The Journey Begins
Clearing skies provided for a stunning fall driving through the mountains of VA, TN, and NC. The Mazda 3 was packed to the gills with enough gear to survive 2 stage races and a nuclear winter. I spilled coffee in my lap and got mad for a bit and then smiled with the realization that this was going to be a great week.
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As the evening arrived, Asheville came into view and I checked in to my room just in time to ramble downtown for some dinner and a coffee. I was pleased to find things were not crowded and got a table at the "Early Girl Eatery" and ordered a very tasty Shrimp and Grits and local IPA.
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Afterwards, I meandered through town in search of hot java and found a cup black as night and strong as sin.
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Walking around town at dusk provided some very nice views, and I headed back to my room for a solid slumber with memories of Pisgah past flowing through my mind. In 2009 I raced the inaugural Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race. That year the weather kept it interesting with 40deg temps, rain, and even snow. As I went to sleep I got cold and cramped just thinking about those truly difficult days in the saddle. Then the warmth of the great memories from that year’s race put me at ease.
Re-acquainting with Brevard and Pisgah
Monday morning greeted me pleasantly with serene views of the sleepy fog draped mountains surrounding Asheville. During the drive to Brevard the weather got a bit spotty as clouds and misty rain made it’s way eastbound and down. Familiar sights welcomed me to Brevard as I made my way past the entrance to the Pisgah Forest and stopped in at Sycamore Cycles and caught up with local speed merchant Wes Dickson.
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Cruising around town to get the lay of the land was where I spotted a race banner downtown and scoped out several places to eat. After some pretty good pizza I header over to the Pisgah forest to pre-ride the Black Mountain descent we would end on each day.
Let’s get this started
The Brevard Music Center hosted the pre-race dinner/race briefing and packet pick up. We all enjoyed some really good local food, wine, and New Belgium beer on tap. Todd Branham, the race director, welcomed everyone and gave a great overview presentation of the next 5 days of racing. Anticipation started coursing through my veins and I awaited the incredible riding experience that awaited us all.
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After dinner my house mates and I stopped at a grocery for essentials: coffee, beer, pasta, laundry detergent, pickles...We returned to the house we rented, Grandma’s House, and got acquainted as we prepared for the 1st stage. Somehow I got a massive headache (beer or low pressure weather system?) and I tried to go to sleep as it thundered and rained outside. Day 1 was going to be wet!
Stage 1 – White Squirrel Loop
Following a long restless night, I woke up at 6:45am and joined the rest of the crew for breakfast in Granny’s kitchen. After a double serving of oatmeal and a splash of coffee, I got my bottles and drop bags ready for the day. Rob, Montana, Brad and myself road a bicycle path to the Pisgah Forest for about 2 miles from Gammy's house and arrived at the race start/finish sufficiently warmed up. Garth and Claire rolled over in the V-Dub and shuttled our drop bags for us. Thanks Garth! A damp and chilly morning greeted us and the reasonably paced start on the pavement was welcome. At the top of the first climb the trail started with a fast and buff single track chute. This gave way to Squirrel Gap, a trail that is pretty technical with a narrow cut and often not much else. Lots of rock features and tons of roots were made more difficult by the fresh rain and very slippery mud. A good bit of gravel took us back to the ridgeline for Black Mountain and soon I was facing a seemingly unending set of rock stairs and switch backs that led to about 3 false summits. A very technical rocky and rutted descent finally leveled out and I was relived to see the next trail head for the final hike to the last descent of Black Mountain. This descent is a real hoot and I smiled all the way down to the finish.
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We all soaked in the surprisingly cold stream across the street and then headed back to the house where the daily ritual of stage racing began: bike wash and service, cleaning ourselves up, refueling with food and IPA, and heading into town for the awards and happy hour.
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Upon returning home, I prepared drops for the next day, processed some video, and updated my blog with the best ramblings I could manage.
Rock Star Status Confirmed
Following a hamburger and fries massacre, I roamed downtown Brevard with Rob, Montana, and Brad. We noticed signs in many store fronts welcoming race families into their shops. Just then a lovely young hostess at a restaurant came outside and greeted us and asked about the day’s stage in the race. She explained that she is on the mountain bike team at Brevard College and was eager to hear how we enjoyed riding Squirrel Gap. Down the road a bit, we wandered by a bakery and were bummed that it had just closed at 5:00pm hoping to score some coffee and snacks. As we longingly looked in the window another lovely young lady saw us and motioned for us to hold on for a moment. She burst out of the bakery and inquired if we were bike racers. Why yes we are. She cheerfully handed us a fresh loaf of bread! Awesome! A bit later, while fellow racers enjoyed the happy hour, I walked a few blocks to a café to get my fix. The barista was another very nice young lady who asked me all about the stage race and how I was doing while preparing a double espresso with cream. Surely these were an exceptional series of events and I was very flattered with all the attention. How awesome is it to be a mountain bike rock star for a day?
The town of Brevard really rallied together for this bike race and provided an exceptionally welcoming town to return to after every stage of the race. A mountain biker could get used to this.
Stage 2 – Land of Waterfalls Loop
Rousing myself from a unsteady slumber and shoveling oatmeal into my mouth was a wee bit harder the second day. Our gang of 4 pedaled along the bike path with lifting fog and a warm sun greeting us. When we arrived at the start area, our bikes were loaded onto a moving truck and racers climbed onto a pair of "trolley" buses for a tour through Brevard as well as transport to the start for stage 2.
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The tour through Brevard gave a city spokesperson a chance to give us some history and to showcase the progress Brevard after losing a major industrial employer. The trolley ride was a bit awkward, but it was cool to get a local's perspective. At one point an angry wasp landed on a lady's back and Birdman nearly gave her a beating trying to kill the thing. Luckily someone in the back of the bus snatched it out of the air like a 4th degree black belt and ended the drama. When we got to the race start area, one of the trucks with bikes had gotten delayed. While waiting, I
had a chance to talk bikes with Adam Craig as he asked my about my Anthem 29er. Soon, the race would start in a field with a Lemans start and jumpy racers.
And they’re off! Ascending the climb to Farlow gap is done via a long, very long, 9 miles of undulating fire road. At the top I put it in the big ring and started to work my way back through the field that bested me on the climb. Farlow Gap proved to be one of the most technical and treacherous descents I've done in a while. I managed to ride about 85% of it before common sense took over and I ran, hopped, and slid down a few section of super knarl. The remainder of the day was filled with fast, retired road-bed single track, river side trails, monster hike-a-bikes, and some demanding descents. I was really relieved to finish as my back was aching. It was not my best day for pedaling but I maintained my position just off the podium for Open Men (under 40) in 4th place.
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That night I was happy to wash up in a real shower, cleaned my bike in a bit of a mental fog, and enjoyed the cooking of my
housemates. It was a tough day and we all were glad we had a "short" XC style stage the next day that started later in the morning.
Stage 3 - Carl Schenck Loop
Breakfast was pleasant this morning and we were not as rushed as the previous two days. I rolled with Garth and Claire in the V-Dub out to the start finish about 15 miles away in the forest. When we got there it was awesome to find Izzy's coffee shop truck with some java compliments of Izzy. I knew it would be good coffee when I noticed his sticker "Death before Decaf". It was indeed a great cup.
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A fast fire-road climb started the day and I was with the lead group for most of the climb during some close quarters racing. I found myself sandwiched between Sam Koerber and other fast guys as we chased down Garth who had taken off after the lead out car like a greyhound. There was a noisy raucous from the pack as we passed by Garth who had flatted. That really sucked for his start.
Once it got steeper, I faded off the back for a bit, but then caught the back of the lead group on the first descent. It was full on Plassmania as I diced my way through some of the fast folks, even though I knew they would likely over take me on the next climb. However, riding with folks at this level, passing amongst racers is rarely and issue and every body knows how to trade paint with no drama. A great selection fast, flowing trails and one long brutal climb filled the rest of the day and I was smashed at the finish of this shorter, “easy” day. We rolled back to the crib, picked up some grub, and finished the day destroyed from 25 miles and 3200 ft of truly intense, technical, mountain XC racing.
Right Tool for the Job – Giant Anthem x29er
My race bike this year rocks! The Anthem x29er I got from Rowlett’s Bicycle at the beginning of the season has carried me to many an XC race podium and helped me knock an hour off of my 100miler times. I was pretty confident that it would be great in the Pisgah Stage Race. I was not disappointed. No matter how certain the terrain got, my Anthem let me bomb through it at warp speed with supreme confidence. On the road, in gravel sections, and through flowing single track my trusty Giant rolled along with supreme efficiency. It’s a great race bike that can step up when you have to send it.
Stage 4 – Promised Land Loop
Todd Branham explained that this was likely the hardest day of racing in the Pisgah Stage Race with 39 miles and 8,000ft of climbing. The day began by heading into the start/finish the opposite direction of most days with a climb up Black Mountain’s single track. On the top section of Black Mountain the rutted and drop filled downhill from day 2 challenged our ascent back up. Montana had had a flat and later came storming by me on his single speed, really impressive climbing power and skill. At the top we turned onto a ridge line descent that undulated up and down through a jungle of laurel and thorn bushes. The trail was getting reclaimed by this tangle and I had to make a leap of faith on my bombing run where I could barely see the trail for the jungle as I flew down blinded by adrenaline and enthusiasm.
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After the thrilling first major descent, the day continued with some pleasant single track climbing and riverside trails. Another long granny gear climbed finally submitted to reveal a thrilling descent. At last, the last major climb of the day started at the horse stables and gave way to the familiar descent down Black Mountain to complete an incredible day of mountain cycling.
Stage 5 - Transylvania Loop
A cold morning greeted us with temps in the forties and clearing fog. The "man" was waiting at the start/finish to lead the racers out on a police escort down the highway towards the day’s first gravel offerings. I pushed to stay with the lead group as we climbed out of Brevard on the highway and enjoyed heading out surrounded by racers that had become familiar over the last four days. It was fun to chase Gerry Phlug down on a quick breakaway with Jeremiah Bishop. We turned left onto Turkey Pen road and eventually the 1st single track climb that was followed by a great descent, really fast, leafy, and lots of drops that ended with crossing a stream (small river) 7 times in 40ish temps. Then, the real work began with a long climb up the sides of Laurel Mountain to the top where the Pilot Rock descent started. After this nerve racking rocky descent, more fire road awaited and a steep single track climb gave way to the descent down Avery Creek that was off the chart. One more lengthy gravel climb and I was busy finishing the last run down Black Mountain with a huge grin as I continued bombing towards the finish.
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Rolling across the finish on the last stage was sublime. 5 days of incredible riding completed the most seamless stage race yet for me. No flats or mechanicals, no crashes, and no real problems with cramping, bonking, fueling, or hydration. What a great week of racing! I finished 4th Open Men in the overall cumulative time.
“Grandmas Gang”
Last time I raced this event I camped by myself at the Davidson River Campground. It was cold, lonely, and added an extra degree of difficulty to the event. This year I stayed with an awesome group of racers in a house we rented near the race start, "Grandmas House". My 6 housemates included Garth Prosser, Claire Garcia-Webb, Rob Lochner, Montana Miller, Brad Schmalzer, and Thom Parsons. The experience of stage racing with a cool group of folks is a big part of why I like these events. Each one of us contributed to the richness of the weeks events with humor, camaraderie, and our own perspectives. Everyone shared in the common struggles and triumphs gained from each days challenge. All of us attacked, endured, suffered, and ultimately conquered the very demanding riding of Pisgah. The 6 racers in the house earned two 1st places, two 3rd places, and two 4th places. Not too shabby for the clan shacking up at Grammas.
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Thom Parsons enhanced our racing experience with his perspective as a video journalist covering the event for www.cyclingdirt.org with in race footage and post race interviews. Every day he trekked into the field to gather footage and every night Tom worked long hours to edit and upload tons of great videos.
Closing Time
The awards dinner and party was money. Plenty of food, drink, entertainment and friends. I really enjoyed watching all my competitors take their rightful place on the podium, although my heart ached a bit knowing I was not too far off from 3rd place. There was plenty of entertainment for race families including: several kids races, a pie eating contest, and local vendors selling extra food for folks to devour. A local funk band, The Fishticks, rocked the house until we all shut the place down late into the night.
All good things must come to an end, and so it was on Sunday as I packed up my car and hung out with Garth at the bike shop while Claire boxed up her bike for shipment to MOAB. Garth and I went across the parking lot to check the local papers. The Transylvania Times had a cover shot and story about the race. I bought a paper and was surprised when I turned to the main story page to see a photo of myself looking back. We headed back to the house and cooked the remaining eggs and veggies into a final meal before going home.
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I bid my housemates goodbye and started on the road back to Richmond with bittersweet feelings. Leaving a stage race is one of the tough things you have to do. Returning to the every day after such a demanding and rewarding experience is never easy. I looked forward to telling my Design Physics race team friends all about my adventures. Knowing that I would not be living the stage race experience with my fellow racers and room mates any more made me wish there were 5 more days of mountain roads, Pisgah single track, and mountain biking with the best.
Cheers!
