Most of the DP stayed local and did Junkerman's race at Camp Hilbert on Saturday. With work on Saturday I opted to travel out to Blacksburg and race the Dirty Dawg. A few things had me worried about the race, one that I had to race expert men on my Singlespeed and two I had no idea what to expect about the course. The location for the course is at Mountain Lake (Yes, where the filmed Dirty Dancing!) high up on a mountain, right on the West Virginia border. The expert men field was pretty big with 35 riders. With such a big field I knew the start was going to critical. We started on a gravel road and sprinted through the field with the barn and timing table. I go outside on the first turn and lose about 12 positions and head into the singletrack about 30th. The first bit of singletrack is a ripping downhill but not to ripping when you're behind half the field. Half way down I pass Gordon Wadsworth who has already flatted a mile into the race. Finally we hit hill and all of the geared riders shift into granny gear, I just jump off and run by 5 or 6 riders, almost taking out Laura Hamm in the process. Sorry! After traffic thinned out and I was able to catch others riders on the fireroad climbs. Also for a first time I was making up time on the downhills (Thanks for the schooling Plassman). Finally I reached the intersection of the extra expert loop and the regular course. Now this is where things get weird, expert riders have to do the loop once but can choose which lap they complete it on. I opted to get it out of the way on the first lap. It started with a fairly long steep gravel climb after this things got hairy. After turning off the gravel load there was fast descent with loose shale rock gardens. Then there was steep rocky doubletrack climb that I walked good share off. Finally we hit the last trail Moonstomper. The trail was rocky, really rocky. Some of the nastiest stuff I've ever ridden. The rocks were numerous, slick and jagged. Also it didn't help that somebody in front of me keep dabbing causing me to lose a bit of my flow every 200ft. Then the last bit of trail shot straight down and was rocky as hell. I just held on and tired not to die. I finally came to one section with a big drop with sketchy entrance, that I just said "Nope that's it, there is my limit." Still an awesome bit of trail. Finally I rejoined the list bit of the regular loop. For my next two laps I just stay on top of it and rode hard. I didn't see anymore expert riders for my last two laps. I came into the finish expecting about 20th or so. Then I looked over at the board and what.... I got 10th. Kirby the promoter came over said "good job dude 10th overall 3rd single". All I could think "are you serious man!?" My best result of the year, hopefully this will carry over to next weekend for the Chimney Chase at Walnut Creek. Everybody should check out the trails at Mountain Lake and Kirby's other race at Pandapas Pond in october, right up the road. Hope to see everyone next weekend!
Results
Monday, July 23, 2012
Virginia Mountain Bike Super Series #3!!
I have little doubt that many of the participants didn’t realize they were participating in the new Virginia Mountain Bike Super Series, but alas you were. No longer contained to just Hilbert, this series is bound to take off. I for one am looking forward to it as Mark hosts a good grassroots type race that offers a lot of bang for the buck. I enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the Run Ride Race events.
The 3rd race of the series was held at the ever familiar Camp Hilbert
I was a bit skeptical when heading out to the venue as I drove through a downpour which would not have been fun to race in. Luckily we got lucky and this storm never made it to Hilbert and we were fortunate to have relatively moderate temperatures without the extreme humidity we have been experiencing. I’m glad I didn’t turn around and head back home as was my initial thought; I managed to lay down some of my best laps ever recorded at Hilbert in a direction that is the more difficult. It was nice to return to the top step of the podium and I give thanks to Michael Harlow at Endorphin Fitness for keeping my training on track this season. It has really made a difference. I also returned to the Stijl for this race after a quick tune up by Hinmaton last week, thanks for helping me out. I was worried of some slick roots after the rain we had gotten Friday night so ran a Rocket Ron on front with my (now standard) Racing Ralph on the rear. This turned out to be a great tire combination, man I like those Rocket Ron’s on the front.
We had a great team turnout with multiple podiums. I will try to list them below and you can find the full results here:
Sport Women
Sonya Richeson 1st
Expert Vet Men
Jeff Plassman 3rd
Tom Richeson 5th
Tom Richeson 5th
Sport Men (Young)
Matt Juaneza 2nd
Eric Bleecher 6th
Sport Vet Men
Jim Fisher 1st
Enduro Men
David Reid 1st
Mike King 5th
Congrats to all!!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tom and Sonya
I know this isn’t race related, but since we are teammates I thought it was team news worthy! I eloped with my best friend and teammate Tom Richeson last Thursday night 7/12/12. We got married on Wintergreen (Devil’s Knob) at an overlook.
Iron Mountain 100k
56 miles of grinding gravel climbs and tooth-rattling rocky descents.
I'd never ridden down in the Damascus area, but I will definitely be making return trips. The mountains are big and the trails are gnarly.
Joe Fish, Travis Williams (aka Metro), and myself made Paul Leeger drive us to Damascus on Saturday, where we stayed at the Hiker's Inn right in the middle of town just a few short blocks from the race start/finish.
We jumped on our bikes when we got there and headed up the Virginia Creeper Trail to spin out the legs.
The Creeper Trail is a rail-to-trail path that starts in Damascus and runs up into the mountains through rhododendrons and pine trees alongside a trout-filled, rushing stream.
It seems that all activity in Damascus centers around riding bicycles on the Creeper Trail and hiking on the Appalachian trail or on nearby Mt. Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia.
As we rolled back into town and off the Creeper Trail I realized my tire was rubbing the chainstay on every revolution of the wheel. We pulled out the spoke wrench and twisted a few nipples before realizing i had a broken spoke. No wonder the back end of the bike had been feeling so flexy the last few rides. Fortunately Travis had a spare spoke that fit and the wheel was ready to roll for the morning.
After picking up our packets we met up with Francine Rapp and Jennie Whedbie and hit Quincy's, one of only two restaurants in Damascus, for some glycogen building.
Race morning rolled around and Travis took a 45 minute shower. Then proceeded to explicitly describe exactly why it took him so long to get ready. If you know what I mean.
The race started with a lead-out through town and onto the Creeper Trail. Those with a chance of placing well took off and the Regular people bunched up, got in each others way and splashed mud and horseshit all over each other. The shenanigans continued as the race turned onto singletrack and went straight up a wet and rocky chute. The type of climb that takes some concentration to not pinball around and end up sideways. A lot of pushing and walking happened as it just took too much energy to pick through the rocks and all the people. My glasses fogged up and immediately and I couldn't see the trail anyways. I saw Paul stopping to put some air in his tires because bouncing around in the rocks had burped his rear tire nearly flat.
At the top of the first climb we turned onto some smoother, but still rough, ridgetop trail that was fast and fun. Francine, Paul and I ended up riding together for most of the first section to aid station 1.
The descent into aid station 1 was screaming fast and dropped us out onto several miles of paved road. At this point Francine took off and Paul dropped back. We saw each other again at Aid Station 2, but not again after that. The trails into aid station 2 were gnarly, rocky, slippery with leaves in spots, wet in spots, and of course real fun.
The aid stations were awesome. Station 2 was manned by a bunch of 50ish burly biker dudes making peanut butter sandwiches and handing out "pink hippie powder."
I rode by myself for most of the rest of the race. Up until the last 12 miles the ride consisted of long gravel climbs followed by fast technical singletrack descents, over and over. On the longest of the climbs I ended up alongside a girl from Asheville who ended up in the top 5. Riding along someone else helped me keep up pace and moral. This was one of the only parts of the race that was in the sun, adding to the beatdown.
I rolled up to the last aid station, downed some coke and pretzels and was told there only 12 miles to go.
That's only one lap around JRPS I thought, and headed out happy that I was going to finish this feeling good and without any major problems.
The last bit of trail was up and down on singletrack and some jeep trail, ending with a screaming fast, flowy, but loose and rocky descent with so many water crossings we might as well have been riding down the stream bed.
Right at the top of this last descent, I heard a rider come up fast behind me. I indicated that they should come around me if they wanted since they seemed to be feeling antsy to get to the finish line.
About 300 yards down the trail, he finally passed me and it was a guy out on his own ride, not racing, on a long travel bike, with no helmet, and he was out of sight immediately. I tried to keep up for about 3 seconds, but he knew the trail and was launching off things and plowing over rocks that the ol' Stijl doesn't have the suspension for.
I crossed the line and the lady at the table said "7:15."
Sweet, I was done. Longest race I'd ever completed. And maybe the longest distance I've ridden on a mountain bike in one day. The last day of the Colorado Trail tour was somewhere around 50 miles but took a lot longer than that, pushing 40 lbs of bike and gear over 12,000 ft peaks.
Joe and Francine were already chowing on cheeseburgers when I rolled into the park where the post-race festivities were held. Joe was already showered and had gotten a haircut. He had finished two hours earlier and came in 6th place overall.
Paul and Travis pulled up about 30 minutes later. Travis had somehow ended up off course and spent an hour riding down a paved road away from the race. His version of the detour involves 20 miles and 5,000 feet of extra climbing, and at least 3 beers drank before rejoining the race course.
Paul and Joe and I stayed at the Hiker's Inn a second night before heading to Blacksburg on Monday morning for a quick recovery ride and a massive breakfast at Gillies.
We only rode for 45 minutes on the Pandapas pond trails outside the 'Burg, but it was the most fun 45 minutes of riding i've done in a while. The descent down snakeroot trail is a buffed out, bermed roller coaster that flows so well you barely need brakes.
After another 3 hours in the car, we were back that the park and ride, and I got to go back to work, where I got berated by my boss wearing shorts and smelling bad.
Great trip, Great race. Wish I had some pictures.
I'd never ridden down in the Damascus area, but I will definitely be making return trips. The mountains are big and the trails are gnarly.
Joe Fish, Travis Williams (aka Metro), and myself made Paul Leeger drive us to Damascus on Saturday, where we stayed at the Hiker's Inn right in the middle of town just a few short blocks from the race start/finish.
We jumped on our bikes when we got there and headed up the Virginia Creeper Trail to spin out the legs.
The Creeper Trail is a rail-to-trail path that starts in Damascus and runs up into the mountains through rhododendrons and pine trees alongside a trout-filled, rushing stream.
It seems that all activity in Damascus centers around riding bicycles on the Creeper Trail and hiking on the Appalachian trail or on nearby Mt. Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia.
As we rolled back into town and off the Creeper Trail I realized my tire was rubbing the chainstay on every revolution of the wheel. We pulled out the spoke wrench and twisted a few nipples before realizing i had a broken spoke. No wonder the back end of the bike had been feeling so flexy the last few rides. Fortunately Travis had a spare spoke that fit and the wheel was ready to roll for the morning.
After picking up our packets we met up with Francine Rapp and Jennie Whedbie and hit Quincy's, one of only two restaurants in Damascus, for some glycogen building.
Race morning rolled around and Travis took a 45 minute shower. Then proceeded to explicitly describe exactly why it took him so long to get ready. If you know what I mean.
The race started with a lead-out through town and onto the Creeper Trail. Those with a chance of placing well took off and the Regular people bunched up, got in each others way and splashed mud and horseshit all over each other. The shenanigans continued as the race turned onto singletrack and went straight up a wet and rocky chute. The type of climb that takes some concentration to not pinball around and end up sideways. A lot of pushing and walking happened as it just took too much energy to pick through the rocks and all the people. My glasses fogged up and immediately and I couldn't see the trail anyways. I saw Paul stopping to put some air in his tires because bouncing around in the rocks had burped his rear tire nearly flat.
At the top of the first climb we turned onto some smoother, but still rough, ridgetop trail that was fast and fun. Francine, Paul and I ended up riding together for most of the first section to aid station 1.
The descent into aid station 1 was screaming fast and dropped us out onto several miles of paved road. At this point Francine took off and Paul dropped back. We saw each other again at Aid Station 2, but not again after that. The trails into aid station 2 were gnarly, rocky, slippery with leaves in spots, wet in spots, and of course real fun.
The aid stations were awesome. Station 2 was manned by a bunch of 50ish burly biker dudes making peanut butter sandwiches and handing out "pink hippie powder."
I rode by myself for most of the rest of the race. Up until the last 12 miles the ride consisted of long gravel climbs followed by fast technical singletrack descents, over and over. On the longest of the climbs I ended up alongside a girl from Asheville who ended up in the top 5. Riding along someone else helped me keep up pace and moral. This was one of the only parts of the race that was in the sun, adding to the beatdown.
I rolled up to the last aid station, downed some coke and pretzels and was told there only 12 miles to go.
That's only one lap around JRPS I thought, and headed out happy that I was going to finish this feeling good and without any major problems.
The last bit of trail was up and down on singletrack and some jeep trail, ending with a screaming fast, flowy, but loose and rocky descent with so many water crossings we might as well have been riding down the stream bed.
Right at the top of this last descent, I heard a rider come up fast behind me. I indicated that they should come around me if they wanted since they seemed to be feeling antsy to get to the finish line.
About 300 yards down the trail, he finally passed me and it was a guy out on his own ride, not racing, on a long travel bike, with no helmet, and he was out of sight immediately. I tried to keep up for about 3 seconds, but he knew the trail and was launching off things and plowing over rocks that the ol' Stijl doesn't have the suspension for.
I crossed the line and the lady at the table said "7:15."
Sweet, I was done. Longest race I'd ever completed. And maybe the longest distance I've ridden on a mountain bike in one day. The last day of the Colorado Trail tour was somewhere around 50 miles but took a lot longer than that, pushing 40 lbs of bike and gear over 12,000 ft peaks.
Joe and Francine were already chowing on cheeseburgers when I rolled into the park where the post-race festivities were held. Joe was already showered and had gotten a haircut. He had finished two hours earlier and came in 6th place overall.
Paul and Travis pulled up about 30 minutes later. Travis had somehow ended up off course and spent an hour riding down a paved road away from the race. His version of the detour involves 20 miles and 5,000 feet of extra climbing, and at least 3 beers drank before rejoining the race course.
Paul and Joe and I stayed at the Hiker's Inn a second night before heading to Blacksburg on Monday morning for a quick recovery ride and a massive breakfast at Gillies.
We only rode for 45 minutes on the Pandapas pond trails outside the 'Burg, but it was the most fun 45 minutes of riding i've done in a while. The descent down snakeroot trail is a buffed out, bermed roller coaster that flows so well you barely need brakes.
After another 3 hours in the car, we were back that the park and ride, and I got to go back to work, where I got berated by my boss wearing shorts and smelling bad.
Great trip, Great race. Wish I had some pictures.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Fight For Freedom Race, Williamsburg, VA
HOT! That about sums up the day. When I got home from the race, the thermometer under our deck, in the shade, read that the maximum temperature for the day was 101. Who was foolhardy enough to race in that heat? Sonya Gagnon, Byron Gonzalez, Thomas Flynn, Mike King, and Matt Juaneza. Wahoo!
I was glad though to be able to support Richmond Cycling Corps and their cause.
My race wasn’t until 11:30 but I got there early to pre-ride the course since I hadn’t been to Freedom Park before. I wasn’t sure if that was smart due to the amount of water I lost just from pre-riding, but I made sure to hydrate frequently. Because I was early I got to see Byron start his Beginner men’s race.
There were 4 of us in my Sport women’s race. There was a downhill start on a fireroad before a sharp right hole shot into the single track. I was able to get in the woods first, with my (friendly) nemesis of 2012 Emily Croft on my wheel. (Just turned 14 and she usually kicks my butt? What?) I could see/hear the other two women close behind. As we kept riding, soon it was just Emily left on my wheel. A couple miles into the race, Emily called out to me that she had dropped her water bottle. I was thinking oh no, in this heat, that’s not good at all. I yelled to her to let me know if she started feeling dizzy. The place where the water station was, was about 4 miles on. We kept riding, and I made sure I could always hear Emily behind me. The heat was oppressive, even the draft created from moving through the air was hot, it felt like riding in an oven. After a few miles Emily yelled out that her energy level was dropping fast, she was getting weak, so I stopped and had her drink from my camel back. We went on, and finally got to the water station. I yelled out to her Dad that she needed electrolytes then went on my way without worrying about her anymore. I honestly thought she’d hydrate and still be able to catch up with me because she’s so fast, but it turns out she decided to end her race because she was too far in the negative with dehydration. But of course I didn’t know that so for the whole race I pushed hard thinking she might catch me any second. Towards the end I could feel my body slowing down, but the other girls didn’t catch me.
I loved the trails! No obstacles just really tight singletrack. Very narrow (caught my bars on a tree once) and constantly either going up, going down, or turning. A very fun course.
After I got back to my car I felt worse than during the race, I could hardly stand up straight and was seeing small black stars in my vision. Got myself to the air conditioned visitor center and hung out there for about 45 minutes.
Final results showed myself as 1st in Sport Women, Byron 1st in Beginner Men, Mike 8th and Matt 9th in enduro (kudos to anyone who did enduro in that heat), and Tom 9th in Sport Men 35+.
My race wasn’t until 11:30 but I got there early to pre-ride the course since I hadn’t been to Freedom Park before. I wasn’t sure if that was smart due to the amount of water I lost just from pre-riding, but I made sure to hydrate frequently. Because I was early I got to see Byron start his Beginner men’s race.
There were 4 of us in my Sport women’s race. There was a downhill start on a fireroad before a sharp right hole shot into the single track. I was able to get in the woods first, with my (friendly) nemesis of 2012 Emily Croft on my wheel. (Just turned 14 and she usually kicks my butt? What?) I could see/hear the other two women close behind. As we kept riding, soon it was just Emily left on my wheel. A couple miles into the race, Emily called out to me that she had dropped her water bottle. I was thinking oh no, in this heat, that’s not good at all. I yelled to her to let me know if she started feeling dizzy. The place where the water station was, was about 4 miles on. We kept riding, and I made sure I could always hear Emily behind me. The heat was oppressive, even the draft created from moving through the air was hot, it felt like riding in an oven. After a few miles Emily yelled out that her energy level was dropping fast, she was getting weak, so I stopped and had her drink from my camel back. We went on, and finally got to the water station. I yelled out to her Dad that she needed electrolytes then went on my way without worrying about her anymore. I honestly thought she’d hydrate and still be able to catch up with me because she’s so fast, but it turns out she decided to end her race because she was too far in the negative with dehydration. But of course I didn’t know that so for the whole race I pushed hard thinking she might catch me any second. Towards the end I could feel my body slowing down, but the other girls didn’t catch me.
I loved the trails! No obstacles just really tight singletrack. Very narrow (caught my bars on a tree once) and constantly either going up, going down, or turning. A very fun course.
After I got back to my car I felt worse than during the race, I could hardly stand up straight and was seeing small black stars in my vision. Got myself to the air conditioned visitor center and hung out there for about 45 minutes.
Final results showed myself as 1st in Sport Women, Byron 1st in Beginner Men, Mike 8th and Matt 9th in enduro (kudos to anyone who did enduro in that heat), and Tom 9th in Sport Men 35+.
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