FORD #1

Design Physics Racing headed up north for great day of duathalon racing. The sky was clear and the temperature was mild. Representing the team Lisa, Paul and myself (Joe).

The team represented the Richmond area with some solid finishes, Lisa 3rd and Paul 2nd in their respected categories, and I took the overall win. Big thanks to FredEvents and all the others that make these events happen.

Entering into the FORD I was fully confident in my fitness but was unsure what the competition would be like.

The race started with a hard pace, I concentrated on staying within my comfort zone not worrying about small gaps opening up. I finished fourth off the first run and figure I had two racers to worry about since the leader was racing in shorts and a tee-shirt I was sure to put big time on the MTB.

The bike portion went great except for a small crash. I past all three ahead of me within the first mile or so and recognized my main competition was one other racer (who I never got his name).

The effort wasn't easy but wasn't too hard either and I felt like the race was mine. At the end of the MTB portion I was in the lead by around 5 minutes over second.

The second run went well overall and at the finish I added around another minute on second place.

Another great day of offroad racing!

Saturday, Jim Fisher and I represented the team for the Ridge the Ridge Race put on by the Blue Ridge School. (And Mason gets honorable mention as a teammate by blood relation). I could tell it two ways:

A) I got 2nd in Sport Women!
B) I got last in Sport Women!

Both would be correct as there were only two sport women riders. Well, three if you count High School Sport but I think that is pushing it as far as biasing my results. Results are here.

But regardless, it was a blast! The last time I did this race was in 2010, after it had rained all morning. It had been muddy, wet, and slippery. This time, although it had rained in the Richmond area, it was dry in Dyke Virginia. The trails, when they were not uphill, were fast. In 2010 I remember walking A LOT over the rocks, and uphills that I would normally be able to do, slipping on roots and having to get off and try to restart. This time it went a lot more smoothly. Either I have gotten better or it was because the trails were dryer, or both but either way I walked a lot less so that felt good. There were still a few sections where the rocks were too big for me to handle but that is good it keeps you striving to improve. Also new this year were some professionally cut trails- reminded me of some of those quick rollers at the Tidewater Challenge- they were super fun. You didn’t even have to try to catch some air. I wondered what it would be like going at expert speed on those things. The climbing was killer, as Tony Brown said at the start of the race- “You’ll know you raced in the Blue Ridge”.

I heard Mason put the other teen boys to shame. Most of them were racing High School Beginner so only had to do one lap. After Mason went through for her second lap, one of the fathers sent his son back out to do another lap.

Overall I was impressed with how well the race was organized, trail markings, etc. I will definitely be back. All proceeds went to a good cause, World Bicycle Relief.

Dragon's Tale: The Singlespeed Perspective

David, Jeff and I headed up to the 2012 4th annual Dragon's Tale in New Castle, VA, put on by Chris Scott of Shenandoah Mountain Touring. The day started with a 4 a.m wake up call, followed by meeting David and Jeff at the Rockville park n' ride. After a couple of pit stops, we rolled into the parking lot about an hour or so  before the start. We got our packets and did the usual pre race necessities. David and Jeff both rode their 29ers with their "fancy" suspension parts and gears. I opted to kick it old school and ride a rigid singlespeed. I rode a 34x21 gear ratio, which felt pretty good considering all the climbing that we had in store. The race started at 10 a.m with a neutral roll out through downtown New Castle. Once we hit the gravel the race began and the big boys hit hard. The first part of the race is about 9 miles of fire road with deep creek crossing and slight elevation changes. The second or third creek crossing was very deep, so I decided to walk it, not wanting to be that guy to fall completely into the creek, trying to ride it. Sure enough, another rider comes flying by, then comes to an abrubt stop and takes alittle swim. Being on a single speed, I can only go but so fast on the flat stuff without blowing up due to my lack of big gear inches. Geared riders came whizzing by left and right, while was I stuck spinning away. Once the road started to go up and down more often, I caught many of those geared riders who blow by me. Toward the end of the fireroad I caught Mike Boyes (Athens Bicycle, masters rider and usually rocks a singlespeed but today was riding gears) who accidently forced me into a rutted gully, I didn't crash, so no harm no foul. After catching him again he graciously apologized and we chatted for a bit. Finally we got to the Grouse trail, the start of the singletrack and big time climbing. Mike made the start official with a "Woooooohhhh it's f!@#ing on baby!" When riding a singlespeed on the road or gravel you spin really fast but as soon as you hit anything that points up your cadence slows to a minimum. Once I hit the first significant steep grade, I got off a walked to give the legs a rest from the  slow grinding. I watched my geared friends go by spinning like mad in their granny gear. Mike came by me once more yelling as he rode away "Aint a g@# damn thing wrong with walking, aint a g@# damn thing wrong with it." I got back on and grinded it up to the top of the ridge walking the tight switchbacks and the steeper sections. Towards the top I was caught by local Sue Haywood (Stan's Notubes), who almost fell right on top of me, by slipping on the gnarly swichbacks. At the top she took off on her four stroke dirt bike, never to be seen again. I rolled down the deer trail which is a super fast descent where I passed fellow Richmonder, beer drinker and good guy, Metro Williams (Bikeman). At  the base of the descent I hit aid station 1. I got some fig newtons, topped off my bottles and started to feel my grove coming back(thanks to everyone at the aid stations you guys rocked!). I began my second assault on the Grouse trail,  this time riding much more, thanks to the pacing of  a rider from the Potomac Velo club (sorry I forgot your name). Towards the top I ran into another singlespeeder, who was none other than Montana Miller. Montana is a super strong rider and when I caught him I knew something was wrong. I finally reached the ridge and rolled with Montana for a little bit longer. The ridge was  rocky and steep at points. Often I would ride maybe 50 to 75% of a hill then walk the rest. After about 30 minutes of riding the ridge Montana asked where the bailout option was, at that point I think he blew up. I told him he could go down the turkey trail, take a right on the fire road and run into Aid Station 2 .Turns out Montana didn't ride far enough down to Aid 2 and ended up riding almost as much, as in the actually race. Feel bad for the dude felt like him getting slightly lost was almost my fault. Sorry Man! Hope to run into you again, next time you'll crush me. 

Anyways, the ridge was very exposed at spots and I could feel the sun beating down on me. Not to mention I was getting cramps in my thighs and calfs. It was even getting hard to walk at times due to the steepness of the trail and my cramps. In the car ride down David told me "After the power lines, it gets tougher with three soul crushing climbs." I finally made it to the powerlines, which was a pretty small feat in its self. I was thinking David is full of it, no way anything can be harder than what I just did. Well go figure David was right and soul crushing was a nice way of putting those last three climbs. After the hike-a-bikes from hell, I finally made it into Aid 2. At that point I was cooked and wanted out. I sat in the shade for a couple of minutes and started to get my head together again and decided to press on  Out of Aid 2 I  began the first of the last two major climbs of the day. I walked all of it but did out hike 3 people. The top of the Ferrier trail is pretty rocky, with a fast descent, that leads into a  couple of dried out creek crossings. Finally I reached Licking Branch trail witch is the last climb of the day. Again I walked all of it but did manage to once again out hike 2 other people, that's something to be proud of I guess? The descent down Licking Branch is awesome, straight and super fast. At the bottom of the descent you pop out onto the pavement for the last 3 miles or so to the finish. Up ahead of me I saw a guy spinning like crazy, which could only mean one thing, SINGLESPEEDER! I spun as fast I could to catch and pass him about a mile before the finish. While the race doesn't have a singlespeed category, I still wanted to beat him, it's a race right? Finally I make it back to the parking lot and ride under the finishing banner. I look over at the time and I'm surprised to see 5:30 on the clock, which completely blows away my expectations. David and Jeff come by and tell me, that a boy. I was the 4th singlespeeder out  of about 8, not too shabby. All and all I've never been in so much pain but I've never had that much fun either. Awesome people, trails and race. 

Congrats to Cheryl Sornson (Team CF) for the women's win and to Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale Factory Racing) for absolutely destroying the men division in 3:36, are you kidding me!? You are so fast it's scary man! Also to my Teammates David (4:22) and Jeff (4:40) who rode super strong out there, way to go guys. Thanks to Chris Scott and his supporters  for putting on the race, Honey Stinger for keeping me alive out there and Industry Nine for making bulletproof wheels.  

Check out the video with me and Metro.  

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=264419600314823

2012 O'Hill Race

The 2012 edition of O'Hill saw four DP riders suit up to take on the trails.  Jimmy Fisher, Sonya, Shannon & Lisa were all on hand to represent.  Once again, the race was dominated by Blue Ridge Cyclery as they are the promoters of the race.  Shawn always does a great job of putting on races.  Straight out of the gate, DP notched its first two wins of the season.  Sonya won sport women and Shannon won beginner women.  Lisa had an auto shifting bike which is not conducive to climbing up all the hills.  Jimmy was coming off 4 days of an upset stomach so he was just out for the ride.  Of course Mason was racing as well.  First race of the season and she crashed in the first turn.  It was pretty unforgiving due to all the rocks she landed on...  All in all it was a great day to be on the trails and I feel we represented nicely.  More people should make it out to this race, it is a lot of fun and pretty challenging. 

Mason's favorite way of warming up these days... she loves the cross bike!

Jimmy setting the MAN SIZE watch...

and they are off... is that Jimmy & Sonya behind the kids???

This is so easy I can take time to wave and still win.

watch those rocks this time around...

unfortunately we would see Lisa walking back a few minutes later...

Climb, climb, climb

Jimmy making it look easy.

All smiles on top of the hill

The KID making it look easier than it really is.  I spy Shannon about to win her race.

Jimmy rolling

Second victory of the season for DPR

Kid Mason finishing up with blood dripping

It must not hurt too bad with a smile like that...

Season Kickoff Party at Moshi Moshi

Awesome team party at Moshi Moshi. What great sponsors we have!! The prizes for the BTS series were handed out as were the kits. Man, the kits are rockin this year, huge thanks to Sattler Creative for coming up with the design. Also wanted to thank Mark from Run Ride Race, Fruit 66, Pasture, ByeKyle and Design Physics for supplying the cool BTS prizes. Also wanted to thank Giant Bicycles and Stijl Cycles for coming out to support our event. Now take a look at the pics of us having a great time, make sure you're there next time!!

2012 Southern Cross

It is hard to believe that it had been a year since we made our last trip down to Georgia when we (me & Mason) were introduced to Southern Cross.  Mason was super excited to be making the return trip and try her hand at the 50 mile course.  We loaded up the bikes and left the snow covered ground of Richmond.    

The girls played in the snow until 10pm knowing we were booking out first thing in the morning.

We did make one pit stop on the way down at Industry Nine, one of our new sponsors for 2012.  I got some new wheels for my 29er and Mason got some i25SL's for her cross bike.  Being that Mason is only 12, we left the cross bike at home and opted for her mountain bike, the Giant Anthem Advanced instead - well aware of the climbing that awaited us.

We are going to make it on time t his year!

This year we actually arrived on time and did not get turned around heading to the winery.  It was cool because at registration Namrita remembered Mason from last year.  Once we registered, we drove down to park the car and pulled up next to the default tandem winners.  They were gracious enough to take our picture and we returned the favor.

Where are your sleeves little girl???

Then we headed for the start line.  Maybe next year we will get there early enough to actually get a decent spot on the line.  We must have, once again, been one of the last five people to ride up...

End of the line for you KID!

But wait...  who do we see straight out of RVA....  METRO!  Stopped and chatted with him, never left that spot, which was good for a mid-pack start.  He was also turned into Kegman at the last run up late in the day.

Metro is a favorite at all our cross races.

Then the start was on, we were all funneled through the start chute which was like 10 feet wide.  I wanted to ride around it since I was not officially registered, just making sure Mason made her way around the course safely.  I chose not to since I figured it might freak some people out - like I was skipping the start.  We found ourselves winding through the winery in similar fashion to the previous year.  This year there was a tree down which would have been easy enough to hop over, but it would have been downright treacherous with all the people around.  As we made our way to the first run up, the hill looked crowded and I told Mason to slow a bit and create a small gap so she could shoot the bottom hill before settling in to climb rather than push.  She almost made it, put a foot down at the top of the bank and two half pedal strokes later she was riding up the hill.

This has to be my favorite picture of Mason on a bike to date.  Awesome shot Weldon!

She ended up making it around half way up before being stopped by the tufted pasture grass.  I almost ran over the camera guy on the right as I blazed a trail up the hill passing quite a few people and getting a few cheers along the way.  Unlike last year, we were not DFL by the time Mason made it to the top of the run/ride up.  We even got to ride with people on the road and take advantage of some drafting!  Then the road turned up and Mason's day started to go downhill...

So far so good...

A whole lotta climbing left...

Mason was having one of those days where she just could not get it going.  She kept saying that she knew she was going slow but there was nothing she could do about it.  Sometimes that is just how it goes.   Mason being the billy goat that she is, did ride all the way up to the aid station, though.  That was a goal set last year after she walked about 300 yards of the steepest pitch.  This year she got bucked off once, but got back on and kept riding all the way to the top.  I could not tell if it was the physical or emotional challenge that was getting to her.  I suspect it was more mental as that girl is very strong.  

Just another beautiful day riding.

Wow, I do not remember it being this difficult and by the way 'dad' stop taking pictures of me all the time...

Well we finally did make it up to the aid station, got some refills, ate a little food and went on our way.  We were immediately met by a few riders coming at us.  I was not sure if they were dropping out of the race or what.  It was a bit unnerving though.  So this is now the best part of the day for us.  We are just about to top out the climb when Mason is letting me know over and over again how cold she is.  She also informs me that she left her armwarmers in the car.  Yeah, when she aid she had her arm warmers and I said 'well then you only need your vest' it was taken as all you need is your vest so leave the arm warmers in the car.  Will not make that mistake again...  So I proceeded to give Mason my long sleeve jersey (because that is what dads do) and she gave me her vest.  Awesome trade!  So now she is nice and warm and I am riding around like Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Juevos Epstein (yeah, sweathog Epstein) with the full on sleeveless look for the rest of the ride.  If I did not have the Verge base layer that my good friend Greg Wittwer had given me the week before, I would have really froze.  As it was, the rest of the day was pretty darn cold.  Once we had a chance to hit the descent, the day started to turn around for Mason.  We were railing it all the way down to the pavement.  It was a blast and we hit the road in the big ring and were finally nailing it trying to make up some time.  Then we started going up again, up to the aid station we had just left.  The climb was not nearly as difficult as the first climb and we knew we were home free once we hit the aid station since we covered that portion last year.  A few rollers, a couple decent pitches and some really fast downhills before hitting the pavement back to the winery.  Ahhhhhhhhhh, but I am getting ahead of myself.  About a mile from the aid station, we were greeted by the dredded sweeper car!  After a minute or two, it was decided that we would finish the climb and decide what to do at the top.  Once we got to the top, the car was already packed with no room for us so we decided to keep riding until they could come back and get us.  This worked out good since we got to go full tilt down the mountain again.  One of Mason's highlights was passing an SUV on the way down the mountain - we were screaming.  Best I can tell, we got picked up right around the 40 mile mark.  It was never a question about whether we could finish, we just did not have the legs to keep pace with the aggressive cut-off times.  At least we got to ride more while they took some other people back.  While Mason technically did not finish ahead of anyone, she did ride farther than some.  All in all it was another great day on the bike and Mason was all smiles when it was over.

How can you be happy sitting in the back of the sweeper car... really doubting whether she is my daughter... hahaha

Chillin post race at the winery.

I am still amazed at the people Mason knows through cycling.  We were hanging out waiting for food when Chris Merriam walks up and starts talking to Mason.  Seems they hung out in the pits up at Charm City Cross while Mason was with Fred Wittwer pitting for Greg.  Come to find out he also parked next to us at DCCX.  Small world when people recognize you from mid atlantic racing down in Georgia.  Of course there was Metro (aka kegman) and a couple other people who remembered Mason from last year.  It really makes her feel welcome even though she is so young.  We are already planning our trip back next year and being 13 equals not being a kid anymore.  So we will be working on our Southern Cross fitness in order to make sure we are far ahead of the sweeper car...

Thanks again to Namrita & Eddie for putting on a great event.

Special thanks to River City Womens Racing for their support of Mason as well.

Industry Nine

Last week I had the opportunity to stop by a little piece of heaven otherwise known as Industry Nine in Asheville NC.  We were on our way down to Southern Cross and it seemed like a perfect detour.  Stop by, introduce myself to one of our newest and certainly most high profile sponsor pick ups of 2012.  Shout out to Jesse Leadbetter for hooking us up with those guys!  You cannot miss the place with the Wheel Tree.

Best business sign ever.

We snuck in a back door which just might have been the front door.  The instant I opened the door, I knew we were in the right place.  Pure BLING everywhere!  A few guys chillin, making up the best wheels around.  I took a quick tour and met a few guys before making my way back to the Pot-O-Gold to take a look at my wheels.  I spied a special order getting ready to ship out...sweet!

Special delivery for Mr. Plassman!

My wheels were even sweeter than I thought they were going to be, I was super stoked.

Awesome

DOUBLE order of awesome.

Mason got a set of i25SL wheels and they are super bling, of course.  Blue hub, green nipples and they are sick light!  1200 grams of pure goodness.  It was like Christmas morning for her, smile from ear to ear.  Her cross bike is ridiculously light anyway, but now it is just plain silly.

Like Christmas morning!

Yeah - Joni took this picture...

Look up man, look up!

Bling

... and more Bling

We followed up with an obligatory trip to the Biltmore House.  As an architect I really enjoy seeing the house and grounds.  The basement is still my favorite part, I love seeing the original model of the house and some of the original drawings.  Super cool.  Plus the pool totally reminds me of the one on the Queen Mary.

A handful of days later we would be toeing the line at Southern Cross, but that is for another post.

Thanks again to Jesse for hooking us up.

Monster Cross!

Some of the Design Physics squad geared up and took to Pocahontas State Park for the inaugural Monster Cross race this past Sunday. David Reid and myself rolled up in style on our bikes to intimidate the competition. This strategy had no effect whatsoever on our opponents but the chilly ride loosened up the legs a bit and got them ready for a long day in the saddle.

Once the race promoters figured out how to get 400 people organized in the starting area the race started. The start was a bit chaotic with lots of riders making their bid for the lead group. I'm not sure even the motorcycle rider leading us out knew where we were going.

Eventually we all found our way to the race course without any major incidents. The group contained some familiar faces and some unknown to me. It was encouraging to have an ally, David, in the group with me. I struggled early finding a smooth line to follow on the cross bike, kudos to the Giant's wheel, tire and tire pressure setup because I nailed some rocks, roots and even a stump while following mostly mountain bikers who just floated over any obstructions.

The main group single filed the new bridge crossing over the creek when the first major attack happened. The pace up the following climb was blistering, so much so I even had to feather the brakes around what would normally be just a slight bend on the climb. By the time the pace dropped back off I looked back and no one was there, like really no one. This is were my ally David and I parted ways. But wait who's that, it's Greg Wittwer! It's on now!

The race was super fun after that. I don't believe anyone even noticed me in the group of 12-15 and I just hung back for awhile. By around the half way point the attacks came and came hard. Most attacks came with questionable tactics from the Harley team duo. One rider would get to the front to pace then block while the other attacked. This is were I made my presence known and personally reeled in most attacks. While this all happened the group thinned out. Eventually my new found ally, Greg, disappeared.

The group now containing 7 riders blazed into the second and final lap. Both Harley team riders had tire issues shortly into the final lap and disappeared. This made me happy, it also left me alone with 4 (very fast!) mountain bikers. These four I knew all to well. But wait, who's that? It's Greg Wittwer back again! Greg, without a moments rest, attacks again. Once we reel him back I think he was ready to sit back for a while. Around this time the 6 of us got organized and formed a pretty efficient pace line to reel in the solo leader. Funny thing is I never even knew there was a solo leader 'til then. After all the attacks and pace changes I was not surprised someone could stay away, but the way we were going now he wouldn't stand much of a chance, would he?

After dropping Greg again the group continued on. We received time gaps from people along the course, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 1/2 minutes.... We were catching him, but was it fast enough? Well, I wouldn't be there to find out as I was unable to keep their wheels with less than 5 miles to the finish. The newly added rooty field section on the course was my demise. I had to take a different line than the mtb's due to roots, in addition, I got hit with a nasty head wind and could not get back on their wheels. By that time the pace was flat out, short and hard pulls by all. Slowly the group disappeared and I made my way to the finish lonely with thoughts of what could've been.

Great race!

BTS Winding Down

Check the current standings as the series is winding down.  There is some cool swag up for grabs.

The preme winners from a week ago are:
Thom Flynn
Plassmido
Joe 'PRO' Fish
Toddy G

I have a 6 pack of Fruit 66 for each of you.  Good job on getting out there and training during our brutal winter...

BTS #26, West Creek

Well what a beautiful night for a night ride, with a large Design Physics crowd.

It started off a little shaky- in the parking lot before the ride I was showing David my new Industry Nine i30 wheels. He astutely noticed the front wheel was flat as flat can be. He asked if I needed help and I said “I’ll try it”. (He was having flashbacks of that flat I had last winter in the same parking lot, where he changed my tire in 25 degree weather and froze his fingers off. ) So I struggled to get the tire over the rim for about 5 minutes then sheepishly asked him for help, again. He very nicely changed the tire. I think I owe him some cookies at this point?

So the group started off. There were:

Myself (Sonya)
David Reid
Jeff Plassman
Todd Green
Jason Broussard
Thom Flynn
Shannon Bush
Joe Fish
Jim Fisher

The group eventually settled into a single-file pace line, going at a good clip. I was struggling on the hills to keep up but was staying with them ok. Then at about 2.5 laps into the ride, an attack happened, then someone’s wheel overlapped. Todd and I backed off (well ok, maybe he did, I don’t think I could have kept up anyway). We eventually caught up to Shannon and Jim. Todd pulled off to take a phone call I think, then Jim, Shannon and I got into a nice rhythm doing a revolving paceline. That was going fine and then at the 180 degree turn after the start of lap 3, my front wheel flatted again, luckily I didn’t crash as my bike felt like it had a mind of its own. Everyone offered to help me change it which was nice, but at this point I thought I’d call it a night and look for the culprit of the flats at home in the light. Shannon nicely rode next to me as I walked back to the car.

So on the drive home it started sprinkling, I wondered if my teammates were getting wet and getting bonus points…