Trials of the Front Range 60

 

 

Trials of the Front Range 60

By Ezekiel Hersh

This early season has been a strange one in Colorado, especially up here in the high country
where I'm writing now; watching it snow again.

As I prepared for the Front Range 60 Marathon, I imagined racing with temperatures in the 80's was going to be a treat. It would be great to ride without arm warmers, knee warmers or a jacket. I also knew that a highlander like me would have to deal with "hot" temperatures - yes 80's is hot for us mountain folk!

The racecourse consisted of super fast single track with short grunty climbs, power sections and fast descents - a great early season training ground. 

From the gun the pace was fast and I found myself a little off the back. I had managed to stay in the top 20 and as I settled in, I tried to pick off a few more riders or grab a wheel.  On the approach of the Mount Carbon climb I was caught and passed by a friend Tony who was climbing great and looked comfortable.  I tried to grab his wheel but my legs and mind didn't want anything to do with that. Climbing has been a little hard to come by up here in the mountains. I guess I have something work on!

For much of the race I tried to keep my friend in sight; he would pull away on the climbs and descents, and then I would make up some time on the flats and power sections.  Today the descents seemed a little alien; I was consistently checking my speed, sliding around corners and losing time. Nothing like a little race pace to expose some rust; better get out and ride some more dirt!

Even though the form and skills seemed a little off, I was happy with my lap times and my pace, which kept me pushing as hard as I could. I was consistently in the 38-minute range and my goal of a sub four-hour race was still attainable. 

As the laps wore on, the temperature began to rise. I stopped for some endurolytes before going out on lap five. It was hot and cramps are always on the mind this late in a race. Endurance events of this length are when your training counts; the heart and legs are pushing as hard as they can and it takes a little extra concentration to keep your mind focused on the race at hand and the intensity of race pace.

As I rolled through the start finish area to go out on lap 6, I grabbed a water bottle and hoped it would be enough.  I definitely wasn't feeling my best but I figured I might catch a few people who were feeling worse. I had been told once that "no matter how bad you feel, everyone else is feeling just as bad or worse". That thought kept me pushing as hard as I could and hoping for a catch or two. As I made my way through the course, that advice came true. I was happy to get back a spot or two before I rolled to the finish.

Hitting the finish line always feels good, with the sense of accomplishment and reward of reaching your goals. This race had drained me quite a bit more than Voodoo Fire. Maybe it was the heat or lack of early season form; but once again, I had a blast suffering through the ups and downs of a mountain bike race!

Ezekiel Hersh, Rider and Racer 

Bike to Work Month

May in the Colorado high country can be a trying time for a cyclist, let alone a cyclist running a small business.  In most places, April showers bring May flowers; for us it seems that April snow showers can sometimes bring more May snow showers.  

This means biking to work can be risky business!  Now I know the weather will get much better as the month of May wears on, I also know, that in years past we have received a foot of snow on the fourth of July; that would not have been a fun day to ride home from work.

In my local community I am hoping to get a couple of days riding to work, watching the weather; of course. I plan on bringing my bike to work; trying to run as many errands and business tasks by bike; as well as getting some good after work training rides in.  For me, this time of year is “Bike from Work Month”; so in my own way I plan on raising awareness of “Bike to or from Work Month”.  My hope is; by just being on my bike, I might motivate more people to get there bikes out of the garage and go for a ride; weather to work or after work. Riding to work or running a few errands should save you a few dollars and will sure make you feel good! Just be sure and watch the weather!

Ezekiel Hersh

Voodoo Fire Race Report

Voodoo Fire

The first stop on the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series was held at a new venue, Lake Pueblo State Park.  With its large singletrack trail system, no major climbs and just pure fun singletrack, this was a great first race of the season.

At registration Friday evening, a little monkey wrench was thrown into the mix. There was a last minute problem with a permit issue and the course had to be changed.  Instead of two 35 mile loops, we would have three 23 mile loops.  These last minute issues can be tough, but the race crew put together one sweet course without any issues.

The race started with a good uphill pavement section, which thinned out the group before entering the singletrack.  I managed to hang in the top twenty. It would been nice to be in the top ten, but the legs wouldn’t cooperate that early in the race.

The first section of singletrack brought us to a little climb that bogged up the race, not a bad section, but a slip by one rider and everyone was walking. This section seemed to put most people in recovery mode. On the earlier road section I may not have had legs but they came around now, and it was time to make some moves and put the power to the pedals. Now let the passing begin!

Passing was not easy early in the race; you had to make a commitment to pass in the “rhubarb”, as a friend likes to say.  This was power zapping and it took some time to recover after each pass, but you needed to keep pushing the power out for the next catch and to make sure you weren’t getting passed back.

Managing to keep catching riders, I soon found myself in the top ten or fifteen.  The legs felt good, the bike was working great and I was having fun!  This being the first race in quite some time, I found myself making a few mistakes, but riding solid.

As I came into the Aid at the end of the first lap I had worked a pebble into my shoe. I stopped, took a seat and fixed the issue. I took this opportunity to grab some Infinit and a Kep’s Pollen Ball then headed back out for lap 2.

Lap 2 was sweet and super fast as the traffic had eased.  More and more riders were getting passed and many were fixing flats.  This course was not technical by any means, but had lots of mean shale rocks strewn all over the trail.  They were taking their toll on many racers’ lightweight race tires.  I had opted for Schwalbe’s Racing Ralph in Double Defense; with their thicker casing I was having no troubles and loving it ripping the corners.

At the start of the third lap, I really had no idea of where I was sitting, but knew I had been having a great race.  This is when fatigue hit and I had to really think about hydration and fueling.  At my drop bag a rider passed me; I quickly went out to try and catch him. This guy (Kevin Thomas) was fast and on a single speed.  Kevin was crushing it and at that point I was just reminding myself to keep the power to the pedals, drink and try to keep Kevin in sight.

The first section of the course was super fun and fast, but after the first Aid Station there was a section that just beat you up with its bumpy, lumpy singletrack. Everyone was talking about this section after the race and on this final lap it seemed to last forever.  In the previous laps, I had some company to ride with, but this time all I could do is watch Kevin up the trail and look forward to this section’s end.  It couldn’t come fast enough on this last lap!

Starting to feel the hurt, I finally got to the second Aid Station. At this point I knew the end was near.  I was really trying to push, but there was not much to push with.  A rider caught me in Rock Canyon, he had legs and I tried to match it but only managed to stay close.  We rode the last couple of miles to the finish thirty seconds apart.

Rolling into the finish, I was surprised to hear the announcer say that I had finished in the top ten.  Wow was I surprised!  This was the first big race of the year and I was really hoping for an outside shot at a top twenty.  I ended up 9^th overall and 5^th in my age group.  Guess the winter skate skiing, trainer sessions and cold road bike rides paid off.

I want to thank all of my sponsors for help in my training and racing.  Thanks to Kep’s Pollen Balls, Infinit and Honey Stinger for fuel!  Thanks to No Tubes for fast rolling Wheels! Thanks to Breck Velo for tech support! Thanks to Schwalbe for some sweet tough tires, Formula for brakes to slow me down when I need to, Light and Motion for keeping the lights on when I ride in the dark and New Sponsor Santa Cruz for getting me sweet rides to Cruz on!

Thanks!

Looking forward to the next race!

Ezekiel Hersh