Bailey Hundo Buildup

In the past month or so I haven’t posted a blog about racing or riding; the truth is I was a bit disappointed in my racing and training.

I had high expectations for the Gunnison Growler and found myself really just on a bike ride, with no race in the legs or heart.  I ended up finishing with a better time and place than last year, but only by a spot and a minute.

After the disappointment I felt really drained and decided to stick around home to try and recharge the batteries. It’s not like I had been racing or riding too much, I just had not been able to enjoy time at home riding locally and having some chill time off.

The trails in Summit County were finally starting to dry out and the bike path had opened all the way to Vail; this gave some good riding opportunities on my home turf and I was looking forward to it.

With the trails drying out, I was going to have an opportunity to ride my mountain bike locally; something I had not been able to even think about. This was leaving me without good mountain bike training time, which can leave you a little behind in your handling skills and out of touch with comfort and power on your machine.  There is nothing like riding your home trails daily after work to get in touch with your machine and yourself.

Over the couple weeks at home I made some changes to the bike, I have been waiting on a new bike and was putting some things off. I finally decided to just get’er done.  The big problem is that I have been riding a bike that is too small for me and my saddle height was not optimal; so I made the change and got a longer seat post.  What a difference that made!  I recommend getting bike fit and riding the right saddle height.  The power difference was noticeable!

With all these changes going into the Bailey Hundo, I was not sure how I would feel. Change can sometimes be bad on bike, especially right before a hundred mile bike race.

The night before I met up with my friend Thane to go to the Romer Ranch for some BBQ and check out the ranch.  The food was good, but let me tell you and tell Chris Romer, BBQ is not the right pre race meal.  Thanks though!

I woke up at 4am with what felt like a log in the stomach, never a good idea when you need to breathe. As we went off hard for the first 6 or so miles of dirt road I could feel that log dragging me down.  I kept up the pace and hung with the lead group, although once again off the back a little.

As we entered the single track I was in a comfortable position, my buddy Dax was on my wheel and Mark Thompson right in front of me.  These guys bring the best out of each other on their single speeds and I was happy to be riding with them for a short time.

The log was still dragging me down, but I was slowly feeling better and reeling a few riders in on the singletrack.  The climbs were feeling decent and the descents were ripping. At about mile 15 or 20, the log seemed to disappear and I was feeling good and catching who ever I could. 

One short lapse of concentration found me in the wrong gear and torquing my chain up a short steep uphill; not a good thing in a hundred mile race.  The chain was fine but in the process I tweaked something either in the cables or derailleur hanger and now my bike was ghost shifting.  I backed the pace down and started trying to find a sweat spot with my barrel adjuster.  After finding a reasonable setting I got back into reeling in the competition.

Rolling out of the single track to a double track, I was feeling good and promptly passed 3 or 4 riders.  Found Mark Thompson and Dax and kept rolling, hoping they would grab a wheel. As I hit the next singletrack section up the Green Mountain climb, Dax and Mark were there. What a blast crushing some gears with some good friends in the middle of a race. The Green Mountain climb was relentless, but I was feeling great and the legs were feeling awesome. My fueling was going great, using Honey Stinger gels, Kep’s Pollen Balls and Infinit Endurance Formula. My goal this race was to stuff as much food and water down as possible and it was seriously helping me.  Every chance I got I was either eating or drinking.

The exception which came back to haunt me was the long descent to the South Platte River.  It must have been a half hour or more and this gave me no chance to eat.  As I rolled into the aid and grabbed more fuel and water and rolled out to ride the pavement for a few miles, the power was gone.  Too much time off without fuel left me in a deficit.

As I rolled the pavement trying to snap out of the deficit I lost a few places to a group that was rolling fast in a pace line that I just could not jump on.  Bummer! 

The next section up to Cheeseman  I was passed by one last person, but also managed to catch a rider or two.

I stopped at the next aid grabbed some more water and ate some Endurolytes.  As I rolled through the next section up Stoney Pass I started to feel better.  I had noticed a rider had been gaining ground earlier up the steep climb to Cheeseman, but now I was putting time on him and with a couple of look backs I found no one on any of the snaking switchbacks in sight.

This will put a little wind in your sails; seeing it unfold as you put time into your rivals, is pretty nice in racing.  It tells you that you are doing something right. 

As I came to the top of the last climb of the day and took the right hand turn to head down to Sawmill, I looked at my watch and saw that I had a chance to make my goal of 7 hours and 30 minutes, from there I drilled it to the finish with a time of 7:30.27.  Pretty dam close and 13^th Overall.

For a frustrating early season, this race gave me some great motivation for the next big races on the calendar.

Thanks to all my help!  Honey Stinger, Kep’s Pollen Balls, Infinit, NoTubes, Light and Motion, Breck Velo, Schwalbe and Formula Brakes.

Steamboat Stinger

 This is going to be one sweet new race in Colorado.  Check it out!

OVERVIEW:
Like many of you, we've been awed and inspired by some of the great experiential races out there. Events like the Firecracker 50, the Gunnison Growler and the Laramie Enduro provide both a stout challenge and feature the singletrack and scenery we all crave as mountain bikers.

Honey Stinger was born and bred in Steamboat Springs, home to some of the highest quality riding in the Rockies. For years we've been talking about a backcountry race that showcases our world-class riding and our terrific community.

And so after a lot of late-night planning sessions (and some last-minute scrambling), we're pleased to announce The Steamboat Stinger ™ - a 50-mile singletrack-a-palooza with amazing riding and a race vibe that's distinctly Steamboat.

THE COURSE:
You can expect singletrack…lots of it. Beginning at the Howelson Hill Ski Area right in the heart of Steamboat, the course takes an extended detour deep into the beautiful backcountry of Routt County before returning to the transition/finish area. Racers will wind through open meadows, narrow aspen-lined Colorado loam just begging for you to lean it hard, and wild sage gardens offering incredible views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. It's a 50-mile race composed of two 25-mile loops that are 90% singletrack. Head to the event webpage for a written description. Maps and elevation profile coming soon.

http://www.prerace.com/races/event/26507/The-Steamboat-Stinger-MTB-Race-Steamboat%20Springs-CO

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