didn't do much of anything! For someone that is always looking for more time I sure sit around and do nothing pretty easily! At least it cleared up for a good afternoon ride. Hopefully this coming Sunday's MX race at Tomahawk will happen. Who knows, maybe it will actually be sunny and in the 70's? It is May already! I will let you know...

Thrash Wednesday

This is the third week I have been to the Hunt Valley/Baltimore Wednesday night ride. It all started after our local training race here in Baltimore folded a few years back. The idea is simple really... take a good bit of the racers out for a hard training ride and simulate a race each Wednesday night. The ride is the same course each week, and starts at 6pm. If you have a problem, or have a bad night and get dropped there are ways to re-join the group on the ride. This week there was a good bit of talent at the ride which made it very interesting. The other thing making it "interesting" was leaving Hunt Valley Bicycles late.... we missed the ride and had to chase. It was actually kind of fun once we got started, but Sean was the real teeth in the chase. He had literally just finished assembling his new Cervelo Carbon Soloist...and he was excited. This is the same bike I was having my 3rd ride on, and still getting comfortable with. The funny thing was after about 20 minutes we finally caught the group, and we couldn't stop! Sean and I rolled right to the front and kept going. Pain is a funny thing; once get used to it, stopping it is harder than you might think! In our defense it was a momentum thing... like when you have been driving fast on a highway; and get off and enter a small town. That is where the local police hold their fundraisers with the help of out of towners (I know this from experience!). After getting everyone thoroughly upset at seeing the HVB green up front, things seemed to get back to normal. Then the real fun started. Every week the ride breaks into groups, but this week the front was like a lobster pit. Everyone was just pushing the pace and attacking whenever there was a lull. I was thinking about my road racing experiences and wishing it was more like tonight. There wasn't really anywhere for anyone to hide. It was more like a cross race than a road race. If you weren't trying and paying attention you were off the back. The funny thing was that EVERYONE put in attacks... as soon as someone was back another person would put in a dig.... now this is fun! In the end, after the "virtual" finish line, everyone seemed happy and spent. It definitely lived up to the name of this entry... Thrash Wednesday. If you are ever in Baltimore on a Wednesday come on out to Hunt Valley Bicycles and join us.... we depart at 5:45pm and ride to the start... or at 5:55pm and race to the start....

Great White...

The alarm at 5:30am was a little tough this morning.... time for the morning swim... the Michaux Maximus 50 miler was yesterday. I decided to race on my new Salsa 29er hardtail which in the end was a good decision; but it was tough getting used to it! I have been racing full suspension bikes for 10 years so the first hour was very different. I kept taking what I call "suspension" lines... where you can stay in the saddle and pedal to keep power to the rear wheel. After being bucked off the saddle numerous times I began to get the hang of it. All I can say about 29ers is they are just plain better on rough terrain. It certainly wasn't like racing my 5" Stumpjumper, but it saved me numerous times and made the steeps much easier.
... Onto the race.... I am so suprised at the starts of these 50 milers... the front of the race is as fast as a normal XC race. Of course with world class riders Chris Eatough and Harlan Price on the front no wonder, but I am still suprised at the mere mortals. In the first 20-30 minutes I was passed quite aggressively by a lot of riders in some sketchy areas. It was funny because I just kept thinking of what was to come on this long day... did they know what that 4th hour would be like? I also had my iPod on low so I could hear riders, but not really communicate so maybe that was part of it.
After some muddy new terrain, and some of the best trails in the world including Grave Ridge I started to get moving. My plan for the day was get though the first 25 miles, then see what I had for the 2nd half. I call this the "Great White" strategy... When a great white shark attacks it does so quickly, and doesn't stay around for the fight. It tries to mortally wound its prey, and then it just waits.... why risk a fight with a fresh adversary where injury or death could be a result? It is much easier to finish off a rival when they are tired, right? Well, at Michaux there is no need for a preemptive strike; the course will do that for you. The key is to have enough in the last part of the race to go by your competitors.
Going up the long climb called Dead Woman's Hollow I really felt good. I was used to the bike, and had great legs. My nutrition was on track so the time was right to see what I had. Things went really well... for a while. All along the fire roads and some of the trails I felt great... groove tunes from Jack Johnson and Chili Peppers kept me happy and pushing. Then, going up a steeper climb, I went for the granny gear... and had a bad case of chain suck. The chain was up under the chainstay... maybe it was all the mud and the dry chain... I thought the day was over. I worked with it a little, turned the bike upside down, and was ready for the chain tool when somehow I managed to get it by the chainrings? I don't even know how I did it, but just then 2 of my friends came by, Jake and Cheryl. That was all I needed to get back into the race. I rode with them a while, and eventually we all went back to our own paces. Now I was resolved to no granny which at Michaux is quite an issue. The good news is the running has got me feeling great off the bike. I think I am faster just not using the low gears and dismounting anyway... its still not as fun though!
After another hour I was crossing back over the Appalachian trail and I saw a whole group of racers stretched out on the road up Big Hill. Could it be that I was actually back in this thing? Did my pacing plan work? Coming down Rattlesnake Ridge I really felt good and was suprised how much energy I had left. I just wasn't slowing down, so I decided to put in a real effort on the flats to crossing rt.233 and the climb to the finish. I will have to run a marathon in November at this point at IM Arizona so why not? With Rob Zombie and 50 cent on the iPod I was in cruise mode... I caught a group of riders right before 233, and thought that if I didn't go 100%, they would all come back on me by the finish. After 4 1/2 hours, pegging your heart rate feels a lot different! After a good 10 minutes of redlining I turned around and saw on one. After all these years racing had a strategy finally worked out? ...maybe the others didn't have anything left? As I went down the last road to the finish I thought of the Great White shark.... no wonder it has been around for centuries... sometimes your best ally is time... normally those other racers would have plenty left to fight... and I usually end up losing.

Thanks to Jes and everyone who puts on the Michaux Endurance Series! If you haven't had the pleasure to race at one of these events come out to the other 2 events n the series. I didn't get to stay for the official results, but it looked like I finished 10th overall at 4:57 and change. Looks like I will be out for some more punishment and fun in July... see you at the Curse of Dark Hollow!

Wednesday Night......The Soloist

The Wednesday night training ride leaving Hunt Valley Bikes was different this week.... I picked up my new bike!!! A Cervelo Soloist Carbon.... for those of you who haven't seen one of these in person just watch any pro cycling race and someone from the CSC cycling team will be on one.. usually winning or in the front. I was in a rush tonight so I didn't get a chance to do anything to the bike except set the seat height. For the first few miles I was getting used to the position and I couldn't believe how smooth this thing was! I don't know how they did it, but it is stiffer and smoother than any bike I have been on. I am definitely impressed and even after being off the front of the main group several times I still felt great; this bike is amazing. It felt more like a TT bike at higher speeds cutting through the wind; it has that feeling that the faster you go the more it gives you an advantage. I will post some pictures this weekend if I can stop riding it long enough! Big MTB race Sunday so I will have a good bit to report on... until then happy riding!