Fueling Addiction and Drive

Fueling Addiction and Drive 

 

Damn the Breck 100 is a hard race!  I have been dragging ass the last two days, but with a massage last night, some good food, and a light ride this morning, I almost feel right again.

The race itself is damn hard physically, but you go through so many highs and lows out on the course that you also get a little fried mentally.  Add in all the highs and fun of post race and it’s no wonder why I felt like a truck drove over me on Monday and Tuesday.

I may have to remember that next year, so I don’t chase customers off with my grumpy blown attitude.  The fact that my business has way too many stairs from my office to the sales floor definitely doesn’t help.  I don’t think I could have walked them much slower.

That is a little window into how I have felt the last couple days -- post Breck 100.

Pre-Race Interview 

Post Race Interview 

I will say again that the Breck 100 is a damn hard race!  It was not until last year that I even brought myself to think of sitting in the saddle for nine to ten hours.  Most people would think that is plain crazy. To be honest, this year I thought to myself on more than one occasion that next year, maybe the 68, is a better choice…. But with the 68 you don’t get the whole experience, with Wheeler at sunrise and oh yeah the suffering at mile 85 up Boreas…. That was kinda uncomfortable!  But really the first loop is a must, as are all the loops and yes, even the suffering.

Even with the discomfort I went through this year, I am already thinking about doing it again next year and trying to shave more time off this year’s finish.  I guess it is a little addicting. Maybe I still have some dragons to slay!

It's not that I am not content with this year's finish. I am damn happy with a 7^th place finish, shaving 24 minutes off of last year's time, riding a clean race, feeling great up Wheeler, keeping the leaders in sight and riding my way to a great finish. It’s just the competitor in me will always want to conquer new goals. I guess that is the real addiction -- trying to better yourself one way or the other.

In fact the last two months have been quite successful. With a 3^rd place at our local series, a much faster time at the Crested Butte Fat Tire 40, a 12^th place overall at the Firecracker 50 and now a sub-nine Breck 100, I couldn’t be happier. These positive events just fuel more addiction and drive!

Thanks to all my sponsors- Santa Cruz Bikes, Honey Stinger, Stan’s No Tubes, Schwalbe Tires, Infinit Nutrition, Formula Brakes, Kep’s Pollen Balls and Light and Motion.

Thanks for helping fuel ride!

 

 

 

Putting the Puzzle Together

After my second attempt at a stage race I still feel as though I am 0 for 2, even with a podium finish on my last attempt.

For this year’s Transylvania Epic the training was in the legs, the bike running great and many other pieces were fitting perfectly.  Travel and routine if anything was something that I was unprepared for, and these, although I couldn’t put my finger on what went wrong, could have been the factors that hurt me most.

The early stages went great with the legs and body feeling great and I had been racing smart.  Then in the middle of Tuesday night I woke to a sore throat.  My heart sunk of course, as I could tell this was no dry throat, but an actual cold approaching. Immediately I knew that the next day was my last day to race, at close to 100%. 

The racecourse at Raystown, PA was so damn unreal and fast and I put my game plan to work and hung on a wheel for most of the first lap and a half.  Then on a steep climb, I sensed a little weakness and made and attack.  This gained me about 2 minutes on second place and got me on the top step of the podium for my last time of the week. 

The next couple days I suffered more on my bike than I can remember ever doing.  The cold had hit the lungs and head and I just plain did not feel well.  I knew the overall was out of the question, but I wanted to hang onto third place in the GC if I could.

Suffering and all I was able to finish the race and hang onto third! Not exactly the result I had wanted, but it was a podium at a 7-day stage race.

In all the suffering, I still found the trails in State College amazing! The Transylvania Epic was epic to say the least and toward the end of the week, my PA rock riding skills had come full circle after being scared shitless on the second day of racing. 

Even though there are a few pieces in the puzzle to get right, I had an unbelievable time racing at the Transylvania Epic!

Thanks to these folks for making it happen- Thanks Mike McCormack for getting me racing the TSE!  Thanks Mike Bush and Rich O’Neil of Stan’s NoTubes for lodging, carpooling and all the help! (You guys rock!)  Thanks Stan’s NoTubes for the support and the SICK wheels! (I beat the living shit out of them and not a wobble!) Thanks Santa Cruz Bikes for making a tough bike to handle the rocks!  Thanks Schwalbe Tires for damn tough tires! (No flats all week!) Thanks Honey Stinger for yummy treats and race fuel! Thanks Kep’s Pollen Balls! (I got a pair!) Thanks Infinit Nutrition! (Never cramped in the heat and humidity!) Thanks Formula Brakes! (Cause stopping fast out there, is nice!) Thanks Light and Motion for being behind me when it’s dark outside!

Transylvanian Road Race

Transylvanian Road Race

The third stage of the Transylvania Epic had been dubbed a road stage from most of the seasoned TSE racers.  Now it did have a lot of road and some single track, but that by all means did not mean it was easy.

From the start we formed a large lead group and with multiple surges, more and more people were getting shed off the back.  I managed to hang on the first twenty miles or so, with my second place GC competitor under my watchful eye. I would have to follow his moves for the rest of the week and he mine, except the only thing I would have to do is follow.

For the first half of the race I managed to keep a good game plan and mark the moves of Jonathan Davis, the second place GC threat.  At some point I decided to come through and take a few pulls on some sections. A seasoned stage racer with a lead may not have advised, but I had decided I wanted to race.  Not sure if that was the best idea, but I also wanted to test my competitor a bit.

Jonathan matched my every move today and myself his for the most part, with the exception of a powerful attack on the last climb which gapped me by a few seconds and then on the final decent a tree branch wound up stuck in my rear derailleur and I found myself finishing second, down by twenty six seconds.  A little bad luck, but you never know what would have happened if I would have covered that move.

My GC was still safe, but I had lost some valuable time, by not responding quickly enough to an attack. I am sure there will be more to come; I had better act fast and keep a wheel!

This stage was quite road race for sure, with some great single track mixed in, a tunnel and some beautiful vistas.  The whole race was thrilling and the wheel to wheel competition in this stage is something I will not forget!

Riders in the Rocks

Riders in the Rocks

For the first big taste of some big miles in Pennsylvania, we are all in for a treat.  Some super slippery single track that had me wondering if I really knew how to ride a bike.  At least for me there was little traction and as soon as you got off line it was over.  This meant a good section of hike a bike!

Then once that section ended we rode a ridge line with almost as slippery of rocks, and after being shell shocked from the hike a bike section I was having trouble getting my groove on and I started losing some time to my competitors.

At the first aid I had a competitor in sight and as I crested the top of a rise I could see him enter a single track, but as I got closer I could not make out where the trail was and missed it and had to double back to get on course.  This made chase a little harder than I should of, through the lush over growing vegetation and all of a sudden I was doing a slow motion OTB.  I hit so damn hard I thought I broke my bike and to my surprise I was ok.  Maybe it was the water bottle I landed on that cushioned my fall.  When I went to grab my bike, something was wrong as I grabbed a handful of brake and nothing was there.  Then I noticed my rear wheel had popped off and was out of the drop outs.  Now I had another problem, brake discs closed on each other. 

I managed to get them apart with my multi tool and got on my way.  I was soon riding with some local boys who were showing me how to ride some slick technical PA rocks.  “Keep it smooth one told me many a time before he left me to have a little fun.

After getting through those rocky sections and one more time where my wheel came loose (I cranked my skewer down super tight after that). We exited onto some fire roads and double track sections, where I was able to gather my wits and get concentrated on getting back in the race.

A few miles later I started catching glimpses of one of my competitors and I started to push it on the climbs to get the catch.  A few miles later I was passing him and speeding to the finish.

I had thought I was in second as Kenny was up in front at the beginning of the race, but the Stan’s crew had asked what I had done with Kenny, and that made me wonder.

I rolled in eight overall and had actually won the stage for the 40+ division.  Kenny had missed a turn, super bummer! This also put me in first on the GC for the 40+ men.  Pretty stoked about that! Got to keep the rubber side down and ride a safe race in the next five days to come!

Again big shout out to McCormack and the Breck Epic for helping me get here!  Big shout out to Stan’s No Tubes, Mike Bush and Rich Oneil for te stellar support.  Thanks again guys!

Transylvania

Transylvania

For the last couple years I had been reading about a race in Pennsylvania called the Transylvania Epic.  A seven day stage race held in the hills and mountains of the State College Pennsylvania area.  Mike Bush and Rich Oneil hatched the idea about coming out staying with them for the week and racing the Epic.

As the spring approached I began trying to get the plan to fruition.  With the help from Stan’s NoTubes, Richie Rich and Mike Bush, Mike McCormack and the Breck Epic and Honey Stinger the plan began to take shape.

A couple buddies, Dax Massey and Jake Wells would make the trip as well.  I was going to race in the 40+ Open Men and they would race in the Duo category. Our job is to do some promoting of the Breck Epic out in the west ad draw some attention to the Transylvania Epic out in the east coast, with a focus on getting stage racing in the US some more attention and to bring the attendance numbers up.

As soon as we got off the plane we were greeted with such great hospitality from Rich Oneil and Mike Bush from Stan’s NoTubes.  From picking us up at the late hours in the evening from the airport to letting us crash at their houses to taking us grocery shopping and working on our bikes.  These guys are the real deal.  Thanks guys!!!

For the pre ride of the prolog, we encountered some rain, which is something we don’t see much of in Colorado and could use a little dousing right now, to keep the fires away.  This place is slippery with rocks and roots, but the new trails and terrain are making it fun on every corner.

The prolog day was a long day of waiting around for the start and the rain forecast was looking to be right when in the middle of the race.  As it turned out the rain held off till the last competitor came through.  I couldn’t complain about that!

As it turned out I ended up 2^nd on the day to Kenny, another Stan’s rider and am quite happy sitting where I am for the moment. Dax and Jake got third in their division and had a little wrong turn which probably cost them a spot. 

Tomorrow the real racing starts with a 40+ mile stage with some good climbing.  I will be looking forward to a little longer day in the saddle and not waiting around till three to get racing.

Getting Some!

Getting Some!

For the past three years, I have made a mid-February journey to the Arizona desert to race in the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo.  Last year the weather seemed not so different from Colorado’s and left most of us wishing for a warmer escape.  Thankfully, this year was different!

Earlier in the week, the racecourse had received an inch or so of snowfall.  The cooler temperatures kept camp a bit chilly, but this gave the racecourse its best shape I ever witnessed and made for some fast, smooth riding.

As the sun came up over blue skies on race day, the temperatures rose to perfect racing temps in the upper 60’s. The perfect temperatures and course had the first fast racers putting down smoking times.  Our first rider, Nate Miller, threw down a fast 58-minute lap.  Then Dax Massey followed with another 58. Next, our fast lady, Kelly Boniface, went out and threw down a 1:07 lap and passed me the baton.

The last two seasons I showed up to this race a bit heavy, which is to be expected living in the mountains this time of year.  I was so heavy, though, that in the past I received the nickname “The Walrus” – not so funny! This year I was determined to show up lighter and faster and to have a jump on fitness for the season. One of my main goals was to beat an hour on my first lap, then race consistent times and try to stay within 5 minutes of my best time.

The first lap is always good to get out of the way.  The nerves and anticipation usually drive me crazy, and I just want to get the first real race burn of the season over with.  The first section of this course is a good warm up. Or, at least it seems like it is, until you hit “The Bitches.”  Then you feel the real burn. The one nice thing about “The Bitches” is that there are passing opportunities.  As soon as you get into the singletrack, those possibilities can be hard to come by without some consequences from Cholla, other cacti and other racers.

This is a race where being very vocal a long way out can help alert fellow racers of your fast moving approach.  This works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn’t!  I still came up on people and almost had to stop after repeatedly telling them of my approach or passing options. I am still baffled as to whether these folks were wearing earphones or just refusing to hear me. Oh well! I did my best not to piss anyone off and keep it safe. I was racing after all, and damn it's fun mashing as hard as you can!

My first lap turned out to be a little disappointing. Between the heavy traffic and dropping my chain twice (nothing a little early season tech work can’t fix), I missed my sub hour mark.  I came in with an hour even. I guess there’s next year, and the reality is that I smoked my previous fast times by four plus minutes.  I call that worthy for a Walrus!

Next up was Kyle Stamp.  He went out on our fifth lap and showed some great early season form, especially for a fellow mountain town local.  Kyle proceeded to throw down another lap just over an hour. We were rolling now. All the jitters were gone and the fun was happening.

This year we were defending our 5-person Coed win from the previous year, riding under the sponsorship of Light and Motion as our title sponsor.  Our camp was fully decked out by our camp sponsors - KOA Dave, Kep’s Pollen Balls and Honey Stinger.  Dave puts together quite the support, including the comforts of an RV, an enclosed and heated tent, and chicken noodle soup. You name it and we probably had access to it.  Thanks, Dave!

With the night laps coming up and the team running dual Light and Motion Seca 1400’s, we concentrated on our goal of keeping the lap times as close to your first lap time as possible.  The only thing holding that back was fitness, because the course was glowing with these Seca 1400’s blazing the trail.  Numerous times on course I heard fellow racers commenting on how bright our lights were.  To that I would reply just as I did on course: “Light and Motion, get some!”

The night laps were fast.  Camp was cozy and friends were all around. We took the win again this year and were second overall. The desert and the riding were what I need this time of year. Now I am back in Colorado to some shred some POW, but looking forward to my next ride on dirt.

Thanks to all my sponsors: Light and Motion, KOA Dave, Kep’s Pollen Balls, Honey Stinger/Bontrager, Schwalbe Tires, Santa Cruz Bikes, Formula Brakes, Stan’s NoTubes, Infinit Nutrition and Fox Racing Shox.  Thanks for getting me on the trail!

Bookend to a Great Season

Bookend to a Great Season

Coming into the 2011 I had my goals set high.  I was racing a full season as a Pro and was looking for some top ten finishes in some big races throughout the year.  I was using this year as a building block and stepping stone to elevate my competition level for the years to come.

The season started out great with a win at 24 Hours of Old Pueblo on a 5 person Coed team and then a top ten at Voodoo Fire in Pueblo, CO.  After some good training time, I earned some more great finishes at the Bailey Hundo, Firecracker 50, Breck 100, Steamboat Stinger and Laramie Enduro.  This was a big block of racing and I managed to find out a lot about what works best for me in my racing and training and it showed in the results.

In August I had decided to back down a little on the racing and set some time aside for some fun riding and just enjoying summer, but I had also schemed up the idea of racing in two National Championships in 2 weeks in Sept.  

The first stop of National Championships was in Bend for the Marathon National Championships. My good buddy Dax Massey and I had come up with the idea to drive to Interbike and spend a couple days at the show and then drive to Bend and see how we faired in the race.

Driving that many hours, having a little Vegas time and driving some more was probably not the best thing for the legs or body.  The body just didn’t respond well and my back and hip was killing me the whole race.  I can’t say it was a loss though as I managed 27^th out of 41 finishers.  Not great, but not as bad as I felt and in retrospect I would probably not have done it any other way.  The show was well worth the stop and then Bend was a great experience!

With the first National Championship under the belt it was time to concentrate on the 24 Hour National Championships.  Dax and I had assembled a very worthy 35+ four-man team of solid racers consisting of, myself, Dax Massey, Thane Wright and Jeff Zurakowski.

We were all pumped at racing for a National Championships and we had some great support with KOA Dave heading up the support as Director Sportif.  This guy is amazing!  Not only did he bring a 30 foot RV, but full on dining tent, tables, chairs, industrial cook station and more.  Thanks Dave!

We also had a full entourage of support crew, Nate Bird was lead mechanic, Jeff Gleaton (Dax’s Cousin) helped with charging and lights and then we had a crew of ladies (so many I could not count) that were the best.  From the “Go Hard” sign (use your imagination) to the cheering entourage on every lap transition, we had the competition jealous to say the least.  Thanks to the “Entourage” you all are the best!

When the racing started we were all a little bit unsure of the course. We had tried to pre ride the night before, but the course markings were not all up. I usually would not point thumbs, but the last two USA Cycling events I had raced in, had serious organization problems. Come on, we are talking National Championships! 

We had decided Dax was going race first and then I would go out second.  I knew Dax would throw down a fast first lap and I made my way to the timing tent at fifty minutes.  The first racers came in around fifty-five minutes and I was anxiously waiting to get out on my lap.  A few minutes ticked by and I started to get the feeling something bad happened out there.  A few more minutes ticked by and now I was getting worried that our National Championship hopes were in jeopardy.  Then relief came over me as I saw Dax speeding toward the timing tent, at a little over an hour.

Getting out on your first lap of a 24 Hour event is I always a relief; there is a lot of energy and anxiety ready to be released and if you didn’t dial in the course on the pre-ride you might have to wing it. In this case we had missed a section in the pre-ride and as I turned into an unknown section I was geared wrong for a steep uphill and had to jump off and shift into a more reasonable gear.  This was a slight waste of time and momentum and really spikes the heart rate and I found myself struggling to recover as the lap wore on. This course had lots of twists and turns with short little climbs right around each corner. I remember thinking that is was a great course to break a chain, a thought that would come back to haunt us in the next lap.

Between laps at a 24 Hour event you get back to camp, change out of your chamois, clean your bike up, eat a little and think of how your teammate is doing out there.  Once you get through your team’s first laps everything seems to calm down and you just get down to business. However, in this situation, already being down four minutes on the first lap from a mechanical made waiting for next lap a little unnerving.  

Everyone was feeling pressure and hoping our National Championships was still in play and we all made our way to the timing tent to see Jeff off and Thane come in.  As we waited we all started to get a little uneasy as the time was well past and hour and then five.  Just as we were getting a little worried, there was Thane. After handing off to Jeff, Thane immediately looked disappointed, and soon explained that he had broke a chain.  The lost time wasn’t so bad and we were all happy because it could have been worse, but we were only fourteen minutes down and still in the hunt.

Jeff is always super-consistent and I had a feeling we were through the tough part and now it was time to get to business putting down safe fast laps. Jeff as expected rode a fast and safe lap and sent Dax out for his second lap that ate four or so minutes into the lead, then I went out for my lap knowing the course a little better and put down a fifty-eight minute lap, which also took four or so minutes out of the lead. Thane got redemption and put a solid lap in that took another minute out of the lead and now we rolling as night approached.

Night riding can intimidate some people, but for me I feel as though I tend to get more focused on the course in front of me and find the good lines.  Of course it doesn’t hurt when you are running best lights in the business, two Light and Motion Seca 1400’s. We were racing for Light and Motion and showing off their lights as we blazed through the night scaring people with all the light the Seca 1400’s were putting out.

As the time came for my second night lap I found myself with a four-minute deficit on the leaders and I went out to catch my competition.  My second night lap is usually my favorite as the course’s lines are getting obvious and your memory of the course is fresh. As I came up a rise there was my competition, he had just pulled over and was working on fixing a flat.  Now I was pumped, not only had I brought back the four minute lead, now I had a chance to put some serious time into our competition and I drilled it to the finish and ended up with a fourteen-minute lead.

Now with a solid lead we just needed to ride consistent and safe and as we came out of the night we were up a solid twenty minutes. Thanks to our Director Sportif, KOA Dave’s instructions, we “kept the ball on the ground” and rode safe consistent laps to capture the 35+ 4 Man 24 Hour National Championships.  This was a first for all of us except Dax and I can’t tell you how pumped we all were.  After having two devastating laps in the early going we pulled it together and reeled our competition back in and then took a commanding lead.  That’s a great feeling and this was a great team victory.  Thanks Dax Massey, Thane Wright and Jeff Zurakowski, we killed it out there!

After such a great victory it feels great to leave this as my last race of the 2011 season.  What a better way to cap off a surprising and successful season.  I really could not have done it without my sponsors for 2011.  Thanks Santa Cruz Bikes, Light and Motion, Kep’s Pollen Balls, Honey Stinger, Stan’s NoTubes, Formula Brakes, Infinit Nutrition and Schwalbe Tires!!!