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?

Visiting Our Neighbors To The South: Wild at Waverly Race Report

Another late race report….

So last weekend I headed south for a change of pace in order to participate in a race in the Kentucky Point Series. The DINO series was at Winona this week, but as I have mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of that trail. So off to Louisville and the Wild at Waverly race I went.

No race recon could be done, so I went into Sunday with only a GPS profile and a few grainy You Tube videos (along with some race reports from past years…thanks to Bentcrank). The course seemed pretty hilly, although there were some faster sections. Of primary concern was the start which went up a longish paved climb and a steep climb called “Montana.” What was concerning about the latter was how it appeared on topo maps. Not so much switchbacky, as straight up the hill. Very fall line looking.

I arrived at Waverly Park with plenty of time for a warm up. The KPS is a more informal series than DINO. Check in was easy, but no electronic timing. I had suspected a mass start based upon the listing of start times and this was confirmed as everyone was lining up. The start was on the expected paved climb. Right from the start we would be into the thick of things, although I thought the climb would work to my advantage and thin out the pack before the drop in to the trail. The Cat 1 riders went off first, which still left a large number of Cat 2’s.

The start was fast and I got out near the front. One rider, a guy wearing pants, a flannel shirt, and a riding an all mountain bike with several inches of travel (he shall be called “Enduro” from here on) absolutely took off and was way off the front of the rest of us. I was more concerned about my immediate situation and about halfway up the climb (about 140feet over .4 of a miles) I looked back and saw….that most of the field was still there.

The start climb is steeper than it appears.

Huh. Well, so much for the climb thinning people out. Apparently Kentuckians can climb. But more concerning was how this would play out for the trail drop it. See, the hill crested, and while I heard in past years the drop in was at the top, this year, the field would enter the trail at a different point, which required a bit of descent from the crest of the initial hill. Of course, everyone surged, and as we came up on the narrow drop it set in between a fallen tree and a bunch of brush (which is followed by a hard left turn) I got nervous. I braked and one or two guys jumped ahead, but in an instant I was on the trail.

So while being pre-occupied with identifying and preparing myself for the climbs, I forgot to check out the GPS profile for the descents. Well, not long after you get onto the trail you charge into a descent down to the park entrance. This was rough. I was sliding all over and generally was a huge mess. I think one guy who was on my wheel crashed when I braked too hard on a turn. My apologies for that. After sort of surviving, came a big trail climb, called Montana. I could tell it was going to be steep. And it was.

This climb was basically a fall line climb which went straight up. Everyone was still crowded together and there was much slow progress and riders stopping in the trail. I clicked to my small ring and felt like I could make it, when the rider in front of me, already going very slowly bobbled and I bumped into his rear wheel.

Before I could dismount, I lost my balance on the steep hill and fell to the right….right into a rider who was trying to run through the weeds. My right grip went into his rear spokes, and we both had to stop. After a brief second to get disentangled, and some….urgent comments, we were back to riding, albeit slowly. Which hurt when the final coup de gras for the climb was a very tight switchback (yeah, now they decide to switchback it) which with no speed was hard to clear. More dismounting and running (I was in good company on this) and I did a cross remount and was back at it.

I had no idea where I was in the field and was hurting. Luckily the course from here was flowy with lots of smaller climbs and descents. I passed a few riders, and may have been passed by one or two.  Around this time I started to exchange positions with two riders, one in a Dan’s Comp jersey and another in a red Venture (something) jersey. Coming into the start/finish I think I was ahead of Venture, but behind Dan’s Comp. I grabbed my gel and choked it down and soon caught on Dan’s Comp’s wheel. He was taking an easier pace, which was fine, as I didn’t see anyone behind us.

But, just before we got to the spot where we had dropped in at the start, we were caught by Papa John’s, a Cat 1 woman whose name I don’t know but she was fast (I think she was at the DINO Tune at Town Run). Once she passed us, Dan’s Comp picked up the pace which allowed us to catch up with long lost Enduro. Yeah, he had been riding ahead of us the entire time. Not too shabby.

With fresh memories from my first time through upcoming nasty descent I let Enduro go first, and he blew through that section. However, as we approached Montana, he let me go in front. I fell in behind Dan’s Comp and starting to small ring it to the top.

Ok, full disclaimer here. I’m not sure where Venture/Red Jersey was during all this. I think he was still behind me and passed myself and Dan’s Comp not long after Papa John’s picked us off. But can’t be sure. Anyway….

Venture was now ahead of us, as was Papa John’s and our speed was dropping. Enduro let loose a yell/roar and popped around on the right and went charging up ahead of us, with most of his upper body positioned past his handlebars thanks to the steep angle of the climb. Not long after I attempted to get out of the saddle and my rear tire slipped. Time to hike again. Following the tight switchback, Venture, Dan’s Comp, and Enduro were all in sight, with Papa John’s off in the distance. There is a reason she was Cat 1 and we didn’t see her again.

So, now to focus on finishing this race. I was third in a train behind Venture and Dan’s Comp. Not sure where Enduro had gone at this point but he was making the most of the downhill sections. We kept up a good pace although I had a few slip ups on minor tech sections. Blame that on fatigue.

Heading into the southern loops of the course, Venture hit the gas for an attack and started to open a gap. Soon he was up by a few seconds, and then we began to lose sight of him around corners. Dan’s Comp was keeping a solid pace, but we were losing ground. Add to that I spied Enduro through the trees ahead which gave me a last wind to try to catch them. I passed Dan’s Comp and picked up the pace.

I pushed it on the climbs and quickly gained on Enduro.  Additionally, I spotted Venture through the trees and could tell I was making progress there as well.  On one climb I passed Enduro and he commented to watch out for him on the downhill section. We were close to the end, and as we came up to the last downhill, I looked back to see where he was. If he was on my wheel, I would let him by. He wasn’t on my wheel so I went charging down the descent.

Sure enough, I heard him behind me. I yelled back to pass on my left, I shifted over, and he went zipping past and I got in behind. It was a hell of a pass and I told him so as he went by.  Problem was, there was a turn at the base of descent and Enduro hit it a bit fast. His back tire washed out and he laid the bike down and into a tree. Somehow he rolled to one side and I don’t think he hit the tree. I slowed, but he said he was ok and to keep going. I continued on, and although I saw Venture I could not catch him before breaking out of the trees and hitting the finish.

The finish line. While I saw a few people with cameras, I have
yet to find any sets of photos from the race. Thus, I am stuck with
my own photos for this post.

Overall, it was a great race and the Kentucky Point Series puts on a good event. As I was crossing, I was told I was 12^th overall (out of 44) for Cat 2 and I ended up 3rd in my age group as well. Not too shabby for my first “for keeps” Cat 2 cross country race.

Oh, and this guy was racing in Cat 3. Pretty cool.

 

 

Next up is Brown County DINO in one weeks. After Waverly, I’m feeling in good shape for BCSP, considering the amount of climbing that was done.

Also, the trails at Waverly are a blast to ride and should definitely be given some consideration if you happen to be in that area.

Time for tech talk. The bike performed well. The seat post slid slightly, but like the DRT race two weeks before, not enough for me to notice. One quirk with my bike was on full display. The Alma has very short chain stays, which makes the wheelbase fairly short. On the Montana climb, I noticed that the front wheel kept popping up due to the grade. I don’t think negatively impacted me, but it was something to watch for and made me think twice anytime I tried to get out of the saddle.

DRT Brown County Time Trial Report

As you may have noticed from my prior postings, I joined the DRT Racing team this year. In the past DRT has done a series of three or four races, but in recent years has focused on one time trial event at Brown County. After missing last year’s event, I figured it would be a good idea to get out and show the flag at the sponsor’s event.

First, the weather was magnificent. Sunny with highs in the seventies. The trees are in the process of coming out and the trails were dry. All was right with the mountain bike world.

Now about the race. This is a time trial, which starts from Hesitation Point, and uses almost every inch of trail down to the North Tower lot. For those who like to follow along visually, here is a map of the trails at BCSP.

So the race starts by going down Hesitation Point, then counterclockwise up Aynes, then up the short side of Aynes to Green Valley, then you take a right on North Tower, take it back down to a valley, then counter clockwise around North Tower, to the NT connector, a left on Pine Loop to the NT parking lot, and then back up a short section of the NT connector to the Upper North Tower parking area.

Whew. Total mileage for me per my GPS was 15.8 miles. Not a huge ride, but most definitely a tough one.

Anyway, registration was a bit low until just before the cut off on Friday, but in the end Cat 2 had about 20 riders, which about a third of that in 30-39 range.

Digressing a bit, you may recall some issues I had with my seat post at DINO race last week. Acting on a few suggestions, I picked up some carbon grease from BGI’s shop at the Bike Hub in downtown Indianapolis (they gave me a small packet for free!) and decided to give it a shot. Turns out it worked. A few commute rides, and a mostly likely too hard ride at Southwestway Park on Saturday showed no slippage. Problem solved.

Anyway, we kicked things off at 1:30. I was paired with the sole 19-29er. Things got off to a less than glorious start when I nearly crashed 20 seconds in, in full view of everyone. The trail just below the start had been modified (or eroded?) since I had last ridden it and now had a sort of small drop off, which I was unprepared for. Luckily I kept things together and continued onward.

Now, I have made it clear it that I am weak on the descents. I kept this in mind, but had planned to hit the climbs as hard as possible in order to maintain a gap, or make a pass. And the 19-29er just drilled the descent and disappeared but I was more concerned with riders coming up from behind. Sure enough, not halfway through the descent, I spotted a flash of red on a switch back right above me. It was Bryan D., a rider from the wave behind me.

Well, at least I’m consistent with the slow descents.

Careening through one of the rocky sections on
Hesitation Point with a smile on my face.
Photo: Rob Cowell

Luckily I was near the bottom of the trail and once on the flat section I upped my effort and then attacked the climb out of the valley and up towards the junction with Aynes Loop. I seemed to get a gap on Bryan and then continued to push up the backside of the Aynes climb. Disclosure: I had never ridden the Aynes loop in this direction. It was tough, but I managed to keep a decent pace although I every once in a while spotted flash of red behind me.

The potential of a chaser kept the pace high and I felt like I was on the verge of control on the descent from Aynes (meaning I nearly crashed several times). Once in the valley, I made sure to drink and pushed hard for the climb up the short side of Aynes to the Green Valley trail head. This is a relatively short climb (just over a hundred feet of elevation gain) but there are some tricky spots with roots and rocks. Pushing hard I didn’t see anyone behind me when I reached the Green Valley.

And…another descent. Thinking about the chasing riders, I really launched myself at this one, more so than on Aynes. I’ve ridden Green Valley more than HP and Aynes and have more confidence with the sweeping, bermed descent from this trail head. Near the bottom of the descent there are a few short bumps in the trail, which only serve to act as ramps for getting some air. Air is not something I normally like. The rubber should stay in contact with the ground since bad things can happen between launch and landing. But the speed was too great and I was getting some great air over these humps. And I was landing safely too. So that was nice.

Green Valley was a bit of climbing and a bit of descent. My pace stayed high, although I finally got a look at who was behind me thanks to the large loops that are characteristic of the trail and provide you a look across the small valleys to see trail you had been riding on a few minutes prior. There I spotted not one, but two riders in pursuit. One was wearing a Bicycle Outfitters of Indy kit and he had just overtaken the rider in red I think I had glimpsed earlier. I had an idea of who this rider was and tried to keep a gap by powering up the hills. Somewhere in here I passed a Cat 1 single speeder who was putting in a strong performance. But not long after this, the BOI rider caught me. Turns out he was the rider I was expecting and this race confirmed how fast he actually is.

I stayed within a few seconds of BOI for the remainder of Green Valley and down on to the short side of North Tower. On the initial climbs up North Tower I thought I could close the gap but he pulled ahead and I lost him.

Now, a fun fact about North Tower is that we rode it counter clockwise. I had never done this before. All the times I had been to BCSP, and all the DINO races, I always did NT clockwise. Part of me was surprised by the amount of climbing, while the other, more logical part kept noting that of course there was climbing, since the clockwise route always seemed to be downhill.

Couldn't help but get some air on this stretch of the
North Tower Connector Trail.
Photo: Rob Cowell

Arriving at the junction of North Tower and the connector trail back to the parking lot, I hit the afterburner. I still could not see anyone behind me, save for a few brief glimpses on switchbacks or curves. I raced through the connector, took a left onto Pine Loop, down to the north parking lot, and then back up the North Tower Connector for the .5 uphill sprint to the end.

Apparently the ride was rough on everyone, since the finishing area was littered with racers who had just collapsed on the grass or who were standing in a mute daze.  I joined them, but was quickly revived (mostly) by the spread of food available including hot dogs and Doritos.

Waiting for the awards. In this picture is Paul Gilson. Not pictured, the Doritos
and hot dogs. Photo: E. Fujawa

Results were not immediately posted, but I was thinking I had done well in the age group and overall. However, there was still almost 45 minutes until the results would be finalized, and my car was several miles, and a couple hundred feet of climbing away, up at the Hesitation Point parking lot.  

Those hot dogs and chips were probably not a good idea. But, I trudged, albeit very slowly, back to the car and changed before heading back to the finish line. As it turns out, I did have a decent race. I managed 3^rd in the 30-30 Cat 2 age group, and 6^th for Cat 2 overall with a time of 1:18:03.

Podium pic! With plaid shorts!

Not too shabby and it could not have been a better day for a ride. Got some neat stuff in the awards bag too. Thanks to DRT Consulting and Don Galligher for putting on a great event, Hopefully the weather will be just as nice next year.

No races again until May 18. There is a DINO race in Warsaw as well as a Kentucky Point Series race at Waverly Park in Louisville that week. I don’t like Warsaw’s course, and Waverly sounds like a fun ride with plenty of hills (and the requisite, evil descents). But, I think it could come down to the weather. If it is raining in Louisville, I will go to Winona. Otherwise, Waverly it is.

Lastly, I nearly forgot a post race report on the bike. It performed admirably. As for the seat post, after Sunday’s race there was a bit of slippage (lots of roots and rocks out there) but it wasn’t enough for me to notice while riding and it didn’t impact my performance.

DINO Town Run Tune Up Race Report

First cross country race of the year is in the books, although it is a “tune up” or practice race so the results are not indicative of how a year will go.  Saturday dawned with clear skies and mild temperatures. The DINO Tune Up at Town Run has had a checkered history. Since being switched to this venue three years ago, one race was held in marginal conditions, with mist and a slick course. The second race n 2013 was cancelled since the course was under 5 feet of water.

I raced Cat 3 for the tune up in 2012, and finished 5^th. While encouraging, my results the rest of the year were not quite that good, I think because the Tune Up is early for many Indiana riders, and it is not as well attended as the actual series events, since there are no prizes to be won or points awarded.

So, off I went, with my road rash from my recent crash covered in an assortment of arm and leg warmers, and a bike whose seat post did not want to stay in the up position. Oh quick aside. Before the race I was working on the seat post and the cool stock clamp broke as I was loosening it. Oops. I slapped on the clamp from my old bike and it seemed to work. I also placed a piece of tape on the tube so I could check to see if it was slipping during the race.

Ok, back to the race proper. I donned my new racing kit from DRT Consulting...

….and of course got to the trailhead later than I would have liked. After checking in, I got everything situated and found I had forgotten tape to attach a gel shot to my top tube. Luckily a friend had some and I was off.

The start for the Tune Up was predictably less crowded than a regular series race, but still it was a good turnout. Only 4 Cat 30-30ers who racing, although the whole of Cat 2 had 24 riders.  I didn’t recognize any of the other racers in my wave,   except for Brian W., who raced in a few DINO events last year and who soundly smashed me in the series finale at Southwestway Park. I follow him and Strava and his riding is impressive, and frankly, he is just plain faster than me. So….my grand strategy was to try my best to hook on his wheel and stay in contact. Getting ahead of him and racing from the front would not work. There is no way I was going to drop him.

So, Pro/Elite and Cat 1 went off, followed by Cat 2 open and 19-29.  Then off we went.

Another quick aside: While waiting for the race to start, I noticed that the tape holding my gel shot was coming undone. Turns out the gel was leaking out and nullifying the adhesive. I folded over the top and stuffed it in the cuff of my pants. No need to think about the mess I was making right then.

The thing about the race start at TRTP is that is begins on a short intro loop, which follows a gravel road over a few jumps and then down into a rough single track section and then up to the trail head. At the start, the right route is typically fastest, although riders can take the longer left route and both trails intersect just before a short jump section.

In fact, you can see our start on this cool drone video. (This is a Facebook video and I can't figure out how to imbed the video itself.)

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203501598166418

Our group is the wave of four about 3/4 of the way through the video. I took the right route, while Brian took the left route. The rider ahead of me was a bit slower, which resulted in Brian and I hitting the intersection neck and neck. At the top of the first jump I told him to take the second spot and began to execute my plan. Too bad the plan didn’t work beyond that. We hit the trail proper at a more or less casual pace. We were fast, but not as fast as we could have gone. Suddenly, just as we were poised to go over a section of levee, Brian punched the afterburners and passed the first place rider in the rough. I wasn’t ready for that, and found myself at a slower pace while he charged ahead. A second later I called for a pass and took off in pursuit.  I wasn’t too far back, and kept Brian in sight for most of the first half lap, but then we hit the field section. This southern part of the course is mostly in a wide open prairie like field, which sandy trail, wind, and lots of sun. I always seem to lose any rhythm I have had at this point and I always lose time. And lose time I did. Each loop in the trail saw Brian getting farther and farther from me.

Photo: Beth Bragg

Finally, as we left this section and headed back towards the relatively shady woods, I could no longer see him. Frustration aside, I tried to keep up the pressure in a futile hope of catching him. In the meantime, I finished the first lap and came upon two riders, one who I think was a Cat 2 open, and the other a 19-29er. I passed both easily, but the 19-29er, then sped up and caught up with me. This forced me to push the pace, to a point which was becoming hard to maintain so I let him back by. He remained in sight for most of the rest of the race, but I could never catch him.

Photo: Beth Bragg

During the second lap, I noticed my knees were getting close, and my legs were not extending as far as they should when pedaling. This correlated to a slightly slower speed then I was expecting as well. Looking down, sure enough the piece of tape I had placed on the seat post was crumpled and being pushed upward. It looked like the post was already down about a half an inch. I had my multi tool and could have stopped to try to fix it, but chose to press on, hoping to keep any fast riders from the later age groups at bay.

Photo: Beth Bragg

Also somewhere in the second lap I knocked back the gel shot. When I tried to remove it from my shorts, I found it was stuck to my leg hair. Yay. Not wanting to litter, I stuffed the used pack back into the shorts. The mess that awaited me at the finish line was fun.

The third lap was spent trying to catch the aforementioned 19-29er and keeping the older guys from catching up. Ultimately, I did not catch the 19-29er, but I was close enough to edge him out in the standings thanks to the 2 minute staggered start. I finished overall 6^th out of 24, and 2 out of 4 for the age group.

Town Run is a hard course to race. There is little elevation gain, and really no time for recovery. You are always on the gas, which leads to physical breakdowns and other bad things. Like hatred of mountain bike racing. Also, traditionally, I am better at climbing, and TRTP definitely is not hilly.  With this in mind, I was happy with my performance. I was averaging 32 minute laps, which is not great, but decent. Plus, I hydrated and fueled pretty well. I am concerned about the bike. It is fast, but I can’t help but think I’m losing some speed and power due to the seat post issue. Would this have been enough to catch Brian? Probably not. But it could have helped the overall.

Otherwise, I need to figure out where to go from here. I knew Brian would be tough, but he beat me by 4 minutes, an eternity in mountain bike racing time.  I think an increase in intensity training may be needed if I am to have any hope of keeping up with him, and a few others not present at this race.

Also, it was nice to be recognized for last year's age group series' win. Probably should savor that 'cause that will be a tall order this year.

 

 

April Training Brings Something in May

I’ve got a lot to cover in this post since I haven’t done a substantive posting since the Barry Roubaix Race Report back in March. To start things off, my new race bike is built and ready to roll! I present the Orbea Alma Hydro 29er.

 

I decided it was time to upgrade the trust Access XCL 29er, as well as work on the components.

Well it isn’t all new. The Reba Fork and the wheelset were already in my possession. Here are the stats:

Crankset: Shimano Deore XT 39-26

Front Derailleur: Sram XO-2 speed

Rear Derailluer: Sram X9-10 speed

Shifters: X9 Trigger

Brakes: Shimano SLX Ice Tech (from old bike)

Handlebar: Random Niner flat bar, 680 mm

Fork: Rock Shox Reba RL 100mm

Chain: Sram 1071

Cassette: Sram 1070 11-32

Saddle WTB Race V

Wheelset: Stans Arch 29er

Tires: Maxxis Crossmark UST (rear) Continental Mountain King II, Black Chili (front)

Grips: Some cool Bontrager grips I bought locally but can no longer remember the name.

The bike works great, although the extremely short chain stays took some time to get used to. Great for tight courses, but I have found that in fast accelerations I sometimes pop the front wheel off the ground. Also, the seat post clamp sucks. As I ride I notice that my knees seem to be moving up. Sure enough, the post just continues to slip, even when the bolts are fully tightened.

As for the engine side of the new bike, April has been an up and down month. My hours are a bit lower, and there was less organized training. Work has picked up quite a bit, so that certainly has had an impact. Additionally, I think there was a bit of post Barry Roubaix complacency. I see the Barry Roubaix as one of my primary races for the year, so following the good result, a inadvertently seemed to drop the level of intensity, Part o that is understandable, that after a hard race I drop back the intensity for a short period. Unfortunately, I had trouble getting the intensity back.

Also discouraging was watching Strava and seeing riders I race against getting more time on the bike, and getting faster throughout the month, while work, and some cycling advocacy duties, took up my time. Finally, last week was going to be a big comeback week. I planned to do a long ride home on Friday from work, and then two longer rides, with an emphasis on single track, on Saturday and Sunday. All of this was to be on the new bike. The weather for all three days was beautiful.

On Friday, I left work and headed to the eastside of downtown to swing my some a friend’s house, where my wife and a few others had gathered to have after work drinks.  I figured I would stop by, say hi, and then continue on to a nearby park which has a nice rolling 1 mile gravel loop, perfect for sprints. Unfortunately, I never made it. In making my way east, I got turned around and found myself on Rural St, a rather busy, and not very good quality road way. Cursing my less than stellar navigation, I got a gap traffic and tried to sprint to an alleyway about a block north. I got out of the saddle, accelerated, and then heard a sharp snapping sound and suddenly found my cranks spinning freely and myself going over the handlebars. In the matter of a second, I was almost over the bars, somehow pulled myself back down to the saddle, but in the process I lost control, my front wheel hit the curb (like a 8 inch high curb), and I crashed onto the gravel covered side walk and slid.

My first thought was that I had just screwed up my brand new bike. This lasted for a millisecond before being replaced with how much pain I was in, and the realization I was bleeding profusely.

Thanks to the gentleman in the old Cadillac who slowed down and “advised” me that I better get my bike out of the road. Please note, I was still on the sidewalk stunned and not moving at this point.

I got up, pulled my bike out of the street, retrieved the broken Sram 1071 chain from the road, and called my wife for assistance. She and our friends arrived a few minutes later with first aid supplies and ice packs. I went back to their house where I proceeded to junk out the newly refinished shower with dirt and blood. Sorry L

I had deep cuts on my arm and leg and road rash all down my right side. The good news was that I was able to get out for my planned rides on Saturday and Sunday and got some good time in for the bike.  I was hurting and stiff through it all, but everything on me, and the bike, seemed to work.

My recovery continued this week in lead up to the kick off of the DINO series. The Tune Up practice race is set for this afternoon at Town Run, which will be my first Category 2 race. I had a good training session out at Town Run on Thursday, but we’ll see how everything works out. Weather is perfect, with a bit of rain yesterday to knock down the dust and hopefully help with traction.