An Epic on Oak Mountain
The final race of the 2011 MTB Endurance series was held at Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham, Alabama.
Josh Fix, Bill Riddle, and Mitch Mercer began their journey on Friday to seek new levels and epic status. Notable absences were Steve Longtoe Julian and Dave Oracle Muse. We made our way through Montgomery with ease due to the new blue dot technology offered by Josh...epic directions.
Once arriving at the hotel, we had cookies on a foyer platter...epic. Bill set the temp in the room to acclimate us to race conditions....epic. We got our proper rest, even though the night before the race is not as important as the night before the night (Dave Muse). The breakfast buffet offered unlimited fruit (note Bill was tempted), eggs,meat,waffles,oatmeal...shall I say....epic.
We arrived at the race site with the focus of Ninja warriors. Slapped all equipment into place and the three of us set out on the pre-ride....warnings from care-bear and sneaky about the "rocks" had us wondering about the validity of their chants of fear after a 3 to 4 mile jaunt up the trail. Back to the tent for last adjustments and line up for the start. We were joined by Chip Battle for his first race of the season on a first generation full suspension bike...now that was epic. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and we are off. A loop on a service road up the hill to a dive in point where Josh hit the trail in first place and never relinquished the lead, Bill followed closely behind sneaky, then I was positioned just ahead of the conga line. A crash about 3 miles in caused a separation between me and the others, I walked by this carnage and started to crank away toward the others. I found myself climbing up a slow incline full of cantaloupe sized rocks and another "stopping" call from ahead....an edifice of stones in the shape of a waterfall...blood rock...epic....everyone walked this. Then to the top and a descent on a new section, shall I call the gauntlet of rock-dom!! Ten clusters of death defying rocks, boulders along a stretch for the next mile..switchbacks laden with craggy granite, rock corridors between trees, and rock logs .... Very epic! Escaping the rock quarry allowed us to fly down a woop de do section that was a big chain ring dream. This section was so fast that riders were losing control and two paid the price with broken arms! I had a slight bump with the earth as I hugged the side of the trail and my pedal snagged the uphill side, spun me around and sent me into a somersaulting move that after two full revolutions, I ended sitting upright with my bike 10 feet away, pine straw jammed in my helmet, a rock souvenir wedged in the side of my cap. My drafting friend said "Dude, that was beautiful, oh by the way, you ok?". Epic. The trail did in fact warrant the cautions from care-bear and sneaky.
9 mile lap....Josh circled this rock infested trail 7 times. 1st place expert.
Bill finished with 4 laps. 2nd place clydesdale.
Me 4 laps. 5th place beginner.
Series results:
Bill 2nd place Clydesdale
Mitch 3rd place beginner....I rode an epic....it was epic
Note Josh ran a 13.1 trail race sunday at oak mountain...finished 3rd. He received an award for weekend warrior for his accomplishments....Epic!
PHOTOS TO COME!
Josh Fix, Bill Riddle, and Mitch Mercer began their journey on Friday to seek new levels and epic status. Notable absences were Steve Longtoe Julian and Dave Oracle Muse. We made our way through Montgomery with ease due to the new blue dot technology offered by Josh...epic directions.
Once arriving at the hotel, we had cookies on a foyer platter...epic. Bill set the temp in the room to acclimate us to race conditions....epic. We got our proper rest, even though the night before the race is not as important as the night before the night (Dave Muse). The breakfast buffet offered unlimited fruit (note Bill was tempted), eggs,meat,waffles,oatmeal...shall I say....epic.
We arrived at the race site with the focus of Ninja warriors. Slapped all equipment into place and the three of us set out on the pre-ride....warnings from care-bear and sneaky about the "rocks" had us wondering about the validity of their chants of fear after a 3 to 4 mile jaunt up the trail. Back to the tent for last adjustments and line up for the start. We were joined by Chip Battle for his first race of the season on a first generation full suspension bike...now that was epic. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and we are off. A loop on a service road up the hill to a dive in point where Josh hit the trail in first place and never relinquished the lead, Bill followed closely behind sneaky, then I was positioned just ahead of the conga line. A crash about 3 miles in caused a separation between me and the others, I walked by this carnage and started to crank away toward the others. I found myself climbing up a slow incline full of cantaloupe sized rocks and another "stopping" call from ahead....an edifice of stones in the shape of a waterfall...blood rock...epic....everyone walked this. Then to the top and a descent on a new section, shall I call the gauntlet of rock-dom!! Ten clusters of death defying rocks, boulders along a stretch for the next mile..switchbacks laden with craggy granite, rock corridors between trees, and rock logs .... Very epic! Escaping the rock quarry allowed us to fly down a woop de do section that was a big chain ring dream. This section was so fast that riders were losing control and two paid the price with broken arms! I had a slight bump with the earth as I hugged the side of the trail and my pedal snagged the uphill side, spun me around and sent me into a somersaulting move that after two full revolutions, I ended sitting upright with my bike 10 feet away, pine straw jammed in my helmet, a rock souvenir wedged in the side of my cap. My drafting friend said "Dude, that was beautiful, oh by the way, you ok?". Epic. The trail did in fact warrant the cautions from care-bear and sneaky.
9 mile lap....Josh circled this rock infested trail 7 times. 1st place expert.
Bill finished with 4 laps. 2nd place clydesdale.
Me 4 laps. 5th place beginner.
Series results:
Bill 2nd place Clydesdale
Mitch 3rd place beginner....I rode an epic....it was epic
Note Josh ran a 13.1 trail race sunday at oak mountain...finished 3rd. He received an award for weekend warrior for his accomplishments....Epic!
PHOTOS TO COME!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I read a quote recently (in Bicycle Times Magazine) from Japanese poet Ryunosuke Satoro.
"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean."
So I read this and thought "Wow. This is what we're trying to do." Then as the events of the day transpired I became more cynical and I added and ending to the quote:
"But I prefer pools."
You can't please everyone and everyone doesn't want to be pleased, but you can at least be honest and sincere in your approach.
NOW SHUT UP AND GO RIDE YOUR BIKE!!
Six Gap over the Magic Stick
***This is book two of the Magic Stick series, please make sure to read book one Jack Rabbit and Search for the Magic Stick
Six Gap over the Magic Stick
I have learned not to knock the wisdom of the MTB crew. The night prior to
Jack Rabbit, I learned invaluable advice that I was determined to try out
for Six Gap. 1) Avoid fruit and yogurt at all cost before a race/ride. 2)
Magic sticks with the trigger point technology are just that....MAGIC.
After my jog through the spectacular Jack Rabbit course (Ladies...we should
give this race a try next year!), I spent well over an hour using my magic
stick (minds out of the gutter people) to roll out the knots in my legs to
prepare for Six Gap. The magic stick did it's MAGIC people!
I have to happily report, that the knowledge that I learned from Fruitless
and M.E. was spot on! They know what they are talking about. Six Gap was
AWESOME. The weather turned out perfect for a 104 mile ride in the North Ga
Hills. Lindsey, Andy, and I disembarked at 7:30 am Sunday morning for an
adventure. Before we even made it to Gap #1 (Neal's), Lindsey and Andy
asked me if we had already climbed our first gap. Unfortunately...no. We had
just made it passed the infamous Rock Pile and had a little to go. Lindz
planned to do 3 Gap, and Andy and I were going to do 6 Gap. Our deal is to
always climb at your own pace and meet at the top. I knew when I passed a
group which included Andy in it and he didn't look happy, things may not go
as planned. Sure enough, Andy's legs were wiped out by heavy squats from
Cross Fit....damn XFit!! I told him that if he wanted to do 3 Gap, now was
the time to make the decision because the turn off was in the middle of
descending Neals. I lost my buddies. They turned on Wolfpen and I
continued on to complete 6 gap.
At this point I decided to get my miles and hours in for training, don't
give up no matter how difficult, listen to some good music, and make some
friends. I don't have company on the Ironman...need to keep that in mind
here. Jack's was typical...rolling hills, a pain in the butt, and keep
moving. Rest stops were packed and people were blocking tables, so I
bypassed and kept on trucking. Good thing is riding with Super Freak, I
know the route and know the places I can stop. Unicoi was a great climb,
nothing spectacular about it, other than I knew that the 50 mile mark was
about half way down. Whoohoo. I met a friend at this point, but I'm pretty
sure I pissed him off when I said I didn't know how people did this ride in
6 hours...he said he could do it in 6 1/2 and took off. LOL. Then...the
dreaded HOGPEN. It's a 7 mile climb with the steepest elevation that makes
you want to cry...and makes you want to walk or run because you can get up
it faster that way. I know I saw 3.7 mph once. The remainder was typically
4.0 mph. OUCH. I was DETERMINED not to walk...I always have in the past,
but damn it, I didn't want it to beat me. This was the climb to make
it...then it's all downhill from there....and I freakin made it. I almost
cried when I reached the top...okay I did tear up...saw Super Freak and
Frisbee and knew it was in the BAG!!! Of course all they wanted was for me
to get them food from the SAG stop. No glory.
The next two Gaps were Wolfpen and Woody. I was ready to get back to the
car and hit the road, so it was all about just getting it done. My legs
felt like Magic the entire ride, so I give cudos to M.E., Super Freak, and
Fruitless for the good magic vibes! Total of 8 hours on the bike for Six
Gap....and I'm tired.
I know I've talked most of you into doing Six Gap next year, so we should
have a great showing in 2012, right?
Jogger
Six Gap over the Magic Stick
I have learned not to knock the wisdom of the MTB crew. The night prior to
Jack Rabbit, I learned invaluable advice that I was determined to try out
for Six Gap. 1) Avoid fruit and yogurt at all cost before a race/ride. 2)
Magic sticks with the trigger point technology are just that....MAGIC.
After my jog through the spectacular Jack Rabbit course (Ladies...we should
give this race a try next year!), I spent well over an hour using my magic
stick (minds out of the gutter people) to roll out the knots in my legs to
prepare for Six Gap. The magic stick did it's MAGIC people!
I have to happily report, that the knowledge that I learned from Fruitless
and M.E. was spot on! They know what they are talking about. Six Gap was
AWESOME. The weather turned out perfect for a 104 mile ride in the North Ga
Hills. Lindsey, Andy, and I disembarked at 7:30 am Sunday morning for an
adventure. Before we even made it to Gap #1 (Neal's), Lindsey and Andy
asked me if we had already climbed our first gap. Unfortunately...no. We had
just made it passed the infamous Rock Pile and had a little to go. Lindz
planned to do 3 Gap, and Andy and I were going to do 6 Gap. Our deal is to
always climb at your own pace and meet at the top. I knew when I passed a
group which included Andy in it and he didn't look happy, things may not go
as planned. Sure enough, Andy's legs were wiped out by heavy squats from
Cross Fit....damn XFit!! I told him that if he wanted to do 3 Gap, now was
the time to make the decision because the turn off was in the middle of
descending Neals. I lost my buddies. They turned on Wolfpen and I
continued on to complete 6 gap.
At this point I decided to get my miles and hours in for training, don't
give up no matter how difficult, listen to some good music, and make some
friends. I don't have company on the Ironman...need to keep that in mind
here. Jack's was typical...rolling hills, a pain in the butt, and keep
moving. Rest stops were packed and people were blocking tables, so I
bypassed and kept on trucking. Good thing is riding with Super Freak, I
know the route and know the places I can stop. Unicoi was a great climb,
nothing spectacular about it, other than I knew that the 50 mile mark was
about half way down. Whoohoo. I met a friend at this point, but I'm pretty
sure I pissed him off when I said I didn't know how people did this ride in
6 hours...he said he could do it in 6 1/2 and took off. LOL. Then...the
dreaded HOGPEN. It's a 7 mile climb with the steepest elevation that makes
you want to cry...and makes you want to walk or run because you can get up
it faster that way. I know I saw 3.7 mph once. The remainder was typically
4.0 mph. OUCH. I was DETERMINED not to walk...I always have in the past,
but damn it, I didn't want it to beat me. This was the climb to make
it...then it's all downhill from there....and I freakin made it. I almost
cried when I reached the top...okay I did tear up...saw Super Freak and
Frisbee and knew it was in the BAG!!! Of course all they wanted was for me
to get them food from the SAG stop. No glory.
The next two Gaps were Wolfpen and Woody. I was ready to get back to the
car and hit the road, so it was all about just getting it done. My legs
felt like Magic the entire ride, so I give cudos to M.E., Super Freak, and
Fruitless for the good magic vibes! Total of 8 hours on the bike for Six
Gap....and I'm tired.
I know I've talked most of you into doing Six Gap next year, so we should
have a great showing in 2012, right?
Jogger
Jack rabbit and the Search For the Magic Stick
Cast:
Josh Fix as Super Freak
Bill Riddle as Fruitless
Dave Muse as Oracle
Mitch Mercer as M.E.
Amy Fix as Jogger
Lane Fix as Frisbee
Steve Jullian as Mex
Clark and Suzy Neal as no shows
The tale unfolds at an undisclosed location in Lee County, Georgia. M.E. and Fruitless meet and start loading up gear and a new secret mix. They point their vehicle north and the adventure begins. As the pair discuss strategy, Mex calls to give them details of his ride at Dauset of the prior week. Apparently, Mex took a twenty minute break to show a photographer the finer points of camera angles, fishing techniques, coupon clipping, and cake baking during a LAP! The photographer said "hey, man aren't you racing?...you need to go!" After that disturbing phone call, they hit the Atlanta city limits and decided they needed a magic stick. First stop was Performance Bike. "Hey man, where are the magic sticks?" asked Fruitless. "What?" responded Clark the clerk. "It's on your website!, do you not offer the same items you advertise on your website!?". The look of total fear came over Clark the clerk and the traveling pair decided to take their business elsewhere. REI! Yep, they had the magic stick and backpacks. Fruitless offers his expertise "You pack it, put it on your back and go". With the newly acquired magic sticks, Fruitless and M.E. head to the Cleveland GA Huddle House. "What would the Oracle do?". ... No meat! The night before the race.
They took his advice. After arriving at the Holiday Inn Express in Hiawassee, the two broke out the magic sticks and started the magic! Super Freak, Jogger, and Frisbee came into that scene and almost turned around and headed home. Fruitless and M.E. assured them it was ok and encouraged the to try the magic stick....all three did and the magic was shared by all.
Race Day
The pair found a site next to Sean Fitzgerald. Howdie do-s were exchanged then Sean said "Hey man, are you ok? I witnessed the heaving from Tribble Mill and that was frightening!". Yes, Fruitless is ok. With the tent erected, Fruitless left the scene to " Have a few moments of prayer". Oracle set up his chair against the erected pop up and more wisdom was shared. "The most important night of sleep is the night before the night of the race." Super Freak, Jogger and Frisbee rolled in and pre race routines ensued. Jogger set off on a quick 10 miler, Frisbee wanted to show off his tossing skills and Super Freak was ....well, all secrets cannot be shared. 1 minute before the race, Frisbee looked at Fruitless and pointed out everyone had left the scene but him....Why? Fruitless dashed to the starting line. The course had been extended to 10 miles this year. The start line was on a paved road a mile from the trail head. With the gunshot start, Super Freak tucked and lead the pack to the trailhead at roughly 32 mph. The conga line lasted about 4 miles when a little carnage began on an up hill tree/ rock/ camera happy flashing dude after the rock garden climb, the trail the went skyward to the top of jack rabbit mountain, more walkers...on the first lap! Then a fast, downward 5 miler of roller coaster twist and turns that had everyone smiling at the end of lap 1. The pack broke apart with Super Freak turning a 38 minute lap, Oracle behind him, then Fruitless with his pack of dancers that fell apart on the double climb and then the rider in front of Fruitless was removed from the trail when an angry deer thrust his stag self into the rider and sent him sailing down a 20 ft ledge. Fruitless yelled to the stunned rider as the deer was relatively unfazed hopped off into the wilderness. He was "okay" so the ride continued. By the fourth lap, Super Freak passed M.E. with a bell ring and "you are doing great!". By the 5 th and 6th lap the trail was packed hard and wide with sweeping turns that would have made Talladega proud. By the end of the 70 degree day the results were as follows:
Super Freak. 8 laps (80 miles in 5 1/2 hours!) 1st place..duh! Expert
Oracle. 7 laps 10th place Expert
Fruitless. 7 laps 1st place Clydesdale
M.E. 6 laps. 5th place. Beginner
The story continues in the series finale November 12th. Stay tuned.......
Josh Fix as Super Freak
Bill Riddle as Fruitless
Dave Muse as Oracle
Mitch Mercer as M.E.
Amy Fix as Jogger
Lane Fix as Frisbee
Steve Jullian as Mex
Clark and Suzy Neal as no shows
The tale unfolds at an undisclosed location in Lee County, Georgia. M.E. and Fruitless meet and start loading up gear and a new secret mix. They point their vehicle north and the adventure begins. As the pair discuss strategy, Mex calls to give them details of his ride at Dauset of the prior week. Apparently, Mex took a twenty minute break to show a photographer the finer points of camera angles, fishing techniques, coupon clipping, and cake baking during a LAP! The photographer said "hey, man aren't you racing?...you need to go!" After that disturbing phone call, they hit the Atlanta city limits and decided they needed a magic stick. First stop was Performance Bike. "Hey man, where are the magic sticks?" asked Fruitless. "What?" responded Clark the clerk. "It's on your website!, do you not offer the same items you advertise on your website!?". The look of total fear came over Clark the clerk and the traveling pair decided to take their business elsewhere. REI! Yep, they had the magic stick and backpacks. Fruitless offers his expertise "You pack it, put it on your back and go". With the newly acquired magic sticks, Fruitless and M.E. head to the Cleveland GA Huddle House. "What would the Oracle do?". ... No meat! The night before the race.
They took his advice. After arriving at the Holiday Inn Express in Hiawassee, the two broke out the magic sticks and started the magic! Super Freak, Jogger, and Frisbee came into that scene and almost turned around and headed home. Fruitless and M.E. assured them it was ok and encouraged the to try the magic stick....all three did and the magic was shared by all.
Race Day
The pair found a site next to Sean Fitzgerald. Howdie do-s were exchanged then Sean said "Hey man, are you ok? I witnessed the heaving from Tribble Mill and that was frightening!". Yes, Fruitless is ok. With the tent erected, Fruitless left the scene to " Have a few moments of prayer". Oracle set up his chair against the erected pop up and more wisdom was shared. "The most important night of sleep is the night before the night of the race." Super Freak, Jogger and Frisbee rolled in and pre race routines ensued. Jogger set off on a quick 10 miler, Frisbee wanted to show off his tossing skills and Super Freak was ....well, all secrets cannot be shared. 1 minute before the race, Frisbee looked at Fruitless and pointed out everyone had left the scene but him....Why? Fruitless dashed to the starting line. The course had been extended to 10 miles this year. The start line was on a paved road a mile from the trail head. With the gunshot start, Super Freak tucked and lead the pack to the trailhead at roughly 32 mph. The conga line lasted about 4 miles when a little carnage began on an up hill tree/ rock/ camera happy flashing dude after the rock garden climb, the trail the went skyward to the top of jack rabbit mountain, more walkers...on the first lap! Then a fast, downward 5 miler of roller coaster twist and turns that had everyone smiling at the end of lap 1. The pack broke apart with Super Freak turning a 38 minute lap, Oracle behind him, then Fruitless with his pack of dancers that fell apart on the double climb and then the rider in front of Fruitless was removed from the trail when an angry deer thrust his stag self into the rider and sent him sailing down a 20 ft ledge. Fruitless yelled to the stunned rider as the deer was relatively unfazed hopped off into the wilderness. He was "okay" so the ride continued. By the fourth lap, Super Freak passed M.E. with a bell ring and "you are doing great!". By the 5 th and 6th lap the trail was packed hard and wide with sweeping turns that would have made Talladega proud. By the end of the 70 degree day the results were as follows:
Super Freak. 8 laps (80 miles in 5 1/2 hours!) 1st place..duh! Expert
Oracle. 7 laps 10th place Expert
Fruitless. 7 laps 1st place Clydesdale
M.E. 6 laps. 5th place. Beginner
The story continues in the series finale November 12th. Stay tuned.......
Fools Gold 100
Well it's been a couple weeks since FG 100 and after a little razing from Woolie i decided to find some time to type up a quick report.
Here I am in the parking lot before the start of FG100. Can you see the look of terror on my face?
We got to the vineyard Friday night at 8:55 just 5 mins before registration closed. Yes, I said vineyard. This year eddie and Namrita negotiated there way into a sweet venue, Montaluce vineyard http://www.montaluce.com/ Amy and I got settled into our campsite and settled down to rest while I sorted through my notes on how many bottles and how much food I would put in each sag feed bag. After some minor calculations I was in bed by 11.
We rose early and luckily my internal alarm went off b/c I forgot to turn on my weekend alarm on my iPhone. Coffee and oatmeal, a quick shower and we were off to the vineyard for the start.
When we arrived there were several folks already settled in and getting ready. I ran up the hill to check in and get my timing chip. I didn't run into any of the usuals until I was heading out for a warm up. Ran into Dickman and Dave muse. Muse was doing the 50 Miler and Dickman was just out to ride and hang out. As always it was great to see both of them.
I did my normal stretching while everyone else stood around.
Eddie gave the racers some last minute commands and directions about the race.
The Race had a neutral start for about 3 miles on pavement, so it was pretty sorted out by the time we got to the gravel road, Eddie peeled off and we were off. My goal was to stay with the top 10 and did so till about 3/4 of the way up coopers gap. When the road kicked up one last time, I lost contact and the mental games began.
I think that the main difference between ORAMM and FG100 is that ORAMM you go up then you go down, up and down, up/down, etc. But FG100 you go up then you traverse with rollers, down a bit, traverse a bit, up, traverse a bit, down, traverse a bit and repeat(lap two). Which all equates into a lot less time for recovery while descending.
Which is why the mind games began b/c I had put myself into the hurt cave and had to traverse for another 30 minutes while trying to find my way out of the cave. The last 10 minutes I caught on with a couple guys from Orlando as they passed me they said are you from Albany? You know Kent Lofton? Turns out they ride with Kent down in Florida. They were both riding full sus and we rotated through a few rotations to the top of winding stairs where I was on the front and proceeded to get a max speed of 40 mph. I came through a slight bend and got squirelly on some tennis ball size rocks and wrapped my chain up around my crank about that time one of the guys blew by me. When we got onto the single track that traverses from Jake to bull mtn we were chatting it up and turns out when he passed me he hit 43 mph. Not bad for a gravel road.
Shortly after that they proceeded to drop me and I returned to the cave, all by myself. I thought quitting which I haven't thought about during a race in several years. Eventually when I was about half way up bull mtn I decided that I was just going to keep riding and stick to my plan with eating and see if I could find a groove. I found my groove and settled in, kept eating, and started to feel stronger. Or at least I wasn't curled up in the corner of the pain cave. Finished 1st lap under 4 hours.
Second time around I can say that I made it up coopers gap, it wasn't pretty and I got passed by one guy whom I was able to pass later on the last section of single track after it rained and was muddy and slippery.
Road efficiently along the ridge traverse from coopers gap to winding stairs descent and started to dream about catching a few people and some possible finishing times. At this point I knew that sub 8 was not possible but sub 8:30 was well within reason. This thought brought my spirits up as did the awesome sag volunteers. As you rode into a sag they would call out your number and some one would come running up to you with your sag bag. They would fill bottles and do anything you asked. TOP NOTCH VOLUNTEERS, thanks eddie and Namrita.
I ended up catching one of the florida guys as he ended up having a bad day and had cracked and lost his garmin. He was piecing things back together as he climbed bull mtn and I believe his buddy went on to finish second but not really sure. I thought a couple of times about getting off and walking the top sections of the bull ascent but my internal bullies wouldn't let me.
It sprinkled a bit on the Bull descent and turns out that it was a full on rain storm on the lower single track and down at the winery. This played to my advantage because I could put caution to the wind and roll the last section of single track that was all slick and muddy. I was able to pass 2 more guys which was good but also caused some stress b/c now I had to make sure that I didn't get passed on the paved road back to the winery. As it turns out the return to the winery was mostly uphill, go figure, and with the recent rain and the sun coming out made it like sitting in a sauna. I did my best to put my head down and pedal circles. It worked out and I made it to the finish with out getting passed.
8:13ish good enough for 11th or 12th depending on how you look at it (I am actually 10th on the final results). As it turns out jeff shaulk was in the lead coming through the end of the first lap and didn't head back out for the second because the course wasn't marked. No disrespect jeff, cause I know you could school me any day, but shouldn't you have done your homework? Or at least listened at the start line when eddie explained the course? So jeff and christian tanguy were awarded a tie so really I was 12th but b/c of the tie the official results says 11th for my class. I will be back next year.
Thanks eddie and Namrita and everyone else that made his event so awesome. I will bring some south Georgia folks with me next year.
Here I am after riding on the blacktop sauna toward the finish.
My faithful steed thanks to Breakaway bikes for all the support.
Cooked and still deep in the cave.
The vineyard venue was exceptional with a pool and hot tub.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Here I am in the parking lot before the start of FG100. Can you see the look of terror on my face?
We got to the vineyard Friday night at 8:55 just 5 mins before registration closed. Yes, I said vineyard. This year eddie and Namrita negotiated there way into a sweet venue, Montaluce vineyard http://www.montaluce.com/ Amy and I got settled into our campsite and settled down to rest while I sorted through my notes on how many bottles and how much food I would put in each sag feed bag. After some minor calculations I was in bed by 11.
We rose early and luckily my internal alarm went off b/c I forgot to turn on my weekend alarm on my iPhone. Coffee and oatmeal, a quick shower and we were off to the vineyard for the start.
When we arrived there were several folks already settled in and getting ready. I ran up the hill to check in and get my timing chip. I didn't run into any of the usuals until I was heading out for a warm up. Ran into Dickman and Dave muse. Muse was doing the 50 Miler and Dickman was just out to ride and hang out. As always it was great to see both of them.
I did my normal stretching while everyone else stood around.
Eddie gave the racers some last minute commands and directions about the race.
The Race had a neutral start for about 3 miles on pavement, so it was pretty sorted out by the time we got to the gravel road, Eddie peeled off and we were off. My goal was to stay with the top 10 and did so till about 3/4 of the way up coopers gap. When the road kicked up one last time, I lost contact and the mental games began.
I think that the main difference between ORAMM and FG100 is that ORAMM you go up then you go down, up and down, up/down, etc. But FG100 you go up then you traverse with rollers, down a bit, traverse a bit, up, traverse a bit, down, traverse a bit and repeat(lap two). Which all equates into a lot less time for recovery while descending.
Which is why the mind games began b/c I had put myself into the hurt cave and had to traverse for another 30 minutes while trying to find my way out of the cave. The last 10 minutes I caught on with a couple guys from Orlando as they passed me they said are you from Albany? You know Kent Lofton? Turns out they ride with Kent down in Florida. They were both riding full sus and we rotated through a few rotations to the top of winding stairs where I was on the front and proceeded to get a max speed of 40 mph. I came through a slight bend and got squirelly on some tennis ball size rocks and wrapped my chain up around my crank about that time one of the guys blew by me. When we got onto the single track that traverses from Jake to bull mtn we were chatting it up and turns out when he passed me he hit 43 mph. Not bad for a gravel road.
Shortly after that they proceeded to drop me and I returned to the cave, all by myself. I thought quitting which I haven't thought about during a race in several years. Eventually when I was about half way up bull mtn I decided that I was just going to keep riding and stick to my plan with eating and see if I could find a groove. I found my groove and settled in, kept eating, and started to feel stronger. Or at least I wasn't curled up in the corner of the pain cave. Finished 1st lap under 4 hours.
Second time around I can say that I made it up coopers gap, it wasn't pretty and I got passed by one guy whom I was able to pass later on the last section of single track after it rained and was muddy and slippery.
Road efficiently along the ridge traverse from coopers gap to winding stairs descent and started to dream about catching a few people and some possible finishing times. At this point I knew that sub 8 was not possible but sub 8:30 was well within reason. This thought brought my spirits up as did the awesome sag volunteers. As you rode into a sag they would call out your number and some one would come running up to you with your sag bag. They would fill bottles and do anything you asked. TOP NOTCH VOLUNTEERS, thanks eddie and Namrita.
I ended up catching one of the florida guys as he ended up having a bad day and had cracked and lost his garmin. He was piecing things back together as he climbed bull mtn and I believe his buddy went on to finish second but not really sure. I thought a couple of times about getting off and walking the top sections of the bull ascent but my internal bullies wouldn't let me.
It sprinkled a bit on the Bull descent and turns out that it was a full on rain storm on the lower single track and down at the winery. This played to my advantage because I could put caution to the wind and roll the last section of single track that was all slick and muddy. I was able to pass 2 more guys which was good but also caused some stress b/c now I had to make sure that I didn't get passed on the paved road back to the winery. As it turns out the return to the winery was mostly uphill, go figure, and with the recent rain and the sun coming out made it like sitting in a sauna. I did my best to put my head down and pedal circles. It worked out and I made it to the finish with out getting passed.
8:13ish good enough for 11th or 12th depending on how you look at it (I am actually 10th on the final results). As it turns out jeff shaulk was in the lead coming through the end of the first lap and didn't head back out for the second because the course wasn't marked. No disrespect jeff, cause I know you could school me any day, but shouldn't you have done your homework? Or at least listened at the start line when eddie explained the course? So jeff and christian tanguy were awarded a tie so really I was 12th but b/c of the tie the official results says 11th for my class. I will be back next year.
Thanks eddie and Namrita and everyone else that made his event so awesome. I will bring some south Georgia folks with me next year.
Here I am after riding on the blacktop sauna toward the finish.
My faithful steed thanks to Breakaway bikes for all the support.
Cooked and still deep in the cave.
The vineyard venue was exceptional with a pool and hot tub.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Dahlonega, GA
The Trials of Tribble Mill
The Trials of Tribble Mill
A short story by a well known artist of words and many other things.
Friday aug 26
Bill Riddle, Mitch Mercer
We arrive at our plush accommodations and check in. We then proceed to the tribble to set up our tent at the event and after three errant turns find the spot and secure our spot. We ran into bubba, junior , and junior jr. That's right "we breaking the kid in on racing!" "We gonna set up our tent over there cause the sun comes up over here and then later it will be over there." said junior.
9:00pm
We got back to the "Hamp" and decide to find something to eat. After wandering for a couple of miles through a parking lot we noticed an abundance of patrons in front of an "authentic" pizza establishment. I ordered chicken wings and a personal pizza. Bill went bold ( an omen ) with a pizza roll sandwich and 15 breadsticks. After consuming everything ordered we went to K-Rog and bought "the banquet of beers". While at the checkout counter we became friends with the couple ahead of us. A lovely mixed couple that asked where are you two from? Bill retorted "south Georgia". The young black man said he had relatives in Dougherty county, and asked if we knew Dougherty? .....yes we did.
We the proceed back to the hotel to carbo-load for the sat morning event. After watching every possible angle of Irene that we could handle, we snoozed.
Race day
Down at the breakfast buffet, bill encountered another mixed couple of the mountain bike variety. One expert, one over 50. I took note of the re food choices, bill did not. I repeat, bill did not! Bill (going robust, an omen) helped himself to an over abundance of fruit (citrus mostly). Off to the track!
Bill, oddly enough had an issue with his tire holding air, he got someone from neutral support to put stan's on the back wheel plus 60 psi. 15 min from race start.
We gather in a field of heat and await the start....we are off, we funnel through the woods by the timing arch and down a hay grove then a service road that leads to a single track that gently traverses the hill upward for 1 mile. At mile 3, I start realizing this mug is as rooty. With that notation, bill thought he had forgotten how to ride a bike until he remembered the 60psi and the roots had made his first lap an adventure. I positioned myself mid pack and rolled with 20 or so for the first 8 miles then it got stupid. For bill, his trials began on lap 3. A few brave souls asked bill if he wanted to hop on their train...."hell yeah!". Then bill felt a grumble. For me the second lap was sweaty...I was sliding all over the seat, handlebars and getting blisters on my fingers. My lap 3 began with, what I like to call the gang of 4 who are no friends of mine, me pulling some chaps for the first 5 miles and answering the question of "you 6hr solo?". Yes. So were the gang of 4. We jockeyed for position for the last four miles and had quick pit stops and eyeballed each other for the first 6 miles of lap 4 until I spotted a bare chested individual perched on a log. As I got closer I realized it was bill riddle. " bill what is the deal?" I asked. Bill showed me a beautiful display of fruit that had previously been in his stomach. The robust breakfast. Nice. Bill then took a swim in the lake, kitted (sans jersey) and then finished, and I mean finished the 4th lap. I had made a quick pit and headed out for lap 5 as I noticed the gang of 4 were dilly-dalling in their respective pits, so I decided to sneak past them. On my lap 5, I was riding smoothly in four-fifth place and came over a rise at mile marker 6 and abruptly crashed. I got back up and continued down the next hill and discover mother earth again. Wtf? I checked out my bike to find the front tire flat as a flitter. I swiftly whipped out my air canister and refilled the rubber. No less than 20 yards the tire had gone flat again.
3:00, 3.2 miles to glory. I shouldered my steed and started to walk.
3:15pm the friendly gang of four sneaked past me without a hint care. I received a tire, pump and tire tool from a passer by and began to repair. Got everything on and the pump would not work......shouldering began in earnest. I found the road and started the journey when a kind young man in a pick up asked if he could lend a hand, to which I replied "hell yeah!".
Got back at 4....and found bill face down in the grass. I told him of my plight and he began to tell me his, when the gargle of water and gatorade spewed from his orifice. This was a site to behold. Bill assumed the position as I loaded up the car and finally convinced bill to move under a pine tree and receive the breeze. I got bill ginger ale and pepto. He started to come back to life in Macon. All in all, a hot, hot day with plenty of roots and non flow tracks that would have made Heritage proud.
Results:
bill, 4 and dry heaves
Mitch, 4 and a blown tire in lap5.
A short story by a well known artist of words and many other things.
Friday aug 26
Bill Riddle, Mitch Mercer
We arrive at our plush accommodations and check in. We then proceed to the tribble to set up our tent at the event and after three errant turns find the spot and secure our spot. We ran into bubba, junior , and junior jr. That's right "we breaking the kid in on racing!" "We gonna set up our tent over there cause the sun comes up over here and then later it will be over there." said junior.
9:00pm
We got back to the "Hamp" and decide to find something to eat. After wandering for a couple of miles through a parking lot we noticed an abundance of patrons in front of an "authentic" pizza establishment. I ordered chicken wings and a personal pizza. Bill went bold ( an omen ) with a pizza roll sandwich and 15 breadsticks. After consuming everything ordered we went to K-Rog and bought "the banquet of beers". While at the checkout counter we became friends with the couple ahead of us. A lovely mixed couple that asked where are you two from? Bill retorted "south Georgia". The young black man said he had relatives in Dougherty county, and asked if we knew Dougherty? .....yes we did.
We the proceed back to the hotel to carbo-load for the sat morning event. After watching every possible angle of Irene that we could handle, we snoozed.
Race day
Down at the breakfast buffet, bill encountered another mixed couple of the mountain bike variety. One expert, one over 50. I took note of the re food choices, bill did not. I repeat, bill did not! Bill (going robust, an omen) helped himself to an over abundance of fruit (citrus mostly). Off to the track!
Bill, oddly enough had an issue with his tire holding air, he got someone from neutral support to put stan's on the back wheel plus 60 psi. 15 min from race start.
We gather in a field of heat and await the start....we are off, we funnel through the woods by the timing arch and down a hay grove then a service road that leads to a single track that gently traverses the hill upward for 1 mile. At mile 3, I start realizing this mug is as rooty. With that notation, bill thought he had forgotten how to ride a bike until he remembered the 60psi and the roots had made his first lap an adventure. I positioned myself mid pack and rolled with 20 or so for the first 8 miles then it got stupid. For bill, his trials began on lap 3. A few brave souls asked bill if he wanted to hop on their train...."hell yeah!". Then bill felt a grumble. For me the second lap was sweaty...I was sliding all over the seat, handlebars and getting blisters on my fingers. My lap 3 began with, what I like to call the gang of 4 who are no friends of mine, me pulling some chaps for the first 5 miles and answering the question of "you 6hr solo?". Yes. So were the gang of 4. We jockeyed for position for the last four miles and had quick pit stops and eyeballed each other for the first 6 miles of lap 4 until I spotted a bare chested individual perched on a log. As I got closer I realized it was bill riddle. " bill what is the deal?" I asked. Bill showed me a beautiful display of fruit that had previously been in his stomach. The robust breakfast. Nice. Bill then took a swim in the lake, kitted (sans jersey) and then finished, and I mean finished the 4th lap. I had made a quick pit and headed out for lap 5 as I noticed the gang of 4 were dilly-dalling in their respective pits, so I decided to sneak past them. On my lap 5, I was riding smoothly in four-fifth place and came over a rise at mile marker 6 and abruptly crashed. I got back up and continued down the next hill and discover mother earth again. Wtf? I checked out my bike to find the front tire flat as a flitter. I swiftly whipped out my air canister and refilled the rubber. No less than 20 yards the tire had gone flat again.
3:00, 3.2 miles to glory. I shouldered my steed and started to walk.
3:15pm the friendly gang of four sneaked past me without a hint care. I received a tire, pump and tire tool from a passer by and began to repair. Got everything on and the pump would not work......shouldering began in earnest. I found the road and started the journey when a kind young man in a pick up asked if he could lend a hand, to which I replied "hell yeah!".
Got back at 4....and found bill face down in the grass. I told him of my plight and he began to tell me his, when the gargle of water and gatorade spewed from his orifice. This was a site to behold. Bill assumed the position as I loaded up the car and finally convinced bill to move under a pine tree and receive the breeze. I got bill ginger ale and pepto. He started to come back to life in Macon. All in all, a hot, hot day with plenty of roots and non flow tracks that would have made Heritage proud.
Results:
bill, 4 and dry heaves
Mitch, 4 and a blown tire in lap5.
Saturday, October 22nd
10:00 am - 2:00 pm (4hr race)
Solo Only categories
7 mile course
Lots' of camping available
Great family attractions
Winner of each category gets a CUSTOM PRIZE
More details to come
Registration through http://www.bikereg.com/ starting Tuesday, August 23rd.
A Race, For Racers, run by Racers.
10:00 am - 2:00 pm (4hr race)
Solo Only categories
7 mile course
Lots' of camping available
Great family attractions
Winner of each category gets a CUSTOM PRIZE
More details to come
Registration through http://www.bikereg.com/ starting Tuesday, August 23rd.
A Race, For Racers, run by Racers.
Trail Work Day
We will have a Workday at Chehaw this Saturday August 20th. Work will begin at 9 when the park opens. Post work ride for those that can stand the heat! I'm sure beer will be involved. We will have a second work day Sunday October 16th. This October workday will be the final clean up before the race. We need all available hands!
I got my A$$ kicked by Mitchell Sellars...WT#???
As with most trouncings, the weekend started out innocent enough.
Rhonda and I, along with Josh and Amy Fix, all converged at Heard State Park Campground in West Point GA late Saturday afternoon. The plan was to camp that night and then up at dawn the next morning to participate in the annual West Point Lake Triathlon. Amy and I had signed up several months back to do the Olympic distance (1.5k, 40k, 10k). Even though Rhonda had only recently gotten back on the bike once and swam three times, after five years of doing other things, she had decided at the last minute, thanks to an evil suggestion/dare from John Leonard, to do the Sprint (600 yd, 15 mile, 5k). Josh briefly toyed with the idea of entering his first tri, but decided that only one time in the pool was almost, but not quite enough training to thoroughly dominate the field and deferred to another day.
If you haven't been camping here before - Heard State park is just beautiful! Our site was right on the lake, surrounded by trees, and just about perfect. If you are lucky enough to own a boat - you can camp and pull your boat right up to your spot and ski/fish/canoe all day and all night. Since we were boat-less, however, Josh and I entertained ourselves by skipping rocks, playing with the dog, and shouting advice to the crew setting out the buoys for tomorrow's swim. They were clearly putting them WAY too far out, but in spite of our yells and arm waving, they flat out ignored us. A fantastic salad and pasta dinner provided by the Fix's satisfied even the vegetarian among us and we all turned in early with nothing but the sounds of nature (i.e. very loud and sexually frustrated frogs, a TV from the next campsite, and the Fix's electric fan) to lull us to a fitful sleep.
Race day started at 5am! Cabana boy (Josh) fixed the coffee and the rest of us pretended we had a routine to follow as we tried to choke down some calories and get hydrated. The morning was just about perfect - temps in the 70's, light breeze blowing - this was going to be a good morning. Although this was a "race", there was no real reason to push myself. Unlike St. Anthony's, my son wasn't running in this one. And Josh had wimped out - not that I thought I could beat him overall, but maybe I could at least school him in the swim and make him a little nervous. And there were tons of Atlanta tri geeks here - so no chance of the podium for me! This time - I was going to relax a little, try to get a good bike, enjoy myself on the run, thank the volunteers, encourage my wife - yep, this was going to be a good day. Even getting locked into the campground (they don't open the gate till 7) didn't faze us - we just parked the cars, grabbed the gear and started walking.
I was almost whistling a happy tune in transition as I set up my stuff. With everything set up, I grabbed the camera to take a few pictures of Rhonda and make sure she was good to go and then suddenly - there he was - friggin' Mitchell Sellars - DANG it!! We had both done St Anthony's and yeah - he beat me in the swim and the bike and beat me overall by three minutes in that race, but it was actually pretty close - and I had totally schooled him in the run - so maybe I had a chance this time. He had ridden up with Todd Archer and just decided at the last minute to do this race. Mitchell claimed his training had been pretty crappy since St. Anthony's; and even though mine had too - I thought maybe, just maybe....So much for having fun - it was ON!
The time trial start began at 7:30 with two people starting every 5 seconds. I lost Mitchell and Amy in the crowd before the water and Rhonda was at her race start, so with some smart ass words of encouragement from Josh - I dove in and started swimming. The lake was clear and cool and by and large, the swimmers pretty spread out. I got dunked by one asshole and tried to nail him with an elbow, but otherwise the swim was pretty un-eventful. 34 minutes later (I knew the swim course was long!!) - I was making my way to the bike. Amy was just heading out on the bike, but Mitchell was nowhere to be found and there were still a lot of bikes on the rack - maybe things weren't going to be that bad!
The bike course was a ton of fun. Mostly gently rolling hills and lots of shifting gears, I was consistently holding 20+ even on some of the uphills and passing a bunch of folks and only getting passed by a few. Focused on eating and drinking and keeping the pressure up, the ride just flew by! Saw Amy at a couple of different places, never saw Mitchell, and came into transition with a ton of bikes still out on the course - this was going well! Finished the ride in 1:13 at a 20+ pace on a hilly course - not too shabby and doing better than St Anthony's!!
Quick transition and out on the run. The sun was starting to heat things up and they had us running the 10k out and back across the dam. The damn dam. With no shade. Oh well, this is almost over - kicked out a 7:15 first and second mile - things going ok - and then I hit the damn dam. That's when I saw him. Mitchell. Going the other way. At mile 4. Like 15 minutes ahead of me. What....the....!!! Oh sure - I shouted out some encouraging BS, and yeah - he looked like he was in pain - but didn't I start ahead of him?! Dang it! He's kicking my ASS!
And that's when the heat hit, and the stitch started, and the sudden realization that I no longer gave a shit. And oh yeah - I was supposed to just have fun today, but now I'm too dang tired to enjoy it and I'm on a damn dam and where's the dang shade anyway and there is no way that turnaround point was that far away. Finally hit the turnaround, now running about a 7:45 pace, and head for home, head hung low, hoping Rhonda's race was going well! I hit the 4 mile aid station, took my time and totally got busted goofing off by Josh - sitting on the course waiting for his honey to come back by. Screw him - I'm still going to take my time and drink another water!!
I did manage to pass one other guy in my age group the last two miles, and did manage to pick it up for the last mile, and did manage to look pretty composed as I came through the finish line with a fellow IM KY finisher. Finished the 10k in 46:37 at a 7:31 pace and overall in 2:36:41. Respectful, not too bad, about 12 minutes slower than St. Anthony's but the swim was longer in this race - so eh...good enough I guess. Except that this time Mitchell Sellars totally kicked my ass by running a 2:22:59, and finishing a dominating 1st in the Clydesdales division!
I ended up finishing 9th out of 28 in my age group. Amy did great - she swam a 36:28, biked a 1:23, ran a 53:26 and finished up with a 2:55.14 overall for 6th out of 10 in her age group. A new Leesburg resident, John Kilpatrick, had the best time from Albany and scored some hardware - he swam a 28:29, biked a 1:07, ran a 42:36 and finished up with a 2:20:24 overall for 3rd out of 30 in his age group. Mitchell finished the highest Albanian in his division (although Kilpatrick beat him overall - HA!) with a 28:35 swim, 1:04 bike, 48:42 run, overall 2:23, and first place Clydesdale.
In the sprint, other than getting off course on the swim and posting one of the longest T1 transition times ever, Rhonda did awesome!! She swam a 16:24, biked a 59:17 and ran a 32:21 for an overall 1:54:51. Todd Archer also kicked it, swimming a 12:29, biking a 47:52, running a 24:01, and earning an overall 1:26:47.
All in all, a great race that I might be tempted to come back too. Very proud of my hunny as she starts to build her base for a half IM and Amy continues to kick it on her way to another full IM! Clearly, if I'm going to beat Mitchell in the next race, I've got to get serious about my swim (three days a week with the masters class), and more serious with the bike (Tuesday/Thursday rides with the race group), and probably drink less beer, watch what I eat, and maybe actually run more than once a week.
Or maybe - I'll just let Mitchell kick my ass next time too!
Rhonda and I, along with Josh and Amy Fix, all converged at Heard State Park Campground in West Point GA late Saturday afternoon. The plan was to camp that night and then up at dawn the next morning to participate in the annual West Point Lake Triathlon. Amy and I had signed up several months back to do the Olympic distance (1.5k, 40k, 10k). Even though Rhonda had only recently gotten back on the bike once and swam three times, after five years of doing other things, she had decided at the last minute, thanks to an evil suggestion/dare from John Leonard, to do the Sprint (600 yd, 15 mile, 5k). Josh briefly toyed with the idea of entering his first tri, but decided that only one time in the pool was almost, but not quite enough training to thoroughly dominate the field and deferred to another day.
If you haven't been camping here before - Heard State park is just beautiful! Our site was right on the lake, surrounded by trees, and just about perfect. If you are lucky enough to own a boat - you can camp and pull your boat right up to your spot and ski/fish/canoe all day and all night. Since we were boat-less, however, Josh and I entertained ourselves by skipping rocks, playing with the dog, and shouting advice to the crew setting out the buoys for tomorrow's swim. They were clearly putting them WAY too far out, but in spite of our yells and arm waving, they flat out ignored us. A fantastic salad and pasta dinner provided by the Fix's satisfied even the vegetarian among us and we all turned in early with nothing but the sounds of nature (i.e. very loud and sexually frustrated frogs, a TV from the next campsite, and the Fix's electric fan) to lull us to a fitful sleep.
Race day started at 5am! Cabana boy (Josh) fixed the coffee and the rest of us pretended we had a routine to follow as we tried to choke down some calories and get hydrated. The morning was just about perfect - temps in the 70's, light breeze blowing - this was going to be a good morning. Although this was a "race", there was no real reason to push myself. Unlike St. Anthony's, my son wasn't running in this one. And Josh had wimped out - not that I thought I could beat him overall, but maybe I could at least school him in the swim and make him a little nervous. And there were tons of Atlanta tri geeks here - so no chance of the podium for me! This time - I was going to relax a little, try to get a good bike, enjoy myself on the run, thank the volunteers, encourage my wife - yep, this was going to be a good day. Even getting locked into the campground (they don't open the gate till 7) didn't faze us - we just parked the cars, grabbed the gear and started walking.
I was almost whistling a happy tune in transition as I set up my stuff. With everything set up, I grabbed the camera to take a few pictures of Rhonda and make sure she was good to go and then suddenly - there he was - friggin' Mitchell Sellars - DANG it!! We had both done St Anthony's and yeah - he beat me in the swim and the bike and beat me overall by three minutes in that race, but it was actually pretty close - and I had totally schooled him in the run - so maybe I had a chance this time. He had ridden up with Todd Archer and just decided at the last minute to do this race. Mitchell claimed his training had been pretty crappy since St. Anthony's; and even though mine had too - I thought maybe, just maybe....So much for having fun - it was ON!
The time trial start began at 7:30 with two people starting every 5 seconds. I lost Mitchell and Amy in the crowd before the water and Rhonda was at her race start, so with some smart ass words of encouragement from Josh - I dove in and started swimming. The lake was clear and cool and by and large, the swimmers pretty spread out. I got dunked by one asshole and tried to nail him with an elbow, but otherwise the swim was pretty un-eventful. 34 minutes later (I knew the swim course was long!!) - I was making my way to the bike. Amy was just heading out on the bike, but Mitchell was nowhere to be found and there were still a lot of bikes on the rack - maybe things weren't going to be that bad!
The bike course was a ton of fun. Mostly gently rolling hills and lots of shifting gears, I was consistently holding 20+ even on some of the uphills and passing a bunch of folks and only getting passed by a few. Focused on eating and drinking and keeping the pressure up, the ride just flew by! Saw Amy at a couple of different places, never saw Mitchell, and came into transition with a ton of bikes still out on the course - this was going well! Finished the ride in 1:13 at a 20+ pace on a hilly course - not too shabby and doing better than St Anthony's!!
Quick transition and out on the run. The sun was starting to heat things up and they had us running the 10k out and back across the dam. The damn dam. With no shade. Oh well, this is almost over - kicked out a 7:15 first and second mile - things going ok - and then I hit the damn dam. That's when I saw him. Mitchell. Going the other way. At mile 4. Like 15 minutes ahead of me. What....the....!!! Oh sure - I shouted out some encouraging BS, and yeah - he looked like he was in pain - but didn't I start ahead of him?! Dang it! He's kicking my ASS!
And that's when the heat hit, and the stitch started, and the sudden realization that I no longer gave a shit. And oh yeah - I was supposed to just have fun today, but now I'm too dang tired to enjoy it and I'm on a damn dam and where's the dang shade anyway and there is no way that turnaround point was that far away. Finally hit the turnaround, now running about a 7:45 pace, and head for home, head hung low, hoping Rhonda's race was going well! I hit the 4 mile aid station, took my time and totally got busted goofing off by Josh - sitting on the course waiting for his honey to come back by. Screw him - I'm still going to take my time and drink another water!!
I did manage to pass one other guy in my age group the last two miles, and did manage to pick it up for the last mile, and did manage to look pretty composed as I came through the finish line with a fellow IM KY finisher. Finished the 10k in 46:37 at a 7:31 pace and overall in 2:36:41. Respectful, not too bad, about 12 minutes slower than St. Anthony's but the swim was longer in this race - so eh...good enough I guess. Except that this time Mitchell Sellars totally kicked my ass by running a 2:22:59, and finishing a dominating 1st in the Clydesdales division!
I ended up finishing 9th out of 28 in my age group. Amy did great - she swam a 36:28, biked a 1:23, ran a 53:26 and finished up with a 2:55.14 overall for 6th out of 10 in her age group. A new Leesburg resident, John Kilpatrick, had the best time from Albany and scored some hardware - he swam a 28:29, biked a 1:07, ran a 42:36 and finished up with a 2:20:24 overall for 3rd out of 30 in his age group. Mitchell finished the highest Albanian in his division (although Kilpatrick beat him overall - HA!) with a 28:35 swim, 1:04 bike, 48:42 run, overall 2:23, and first place Clydesdale.
In the sprint, other than getting off course on the swim and posting one of the longest T1 transition times ever, Rhonda did awesome!! She swam a 16:24, biked a 59:17 and ran a 32:21 for an overall 1:54:51. Todd Archer also kicked it, swimming a 12:29, biking a 47:52, running a 24:01, and earning an overall 1:26:47.
All in all, a great race that I might be tempted to come back too. Very proud of my hunny as she starts to build her base for a half IM and Amy continues to kick it on her way to another full IM! Clearly, if I'm going to beat Mitchell in the next race, I've got to get serious about my swim (three days a week with the masters class), and more serious with the bike (Tuesday/Thursday rides with the race group), and probably drink less beer, watch what I eat, and maybe actually run more than once a week.
Or maybe - I'll just let Mitchell kick my ass next time too!
Question of Riding Etiquette
Group rides take on different personalities depending on the participants and groups take on different personalities given the relationships, styles, etc. I've caught myself several times the last few weeks shaking my head in aggravation over something someone has done in the pace line. Some things are obvious etiquette infringements, but others may fall in that grey area. So, I pose the following questions:
1. Should you accelerate on up-hills and coast on down-hills?
I personally find it aggravating to have someone drill it up a hill, only to have them blow and slow several miles per hour over the top, which results in a slower downhill speed and rider chaos. I'd rather see someone hold a constant speed or slowly deccelerate up the hill in order to smoothly reaccelerate down the hill.
2. If you are getting popped on a climb should you hold your line or move out to allow riders through?
People may disagree, but I feel like it is safer if the popped rider just holds their line. Yes, riders back now have to move out and accelerate, but that's better than starting the same move and having the slower rider move into your line. On the flats it's easier for a rider to move out, but on a climb the same move can't be anticipated as quickly.
Just a few thoughts. Leave your comment below.
1. Should you accelerate on up-hills and coast on down-hills?
I personally find it aggravating to have someone drill it up a hill, only to have them blow and slow several miles per hour over the top, which results in a slower downhill speed and rider chaos. I'd rather see someone hold a constant speed or slowly deccelerate up the hill in order to smoothly reaccelerate down the hill.
2. If you are getting popped on a climb should you hold your line or move out to allow riders through?
People may disagree, but I feel like it is safer if the popped rider just holds their line. Yes, riders back now have to move out and accelerate, but that's better than starting the same move and having the slower rider move into your line. On the flats it's easier for a rider to move out, but on a climb the same move can't be anticipated as quickly.
Just a few thoughts. Leave your comment below.
Kum Bah Ya
There is a gentlemen that we ride with very frequently in Albany, GA whose handle is "Easy Rider". He is one of those guys that is in the right place at the right time, always knows what wheel to be on, and is just an all around good guy. The other day as I was doing my daily web surfing I came across some words of wisdom from Easy Rider on the PCP race team blog. If you have a minute, you should surf on over and take a gander at the words of wisdom of an experienced cyclist.
Sidebar: Kum Bah Ya - In addition to this African-American spiritual’s simplistic tune and meaning, the term “Kum Bah Ya” had now gathered another meaning to it, as well: peace. In many articles regarding world peace, politicians will refer to “sitting around the campfire singing Kum Bah Ya,” or when peaceful demonstrations are disrupted, people will say that it “was not a Kum Bah Ya moment.”
Trail Work
Thanks to Blair and Buck for giving up some free-time Monday and Tuesday to work on the trail.
There's a tentative plan to work on the trail May 21st. All effort that day will go towards making the Philema section more friendly. More details to come.
We want to make sure as we ride and work that we keep the best interest of Chehaw in mind and make as little of a footprint as possible. The less we disturb the better. Stay on the trail. Pack out all trash. If it's not natural, it's out of place.
There's a tentative plan to work on the trail May 21st. All effort that day will go towards making the Philema section more friendly. More details to come.
We want to make sure as we ride and work that we keep the best interest of Chehaw in mind and make as little of a footprint as possible. The less we disturb the better. Stay on the trail. Pack out all trash. If it's not natural, it's out of place.
May 14th - Que 4 Kids & Trail Guides
On May 14th Chehaw will be hosting the Backwoods Outdoors Que 4 Kids.
Click HERE to view event details.
SGC has been asked to provide ride guides throughout the morning for people interested in exploring the trail. We will need 4 or 5 guides to provide assistance with beginner, novice, and advanced rides. More details will be provided in the next week.
If you're interested and can clear the date let VMAC know.
Click HERE to view event details.
SGC has been asked to provide ride guides throughout the morning for people interested in exploring the trail. We will need 4 or 5 guides to provide assistance with beginner, novice, and advanced rides. More details will be provided in the next week.
If you're interested and can clear the date let VMAC know.
April 23 - Chehaw Trail Day
HOLY CRAP!! All I can say is job well done! We had 21 individuals show up and contribute to our trail clean-up. Some where regulars, some were not-so-regulars, and some where brand new to us. We accomplished more than scheduled. West Philema is still a booger, but that will soon be remedied. Thanks to the following in no particular order:
Steve . . Deanna . . Amy, who comes before . . Josh . . Tiff . . Melody . . David . . Bill . . Blair . . Stephen . . John . . Tom . . Richard . . Susan (I think) . . Elaine . . Gene . . Buck . . Andy . . Miles . . Lane . . & Cody.
Thanks for pitching in and we hope everyone enjoys the trail!
Steve . . Deanna . . Amy, who comes before . . Josh . . Tiff . . Melody . . David . . Bill . . Blair . . Stephen . . John . . Tom . . Richard . . Susan (I think) . . Elaine . . Gene . . Buck . . Andy . . Miles . . Lane . . & Cody.
Thanks for pitching in and we hope everyone enjoys the trail!
GSC #2 West Point, GA 2011
Bolt Speedman finishing up strong in 8th place
Mitch M. finishing up in 9th place and having a good time.
Woolie riding strong.
Lane representing BreakAway Cyles. Couldn't get him to do the kids race but he still did a little ride around the parking lot.
Josh finding the top step. Had a tough first lap, slide out in a corner, got a twig caught in my rear cassette, and dropped my chain at the very end of the lap. Was able to catch on to Andy Johnston and pull into 1st and add about a minute over 2nd place. Thanks Andy. Super happy with overall performance didn't know what to expect in my 1st XC race of the year but it appears that I have enough interval work in to hang tough but will have to work harder to be able to hang with the top guys at the races. Overall good showing for SGC p/b BreakAway Cycles.
April 23rd - CHEHAW TRAIL-WORK DAY
THE WHAT: On Saturday, April 23rd we will be having an organized trail cleaning day at Chehaw and, if we're not too tired afterward, a liesurly lap to appreciate the work.
THE WHY: Several of the sections need a bit of TLC after the prescribed burn and one section needs a lot of TLC so that riders don't suffer brain damage from the ratteling.
THE WHEN: Meet at the boat dock circle at 1:30. Work to begin at 2:00. Work to end no later than 5:00. Leisure lap begins at 5:30ish.
THE TOOLS: Man and/or Woman power is #1. Blowers, weed-eaters, rakes, limb-loppers, hand-snips, and old push mowers. Bring gloves and ear-plugs. Bring plenty to drink for before . . . . and after.
THE WHO: If you have any questions, email us at: southgeorgiacycling@gmail.com
Thanks in advance for your help and support.
THE WHY: Several of the sections need a bit of TLC after the prescribed burn and one section needs a lot of TLC so that riders don't suffer brain damage from the ratteling.
THE WHEN: Meet at the boat dock circle at 1:30. Work to begin at 2:00. Work to end no later than 5:00. Leisure lap begins at 5:30ish.
THE TOOLS: Man and/or Woman power is #1. Blowers, weed-eaters, rakes, limb-loppers, hand-snips, and old push mowers. Bring gloves and ear-plugs. Bring plenty to drink for before . . . . and after.
THE WHO: If you have any questions, email us at: southgeorgiacycling@gmail.com
Thanks in advance for your help and support.
Champion masters racer suspended for doping
CLICK HERE to read article from VeloNews. This is getting retarded! I want to be fast too, but I also want to spend time with the family, drink beer, have friends, explore other hobbies, etc. What does it say about our society and our sport when "Will Never be Pro Again MASTERS" are doping? Not to mention people who dope to make it through their weekly group rides. Give me a BREAK and GROW A SET!
Dirty Spokes 9/6 hr MTB Race @ Ft. Yargo on May 7th
Just wanted to remind everyone that the Dirty Spokes 9/6 hr mountain bike race is coming upon us quickly. Make sure that you preregister and make your reservations so that SGC pb BreakAway Cycles will have a big showing.
Spread the word to all our cycling friends around the state.
Thanks,
Josh
GSC #1 - HELLitage Park
ADDENDUM: And as you read this keep in mind that the restrooms at Heritage were closed and NO port-o-pots were brought in. The below video was footage of the ITT finish. This racer was two or three spots ahead of me.
Oh my . . . where to start. So I drove up to Heritage Park Saturday to do the ITT for some extra points and get a look at the course. I haven't been there in two years since the last "weather event" but who's counting. I actually said I'd NEVER go back and here I am, pulling in to Heritage Park for a 4 mile ITT and a 20ish mile XC race on Sunday. And guess what. It's about to rain.
I get a pretty good place to park, but not under the shelter because those have all been taken. I set up Bill's eazyup, which I realize has two broken cross braces. Registration goes pretty easy. The kids get their ITT under way. I'm kitted and ready to go and I here thunder. The experts are on the course and I'm standing in line waiting to start when the bottom falls out. Hard rain, then light rain, then no rain, then hard rain, etc. As I was getting the countdown there was no rain.
This was the first race on my new bike and in retrospect, probably not the best race or course to break it in on. Two miles in and the flood gates open. Five minutes later the lightening starts popping. I'm climbing a switchback that more resembles a class IV rapid when a flash of lightening overhead damn near blinds me. I literally prayed the remainder of the way back to the pavilion. I didn't stop to check results because I was worried about my stuff and the eazyup collapsing. The water was so deep around the truck my shoes were completely submerged. As I lowered the eazyup, the side that had the broken brace completely crumbled and the canopy came down on my head. I folded it up and stood it under the pavilion. It took some creativity to get dry and changed but I did, and then within seconds it quit raining.
I drove into town to get a propane canister, stopped at a carwash to pull under the cover to organize and dry my gear, drove back to the park and was able to grab a parking place under the shelter. I cooked myself something to eat, listened to some Pearl Jam, and waited on Gene and Woolard to arrive.
So let me lay it out for you. There is absolutely, positively NOTHING fun about the Heritage trail. The entire trail is littered with nothing but roots. There seems to be twice as much climbing as descending, but it doesn't matter because the descents are actually washed-out root-pits any way. If someone were to ask me "What's your favorite part of the trail?", I'd have to respond NOT RIDING IT! Don't get me wrong. I believe every trail needs a technical aspect and I like to climb. I don't think any trail needs to look like the sidewalk they built in England for the 2012 Olympics but COME ON. Not only do you have to navigate endless amounts and varying sizes of roots, you have to deal with the mud, and it doesn't matter if it's rained or not, Heritage always has a muddy section. Fortunately for me it rained ALL NIGHT LONG. The whole damn trail was muddy. So you make it through the mud and roots into the pines which my handlebars on Bike #2 can barely fit through. (Oh yeah. I not only had to use my back up bike, I had to wear my back up shoes and helmet.) And then there's the creek crossings which were running at about 18-22 inches in my estimation. I didn't stop to measure because I was afraid of getting swept off the waterfall to my right. Then all you have to do is cross three bridges that are slippery as goose shit, climb out of hell and back to the pavilion. That's ONE F-ING LAP!
As mentioned before, I was using all backup gear because either my stuff was still soaked from Saturday or I didn't want to ruin it today. Bike #2 had too big of a gear but I was too cold and too lazy to change it. Plus, I don't think I had a chain that would fit If I went bigger, so guess what . . . run what ya' brung. Gene and Woolley at this point have walked over to the registration booth six times to see when the cut-off is. They're on the fence, but they're facing the side that says "I'm not racing this shit!" Yee Haw. It's 9:30 and time to start.
Good start. I sat on #1 and #2 all the way through the first section and felt like I had a technical advantage on them. I slid out of one corner but was able to come back pretty quick. All was good until the first real climb. Muddy ground, wet roots, and wrong gear equals by-by to the leaders. The next climb was the same but this time it was by-by to #3. Eventually I watched #4 pass me as well. I finished lap one and Gene gave me the time splits from the leaders which in reality was a mute point. I knew with the gearing I had that I'd still have to walk three, if not four of the climbs and that wasn't going to catch anyone. I hadn't taken a sip from my water bottle; one because there's no where you can relax long enough to grab a bottle and two I was scared that I might contract giardia from all the crap that was now riding on the cap of my bottle.
The second lap was an exercise in mental torture. I was wet, muddy, cold, and nowhere near the leaders. I finished. Gene and Woolley headed back to Jay and Lisa's to pick up their gear. I cleaned up as best possible and loaded up for home. I was shivering all the way to Perry and then the temperature went up 20 degrees which is really good for the sinus infection I'd just gotten rid of.
I've washed my kit three times. I don't think it's coming clean. I refuse to look at my bike for the next several days. I will NEVER go back to Heritage Park!
Oh my . . . where to start. So I drove up to Heritage Park Saturday to do the ITT for some extra points and get a look at the course. I haven't been there in two years since the last "weather event" but who's counting. I actually said I'd NEVER go back and here I am, pulling in to Heritage Park for a 4 mile ITT and a 20ish mile XC race on Sunday. And guess what. It's about to rain.
I get a pretty good place to park, but not under the shelter because those have all been taken. I set up Bill's eazyup, which I realize has two broken cross braces. Registration goes pretty easy. The kids get their ITT under way. I'm kitted and ready to go and I here thunder. The experts are on the course and I'm standing in line waiting to start when the bottom falls out. Hard rain, then light rain, then no rain, then hard rain, etc. As I was getting the countdown there was no rain.
This was the first race on my new bike and in retrospect, probably not the best race or course to break it in on. Two miles in and the flood gates open. Five minutes later the lightening starts popping. I'm climbing a switchback that more resembles a class IV rapid when a flash of lightening overhead damn near blinds me. I literally prayed the remainder of the way back to the pavilion. I didn't stop to check results because I was worried about my stuff and the eazyup collapsing. The water was so deep around the truck my shoes were completely submerged. As I lowered the eazyup, the side that had the broken brace completely crumbled and the canopy came down on my head. I folded it up and stood it under the pavilion. It took some creativity to get dry and changed but I did, and then within seconds it quit raining.
I drove into town to get a propane canister, stopped at a carwash to pull under the cover to organize and dry my gear, drove back to the park and was able to grab a parking place under the shelter. I cooked myself something to eat, listened to some Pearl Jam, and waited on Gene and Woolard to arrive.
So let me lay it out for you. There is absolutely, positively NOTHING fun about the Heritage trail. The entire trail is littered with nothing but roots. There seems to be twice as much climbing as descending, but it doesn't matter because the descents are actually washed-out root-pits any way. If someone were to ask me "What's your favorite part of the trail?", I'd have to respond NOT RIDING IT! Don't get me wrong. I believe every trail needs a technical aspect and I like to climb. I don't think any trail needs to look like the sidewalk they built in England for the 2012 Olympics but COME ON. Not only do you have to navigate endless amounts and varying sizes of roots, you have to deal with the mud, and it doesn't matter if it's rained or not, Heritage always has a muddy section. Fortunately for me it rained ALL NIGHT LONG. The whole damn trail was muddy. So you make it through the mud and roots into the pines which my handlebars on Bike #2 can barely fit through. (Oh yeah. I not only had to use my back up bike, I had to wear my back up shoes and helmet.) And then there's the creek crossings which were running at about 18-22 inches in my estimation. I didn't stop to measure because I was afraid of getting swept off the waterfall to my right. Then all you have to do is cross three bridges that are slippery as goose shit, climb out of hell and back to the pavilion. That's ONE F-ING LAP!
As mentioned before, I was using all backup gear because either my stuff was still soaked from Saturday or I didn't want to ruin it today. Bike #2 had too big of a gear but I was too cold and too lazy to change it. Plus, I don't think I had a chain that would fit If I went bigger, so guess what . . . run what ya' brung. Gene and Woolley at this point have walked over to the registration booth six times to see when the cut-off is. They're on the fence, but they're facing the side that says "I'm not racing this shit!" Yee Haw. It's 9:30 and time to start.
Good start. I sat on #1 and #2 all the way through the first section and felt like I had a technical advantage on them. I slid out of one corner but was able to come back pretty quick. All was good until the first real climb. Muddy ground, wet roots, and wrong gear equals by-by to the leaders. The next climb was the same but this time it was by-by to #3. Eventually I watched #4 pass me as well. I finished lap one and Gene gave me the time splits from the leaders which in reality was a mute point. I knew with the gearing I had that I'd still have to walk three, if not four of the climbs and that wasn't going to catch anyone. I hadn't taken a sip from my water bottle; one because there's no where you can relax long enough to grab a bottle and two I was scared that I might contract giardia from all the crap that was now riding on the cap of my bottle.
The second lap was an exercise in mental torture. I was wet, muddy, cold, and nowhere near the leaders. I finished. Gene and Woolley headed back to Jay and Lisa's to pick up their gear. I cleaned up as best possible and loaded up for home. I was shivering all the way to Perry and then the temperature went up 20 degrees which is really good for the sinus infection I'd just gotten rid of.
I've washed my kit three times. I don't think it's coming clean. I refuse to look at my bike for the next several days. I will NEVER go back to Heritage Park!
Jeff Haire
Hit & Run driver injures cyclist - Live, Local, Late Breaking news, weather, and sports
Jeff was hit yesterday evening. Click the above link to view the latest news report. From the limited reports received, Jeff escaped serious injuries. Keep him and his family in your prayers.
Jeff was hit yesterday evening. Click the above link to view the latest news report. From the limited reports received, Jeff escaped serious injuries. Keep him and his family in your prayers.
Meat On Your Grill
First of all let SGC say "Thank you". Thank you to C town bicycles, Kenny with Chain Buster Productions, BreakAway Cycles, and to our supportive families for a great weekend of racing.
This past Saturday was the 6 and 9 hours of Conyers put on by Kenny with Chain Buster Productions. Bill and family traveled up early Friday afternoon to preride the course and hang out with da "LORD" and his family. Steve, John, Mitch, and I (Josh) left Albany around 5 Friday afternoon. Carb loading began while loading the Tahoe. The Tahoe was loaded down with bikes, gear and the camper on steroids. After stopping in Macon for burritos at Calientes, a spin off of Moes that is way more yummy, we discovered that Mitch's lid to his cooler had flown off somewhere. Sorry to the person whose car was struck by a flying plastic object traveling 80 mph on I-75. Please send the repair bill to STEVE JULIAN. He often forgets the incredible power of WIND. EASY UP!!!!!!! Anywho... We had one more stop before arriving at the International Horse Park in Conyers. Krogers which for years now has been improperly pronounced and should actually be pronounced K-Rogers. We you can only imagine what 4 men with a list and no idea of what they really want can do with time in a K-Rogers. 45 minutes later we departed the parking lot headed to the horse park. Of course the list said that we needed beer.
Bill had already saved us a pretty good spot in the middle of the field but it took all 4 of us getting out of the car and giving Steve advice on how he should park the camper. I must say that Steve did a fantastic job and within minutes we had the camper up and were readying ourselves for some sleep. But first I had to pull out my trusty sewing kit to mend my racing gloves for the next day. For some reason I always seem to leave small tasks like sewing for odd times. All were asleep by midnight. Those that have camped when Bill is within a 50 mile radius know that it is a good idea to sleep with one eye open because you never know when he might slip in with a "STTEEEEVVVVVEEEEEE, WHAATT'SSS UUUUUPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
We awoke Saturday around 6 am to 4 wheelers and cars arriving. Seemed to be a touch early for a race that started at 10 AM. Upon sunrise at 7 AM, I believe it was Mitch or John that said all those folks at the porta potties don't really look like mtn bikers and come to find out Kenny and Tim (Dirty Spokes) were teaming up and putting on a 10K and a 5 K trail run before starting the mountain bike race. Sorry girls, this was an honest mistake. We had no idea.
We busied ourselves with minor tasks, like eating and preparing our gear for the race waiting for the arrival of Bill and da "LORD" but as it turns out they were a touch late on arrival and you would never guess that Bill needed some minor adjustments to his bike. Like always at a mtn bike race before the start everyone is sharing tools and stands to make sure that everyone around has what they need for their coming adventure. There was a nice group of guys next to us that let us use their stand and in return we gave them some pain killers (advil).
10 AM came quickly and after the prerace meeting we all made sure that Mitch and John (6 hour virgin) had everything straight in their minds about what was about to happen. I realized after the race that I did not mention to John and Mitch that they would probably want to lube their chain after a couple laps but I also did not realize that we would have 4-5 stream crossing per lap.
It was a mass start with call ups. Bill got called up from his result at the first 6 hour at Heritage. Bill was leading the 6 hour at Heritage but had to leave an hour or so early to get back to A-town for the Daddy Daughter Dance but still manage to finish 3rd while he was driving in his truck, go figure. I managed a second row start and others were not much further back. At this point, I will tell some details from my race and try to remember stories from the post race carb refueling session. My plan was to ride toward the front but not go off the front and try not to lose contact with the front guy. Sometimes that is confusing when there is a mixture of team and solo riders and you have no way of determining the difference until you ask them "Hey man, are a team or solo?" So I took my chances and stayed toward the front of the main chase group down the double track and jumped into 2nd going into the single track. Within a couples minutes, I had determined that the guy in front of me was racing the 6 hr solo (like myself) and that we had about 30 seconds already on the folks behind us. I was content easing off the gas a bit but he continued full throttle. I settled for somewhere in the middle as I could feel the efforts I had put out on Thursday nights road ride and kept thinking about the fact that I had not ridden my bike any longer than 3 hours this year and that was back in early February. The way the trail cuts back on itself you can see other riders almost all the time but you have a hard time gauging just how far or close they are to you. For the 1st 3 laps, I could see first place but just kept riding my pace. Since we had put down a sub 40 min lap the first lap, I knew that I had gained a few minutes that I could use over the course of the 6 hour race and could settle in to race my race and see if 1st place came back to me.
It was some where on my 3rd lap that I came across Mitch and John. Both doing a great job and seeming to have a great time. Coming through the start finish at the end of the 4th lap, I looked over to see the 1st place guy(David) still in his pit area. Steve was in the pit at that point and he helped me out by getting me some bottles and sending me on my way. I know that he went out for another lap after that and finished with 4 laps for the day but look for more from the Chief HavaLongToe from Albany, we are about to get him on a top secret training plan that will have him putting out solid rides. David and I exited the pit together and rode most of the 5th lap together. I will still content with riding in 2nd place because I had calculated at this point that I was going to be riding 8 laps and knew that I had plenty more race to go. So if he wanted to attack and waste energy, I was going to let him. At the end of the 5th lap we came in pretty close together, I headed out on my 6th lap unsure if he was in front of me or behind me. During the 6th and 7th lap, I had to fight cramping a couple of times and went into conservation mode. I got so thirsty one time that I almost stopped and drank from a water bottle on the side of the trail. I managed to get more electrolytes into me, eat a bit more and get an extra bottle the next time in the pit and I continued at my pace, calculating how quick my last laps needed to be so that I would make the time cut at 4 PM. See the photos below for the conclusion.
Mitch ended up having a mechanical on his 5th lap (broken chain) which seemed to be quite common, I would imagine b/c of the frequent stream crossing that were following by leg searing short climbs that caught you in the wrong gear trying to shift under great pressure. Mitch hadn't discovered that he needed to carry a multi-tool with him during a race but I feel very confident that at the next race he will have a multi-tool and a master link or two in his back pocket. As it turns out. A guy came by Mitch and asked if he needed any help. Mitch told him that he had broken his chain, the guy gave Mitch his chain tool and then just decided to stay and help him fix it. Unfortunately, they needed a master link. So a short period of time later, which I am sure felt like a millennium, good ole Dave Muse comes by with a master link. TRAIL MAGIC that be!!!! Thanks Dave. Yet another example of why mtn bikers are so fun to be around. Mitch finished his 5th lap limping b/c his front der had gotten twisted during the chain break. If not I believe he may have had time to go out for a 6 the lap!!!!!! Good ride Mitch.
I am going to post this now but will be back later to complete the story of Meat on Your Grill. Don't worry Palmer, I didn't forget about you.
UPDATED TRAIL MAP
Click HERE for an updated trail map.
Unofficially the trail is 6.7 miles. We're working on a more defined map and marking of the trail. Yes, the flagging tape will be coming down soon.
There's still some work left to do. The firebreaks are ride-able but soft. A few more rains followed by sun and riding will firm them up quickly. The transitions from trail to firebreak are soft and steep and need to be smoothed out. The new section on philema heading to the boat dock will chatter your teeth but has and actual CLIMB in it. The newer section in the east corner needs a little TLC to smooth it out.
Please continue to be conscious of park rules and park habitat. Start rides at either the 1)boat dock or 2) BMX track. Let's discontinue parking at the chimney since it better serves picnicing and fishing visitors. Leave it better than you found it and don't take advantage of a good thing.
But it's HERE and RIDE-ABLE so ENJOY!
We will be having a MASS work-day soon for anyone who would like to pitch in.
Unofficially the trail is 6.7 miles. We're working on a more defined map and marking of the trail. Yes, the flagging tape will be coming down soon.
There's still some work left to do. The firebreaks are ride-able but soft. A few more rains followed by sun and riding will firm them up quickly. The transitions from trail to firebreak are soft and steep and need to be smoothed out. The new section on philema heading to the boat dock will chatter your teeth but has and actual CLIMB in it. The newer section in the east corner needs a little TLC to smooth it out.
Please continue to be conscious of park rules and park habitat. Start rides at either the 1)boat dock or 2) BMX track. Let's discontinue parking at the chimney since it better serves picnicing and fishing visitors. Leave it better than you found it and don't take advantage of a good thing.
But it's HERE and RIDE-ABLE so ENJOY!
We will be having a MASS work-day soon for anyone who would like to pitch in.
Progress is GOOD!!!
If you visited the Chehaw trail this week you probably noticed that the fire-breaks had been plowed, which is a temporary inconvenience but a necessity for the prescribed burns that ultimately make the park so appealing and diverse.
So . . . take a negative and make a positive.
After some work last weekend, this week, and a little help from the boys yesterday we have added THREE new sections and started the FOURTH. The added single track not only adds mileage but eliminates the need for some of the fire-break. We will continue to keep the breaks open for an alternative, but the more trail the better.
Our preliminary measurements bring the total mileage to 6.2 miles.
Epiphany: The Billy Goat Outback brush trimmer is the BOMB! I feel like an idiot after spending so much time and effort bush whacking with an old-school sling blade. Billy Goat + Muscle = Instant trail.
Due to a design flaw and an untimely cable break, I will have the Billy Goat again this weekend. The plan is to finish section FOUR Sunday. Coach Calhoun has volunteered to come out with his 4-wheeler and drag the firebreaks for us. With the edition of this section we should make it over the 7 Mile mark.
So . . . take a negative and make a positive.
After some work last weekend, this week, and a little help from the boys yesterday we have added THREE new sections and started the FOURTH. The added single track not only adds mileage but eliminates the need for some of the fire-break. We will continue to keep the breaks open for an alternative, but the more trail the better.
Our preliminary measurements bring the total mileage to 6.2 miles.
Epiphany: The Billy Goat Outback brush trimmer is the BOMB! I feel like an idiot after spending so much time and effort bush whacking with an old-school sling blade. Billy Goat + Muscle = Instant trail.
Due to a design flaw and an untimely cable break, I will have the Billy Goat again this weekend. The plan is to finish section FOUR Sunday. Coach Calhoun has volunteered to come out with his 4-wheeler and drag the firebreaks for us. With the edition of this section we should make it over the 7 Mile mark.
T.B.A.
PREPARE YOURSELF. Changes are afoot.
2011 SGC
Some things change . . . some things stay the same.
2011 SGC
Some things change . . . some things stay the same.
WHAT's HAPPENING
Several things going on that deserves attention:
#1 - Breakaway Cycles is having their GRAND OPENING / Ribbon Cutting at 4:30 on January 13th. After the ribbon cutting and group picture, there will be a meet and greet session with COLD, ADULT BEVERAGES. Gene would like all team-members to be in kit for the photo.
#2 - The Chehaw trail is officially open. Come out and enjoy 5 miles of Chehaw that you've never experienced before. The trail is marked with pink and orange ribbon. Click here for Trail Info and a Trail Map.
#3 - IDIDARIDE is just around the corner which will officially kick 2011 off for SGC. (January 22nd) Seven SGC members will be among the 400 preregistered participants for 53 miles of off-road riding.
#4 - The first 6-hr event of the year is in FEBRUARY at Heritage Park. Starting the year off early!
The SGC calendar will be updated soon with all of the XC, Endurance, and Xterra events.
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