This past weekend brought my return to the 12hrs of the Hill of Truth. In the past I've had to back out of this race due to various reasons since 2005. This year I said I'd be racing come hell or high water, a statement I'd later regret. I didn't make the original cut to race with my 2005 team Granny's Rotten Teeth but due to someone wussing out I was invited to race with them. Earlier in the week the weather forecast had gone from bad to good. Friday morning's forecast went back to bad but I was in denial.
I left work early to get on the road and setup in daylight. I entered the address for Haw Ridge into the Garmin and let it guide the way. I was nervous about following it's route since it kept me mostly off the interstate and took the scenic route. I pulled in around 3:45 and started getting the Element into RV mode. Most of us went out for a good dinner at Big Ed's Pizza in Oak Ridge. We were amazed to see how much skinny little Ian could pack away. The night went on and we started fading to bed fast. I held out as long as I could enjoying the nice weather and still in denial about the rain. Around 2am I woke up and had to open the sunroof since it was so warm in the car. Still no rain. Then around 3:30am I wake up again and hear it... the rain had reached us.
Saturday morning we were greeted by a growing pond and muck. We did the best we could to keep dry but it was a tough battle. Race time rolled around and Brad was our #1 man. As we saw riders coming in we saw how nasty the course was looking. When my lap rolled around it was hard to get moving and motivated. The course was slick so I just tried to be smooth and not crash. There were plenty of hike-a-bike sections. As I rolled in my clock showed 1:09 (theirs showed a much slower time). Our support crew has left as the rains continue. Luckily Melinda was there to take care of us. Hot beef stew is great after a chilly lap in the rain.
As the day turned to night I was ready for lap #2. We were comfortably in 2nd place and thought the gap to first wasn't obtainable without a mechanical or other problem from the leaders. I concentrated on staying smooth and not breaking something. The weather had cleared for the moment and I was treated with great views of bright red skies. No time to take them in, we were in a race after all. I hand off to Anthony and watch him take off. Once again Melinda has taken care of us and has hot food ready.
Anthony makes his way in with 1 dim headlight and hands off to Brad. A few minutes later we get a message that we've closed a 16 minute gap to 6 minutes. Brad finishes a good lap and hands off to Greg. We start checking times and find we've moved into the lead. Greg doesn't know this and it probably helped keep him smooth and in control. Now the strategy starts. It looks like Greg will finish his lap about 10 minutes before the cut-off. After the now 2nd place team comes in we find they will have to turn a 1:07 lap to get an 11th lap in. Their previous laps night laps had been in the 1:25+ range. Ready for anything to happen I gear up for a lap. Dreading a midnight finish I hope I don't have to go. We eventually work out the plan that I would ride up part of the course where I'd meet Anthony and with the miracle of cellular technology, we'd find out if they made the cut off or not. When Greg rolled in I took off. With a little mis-communication, I thought I'd be meeting Anthony at the top of the first big climb. When I saw him in the field I panicked and decided to finish our 11th lap. I dig my way through the field and reach the first hike-a-bike climb. At this point I thought "This sucks". I roll on down the trail with the thought of being the last man in stuck in my head. Then I developed my own strategy... wait in the powerline clearing and watch for riders lights heading out on course. At that point I'd have a good headstart on anyone behind me. As I see the 11:05 cut off time tick by I hadn't seen any riders come out so I head back to camp. I check in with race officials to let them know I hadn't completed that lap but was back safely and confirm we had won.
Overall it was a great weekend and it felt great to win. Hopefully we can repeat next year and I'll be able to turn some faster lap times.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Update
It hasn't quiet been a year since I blogged last but pretty durned close. It's been a busy year of moving, riding, and getting beat down by the man. It seems every spring I make this list of races and events I want to attend then as the events get close I lose motivation to do them. Sometimes it's just being a cheapskate and avoiding entry fees and sometimes life just has other plans. This year I didn't even assemble such a list until October rolled around. After the Guest River Rally road ride, I found motivation to do some racing. October looked like a busy month to do some racing. The original plan was for MSG CX racing on Oct 4, the Iron Mtn XC Race or Ocho 8hr on Oct 17, the Fall Fear XC race on Oct 24, and the 12hrs of Hill of Truth on Oct31. Of course plans always change. The CX race was ditched just to go trail riding, it's more fun. The Oct 17 racing has been ditched to go hang out and ride with friends. Plans for Fall Fear and HoT are still solid. I did add the "Cry Me a River 6hr" near Durham, NC. Just by chance we were going to be in Raleigh that weekend so it just seemed like a good idea. This is my motivation to blog today...
My first thought was that I would do the 6hr solo mens category. After talking to Abby about it, she wanted to race too so we went for the Co-Ed Duo class. Friday we went out to pre-ride the course. It was typical Triangle area trails, short punchy climbs, mild rocks and roots, and tight winding trails. The course was about 6 miles so we decided to do 2 laps our first time out then do 1 lap each. Off the start I pushed myself into the front portion of the field to avoid the bottle necks in the tight first portion of the trail. Of course this made me blow up a little so half way through the lap I let a few riders by and kicked into recovery mode. Coming through finish area for my first lap I felt good and headed out for #2. The lap felt good and traffic was minimal at this point. I come in and hand off to Abby. She tells me my lap times were in the 45 minute range just as we expected. Off she goes for her 2 laps and I begin refueling. With my 45 min laps I expected Abby in the 47-48 minute range for her first lap. With a light rain falling I thought she might want a rain jacket. As I'm gathering up her jacket, some gels, etc I hear her yell and see her heading into the woods... several minutes earlier than I expected. Shortly after she goes through the standings are posted after the 2hr mark. My first two laps were in the mid-44 minute mark and Abby's first was in the low-43 minute. We were 20 minutes out of 1st and 15 minutes over 3rd. After Abby's second lap I see the leaders roll out about 1 minute ahead. I immediately get excited thinking they must have had a mechanical and she caught them. Somewhere mid lap the truth set in. 20 min gap the in the first 2 laps, 20 more minutes in the second two laps... we just got lapped by the leaders. I knew I was putting together a good lap so I stuck with it and rolled in mid-41 minutes. At the hand off Abby and I quickly discussed the fact we weren't chasing the leaders but had just been lapped. She went out for another great lap and brought it in with another consistent lap. By this point we've lapped 3rd place and are sitting comfortable in 2nd. I went out for my 4th lap and was on cruise control. No need to ride too hard. As I'm coming in I'm debating going again since Abby had told me she might not have another in her. I know we didn't need to get an 8th lap but it would have been cool. As I pull in I see Abby ready to trade off and go. She asked if we had to do another lap to stay in 2nd and I tell her no. At that point we mutually called it a day. We were both proud of our ride and lap times.
Our next race comes on Oct 24 at the Fall Fear in Marion, VA. Maybe I'll blog about that one too.
My first thought was that I would do the 6hr solo mens category. After talking to Abby about it, she wanted to race too so we went for the Co-Ed Duo class. Friday we went out to pre-ride the course. It was typical Triangle area trails, short punchy climbs, mild rocks and roots, and tight winding trails. The course was about 6 miles so we decided to do 2 laps our first time out then do 1 lap each. Off the start I pushed myself into the front portion of the field to avoid the bottle necks in the tight first portion of the trail. Of course this made me blow up a little so half way through the lap I let a few riders by and kicked into recovery mode. Coming through finish area for my first lap I felt good and headed out for #2. The lap felt good and traffic was minimal at this point. I come in and hand off to Abby. She tells me my lap times were in the 45 minute range just as we expected. Off she goes for her 2 laps and I begin refueling. With my 45 min laps I expected Abby in the 47-48 minute range for her first lap. With a light rain falling I thought she might want a rain jacket. As I'm gathering up her jacket, some gels, etc I hear her yell and see her heading into the woods... several minutes earlier than I expected. Shortly after she goes through the standings are posted after the 2hr mark. My first two laps were in the mid-44 minute mark and Abby's first was in the low-43 minute. We were 20 minutes out of 1st and 15 minutes over 3rd. After Abby's second lap I see the leaders roll out about 1 minute ahead. I immediately get excited thinking they must have had a mechanical and she caught them. Somewhere mid lap the truth set in. 20 min gap the in the first 2 laps, 20 more minutes in the second two laps... we just got lapped by the leaders. I knew I was putting together a good lap so I stuck with it and rolled in mid-41 minutes. At the hand off Abby and I quickly discussed the fact we weren't chasing the leaders but had just been lapped. She went out for another great lap and brought it in with another consistent lap. By this point we've lapped 3rd place and are sitting comfortable in 2nd. I went out for my 4th lap and was on cruise control. No need to ride too hard. As I'm coming in I'm debating going again since Abby had told me she might not have another in her. I know we didn't need to get an 8th lap but it would have been cool. As I pull in I see Abby ready to trade off and go. She asked if we had to do another lap to stay in 2nd and I tell her no. At that point we mutually called it a day. We were both proud of our ride and lap times.
Our next race comes on Oct 24 at the Fall Fear in Marion, VA. Maybe I'll blog about that one too.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Long time coming
I didn't realize it had been this long since my last attempt at blogging. So here goes my latest attempt...
Yesterday was the big day, yes election day. While some voted for change and other voted for the same ol' drill, I did my civic duties early in the morning and went for the seasons first night ride. The location was our local 3.25 mile loop at Bark Camp Lake. This loop is a great beginner loop since it is short enough to offer regular bail outs and easy enough to not be intimidating but technical enough to keep riders on their toes while teaching beginners new tricks. As we're getting ready to go, two other riders pulled into the parking area after finishing a lap. We chatted for a few minutes and it was great to meet some other locals with interest in mountain biking. We hit the trails around 5:30 and I thought we could get a lap in without lights. On the front side things were dry and fast, climbing is minimal around this loop so lap times are short. On this side there is a rocky dry creek crossing I've never cleaned. I've been feeling confident in the rocky tech stuff lately so I knew today was my day. I made the tight left turn into it, down two steps, across the rock walkway, wheelie my front wheel onto the top of the steps out, and a couple cranks strokes later I pop out making it feel easy. We continued around our loop making good time. One the backside the trees become more dense so the lights had to come on. The trails were more slick as the leaves seemed to be holding some moisture. Riding this area in the dark made things a little tricky since there are several sections of loose rock armored trail. The good thing is that going CCW they flow downhill. Once we reached the dam (basically finishing one lap) we decided to turn around and do a CW lap. This makes all those sections that flowed downhill, an uphill. One of the rock armor sections would be particularly tricky due to the steps at the top. Once we reached it I prepared mentally for that top step but my timing was all off and off I came. Oh well, another crux for another day. The rest of the trails were flowing smooth but going this direction does offer more climbing so speeds were slower. Once we're back on the front side and reached the creek crossing I cleaned earlier I knew the drill and was determined to cross it in the opposite direction. OK, drop down the steps, look ahead to the exit, go over the bars and pile up on the side of the trail. Wait, that isn't how it's supposed to go. I guess I should have paid a little more attention to the gap between rocks at the bottom of the steps, at least I landed in some really soft grass. The rest of the lap was uneventful but still very fun. Once back to the parking area we decided it was still early and we should go for one more lap. By this time the dark had really set in. Riding purely by our lights we thought our speeds would slow down. The toughest part about this lap was following where the trail went. We were a little more cautious, walking tech stuff we had ridden previously. Mainly it's a mental thing that obstacles are more difficult in the dark but in reality, they haven't changed since the sun went down. With another lap in our belts we decided it was time to call it an evening and pack it in. When all was said and done, we had about 10 miles covered in about 1:25 and lots of fun. So our night rides are now going to be a semi regular ride and hopefully we'll have new faces joining us.
Yesterday was the big day, yes election day. While some voted for change and other voted for the same ol' drill, I did my civic duties early in the morning and went for the seasons first night ride. The location was our local 3.25 mile loop at Bark Camp Lake. This loop is a great beginner loop since it is short enough to offer regular bail outs and easy enough to not be intimidating but technical enough to keep riders on their toes while teaching beginners new tricks. As we're getting ready to go, two other riders pulled into the parking area after finishing a lap. We chatted for a few minutes and it was great to meet some other locals with interest in mountain biking. We hit the trails around 5:30 and I thought we could get a lap in without lights. On the front side things were dry and fast, climbing is minimal around this loop so lap times are short. On this side there is a rocky dry creek crossing I've never cleaned. I've been feeling confident in the rocky tech stuff lately so I knew today was my day. I made the tight left turn into it, down two steps, across the rock walkway, wheelie my front wheel onto the top of the steps out, and a couple cranks strokes later I pop out making it feel easy. We continued around our loop making good time. One the backside the trees become more dense so the lights had to come on. The trails were more slick as the leaves seemed to be holding some moisture. Riding this area in the dark made things a little tricky since there are several sections of loose rock armored trail. The good thing is that going CCW they flow downhill. Once we reached the dam (basically finishing one lap) we decided to turn around and do a CW lap. This makes all those sections that flowed downhill, an uphill. One of the rock armor sections would be particularly tricky due to the steps at the top. Once we reached it I prepared mentally for that top step but my timing was all off and off I came. Oh well, another crux for another day. The rest of the trails were flowing smooth but going this direction does offer more climbing so speeds were slower. Once we're back on the front side and reached the creek crossing I cleaned earlier I knew the drill and was determined to cross it in the opposite direction. OK, drop down the steps, look ahead to the exit, go over the bars and pile up on the side of the trail. Wait, that isn't how it's supposed to go. I guess I should have paid a little more attention to the gap between rocks at the bottom of the steps, at least I landed in some really soft grass. The rest of the lap was uneventful but still very fun. Once back to the parking area we decided it was still early and we should go for one more lap. By this time the dark had really set in. Riding purely by our lights we thought our speeds would slow down. The toughest part about this lap was following where the trail went. We were a little more cautious, walking tech stuff we had ridden previously. Mainly it's a mental thing that obstacles are more difficult in the dark but in reality, they haven't changed since the sun went down. With another lap in our belts we decided it was time to call it an evening and pack it in. When all was said and done, we had about 10 miles covered in about 1:25 and lots of fun. So our night rides are now going to be a semi regular ride and hopefully we'll have new faces joining us.
Monday, January 28, 2008
slip slop
Preparation for the 08 season are well underway. Outdoor rides have been few, only the IceMan Cometh ride on Jan 5th and this weekends trip to Bent Creek. IceMan was a fun, cold ride as it should be. Toward the end of the ride I felt drained. My legs could barely turn the pedals, I thought my legs were tired so I didn't say anything. Post ride maintenance shows the real problem, the non-drive side bearing in my bottom bracket had seized. The only thing turning was the plastic sleeve inside the bearing. The sleeve had also become very brittle I assume from the heat in the bearing. Thanks to another great deal from Brian at Hampton Trails, I'm now rocking some Race Face Evolve cranks and bottom bracket.
This weekends ride was another great trip to Bent Creek. I was sorta given the task of planning a route. Since I don't know my way around there too well the route was constantly changing. The ride started on hard frozen ground. Around noon everything started thawing and turned to a thick sloppy gooppy mess. Toward the end of the ride pedaling became hard again but it was due to mud buildup between the tires and frame. We finished up with a good food and brews at Mellow Mushroom and even made it home in time to get a little more of the house painting project done.
I hope to make my blog a weekly to bi-weekly post updating how riding and training is going.
This weekends ride was another great trip to Bent Creek. I was sorta given the task of planning a route. Since I don't know my way around there too well the route was constantly changing. The ride started on hard frozen ground. Around noon everything started thawing and turned to a thick sloppy gooppy mess. Toward the end of the ride pedaling became hard again but it was due to mud buildup between the tires and frame. We finished up with a good food and brews at Mellow Mushroom and even made it home in time to get a little more of the house painting project done.
I hope to make my blog a weekly to bi-weekly post updating how riding and training is going.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Let the season begin
As some people know, I hate the word training. To me it makes riding go from fun to work. I also realize that I have goals for the 2008 season and unless I won't meet those goals without some preparation. Training is now a necessary evil. So far it looks like a busy season ahead just from the race schedule, not to mention the other parts of life that tie you up. Here's the list of events as it stands right now:
March 22 - Assault on the Carolinas; Metric Century Road Ride
April 6 - Knobscorcher; XC Mountain Bike Race
April 19 - Cohutta 100; Endurance Mountain Bike Race
May 3 - 3 State 3 Mountain; Century Road Ride
May 17 - 12 Hours of Tsali; 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race
June 7,8 - Settlers Life Omnium; Road Race, Criterium, Time Trial (projected date)
June ?? - 12 Hours of Panther Creek; 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race (projected month)
July 13 - Tour de Possum Creek; Road Race (projected date)
July 20 - Off Road Assualt on Mount Mitchell; Endurance Mountain Bike Race
August 30 - Guest River Bike Rally; Road Race (projected date)
September 21 - Benges Revenge; Road Race (projected date)
October ?? - Fall Fear; XC Mountain Bike Race (projected month)
October 26 - 12 Hours of the Hill of Truth; 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race (projected date)
As the season gets closer I'll update how the training is going and how my state of mind is.
March 22 - Assault on the Carolinas; Metric Century Road Ride
April 6 - Knobscorcher; XC Mountain Bike Race
April 19 - Cohutta 100; Endurance Mountain Bike Race
May 3 - 3 State 3 Mountain; Century Road Ride
May 17 - 12 Hours of Tsali; 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race
June 7,8 - Settlers Life Omnium; Road Race, Criterium, Time Trial (projected date)
June ?? - 12 Hours of Panther Creek; 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race (projected month)
July 13 - Tour de Possum Creek; Road Race (projected date)
July 20 - Off Road Assualt on Mount Mitchell; Endurance Mountain Bike Race
August 30 - Guest River Bike Rally; Road Race (projected date)
September 21 - Benges Revenge; Road Race (projected date)
October ?? - Fall Fear; XC Mountain Bike Race (projected month)
October 26 - 12 Hours of the Hill of Truth; 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race (projected date)
As the season gets closer I'll update how the training is going and how my state of mind is.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
welcome and aloha
This is my first attempt at blogging. Don't expect too much from it. I'll post comments, thoughts, or random things from time to time as I can.
For those who don't know me, I am a computer technician that is bored with his job. Someday I would like to go back to school but for the time being, I am stuck here. My hobbies include cycling... yeah, that is about it, just cycling. I enjoy mountain biking most but when summer is here I like to get the roadie groove on too.
So there you have it... my first blog.
For those who don't know me, I am a computer technician that is bored with his job. Someday I would like to go back to school but for the time being, I am stuck here. My hobbies include cycling... yeah, that is about it, just cycling. I enjoy mountain biking most but when summer is here I like to get the roadie groove on too.
So there you have it... my first blog.
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