France Park DINO Race Report: Sometimes A Trail Will Bite Back

My run of podiums in cross country races for this year had to come to an end, and end it did along the banks of the Wabash River at France Park in Logansport.

Overly dramatic? Yeah, a bit. But Sunday’s race was one of the harder races I can recall. Logansport has never been an issue in the past, but the additional lap which comes with being in Category 2 was rough.

Much like the week prior to Brown County, this past week the race was the last thing on my mind, and I even thought I might not go. A trial set for Monday, June  16 required week long prep. Although, a last minute settlement did allow me to attend the race. Perhaps also complicating things was my future brother in law's bachelor party the night before. I behaved myself, and limited my evening to one drink, and a gracious bowing out at 11:30, but it was still a late night.

The race started well, and I got in behind Brian W. who was in second behind the Matthews Bike Shop Rider from the Brown County race. We kept things pretty close up until the infamous creek crossing, which is typically handled by a dismount and a jump up the opposite bank. Matthews attempted to ride it, and ended up crashing quite badly. Brian W and I dismounted and jumped around him and got a short gap.

Chasing Brian W. Spoiler: I did not catch him.

Starting the second lap found us still in the one – two position. However, this section included a uphill log skinny and technical rocky climb which was introduced last year. To be blunt, I sucked at this. I had pre-ridden this section, and had not sucked as badly, but in the race, it did not work out. I sort of panicked as I approached it, and tried to take a bypass, but was stymied by a large pile of rocks at the end. Once remounted, I made good progress, but then got held up by another rider who had floundered in a narrow section with a rock ledge. I was forced to stop, and lost my balance and fell over. I was fine, but Brian W. had a gap, and Matthews, and a rider in black were right on me. I made my way through the remainder of the rocky section and headed in pursuit of Brian. W. As I entered the gravel road that was used as part of the starting chute, I tried to shift to my big ring (I had been using the small 26t ring in the tech section) and my chain promptly dropped off. Several seconds were spent soft pedaling trying to get it back on. Finally, it took, but not before Matthews had caught me.

I got in behind him and the rider in black was behind me. I suspected the rider in black was biding his time…he didn’t seem to be suffering and appeared relaxed. I held with these two into the second lap, and then things started to fall apart.

First was the log/rocky section again. I let Matthews and Rider in Black go around me, since I didn’t want to slow them down again due to my previous fumble. Well, they didn’t slow down a bit, and boom, they were gone. Yeah things were grim. I pushed hard into the back section of the course called Biker’s Surprise, a twisty singletrack section with lots of overgrown weeds and numerous small tree adjacent to the trail.

Guess I pushed it too hard because I clipped a tree with my right grip and went careening off into the brush. It would have been worse, but I hit both brakes and came to a dead stop before hitting a small drop and more trees. Lots of weeds and poison ivy (I didn’t get any) but I was able to restart in mostly short order, although I was a bit shaken.

At this point I was riding alone, which for me is dangerous. If I don’t have someone to track down, or someone behind me to stay away from, I tend to drop in a less than fast pace. However, in the last third of the course there is a steep hike a bike up a hill. As I rode the prelude to this hike, I spotted a bit of blue ahead of me. As I turned onto a long straightaway before the hike, I got a clear view of the Matthews rider far ahead, about a minute time wise, hitting the hike a bike.

Physically I was not doing well at this point, despite taking a gel, and drinking frequently. Spotting Matthews gave me a boost and I upped my pace from “steady” to “frantic.” I gained ground on him on the singletrack around the northern most lake on the course, and gained some more on the creek crossing.  After this was a brief straightaway in the grass along the park road, followed by a tight turn onto a gravel access road and then a dry quarry. I had cut the gap down to less than 30 seconds and was still gaining. I spotted Matthews looking back at me a few times, but the gap was still dwindling. In the past I have taken the quarry with some care. Lots of sharp rocks means the potential of a torn tire. Not this time. I was all out. At the end of the section I was almost on him, only a few seconds behind. As you exit the quarry, you take a hard right onto a gravel road and a final 1/3 of a mile sprint to the finish. Yeah, I could make this happen. Third place was right there for the taking. Hurray for bike racing!

Or not.

Apparently I took the gravel turn too fast and tight, and my rear tire slid out and I went down hard on my right side. Much profanity ensued (sorry to the spectators at that turn) and as I remounted I found that my chain had dropped off again. A few more seconds to get that worked out, and I was off and riding, but my chance for a podium was gone. Then I realized how much my hip and right arm hurt. I could barely grab my right grip and brought the bike in one handed. I ended up in 4^th for the age group (30 seconds behind Matthews), but I did get 10^th overall in Cat 2, which was a very nice surprise.

Injury wise, my elbow was slightly scraped, although the pain subsided soon after the finish and I could move it much better, albeit a little stiffly. My right lower hip was scraped pretty badly (not as bad as my road crash back in April) and I tore my shorts, but it’ll be a fast heal.  The Orbea took a beating. My right grip got shredded from the tree, and my rear derailleur is looking pretty bad.

I think the worst of it was during the crash in the final stretch. Most concerning was the cable housing leading to the derailleur which was all screwed up and crumpled. Going to have to replace that.

Overall, the race turned out better than I thought. Missing a podium, and not being able to follow through on my final attack was disappointing, but my first overall top 10 in Cat 2 was very welcomed.  This race was rough, a thought echoed by several others during post race discussions. The extra lap took a toll, and the constant need to be “on” for the full 20 miles proved to be quite draining by the end. Courses like Brown County have extended downhill sections for recovery. France Park requires constant on the gas riding. Plus, there are no climbs of any significance, which is typically where I gain time.

Time to fix the bike, and evaluate how to handle training for the next few weeks. The DINO race at Mustcatatuck is in three weeks, although I was thinking of doing the Southern Five race at Ferdinand State Forest in two weeks.

Off to San Francisco

A mere 6 hours after my glorious (wink) finish at the Brown County DINO race, I was jetting off to San Francisco for a cycling advocacy workshop as part of my work for IndyCog. The workshop was hosted by The Alliance for Biking and Walking, San Francisco BicyclingCoalition, and People for Bikes. Thanks to the city of Indianapolis for inviting me to attend.  Two negatives to jumping on a plane so soon after a mountain bike race: I missed the podium presentation and the associated prizes and my legs were completely cramped and stiff upon arriving for my layover in Houston. Probably should have gone for a slightly later flight to allow some breathing room.

Anyway, the time in San Francisco was a fantastic learning experience. Representatives from organizations all over the country were there, which allowed me to compare and contrast not only my organization with theirs, but also the status of cycling within in each city. The first two days were spent in very in-depth education sessions discussing many aspects of running an advocacy group including goals, working with local government, running campaigns and programs, membership issues, and fundraising. While all sections were very good, I found the discussions regarding handling and retaining volunteers, and membership (both presented by staff from the SFBC) were excellent and provided some great information.

Interspersed within the workshop sessions were rides around the city to see various aspects of their cycling infrastructure. I had packed my single speed mountain bike (managed to avoid paying the extra costs for shipping a bike) since I had planned on seeking some recreational riding time at some point. It also helped with riding to and from my hotel each day. (Note: Next time bring a U-Lock. I brought a heavy duty cable lock, and it was the only cable lock I saw over the three days I was there.) The other attendees rented bikes, and one person had used a bike rental program and borrowed a local citizen’s cross bike for the week.

San Francisco is very much a bike friendly city. The number of riders commuting to work (and elsewhere) is just staggering. Each morning we would watch commuters using the protected bike lanes along Market Street in front of our workshop venue and the numbers never ceased to amaze me.

Merely one example of riders heading to work. Plus a protected
bike lane in the foreground.

We rode throughout the city, and purposefully experienced San Francisco’s morning rush hour, during which we came upon a bike accident where a rider had been right hooked by a car which cut into his bike lane. Kind of a sobering reminder that despite the infrastructure and education, accidents can still happen, even in a city with as much cycling awareness as San Francisco. The accident itself was along a stretch of normal, unprotected, bike lane and the rider was conscious and talking as he was taken from the scene. (Our ride leader Tyler from SFBC made a point of going to the scene and talking to the authorities and witnesses to ensure a report would be filed)

 

 

 

The final day included a special session for those cities who had been chosen as a Green Lane Project City (Indianapolis included), a program of People for Bikes which works with cities to develop a network of protected bike lanes. The discussion was focused on how local advocacy groups would be able to provide assistance with the project and partner with their cities to help educate the public about the new lanes. We’re in the process of revamping our education program (Riders in the Know) which I think could be directed towards this type of outreach as the project progresses.

Overall, it was a great week for networking and learning, and I’m glad I got to see the city by bike. Plenty of new ideas for IndyCog to tackle, as well as useful written materials for our board members to review. Too bad there are so few hours in the day.

Additionally the size and organization of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is impressive. They have 16 full time staff, and over 10,000 members, their organization is really a force of nature. IndyCog needs to have its membership rolls grow, and while SFBC’s numbers may not be viable here, the discussions on membership were encouraging and informative. Just have to put those lessons into practice and get people through the door.

I did manage to sneak away Wednesday morning before the final day of the workshop started for a recreational ride. I went north from my hotel and along the bay, ultimately crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

My cue sheet for getting out of the city.

 

Fog shrouded Golden Gate Bridge just before I made my crossing.

At the top of a road climb in the Marin Headlands.
The fog rolling up the hillside and over the road made for
a great riding atmosphere.

Once on the other side, my plan was to ride into the Marin Headlands and hit some mountain bike trails. Unfortunately, my time was short, and I wasn’t able to go as far as I initially wanted. If I had brought my geared bike it would have been no problem. However, the climbing friendly single speed was not so great on the many flat sections I encountered on the route.

I’m back to racing for this weekend. The DINO race at France Park in Logansport is up on Sunday. Despite a late threat from a trial which was supposed to go on Monday, all is clear now since the case unexpectedly settled. While the trial would have been fun, I’m kind of glad I can get outside and compete as opposed to spending the day in the office prepping.

 

 

Brown County DINO Race Report (or Where Did That Pile Of Straw Come From?)

Whew. What a week. Lots happening including a much delayed race report…so let’s dive on in.

The Brown County DINO race was just one event in a very busy 7 days, and I admittedly went into it in a less than ideal mindset. Distractions with work and leaving town the evening of the race (Flight to San Francisco at 6 pm that day…blog post on this is in the works) contributed to the race not being forefront in my mind until the morning of. This race would be a measuring stick for me as it was the first “for keeps” DINO race. My previous Cat 2 races had ended well enough, but this would be a test with a full DINO field at the premiere trail system in the state,

That morning of dawned bright and sunny and promised highs in the mid 80’s. Luckily, the Cat 2  race was in the morning, so I was hoping the heat would be a non-issue. As like past years, the route went straight up a steep road section before dropping onto the trail. Thanks to the Cat 2 upgrade, we’d be doing two laps of the course, not one. I debated with doing a bottle swap at the lap, in case I needed more than the two bottles I planned on carrying. In the end, I opted for just the two, plus one gel shot prior to the race and another taped to the top tube.

As expected, there was a decent turnout (although attendance did seem down), and all the usual suspects were there. My plan was to not lead out on the steep climb. I did that last year, and all it did for me was provide a wheel for my competitors to latch onto. Instead, I decided I would stick to the wheel of Brian W., who based upon my experience would be the strongest rider, of those I knew or had faced before.

So, off we went. I started out in the small chain ring to avoid any chain issues as we hit the climb. The pace was fast, and the riders stayed in a clump. I worked my way across the field and latched onto Brian W’s wheel.  Ahead was a rider in blue, and a rider in a Norwegian flag jersey. Norway was going strong but slowed and Brian W. Surged past in pursuit of Blue. I got past Norway and was back on Brian W’s wheel by the time we hit the single track. I went in at third position and kept it close with Brian W. and Blue. We maintained this until somewhere on North Tower Blue made a grab for his water bottle and nearly crashed. It was enough of a stop to allow Brian W. and I get by him.

Chasing Brian W. into a turn. Photo: Beth Bragg

Now the fun. My only task for the race was to hold onto Brian W’s wheel. If I could stay with him, I might have a chance at the end. He picked up the speed, but I managed to keep within a comfortable distance. Unfortunately, we ran into a few members of the 19-29 wave, specifically a single speeder, who had stopped to let us pass on a tight turn. A combination of the rider standing on the turn, and too much speed nearly caused me to crash on the turn, and I had to push off a few roots with my foot to avoid biting it. Just like, Brian W. had a gap.

However, the gap was not insurmountable and I launched, while maybe not a furious chase, at least a steady one, and I made slow gains, especially on the climbs. We hit the climb on the short side of Aynes, and I hit the gas. A few other early wave riders were passed, I closed the gap on Brian W., and I opened more of a gap on some chasers.

Green Valley was next, and I made a concerted effort to push it on the decent. The time spent practicing descents on the Southwestway flow trails paid off, as I put more daylight between myself and the chasers. Not so much luck with Brian W. He gained more and more time and by the time we entered the second lap, I only had occasional glances of him. 

Photo: Beth Bragg

At the same time, it seemed like the chasers were getting closer. To be honest, my attentions turned towards keep them off my wheel and maintaining my position, and not so much catching up to first place.

When I hit the valley after North Tower, I knocked back my gel. I could tell I was slower on Aynes and again could spot my chasers, easily within 7 or 8 seconds. I pushed the Green Valley descent, and then the gel took effect. I got a second wind, and surged on the climbs and again pushed on the descents.  I seemed to gain time on the chasers, and on one of the last fast descents on Green Valley I spotted Brian W. ahead. His rear tire was flat and he was on the side of the trail.

Looking far too happy for the task at hand.
Photo: William Snyder

So…what to do. Maybe I have stopped and passed along my spare tube and CO2. However, at the same time, the chasers (turns out it was Blue and a guy from Matthews) were still hot on my heels. If I stop, I lose my lead and either they pass me or I have to fight them off from close quarters for the remainder of the race.

I rode past. Mechanicals and flat tires are a part of racing, and while I hate to have a higher finish when one occurs to an opponent, especially just a fast rider who had a solid lead on me, the totality of the circumstances demanded that I continue on in order to preserve my finish from the chasers.

I transitioned onto the North Tower connector and saw no one behind me. Nevertheless I pushed hard on the descent to the parking lot and took first in my age group, despite barreling through a pile of straw left over from when the field was mowed. Seriously, that thing was a good two feet tall and I’m still finding straw in various nooks and crannies of the bike. Probably should watch where I'm riding next time.

Anyway, not a bad way to start the DINO season, and I felt like it was a hell of a race. Yes, absent a mechanical I might have gotten second, but like I said, that is racing. My fitness was good and I felt like I raced well. Also, at the end of the race I found that the nozzle for my CO2 had fallen off of my under seat pack. (I was using an Awesome Strap….which is awesome, but the nozzle must have shaken itself loose. Lesson learned) Bottom line, I wouldn’t have even been able to help myself in the event of a flat, let alone another rider. 

The strangest thing from the race? Well, I ran across another early wave rider on a single speed (not the same one on the turn). I have plenty of respect for single speeders, and know that in many circumstances a single speeder can be faster than a geared rider. This guy was riding well, but was a bit too slow in sections. I asked to get around him, and he said sure. I thanked him, and he said something to the effect of “no problem.” But, as I rode away he yelled something along the lines of, “But if I catch you I will beat your ass in the tech sections!”

Huh?