Random BTS gathering #1

Random meeting of Design Physics riders, an impromptu promotion to ride leader, and I got hit by animals again!

Every six weeks I have to carry the “on call” phone for work. I develop software that supports many business functions of a large retailer. So in order to make sure there is someone to fix something if it breaks we have a support phone that alerts us when problems need fixing. You never know when problems are going to happen.

This means I need to stay close to my car and my laptop. It really puts a damper on any scheduled bike riding such as races or team rides since I can’t commit to either when I have the phone. No me gusta.

I had the phone this week and had to miss Wednesday’s BTS ride and Toddy G rode away with double points!

I would have liked to lead a ride this weekend, but I could not commit to it because I did not know what was going to happen with the “phone”.

When I’m on call I usually ride alone, at a park where I can stay close to my car and laptop. So today I headed to poor farm again to ride the trail sections that dry out well.

As I unloaded my bike and geared up, I noticed a group of riders on the other side of the parking lot. I saw several kits I recognized. Carytown Bikes, Design Physics, and Jesse’s trademark polka dot pajama kit. I rolled over and saw that Jim Fisher and Byron were there. Now we had a random meeting of team riders.

As we rode the first section of trails, it was suggested that I lead because of the extensive poor farm trail maps I’ve burned into my brain. And so began Sunday’s random gathering of DP riders with me as the random ride leader for about 8 or 9 riders from all over RVA. We managed a good pace and flowed around the park for a couple of hours. It was much warmer than when I rode on Saturday when the temps barely got above freezing.

Jesse, Gary, and Me put in an extra credit lap for about 30 minutes. At one point I got rammed by couple large unleashed dogs that had started chasing and gnawing at each other. Luckily the three of us riders had almost come to a complete stop when the tangle of running k-9s careened into my front tire. They hit with enough force that the torque transmitted from my wheel to my handle bar jarred my shoulder and made it pretty sore.Too bad I did not have my GoPro this time! I'm a magnet for wildlife.

There was no more drama as we finished up a wonderful afternoon of impromptu riding. The phone did not pester me this time and I got to roll with some great riders. I really enjoyed catching up with some of RVA's finest cyclist out there on the trails.

Cheers!

The Journey to Xterra World Championships - Oct 2013 Maui

Living in Richmond it's hard to stay away from XTERRA when it rolls into town each June. In 2005 after moving from Minneapolis I witnessed my first race and then convinced my wife to run and a buddy to mountain bike for a relay team the next year. At the time, I had no idea how to mountain bike and from an outsider looking in at XTERRA, the full event looked to be intimidating as well as unattainable. I had been deep into racing road bikes and doing on-road triathlons since 1993 after college, but mountain biking...that was insane. After having a blast at the relay I had one thought in mind. I was going to do the full XTERRA Championship course.

Fast forward to 2009 I raced the full XTERRA East Coast Championships and have never looked back. In my journey to get here I knew I had to be the best mountain biker I could and really started to race the VA circuit. Once I hit the local race scene there was always one team that impressed me not only in the standings but in attitude and that was Design Physics. I knew to race well I had to ride with the top guys and approached Jason to ride with DP. Jason didn't know me from Adam but Toddy Green vouched for me and soon I was part of the DP family. Honestly without following you guys and gals on the trails and the tips I don't think I would be the rider I am today.

One morning in August when I was traveling for work, Kate called me at 6:30AM in the morning.  We had received an email giving me a spot at the XTERRA World Championships. Apparently my XTERRA Richmond Race got me in. So, 5 yrs after my first XTERRA I finally qualified for the the World Championships. This had been a reach goal since I started mountain biking. At first, I was not going to go. It was a roll down spot but after some urging from my beautiful wife, Kate, we decided to accept and start the planning process. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and Kate was not going to let a fun trip to HI pass her by. Then started the three month build to get ready for the race. 

I knew it was going to be tough, but tough was not even close. I had a great training build from Aug to Oct. and worked closely with Jim McGehee at One on One Endurance on the prep. I have worked with Coach Jim since getting serious about XTERRA 5 yrs ago and without his structure and keeping me on track for training and racing I would never be in the shape I am in to compete. A week before the race we were off to HI!

The race headquarters was the Ritz Carlton Resort at Kapalua on Maui. We checked in and got a room upgrade to boot. So the week was starting off well.

First order of business was to get out on Wednesday, build the bike and pre-ride the course. Now everyone said it was power to weight ratio course and they were not kidding. Again when I mean not kidding....I mean not kidding. I went out with a bottle and a little food thinking 20 miles, no big deal take it easy and get a lay of the land. 3 hrs later I returned. This was by far one of the most brutal, steep, dry courses I had ever ridden. I believe the bike climbs went from sea level to close to 3,000 feet by mile six or so. Then a series for descents and repeat climbs hit you over and over until you get to the last 4 miles which are so some super, sweet, technical, single track sections. The entire course is on a former pineapple plantation so the smell of pineapples and guavas are everywhere.  I was able to ride that day with racers from Alaska, Texas, Italy, South Africa and New Zealand. A truly unique experience. Here's a pic at mile 6 on the pre-ride.

The run on the race follows the first 3 miles of the bike and then descends for 3 miles. This was a climbers paradise. For me it was going to have to be a race of conservation at times and all out racing at others. On Thursday, I hooked up with some folks I had met at the Richmond Championship race and we scouted out the swim. The swim was going to be an M shaped course which meant you had two entries and two exits on the swim with a 200m run in between. It was critical to know the currents as well as the surf. The water was known to have some big swells and be a bit tough. Ironically when it comes to racing, swimming is my strongest of the three legs so the rougher the water on race day the bigger the smile on my face would be.  Kate took some great shots of us in the water.

The waves were pretty spectacular. The week was a ton of fun leading up to the Sunday race. There were dinners, pro clinics to attend and just some lazy time at the pool. What impressed me the most was the caliber of amateur athletes from around the world that are at this race. The running joke between Kate and I was how ripped everyone looked around the hotel. With 800 racers, you could spot an XTERRA athlete a mile away. A bit intimidating to say the least.

The night before the race, we hung out at the start to get in the vibe.

Racing morning crept up soon an I was ready to rip.

The race had three wave starts. Pros first, 5 min later all men, 5 min later all women. So mass start with 500 plus men racing for the first buoy 350 meters out. Whats crazy about this race is the media coverage they have. A helicopter following the race, numerous scuba cameras under the water, which freaks you out when you swim over them. Then cross motorcycles on the bike and run course.

The crowds where huge and and the energy level was over the top. Exactly why I love XTERRA. I had a solid swim getting out 70th or so out of 500 + or - for the men...Feeling good. Great start

This is where it was tough. I went from 70th to mid 200's off the bike. I clearly struggled on the climbs, but was able to bomb the descents and made up a bunch of spots on the last 4 miles. I took in great nutrition and was hydrated.  It was all going to come down to the run. After holding back a bit on the bike I knew I was in good shape for the the 10k up the mountain that followed.

The run is typical my tough sport. Even though I came from a running background, I have lost races more the a few times on the run. Today was not that day. I picked off at least 5 guys in my age group on the run and was able to bomb the descent. I went to some dark places in my head on the run, but was able to dig deep and come in strong.

I ended the day 37th for 40-44yr olds. The pre-race had 82 in the field with 71 finishers. The 40-44 is the largest field at XTERRA World Championships and often one of the most competitive. I have to say what I truly love about racing XTERRA is that it is not much different then mountain biking. The people are awesome and this being a international race was no different. On the bike or run as someone was around you they gave words of encouragement or a pat on the back. XTERRA are like no other triathlon.

Our neighbors had two bottles of champagne delivered to our room when we arrived back after the race. Thanks Grace and Vince!

There was a lot of emotion after the race for me. It was a 5 year journey to get to this place. I met some great new friends from around the world. What I love about doing big races is that it changes you. I makes you step up your game, rethink how you train, and how you can get better. Make no mistake, I want to come back to HI. This year is about stepping it up and racing the bigger races,  races like XTERRA Vegas, Alabama, Richmond, USA Championships in UT  and then hopefully Worlds again and doing it on a hard tail Giant 29r will be the bomb.

I could not have gotten to this race without the help of some great people. Design Physics Racing for getting my groove on the mountain bike, Andrew and Jesse (Formally) at 3Sports in 2013 for getting the orange crush in top shape. Coach Jim McGehee at One on One Endurance.  Last and most important the crazy support of Kate. She helps me keep things balanced, in perspective and motivates me more then anyone I know. She also inspires me daily in her achievements to be a great Mom, athlete and wife.

Hawaii 2014...who wants to go?

BTS#3 Where's everybody at???!!!

BTS#3 had me riding alone. Jeffro had a situation at work. Tom Haines intended on coming out, but a diesel dump truck in need of repairs trumped any riding plans he had. The rest of you, well just save your excuses for next week!!!
Last week WestCreek was desolate! This week there were a couple other riders, but I remember winters past there were a ton of people out riding. There was always a peloton or two of roadies to chase us around. This leads to the question. Where are all the cyclist at???!!!Did they quit riding for the winter???!!!Maybe they are at home riding"the trainer". They can have that little slice of monotony!!! I'll take the outdoors anytime even if it is cold.
So anyway I knocked out my 5 laps. Practiced my track stand for a minute or two, loaded up and split for home. I didn't even make it out of WestCreek and BAAAM!!! Lightning, BOOOM!!! Thunder then it preceded to hail, yes hail!!! Almost the size of marbles!!! Following that was pouring rain and more thunder & lightning. Strange weather indeed!!! Oh well at least I snuck in a ride!!! And DOUBLE POINTS!!! Yeeeeaaaaah Boooyeeeeee!!!
Ya'll come out next week and ride with me!!!

BTS #2 On the Road

Hit up a road ride with Jeffro, Jason B., Mason and myself.  We decided that heading out to Poco and hitting up the far side of the Monster Cross course would be a muddy affair, so a road ride from Rocketts was in order.  Since Jeff seemed to be the only one of us who has been riding regularly, he pulled the majority of the day.  I loved the time he pulled off the front as we were hitting a nasty headwind and Mason could not pull past him....  as he pulled back in, I came from the back and gave him some relief.  It was a gret ride, but I was definitely at my limit by the time we were done.  As we came back into Rocketts I stood to go up the last hill and sat right back down, I was cooked.  I really need 5-6 of these rides a week, but I cannot quite figure out how to make that happen.  We thought Jeffro was going out for some more, but once we got back, the french toast awaiting him had a stronger pull than riding his bike another hour.

Good times, until next time...   Jason

Chill start to 2014 BTS series

Toddy G and Me kicked off the BTS series with a frozen ride at West Creek. Starting at 6:00pm was nice since the traffic was down and I had plenty of time to wrap things up at work.

We started the ride at or below freezing, and the temps dropped from there. No one else was out there, not on a bike or running.

We dodged a spot of black ice after riding by the icy lake.

The face mask I was wearing kept my face comfortable, but I looked like I was going to rob a bank.

Photo: Todd G.

It's been a long time since I rode a bunch of freezing laps at West Creek, but good company kept things rolling along. I think Todd's thermometer read 25F when we wrapped things up. I drove home with the heat blasting and my toes finally got warm after dinner.

BTS Version 3.0

BTS Series is back in full effect starting this week. After going into hibernation for a year, it is back and promises to be better than ever.  For those of you new to the BTS Series, it is DP Racing's way of getting everyone out there during the winter months to train and have some fun together.  What says friendship more than a two hour ride in sub freezing temperatures?  We will be starting rides this week, Toddy G is already on the boards by volunteering to lead a weekely ride.   Ride schedule will be posted to the right under team news.


Good luck to everyone - have some fun - suffer as much as possible - come into the season ready to race.

There will be some swanky prizes given away at random and to the top 3 point snatchers.

There is a 100% chance rules will change so Toddy G & Plassman does not walk away with prizes again... Even though a few of these rules were written for Euro D, we are keeping them in just in case he shows back up.

Points:
30 - MTB Ride
25 - Cyclocross Ride
25 - Run/Ride
20 - Road Ride

Bonus Points:
5 - BTS write up on blog
5 - Pics included in write up
10 - Raining (not on muddy trails - see demerit points)
10 - Night
10 - over 5 DP riders
15 - MTB ride >30 miles
15 - Road ride >50 miles
20 - over 10 DP riders
20 - Temps below freezing
20 - Snowing
25 - chance gathering of 5 or more DP riders on trails
50 - Over 15 DP riders
50 - Pre-sesaon race (frozen Cross, Monster Cross, Southern Cross)

DOUBLE POINTS - only one to show up at any event

TBD - Epic Rides (super bowl ride, pantani ride, etc.)

Demerit Points:
(-50) Riding on muddy trails
(-50) Crashing teammate on road
(-10) Not wearing a DP kit (for those who have them)

  Back in black.  2014 DPR kit.

Design Physics Conquers the Hill

Husband and wife duo Tom and Sonya Richeson represented Design Physics p/b Endorphin Fitness this past Saturday at the “Conquer the Hill” race at Miller School ofAlbemarle.  I was curious about the course, as this was the first year the school had put on a race on the trails that the school had made themselves.  The school is in a beautiful area in Charlottesville VA. 
 
Before the race I had checked the preregistered women in my Cat 2 field.  I didn’t know about the others, but one woman I had raced against for the first time two weeks prior at the Battle of Burke Farm.  She had beaten me in a 16 mile race by 12 minutes.  Hmmm…wasn’t looking too good.  Plus, she was literally half my age, I could have been her mother.

The start line was interesting, this was the first time Tom and I had ever been at a start line together- they had combined the cat 2 women, single speed, and men’s 50 plus category for the start.  I told him I would let him get in front of me before the woods, hah hah.  I was thinking, what if my handlebar hooked his during the start and I caused him to go down, that would not be a good situation!  But the start went well.  Really well.  There was a long gradual downhill in grass to the “hole-shot” into the woods, Tom was first into the hole-shot, and I was the fourth person into the hole-shot and the first woman.  As we started on the single track, I could hear a girl right behind me and I knew it was “fast girl” (who I now know as Sarah Twiford).  After a mile or so the trail opened up and a long climb started, and as expected she passed me like I was standing still, so I was now fifth overall, but further in the climb I was able to pass the large single-speeder guy that I had “drafted” on from the start line to get into the woods quickly, so was back in 4^th position overall.

I know most of my team seems to be doing those mega endurance 100 mile races lately, but if you ever get a chance to race here in the future I strongly suggest you guys try it- the trails were incredible- mostly super tight single track, lots of corners, rollers, banks, off-camber trails, and some small pump-track areas…it just flowed smooth as butter, so nice, so fast…and some good climbing.  If you like fast cornering you will love this track.  There is a video of the course here at 4X speed. 

 

Towards the end of the first lap I saw “fast girl” on the side of the trail, fixing a flat.  The emotional part of my brain felt bad that she had a flat, and bad that I might do well because of that, but the logical part of my brain was doing the math- so if she had beat me in a 16 mile race by 12 minutes, and this was a 12 mile race, if all else were equal she would beat me in this race by 9 minutes…could she fix a flat in 9 minutes?  I still had to boogie, I couldn’t take any chances.

By the end of the third lap, no on had passed me male or female, I had won the cat 2 women’s race!  Then at the finish I found out Tom had won his race too.  “Fast girl” was able to fix her flat and still place third, so that was good too.  Perfect weather, perfect trail conditions, sweet trail and great family results, we couldn’t ask for a better day.

 

Here are some links to pictures from during the race:

Sonya just warming up, hence the smile. 

Tom cornering, very focused.
Sonya going over a log, note the tense face (I hold my breath going over obstacles!), compared to a picture of Tom nice and relaxed going over the same log.

SM 100: One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days? Not the bad kind that you may be thinking of, but the really good kind that doesn’t come along very often. This is the first 100 miler that I ever had “one of those days”. Everything fell right into place, my nutrition was spot on and my spirits remained high throughout. On many training rides with team member Joe Fish, he often talks about how good he feels deep into these races, I can say I have never experienced this until this past weekend at the Shenandoah Mountain 100.

 The course had a re-route within the first 10 miles or so where a fire road climb was replaced by a singletrack climb (Festival Trail) that dropped onto a nice bit of ridge (Narrowback) followed by an awesome new downhill (Tillman West). There was much discussion leading up to the event exactly how the course would go, but I got some inside information prior to several pre-rides that these would be the trails used. Luckily, this intel was spot on and certainly made me feel more comfortable during the race. The pace was high during the undulating fire road that is the start of the course; no doubt this was in part due to the bottleneck that was sure to develop on this new singletrack climb. This new section is so awesome that is was worth the extra mileage and time it adds to the course, thanks to SVBC for making this possible.

 The pace seemed to let up once the group reached Tillman, we all settled into a pace line knowing Lynn was quickly approaching. I was in a group containing many of the usual suspects, many times I have pace lined with this group including Gordon Wadsworth and Eric Schofield. We kept a decent pace till hitting the base of Lynn; this is where things really started to split up. The wet rocks/roots made this climb a bit more difficult than normal. I walked more during the race then I have in any training ride this year. After descending Wolf, we all once again looked for a pace line for the long road section that lay ahead. The pace line was much thinner this time, but I was still able to catch a group which enabled a good pace into Aid #2.

 I pulled out of Aid #2 solo, which would become the theme for much of the rest of the day. Hanky came and went, Joe caught me near the top and we descended Dowells together. That is such an awesome downhill and I was really starting to feel good. Joe was having some gear issues so stopped at Aid 3 for a quick adjustment, so I soldiered on to 250 solo. I was able to hook up with another rider and we pace lined through a rain storm to the base of Road Hollow. Luckily the rain subsided by the time we hit the climb. My goal up Road Hollow was to stay on the bike as much as possible which proved to be difficult with the wet roots and rocks that line the singletrack. Once we hit the Braley descent I bombed past the other rider I had been following and was into Aid 4 before I knew it.

At this point, I was feeling great, even grinning from ear to ear as I set off to tackle the Death Climb. My spirits were the highest they had been, made even better by the awesome volunteers. I’m unsure how Chris Scott does it, but whatever he is doing to lure these volunteers year after year is an incredible feat. They really do make the race for all participants!! I was off to tackle the Death Climb.

The Death Climb came and went; this is a part of the race that I think everyone tries to forget. Coming down Chestnut is always an adventure. Luckily the rain from earlier didn’t dampen the trails too much and left the trail tacky and fast. Nearing the end of the descent, I lost focus and went down at a high rate of speed. A quick survey of me and my bike and I determined that all was well and continued on. When I made it to Aid 6, the volunteers (who were once again awesome!) told me I was in the top 15. I was shocked, I felt great but I had never been close to this position this late in a NUE race. This boost gave me the energy needed to crush the remaining climb. I finished in 15th place with a time of 8:14, besting my last SM 100 time by 45 minutes despite the longer course. I have worked closely with Michael Harlow from Endorphin Fitness all year and we have tracked my fitness gains, but I had never even imagined this kind of performance was possible. This is the first year that I have strictly followed a training plan, as you can see it paid off for me.

Once again, Design Physics had an awesome team presence at the SM. Despite the longer course, many team members rocked out solid times and several PRs.

David Reid: 8:14
Joe Fish: 8:28
Frank Yeager: 9:22
Jim Fisher 10:03
Jeff Plassman: 10:06
Tom Haines: 10:19
Dennis Throckmorton: 11:09
Paul Leeger 11:57
Dave Hardisky: 12:49

Return to PA and Looking for Redemption

I had a bad race at the Wilderness 101 last year due to illness. I woke up not feeling well and never really got over it. I was looking for some redemption on my return trip this season.

Joe and I rode up to Coburn and arrived in plenty of time for a nice pre-ride to spin the tight legs and generally stretch out. Arriving early also meant we had our choice of camping spots. Having a hammock this is always a concern since there are only but so many trees available. We luckily ended up in the same exact spot as last year with a good view of the entire park, not too far away from the port-o-potties in case you had to go in the middle of the night, but far enough away to avoid the stench. The night was uneventful with an early bedtime as usual. The park was fairly quiet which is always nice. 

Before long, Chris was ringing the gong signifying it was time to wake up. The normal routine of trying to get down as much breakfast as possible and checking to make sure everything on your bike is perfect was underway. Soon, we were toeing the line and waiting for the rolling start. I couldn’t help but appreciate the calm of this start, exactly the opposite of the XC races that have composed most of my schedule so far this season.

The first climb is always a big sort out and this year was no different. The climb is on some nice, wide fire roads and lasts about 20 minutes. I got dropped from the lead group but was able to catch back on with the help of the small chase group on the fast decent that followed. The first 50 miles of this course is mainly gravel with some climbs, mostly on the shorter side. I got into a good group and we seemed to be making quick work of the fire roads. I found myself feeling great after the first 50 miles as the course suited me with mainly big ring climbing.

The second 50 is where the race really starts. I dropped at mile 40 last year so the rest of the course was all new to me. I completed much of the final 50 miles solo which made it just a touch more difficult. The tough climb out of Aid 3 was just too much and the small group I had been riding with split up. The second half of the course contained the vast majority of the singletrack. The rocks of PA start to show their teeth a bit with the accumulation of singletrack descents really starting to hurt. The rocky singletrack featured in this race is really nice, State College is lucky to have such awesome trails. I was glad to be rolling on my Industry Nine wheels, the 96 points of engagement really help to get through technical rock gardens. The final descent, known as Panther Run, at around mile 95 is brutal. My Scott Spark performed very well through these rocky descents by my hands were still killing me by this point in the race and it was hard to squeeze the brakes. After this descent comes the “Fisherman’s Path”, which is really more of a hiking path through a small boulder field. I was ready to get back on the bike and really push it to the finish after this hike-a-bike. 

Overall I’m pretty happy with my results. After a disappointment last weekend, I’m glad to have finally pulled it together. With the focus of my season thus far being on shorter, XC races, I wasn’t sure how my body would react to an effort lasting 8+ hours. A huge thanks to Michael Harlow and Endorphin Fitness for providing the plan that helped me during this race. I’m very glad I went back to seek some redemption on this course. 

It was a good time with great friends Joe, Jeff, and Tom. The entire team finished within the top 50, pretty impressive considering this was Tom’s first 100 miler. Joe had some mechanical issues but still managed to finish 16th, I was 23rd, and Jeff posted a huge improvement over last year with his 24th place finish. Tom just made the top 50 with a 48th place. Great job guys, now keep it up as the SM is only a few short weeks away.

Check out Jeff's race recap:
http://plassmido.blogspot.com/2013/07/2013-wilderness-101.html

Link to a cool video from DirtwireTV:

http://dirtwire.tv/2013/08/wilderness-101-the-documentary-2/

Photos courtesy of Bob Popovich and Jeff Plassman.