tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7452808811805541832024-03-13T03:10:38.653-07:00Clint ClaassenPro Mountain Bike Racer -
Race Reports & UpdatesClint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-40122373082424834422016-06-10T09:17:00.000-07:002016-06-11T20:24:05.561-07:002016 Lost and Found 100 Gravel RaceLast weekend it was time for me to defend my Lost and Found 100 miler SS win from 2015. I decided to run the same gearing (42/17) as I did last year on the Stigmata, even though it hurt, on the theory of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Also, it was nice to be able to keep pace with the geared guys on the flats and stay in the draft. <br />
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The start line contained more big names that I recognized compared to last year, so I was prepared for a fast pace from the gun. This wasn't the case. Last year once we hit the dirt in trees leading up to the first big climb, it was on. This year the group stayed together and the pace was composed, with guys calling out rock and water crossings for those behind. It was a relief for me on the SS, until we hit the bottom of the first climb when all the geared guys shifted down to settle into a nice pace. A pace that I felt would be too slow for me and I'd end up burning more energy over the course of the climb. So I just went off the front! I heard someone cheer "SINGLE SPEEEEEED!!!" from the group as I chugged up the hill trying to stay on top of my gear. </div>
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I fully expected at least a few people to go with me, <i>someone</i> else had to be itching to go! But nope, I looked back after a bit and didn't see anyone. I must have gained a 20-30 second gap by the first crest. After some more rollers another solo geared rider came to join me. Saying that he just wanted a head start on the downhill because he was a pansy (his words). I didn't care, it was nice to have some gears do the pacing for a bit. We stayed together for a while and then I drank too much fluids when I should have eaten and so I fell off his pace a bit. And decided to cruise the flats on the top for a bit and fall back into the main group since they'd eventually catch me anyway. As the leaders caught up, it was nice to hear some compliments from very experienced racers on my breakaway. Although, it really wasn't strategic at all. I was racing the mountain at that point and doing what I felt I needed to do!</div>
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We all hit the first aid station together and went right by, it was only mile 20. The steepest part of the climb followed, and I fell back from the leaders just a bit, but I caught a few back on the descent so I was with three others for the flat pavement transfer that followed. Spinning my legs off, well in excess of 100rpm at 27mph to stay with the group hurts so bad, and it's really hard to reach into your back pocket and get something to eat. But generally it's worth it to stay with a group. We hit the next climb together, but I was really in need of some time to recover at that point.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing up Crocker Mt Rd.</td></tr>
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They'd end up getting a gap on me, which I didn't make up on the next descent. So I was all alone when I came to a T intersection of a deep gravel road under construction. As I approached I was thinking that I needed to turn left there, remembering from last year, but there was a cone with a course flag in it on the right side. So I started to turn right, looking over my left shoulder down the other direction of the road for more course flags because it felt wrong. A second later, I heard Jon Baker turn right too. I figured he's an experienced racer so if he saw it that way, it must be right. It was not. He went on past me and we climbed all the way up and over the next hill, in horrible deep gravel. I began to notice that I was only seeing his tire tracks in that deep gravel, and it should be fairly easy to see more. We started going down the hill and in a clear view of the road saw nobody ahead. We stopped and agreed that we made a mistake, and started slogging back up the hill. On the way back down, we picked up four more riders who'd made the same mistake, but hadn't gone as far. By the time we got back to the intersection, I'd covered an additional four miles, lost about 25 minutes and wasted a whole lot of energy. Mental energy too. But when the road straightened out, I saw a group of riders that I wanted to catch up to before crossing the big open valley. So I pinned it.</div>
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I had almost caught up to that group when we made the turn onto the pavement that crosses the wide open valley and I really wanted to be with a decent sized group. I was spinning so fast, and was almost in reach when they picked up the pace. Ahhhhh!!! C'mon!!! I chased a little more but I could only hold 28mph for so long, and I watched them ride away. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the big valley. photo: cx magazine</td></tr>
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So I settled back down to about 19mph and munched on a Clif bar, frustrated and disappointed. But as I made my way across the valley a few of us stragglers grouped together and started picking up the pace again and rotating pulls. That gave me some motivation again and by the time we turned off the pavement I was ready to recover some of my lost time. I blew through the aid station and set out solo. And I was alone for a long time, which isn't great for a single speeder in the flats. But at least it's pretty...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open country. photo: cx magazine</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No-man's land. photo: cx magazine</td></tr>
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I made it a point to not look at any other metric on my garmin for a while except for speed. I didn't really want to know what mile I was at (which tells me how many are left) or how long I've been riding. The only things that mattered were keeping a decent pace and getting to the next visual marker. I finally made it through the flats and into the rolling hills, passing by a few riders here and there but not really keeping a fast pace until I was caught by AJ. He was making good time and I grabbed his wheel, trying not to flat on the rocks I couldn't see from behind him. We would trade off here and there and get separated from each other on climbs and descents over the course of the next 30 miles. It was all a mental blur, but it was sure nice to have a riding partner for a while.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ripping a descent with AJ Snovel</td></tr>
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The big descent down to the Genesee valley was a blast. I think it had been graded since last year, so it was a little looser dirt but had no washboard bumps. So 40mph was easy to get up to and just let 'er fly! I made my first stop at the aid station at the bottom, which is about mile 65 I think. Filled up bottles, pounded a coke and set off again knowing that the real pain will begin at mile 73 with a 10 mile climb.</div>
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I rolled into the base of the big climb with AJ and two others and when it got steep I left them behind to stay on top of my gear. But that didn't last long as cramps and overall fatigue set in, and wouldn't go away for the next hour of climbing. Everything hurt, and some muscles just didn't function. So I walked a fair bit more than last year with my earlier detour leaving me with less energy at this point in the race. But there would be an oasis at the top of the climb...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The life saving WTB Aid Station with Ben Cruz. photo: WTB</td></tr>
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With my calves fully cramped and my quads firing slowly, I rounded the corner to see the WTB aid station and Ben Cruz running up to me asking me what I wanted. So I said the first thing that came to mind:</div>
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Bacon</div>
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Oh yeah, they had that! Bacon wrapped pickles to be precise. I don't like pickles, so I unwrapped the first one and ate just the bacon. But I could taste the pickle juice, and it tasted perfect. So a down the hatch went a couple pickles in bacon blankets, followed soon after by peanut butter filled pretzels. There was tequila too. Which <i>sounded</i> like a GREAT idea, but could also cause me to stay there and hang out with them the rest of the day. So I passed on that, but with a stomach full of salty, fatty goodness I was refreshed and set off on the home stretch. </div>
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At about mile 93, in the middle of the woods I came across some CDF crews doing some work in the area. There were about 30 guys sitting by the side of the road taking a break, suit faced and dirty. They saw me coming and started cheering VERY loudly. It was awesome! I heard "POP A WHEELIE!!" from the crowd as I passed by, so I did. When I front wheel came down, a roaring cheer erupted again in the middle of the woods. That may be the best part of my race, and I went into the last six miles laughing and with a smile on my face. Thanks guys!</div>
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I rolled into the finish about 45 minutes slower than last year and totally spent. Six hours and forty two minutes was my official time and I had no idea that I had still managed 3rd place, I just really wanted a dip in the lake and a beer. Done. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dip in Lake Davis after a long day on the bike.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The SS podium.</td></tr>
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Check out CX Magazine's report of this year's race as well: <a href="http://www.cxmagazine.com/2016-lost-and-found-gravel-grinder-results-report-decker-farina" target="_blank">CXM Lost & Found Report</a></div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-21016902626394074482016-05-19T12:37:00.001-07:002016-05-19T16:23:03.769-07:00Races for the GromsLast fall we were given the reins to a small operation putting on MTB events for middle school aged kids in Folsom. It really opened up our eyes to a need for quality race experiences for young kids, who rarely get to race bikes on their <i>own</i> course designed for them and without being mixed in with adults. So Jen and I started brainstorming how to best format events for kids and what would be the real goal. Because neither of us believe that 8-14 year old's should be solely focused on competing, winning and getting prizes, but both of us feel that there's unmatched learning and positive experience that comes from competing with others and giving your all. <br />
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The goal we landed on was to provide an opportunity for youth mountain bikers to <i>learn</i> how to race in a safe, fun environment. It sounds simple but executing those four key terms effectively is the key.</div>
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We put our own stamp on it with a new name, website and a fresh venue. The <a href="http://folsomgrom.com/" target="_blank">Folsom Grom MTB Series</a> was born. I would set up three short track courses on Friday nights at Folsom Point on the south shore of Folsom Lake. Which provided a nice place for families to hang out and parents to see their kids almost all the way around the course. Each category would race for 25 minutes on the small course ticking off as many laps as possible. And since we wanted to recognize each racer for their accomplishment regardless of placing, they would receive a small helmet sticker (think college football helmet badges) for each lap they'd complete. And the top 10 would get a rank sticker to put on their number plate, making that a series trophy as well.</div>
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Before each category start, I'd have a pre-race meeting to make sure everyone understood the format and racing basics, then I'd lead them out around a lap and walk them through the features.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pre-race meeting with the 8-10 boys.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leading out the 8-10 boys on their first scouting lap.</td></tr>
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The first week's course was just over a half mile long and after I led the first group around of 8-10 year old boys, they were stoked and so excited to race! We were actually caught by surprise with how many laps they did, with the lead group cranking out 8! They were executing water bottle handoffs with their parents on the climb and really getting into it. It was awesome.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grom racers on course alongside Folsom Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Groms descending the singletrack downhill on week 1.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11-12 year old boys racing, with Bear Development Team rider Bryce Lewis behind as a safety rider, with a couple 8-10 boys cheering along side.</td></tr>
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The girls even showed up in numbers and were shredding it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grom girls racing the singletrack in the trees.</td></tr>
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The level of excitement and accomplishment that the kids had after each category finished, regardless of placement, was awesome. Hearing the kids debrief with their parents and fellow racers afterwards, talking about their struggles and successes during the race with such enthusiasm was very cool to hear. I'll paraphrase some of what I heard into one youthful run-on sentence...</div>
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"I CRASHED LIKE THREE TIMES AND ALMOST A COUPLE MORE BUT KEPT GOING AND IT WAS REALLY FUN AND REALLY HARD BUT REALLY FUN AND I FINALLY MADE IT OVER THAT CLIMB BUT I COULDN'T CATCH THAT GUY!!! Can I have some food?"</div>
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Week two was a little longer course at .65 miles and had one steep descent. There were a couple kids who weren't quite up for it after their pre-lap with me, and took advantage of our scout lap refund policy. But most of the kids were very excited, and thought it was cool to have a different course. We had our biggest turnout of the series, with a really good showing from the girls!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leading the Grom girls out for their week two scouting lap.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8-10 age category Grom racing towards the downhill with the Folsom Lake backdrop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Groms raced on singletrack in the trees at each race</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week 2 girls 8-10 podium</td></tr>
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At one point in the girls race, there was a crash right at the start/finish line. Two girls seemed to clip bars and they both went down. They both got up, but were panicked and shaken. I helped rotate one girls handlebars back in place and she rode off. And the other had hit her knee pretty hard and was working through it, crying, trying to shake it off. Her Mom was there, asking if she wanted to stop and that would be ok. But she, still crying, said no and swung her leg over and kept going to finish the race. It was really cool to see, since that's the type of determination that will go way beyond cycling. Another girl had dropped her chain half way through the lap and ran the rest of the lap with her bike until her Dad could fix it, and kept going. They didn't quit when it got hard and finished what they started, truly giving their best under adversity. One of the main experiences and learning opportunities we wanted to give kids with these races.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grom racer descending after a crash</td></tr>
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I also had a coworker who I had told about the races, and he brought his kids out that second week. I bring this up because they're not a "cycling" family. The kids were on bikes with coaster brakes and tires made for cruising around the neighborhood, and I was a little worried about them on that steep downhill. But on their pre-lap I saw each of them navigate it with youthful fearlessness and continue on with smiles. They both finished their races and loved it. It was very cool to see that we'd made the races accessible to those families truly new to the sport.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Grom riding the course on a coaster brake bike in her first race</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming out of the trees and looking for the next corner, loving his first bike race</td></tr>
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The final race was the longest course at 3/4 mile and a good climb in the middle. That climb was tough for the youngest kids and really spread them out, but they all liked the added singletrack they rode leading up to the climb. There were some pretty tight races in the series points standings, and those kids vying for a podium were focused and determined. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final instructions before the girl's start their last race</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two Grom girls leading the final race</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13-14 boys on the additional singletrack for the final race</td></tr>
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The racing was excellent. At one point in the 13-14 boys group, I jumped in and followed the two leaders who were tied in series points. They had been seesawing for about five laps so I wanted to see how it was going down. And it happened that lap. The eventual winner, Nick, was second wheel after the initial climb and singletrack. He resisted the urge to pass when the course opened up again before the next tight spot, knowing the door would be open again. Staying together, they navigated the singletrack and s-turns before the climb, and then as soon as they hit the climb, Nick attacked in full sprint. Brandon, who was already pushing the pace, tried to match the attack. A gap was forming. I shouted some encouragement to Brandon, urging him to give it all right then. That he HAD to match the speed and he could breathe on the downhill. He just didn't have the horsepower in those young legs and the race was won right there. Nick stretched out the gap to take the win and Brandon still kept up the pace for second. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick pulling away with Brandon in chase. Followed closely by Clint Claassen, Race Director, observing the battle.</td></tr>
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After their races, the kids put their final placement stickers on the number plates and donned their series podium t-shirts. It was smiles all around. So thankful to the sponsors in <a href="http://folsombike.com/" target="_blank">Folsom Bike</a>, <a href="http://mikesbikes.com/contact/mikes-bikes-of-folsom-pg1940.htm" target="_blank">Mikes Bikes Folsom</a>, <a href="http://www.versacare-ems.com/" target="_blank">Versa Care EMS</a>, and <a href="http://www.happytrailssupport.com/" target="_blank">Happy Trails Neutral Support</a> that truly helped make these races happen. The High School racers (Bear Development & Folsom High) who came out and volunteered with setup and mentoring the Groms as course sweeps were great role models. And a big thank you to our all volunteer staff: Julie, Allyson, Brian, Shepherd, Robbie, Karen, Pam, Heather, and the Gross family for watching our mini Grom.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Grom racer puts his final rank sticker on his number plate. Lap stickers also shown on his helmet and number plate.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top five Groms in each category for the series were awarded custom t-shirts, supplied by Mike's Bikes.</td></tr>
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This came together in less than two months, and we had 181 registered racers (78 unique) over the three races. It was a lot of work, but a privilege for Jen and I to have the resources and opportunity to create these events and experiences for the kids. I love being able to coach and truly grow the sport for the next generation, and we'll be looking for more opportunity to do that in the future. If anyone is interested in joining in, let us know!</div>
Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-63499503886598694802016-05-16T12:15:00.002-07:002016-05-23T14:40:55.584-07:00Santa Cruz Bronson v2 First Ride and Review - CA Enduro Series Round 2 Recap<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fresh Bronson build</td></tr>
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I finally got the new Bronson all built up and rolling on Tuesday last week. Aside from playing around a little at the <a href="http://folsomgrom.com/" target="_blank">Folsom Grom MTB Race</a> and discovering the rear tire could hit the dropper cable, "Pinky," as I now call her wouldn't see real trail time until Saturday's enduro race in Reno. So I would roll out on the first transfer with some educated guesses for suspension setup and tire pressure, only to begin the days' long list of positive impressions this bike would reveal.<br />
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<u>Impression 1 - Fit</u><br />
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I spent some time on the first generation Bronson and I never felt comfortable on it. For the same frame size and fork length, I just felt perched on top and I didn't like it. The v2 on the other hand is a longer wheel base and longer top tube, so I felt like I was sitting into the frame more and was instantly comfortable, even with a short 40mm stem. <br />
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<u>Impression 2 - Pedaling</u><br />
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As we rolled out from the venue and started climbing up to our first timed stage, I was amazed at how well this thing went uphill. The short rear end was responding to pedal pressure very efficiently, even with the Fox Float EVOC rear shock fully open. Changing the shock platform to trail mode made the rear even more stiff and responsive to acceleration, and "climb" mode felt like hardtail mode. When the climbing got steep and/or the enduro transfer shenanigans began (tire rubbing, brake checking, pushing each other off balance, etc.) I had no problems with balance or front wheel wandering. Only a tight uphill switchback with rocks would cause a dab later in the day, but that would have been tough on any bike.<br />
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<u>Impression 3 - Technical DH - Just let go bro!</u><br />
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Our first timed stage was the most technical, with numerous sections of all rock and no trail. I didn't know the trail, so it was my cajones holding me back. The bike was BEGGING me to just let go and sit back, but I just kept being a timid, stiff goober and making the rocks way more chunky than they needed to be. Even still, the bike soaked up everything I hit square and at odd angles and I never felt out of control or like I needed to correct any input from the suspension.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dropping in on stage 5 of the Battle Born Enduro<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> - Photo: Called to Creation</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling over the "waterfall" on stage 5</td></tr>
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With more speed, it would have just floated over all of that with ease. Which I learned later in the day coming down a few of those sections again. <br />
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<u>Impression 4 - Fun factor at speed</u><br />
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I finally opened it up later on down that first stage and then the whole next stage, which was a fast one, I really noticed the air cushion that floats you down the trail. The bike doesn't wallow in slow speed compressions and with a little press in from your feet, you can pop right out and line up for the next turn. Small bumps aren't noticeable at all, it just eats them up. The "ramp up" of the suspension makes it seem bottomless even under a heavy rider. Our second stage of the day was all speed and flow, following the hill contour with a tail wind. So I had the post up a lot, pedaling, pressing in and popping out of the banked turns, and trying not to fly off the loose off cambers that were blinded by desert shrubbery. I discovered that I need to reassess my definition of "fast" when railing this bike, because it can go faster and is more stable than any bike I have ever ridden, while still being maneuverable.<br />
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<u>Impression 5 - Long climber</u><br />
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The transfer climb up to our third stage was a four mile, 1200ft vert climb. I got into a groove and just kept chugging at a nice zone 3 pace, never uncomfortable, and the big enduro bike never held me up at all. I never felt the weight of it or the slack angles and got to the top in a little over 30 minutes, as fast as I ever have. Why would I bring this up? Because it points to the Bronson's ability to be an all day go anywhere bike.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT8xPMqCdM0/VzoMFORzIMI/AAAAAAAARag/NlQgMF9Wo1Ekb0HABGhd6Dl5_R40yKEIQCLcB/s1600/13220692_10104424207170193_1466237027093665309_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT8xPMqCdM0/VzoMFORzIMI/AAAAAAAARag/NlQgMF9Wo1Ekb0HABGhd6Dl5_R40yKEIQCLcB/s320/13220692_10104424207170193_1466237027093665309_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of the long climb, with Reno down below</td></tr>
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<u>Impression 6 - Balanced and Tough</u><br />
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The next stage was a long one, and I hit a sharp rock near the top and heard some air pissing out of the front tire rotationally. It finally sealed up after loosing about half its pressure and I kept charging. I leaned back a little more over few bits of rough trail on this stage to protect the front tire, and it transferred the weight and traction wonderfully as I used the rear end to steer a bit more than normal (maybe this should be where I am all the time!). But as the trail weaved down a canyon like a bobsled run, the turning forces on the front tire leaked out more and more air until there wasn't much left. I could just push down on the bars and hit the rim on the ground, but if I just sat back it would ride on the few psi within the sidewalls. With a few turns to go, I got off balance in a deep channel of trail approaching a turn and the flat front tire folded over trying to get traction, sending me into the bushes. I ditched the bike out front as we hit on the drive side and slid to a stop. I popped back up, turned the bars back around and rolled the next few turns into the stage finish, learning my lesson that I really need to put some THICK tires on this thing so I can hit whatever I want!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iCk63xOOK8/Vzn6jXQvbQI/AAAAAAAARaQ/FaeSjwZBrSoDFsAXB5TTcxDIY3n7btcVACKgB/s1600/C1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iCk63xOOK8/Vzn6jXQvbQI/AAAAAAAARaQ/FaeSjwZBrSoDFsAXB5TTcxDIY3n7btcVACKgB/s320/C1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting up to race speed<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> - Photo: Patrick D Rosso</span></td></tr>
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The next stage was a fast and pedally one. By then I was really getting the hang of the bike and had some fun leaning back and popping off the sides of the ditch we rode down. It would be my best stage finish of the day. Which was followed by my worst stage of the day, where I'd flat the rear 1/4 of the way down loosing all air pressure and ride the rear rim all the way down. Seen here:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xQyLIM5GVQ/Vzn61k_qD0I/AAAAAAAARaE/fdopxXOptLw3xsLgc-nmH-sp5tzuTeyhACKgB/s1600/CTC77855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xQyLIM5GVQ/Vzn61k_qD0I/AAAAAAAARaE/fdopxXOptLw3xsLgc-nmH-sp5tzuTeyhACKgB/s320/CTC77855.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limping down stage 3 with a rear flat - Photo: Called to Creation</td></tr>
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This just reinforced two things. One being the need for stronger tires, again. And two, that ENVE's are awesome. I did take it a little easy, but I didn't walk it and there were plenty of rocks pinging the rim and making me cringe. There's not a scratch on it :-).<br />
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<u>Impression 7 - Jumper</u><br />
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The final stage stared with a few small jumps. And I'm so comfortable on the bike and how it's going to react and stay stable on take off, that I WANT to jump it! I've never had a bike that wasn't a full DH rig, where this was the case and I'm looking forward to more. Those of you that know me will see this as a big step.<br />
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<u>Final Impression - All day fun!</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprinting across the open valley of stage 4<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> - Photo: Called to Creation</span></td></tr>
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After 26 miles and over 4,000ft of climbing, I was charging on the final stage. The bike was never power sapping and it encouraged more speed and playfulness. I hit the familiar lower sections with a lot more speed and caught more air than I ever have. Two wheel drifting over a negative g-force crest just for fun and coming into a rocky channel too hot (or not?) but the bike forgiving me as I just wall-ride the rocks back to the desired line and let out a "woohoo!"<br />
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I may be grabbing this bike to ride much more than I expected...<br />
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The build:<br />
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Frame - Santa Cruz Bronson v2 - XL<br />
Fork - Fox Float 36 160mm<br />
Shock - Fox Float EVOC w/ adjust<br />
Seatpost - Fox D.O.S.S. 5 inch<br />
Brakes - Shimano XTR - 180/160 rotors<br />
Drivetrain - Shimano XT 1x11 - 34t front<br />
Wheelset - ENVE m70 on DT Swiss 350 hubs.<br />
Bars - ENVE DH 800mm<br />
Stem - ENVE 40mm<br />
Saddle - WTB Silverado Carbon<br />
Headset - Cane Creek 110<br />
Pedals - Crank Brothers Mallet EClint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-42410652631647115802016-05-04T12:13:00.001-07:002016-05-04T12:13:49.227-07:002016 Sea Otter Recap - The Dirt OmniumMy first Sea Otter Classic was ten years ago, and it was the first big race event I'd ever been to. I raced XC in the Sport Clydesdale category and got 13th. I also raced DH on the same bike (which was two sizes too small for me btw), and got 17th in Beginner. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's easy to see a lot has changed since then, but one thing that hasn't is that I love racing different disciplines and being well rounded. It was that way from the beginning. So this years Sea Otter Classic was no different, where I was signed up to race Enduro, Short Track, XC and Cyclocross. The "Dirt Omnium" as I like to call it. </div>
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First up was Enduro. I was riding my slacked out Tallboy setup with the Fox 36 140 up front which works well for the smooth course. </div>
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The first stage is the DH course, which is filled with built jumps. I'm not a jumper so it's my "get through it" stage. I just try to fly low and stay out of perma-xc-position my body defaults to. But hitting the berms, clearing the jumps that aren't too big, and bombing down the ridge line is as sweet as it was 10 years ago. At the start I realized I was starting 20 seconds ahead of Giant factory team rider Josh Carlson, who I knew would be in contention for the win (he got 2nd). I wasn't going to be the guy that held him up so we discussed where he might catch me. And since I'm about as fast as his teammate Carl Decker in these types of courses (out of our xc element), the prediction was spot on and he passed in the perfect spot, wide open on the paved crossing half way down. </div>
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After a nice pedal over to stage 2, I was the first rider there. I won the transfer, but unfortunately get nothing for it except a nice clear trail ahead with no dust. Stages two and three are both on flowy singletrack, but relatively flat and pedally so the challenge is to carry as much speed through corners and be back on the power quick. The legs didn't really feel like sprinting, not like they ever really do, but I felt pretty decent. I had a few close calls from near washouts or my handlebars catching on bushes to keep things interesting. </div>
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Speaking of interesting... I'm not sure what's going on here on the transfer to stage 3. "Stretching?"</div>
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Stage 4 is on the dual slalom course. Again, totally out of my element but a blast to ride. Each time I do it, I want the chance to ride it the rest of the day and try to perfect it.</div>
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One thing I really like about Enduro is that it brings us all together, even though we each focus on different areas of racing and rarely get to ride together. Logan loved to be riding with the guys too.</div>
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Next up was Short Track on Friday. It was the best short track course they've ever had at Sea Otter. With no ridiculous choke points 100 yards after the start. Still, starting at the back of 100 guys, it inevitably happens and you just have to wait. We came to a stop in the gravel, briefly, about 200 yards into it but at least there was no turn. And then again about half way through the course at the bridge over the track wall, where I had to get off and run it in the traffic. But once the first lap sorting was done, I started to have a pretty good race. I was making passes and whenever it was up to me, I was moving forward. So that felt good. A result of 75th and getting pulled doesn't, but whatever. I got to race my bike, and afterward we took Logan to his own short track where he raced too.</div>
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Saturday was my double day of XC and CX. Jen and Logan geared up in the morning to head out from the campsite as I prepped the day's bikes.</div>
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XC was first with a field of 115 racers from all over the world. It was a UCI HC race so the top guys were there chasing points for the Olympics. And we would be racing a small 3.2 mile course that never left the venue. It was a much better layout than the one four years ago, and actually had some mini rock gardens and fun stuff. We started on the track and rode the pavement up the hill to the top of the corkscrew before dropping into the dirt. I totally guessed the pace strategy wrong, figuring they would ease into the climb and wait for the steep part to push it. So I was fighting to stay on the back from the get go. But the choke point in the wall at the top brought us all back together. Barry Wicks and Carl Decker were at the back with me, so I was doing my best to hang on their wheel and learn from even older and wiser-er racers working through the field. We saved energy where everyone was pushing, and made passes where most rest. They still managed to ride away from me by the third lap, but Jen and I nailed the bottle handoff (small victories).</div>
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Like short track, I was moving forward when I wasn't inhibited by course choke points. And was actually starting to feel good about 40 minutes into it and getting faster. But by then, the field is so strung out that the small course layout means you get pulled. 96th, ouch. </div>
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So on to Cyclocross just a couple hours later. My Stigmata SS was all set up and ready to rip. And though you'd think I would be tired and the legs drained, I apparently needed a few days of hard riding in them before starting to feel good! I took the lead by the 2nd lap and thought had pulled a little gap on second place. So I dialed back the pace a little to recover, only to be passed by a guy I hadn't accounted for!</div>
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He put in a strong dig right then as I needed to recover, so a pretty good gap formed. I would gain ground on the power sections of the course but he was getting through the tech spots a little cleaner. Especially the sand pit before the final turn. On the final lap I gave it everything I had, and could tell I was reeling him in. Coming out of the infield and onto the second to last straightaway, I was able to get a pull from a geared rider in the cat 5's we were racing with, passed him going up the hill towards the sand pit and just hammered through the sand with as much speed as I could carry. It was the best I'd made it through the sand all race, and now the leader was right there on the final corner! He looked back, and since I can't hide in bright yellow, he knew. We were sprinting and spinning our single speeds like hamsters in a wheel for the final 200 yards! I was gaining... gaining... the crowd was roaring... AHHHHHH!!!! 2nd by a bike length! So close but what a great race! The Stigmata was awesome and I was kind of bummed to not get the win, but stoked to be back up on a Sea Otter podium.</div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-3802869764749090712016-04-19T12:07:00.000-07:002016-04-19T12:07:37.024-07:00Back at it in 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a long time since I've written a post, a year and a half to be exact. It was a conscious decision of time and energy management where the blog got the axe. But after reading by my buddy Ron's most recent <a href="https://folsombikeelitemtbracing.wordpress.com/2016/04/18/2016-sea-otter-classic-2nd-place-cat-1-xc-by-ron-shevock/" target="_blank">race report told from the perspective of his contact lens</a>, I'm inspired to bring it back. Maybe not to the degree it used to be, but I was reminded of how much of a mental outlet writing can be.<div>
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I'm three race events into the season, and I'm so looking forward to what's coming this year. However, a lot has happened since I last wrote, and I may go back and write about some in detail, but here's a quick list of where I've been devoting my time outside of my day job:</div>
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- Logan is 2! TWO!!!!</div>
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- We've put on two totally awesome seasons of <a href="http://saccyclocross.com/" target="_blank">Sacramento Cyclocross</a>. And we have big plans for the coming season.</div>
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- We've taken over a Jr. MTB race series and will be expanding that, even beyond the <a href="http://folsomgrom.com/" target="_blank">Folsom Grom Series</a>.</div>
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- Our timing company, <a href="http://timeyourrace.com/" target="_blank">TimeYourRace</a>, is taking on more events. We've got a bigger trailer and more equipment and are capable of tackling most any crazy idea we have. We even timed the WEMBO 24hr World Champs!</div>
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- I've managed to stay relatively fit and rode about 6,500 miles in 2015. With a lot of race appearances and some wins and podiums here and there.</div>
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- I raced my first 8hr MTB event, and came in 4th!</div>
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- I started racing single speed, on my CX bike (the new Santa Cruz Stigmata!)</div>
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- I raced my first 100 mile gravel grinder, and won!</div>
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- Raced in the first Enduro National Championships.</div>
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- Santa Cruz, Fox, Shimano, ENVE, Capo and all my sponsors have stuck with me and I'm so thankful.</div>
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- We burned through an espresso machine...</div>
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So, now on to this year. Training has been sporadic, but I figured I'd just jump right in. Fontana was the spot for the first California Enduro Series race and a Pro XCT the next day. I figured the enduro course would take at least one stage down the rocky downhill course there, so I was worried that I didn't have a proper enduro bike yet. But none of the four stages used the super gnarly stuff, and my Tallboy modified with a 140mm Fox 36 up front was perfect and really fun to ride. Like a quicker version of the old Tallboy LTc.</div>
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Unfortunately my #soenduro blue shorts did not give me sprinting legs. So combined with my usual conservative nature, that left me in 26th place at the end of the day. I had a great time hanging out and riding with my teammates, so it was just good to be racing again. Plus, Jen and Logan were there.</div>
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The Pro XCT the next day would be the real test. And honestly I had two goals: 1) Just to do it. Which was a big mental step knowing how fast these guys are and how much it was going to hurt. And 2) To give everything I've got, not get last, but be ok with wherever I end up. It doesn't seem like much, but I need to start somewhere, and just being in the mix is what I need. It's also great to be out there supporting the other young guys and gals I've been watching develop or mentoring. I lined up behind Tofor Lewis at the back, who has just been putting in a ton of effort and when the gun went off I watched him work through the field... very cool to see and I was so bummed for him that he flatted out on the first lap. </div>
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I was quickly reminded of the blazing pace these races have on the first lap. I knew I wasn't ready for it but wow. I avoided two crashes in by the end of the first corner and was sprinting in the giant dust cloud barely hanging on . After the initial climb and a couple singletrack bottle necks, the field had really strung out. I knew there was no chance of me staying on the lead lap, but I wanted to keep moving forward wherever possible.</div>
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It was the first time I'd raced the highball at Fontana, and it was handling the rocky, fun course well. I just didn't have the legs at all, especially in 90 degree heat I wasn't prepared for. So it was 52nd place for me. But I was just happy to be back in it.</div>
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Next up was the first Prairie City Race Series, which is always a great weekly blow-out training session where the fast high school kids really push me this time of year. I was actually pretty nervous about this one since it's such a sprint. But I surprised myself and had a great race, battling at the front and coming in 2nd.</div>
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And that brings me up to last weekend, and another year of the Sea Otter Classic "Dirt Omnium" as I like to call it. I'll save the details of those four races for the next post as more pictures roll in. But I'll leave you with this shot of Logan screaming with delight from the crashing wave during our detour to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It makes me smile :-)</div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-33561328995932390122014-11-06T12:34:00.001-08:002014-11-06T12:34:52.709-08:00Sacramento Cyclocross - The Other Side Of The TapeIn my <a href="http://claassenmtb.blogspot.com/2014/10/ca-enduro-series-finale-santa-cruz.html" target="_blank">last post</a> I mentioned that even though I was off racing my last Enduro MTB race of the season, cyclocross was where my head was at. But really, the <a href="http://saccyclocross.com/" target="_blank">Sacramento Cyclocross Series</a> has been on my mind all year. Not to train for or race it (only if I'm lucky), but from the other side of the tape. So here's a different kind of race report, as the event promoter and race director. <br />
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You might be thinking... "Planning all year? It's just a few bike races! String up a course and people show up right?" Not quite. I've been around the business for a while, but never tackled the whole thing. Without getting into all the details, here's a glimpse of what ended up taking much more of our time and energy than we expected.<br />
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<li>How many races? And where? </li>
<li>How do we fit our race schedule in with all the other CX races in NorCal.</li>
<li>How many categories? What's the best race day schedule?</li>
<li>USAC or no?</li>
<li>What are the insurance requirements of each venue?</li>
<li>Which venues require porta-potties? Where do we get porta-potties?!</li>
<li>Who's handling EMT duties?</li>
<li>This venue permit is 72 pages long...</li>
<li>Why do they make it so hard to have food and alcohol at an event?!!?</li>
<li>What's the jersey design for this year?</li>
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<li>Hmmm... two good ideas... make one a shirt!</li>
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<li>What timing chips are we using?</li>
<li>How do we build a new website?</li>
<li>How is registration going to work?</li>
<li>What are we doing for marketing? Where do we get posters printed? Who's distributing them?</li>
<li>Social media...</li>
<li>What course material do we need? Do we have enough? (No... you never have enough!)</li>
<li>This is a lot of stuff... we need to buy a trailer.</li>
<li>How will we compensate core staff? Where are we getting volunteers? </li>
<li>It's June and the venue manager wants a course map...</li>
<li>Trying to get Old Sac as a venue= meetings and more meetings.</li>
<li>Searching out and formulating agreements with sponsors... so many emails!</li>
<li>How to I make a good CX course? Details...</li>
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<li>Random park goer: "Why is that guy riding his bike around (seemingly) aimlessly in the grass and going half way up hills and turning around?"</li>
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<li>How do I make barriers? Can they be lighter?</li>
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<li>No... barriers made of vinyl fencing don't hold up.</li>
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<li>How do I make a podium backdrop?</li>
<li>Who's watching Logan while we're running the event?</li>
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There are a lot of things that were left off that list (and a LOT of prep that Jen did too), but you get the idea. So after all the planning... the season was finally here. With Jen handling all the timing and registration, the equipment, course, and the race functions would be my responsibility. No matter what else we did with the series, website, sponsorship, marketing, etc... it still comes down to the fact that the course has to be good and foster good racing. Without that, to me, there wouldn't really be any growth in the series and people wouldn't come back. This means that every course becomes my baby... in addition to this one...<br />
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The first race at Orangevale Park was a returning venue with a course that was well received last year, but after riding around the venue and making sure I was using any unique feature it had to offer I saw some changes to be made. Some of which involved a couple hours of raking...<br />
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With a good route mapped out I was ready to go. And on the day before the race, with an awesome crew from Folsom Bike we eventually got it all set up. But it took way too long and all the volunteers weren't effectively utilized. Something I'd make sure to do on future setup days. Huge thanks to Ron Shevock for helping me out until after dark. And I also learned that I need to set up my start finish chute first if I want it to look nice. We ran out of material before we got to it, and had to go back and thin out some sections.<br />
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After getting home and loading up the rest of the race day equipment, everything was full again and I was seriously concerned that we wouldn't be able to get everything home after the race!<br />
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Race day... lesson #1: Expect that at least some of your course will be destroyed overnight. Either by humans, overly powerful sprinklers, or wind. For this race, it was humans. Many stakes were used as javelins, ending up in random places, and some were never found. Great. Some foul words were uttered as I rode around the course at 5:30am. <br />
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But with daylight came life and as the registration area and start/finish chute took shape the racers started to roll in. There had been a lot of excitement leading up to this and I was still a little worried that people wouldn't show up. But people kept coming and the buzz was awesome. The first wave of the day (Men's C's) was huge!! George asks me if I want to say something before they go off... yeah, I do, or rather I feel like I should. But I don't know what to say so after rattling off a few logistical details, I just express my appreciation that they've come out and that I hope they love it. And they're off! It felt great to finally have racers on course. And wave after wave people were stoked and loving it. I don't think I ever stopped moving all day... repairing broken course, preparing awards and handing out podium prizes, repairing more course, making a kids course route, taking feedback from racers, resolving results disputes, thanking the sponsors that came out, oh and repairing more course :-). I was so wrapped up in doing everything, that when I saw my mother-in-law in the reg area (she'd been taking care of Logan at our house), and then saw a stroller, with a baby in it, I had to stop and think for a second. Wait... if she's here, and... oh that baby's mine! I felt so bad that I had been so mentally wrapped up in everything that I hadn't even thought about our little guy at all. But so thankful that he was being taken care of so that I didn't have to and could be in my new version of "race mode." I was excited to see him though and I walked around with him for a while and, you guessed it, repaired some course :-).<br />
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After all the racing was done, I couldn't believe how well the event had gone. And was so stoked that everything we'd been working on finally took shape, and made a lot of people happy (336 racers!).<br />
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And I even managed to fit all of the course and venue equipment in the cars and trailer! Good thing I played a lot of Tetris as a kid!</div>
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Monday... time to focus on race number two at Maidu Park the next weekend. New venue, new course. I took some time during the week and just went out to the park and just walked around. Reading the contours and visualizing the course and what lines would be taken at race speed. I had a good course plan and I went around ahead of time marking where each stake would go. With another great setup crew, this time from Roseville Cyclery, we knocked out the course before dark. Except we ran out of course material, again. And some thinning was required to put together the start/finish area, which we couldn't access until the soccer games were over. I HATED the fact I had to skimp on course material! Oh well, not much I could do now. After all the volunteers left I walked the course making minor adjustments, moving stakes just a few feet, etc. I ended up redesigning a series of turns in the grass until they felt right and the few guys out preriding gave me good feedback on the course. </div>
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Race morning... I'm out at 5:30am again riding the course and it's all still there! Stoked! It's gonna be a good day.</div>
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I started setting up the course that ran through the parking lot and quickly found out that I needed to block off areas due to the softball tournament and those people wanting to park in our venue. I scrambled for some cones and also blocked off a space for the food truck which would come later. People ended up moving some cones to park there anyway. Ahh! </div>
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As I'm finishing the setup of the parking lot section of the course, a park maintenance guy drives up and says he needs to get into the maintenance yard that is on the other side of my course. Seriously? So I take the course down for him to go through. Unfortunately he'd need to do this a few more times throughout the day, during races. That was quite the headache to deal with and make sure he got across two way race traffic with his truck safely. This venue certainly had some flow issues, with people having to cross the course not only to get to registration but to get to the bathrooms. Something I had never considered. So not only do I need to have a good course, I need to figure out where the foot traffic is coming from and where it will want to go for future races.</div>
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But the day ended up being awesome again and the racers were stoked.</div>
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And yes I did a quite a bit of course repair...</div>
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It was another day where I seemed to never stop moving and was always going a different direction. We had one somewhat major hiccup in the timing system caused by too much draw on the batteries. But we learned how to (hopefully) prevent it in the future and thanks to a great scribe crew (backup scoring) we had a manual record of finish order at least for the Master B's categories. </div>
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At the end of the day... 346 racers got out on course to hammer and had a great time. I couldn't believe how well the series was going. And how rewarding it's been despite an incredible amount of work. Honestly... just showing up to an event with a bike and racing seems easy in comparison! </div>
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Two weeks later, at our third race at Lembi Park in Folsom, I would get the opportunity to do both! This race went EXTREMELY well despite a tough course, which equals even more course repairs. But I had bought about 175 more stakes since the beginning of the season and had a few extra on hand (I learned not to use them ALL on setup for this reason). People were really digging the techy course I had put together (thanks to all the help from Team Revs on setup!) and there were spectators/hecklers everywhere and the vibe was awesome. With ten minutes to go before the final race of the day (Men's A/SS A's), I found myself in the timing area having checked over, made repairs and all of the course was ready to go. I told Jen I was thinking of jumping in the race but I didn't have my timing chip or anything set up yet. She says, "I know someone who can make that happen you know..." So ten minutes later, after a towel change in the parking lot I roll up to the back of the Single Speed group... "So I hear there's a bike race eh?" Lots of familiar faces welcome me back to this side of the tape. It felt really good to get out there and actually enjoy some of the fruits of everything we've been doing. </div>
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And yes... it was a really fun course! But really hard too!!! I was essentially course sweep, but I was having fun. I even scored a dollar hand-up. Thanks to everyone who I saw repairing the damaged course while I was out there racing. And sorry to the guy whose foot I ran over at the top of the run-up! </div>
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After the dust settled at Lembi and Team Revs picked up the course in record time, I got to go walk the course with Jen and show her everything she never gets to see (always stuck in the timing/reg tent). So that was pretty cool. And the other amazing thing... the count was 392 racers... wow. So excited to see where this is going.</div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-72079607314399952182014-10-30T09:22:00.002-07:002014-10-30T09:22:45.218-07:00CA Enduro Series Finale - Santa Cruz Super EnduroIt's October... that strange time in California where there are still some really good MTB races around. However... we've been racing since February and the mind and body are tired... which forces some decisions and temptations are hard to fight. Temptations like the trails which aren't race courses or on the normal training route... they are calling because they've been neglected all year. Or the temptation of the couch, football, beer, and spending time with family and friends. Or there's Cyclocross... which is where my head's been at. No, not training for it or racing but from the other side of the tape. Jen and I are running the <a href="http://saccyclocross.com/" target="_blank">Sacramento Cyclocross Series</a> this year and we've been working hard all year planning and gearing up for it... and it's finally here. I'll write more about what it's like promoting the series in other posts, but it fits in here because the CES finals (Saturday, in Santa Cruz) were intertwined with our first CX series race (Sunday, in Orangevale). Of course I'd try to do it all, which maybe wasn't the smartest thing but the support of family and friends made it possible.<br />
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It was a chilly Saturday morning down in the Soquel Demo Forest and racers slowly rolled in to get ready for the four stage enduro. I was ready to go early, except I discovered my DOSS dropper post wasn't returning all the way back to the top. I talked it over with a bike shop friend (Steven Lewis) and we figured it was just low on air. It was, but then he put WAY too much air in which I discovered as I tried it out for the first time and it almost broke my wrist it came up so fast. I'm glad I wasn't sitting on it!! So we figured it'd be a good idea to take some air out and remove the eject effect. After a quick riders meeting it was 9am and we were given the ok to start pedaling up the hill towards stage one. This is usually where Scott Chapin and I "race" each other up the hill... which we did... but at a casually brisk pace so we could chat about our other agendas. That being the odd mix of cross and enduro this time of year. He was thinking that it would be possible for him to get down to Salinas and race the CCCX cross race if he finished the enduro quick enough (which he didn't, because he snagged a podium spot at the enduro). And my goal was to "XC the enduro" and finish everything as quickly as possible so I could drive the three hours back to Sacramento and set up our cyclocross course for our race. <br />
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We made it to the top in good time and the timing crew were all set up and ready for us to start whenever. Sweet. So off came the arm and knee warmers and on went the goggles for the fun to begin. Stage one was the same as last year but I still felt like I was riding blind. I generally remembered the contours but not the details of what was around each bend. <br />
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I felt pretty smooth though but didn't take any risks. After crossing the line I just motored on through and up the transfer climb to stage two. Unfortunately I lost my water bottle somewhere on stage one. Oh well. <br />
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When I got back up to the top, that timing crew was ready to rock as well (awesome!). So I took a swig of water from one of the guys and was off hammering down the ridge trail before turning down Braille Trail. This stage is really fun and flowy with tons of spots to jump off obstacles and pick up a bunch of speed quickly before several g-out gulleys and short climbs. <br />
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Again, I felt smooth except for one close call when a rock kicked my back end the wrong way and I shouldered a tree to stay upright. I didn't really feel fast though as I didn't really remember every line over the many blind knolls and corners. But I rolled through the finish and continued on and climbed up to stage three.<br />
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I got to the top at 10:30 and was on good pace to finish everything and be on the road again by noon. And the timing crew was all in place and looked ready to go here too. But then they told me they couldn't start anyone before 11. "What?! It's 10:30! Damn." It didn't make any sense to me since there was no traffic on the trail from prior stages. But thankfully one of the guys started checking the radio and he got the ok to start me at about 10:40. Awesome! And I was off! Stage three is one of the more technical stages and also the longest of the day. With plenty of rooted and rocky steep sections up top, tight in the trees. I was making my way through pretty well until I came out of a tight left and saw there was a cut off tree stump really close to the trail on exit. I carried the lean out of the corner a little longer and cleared the stump with my front wheel, but brought the bike back up too quickly which caught my right shoe on the stump. BOOM!!! Like I'd hit a land mine I was ejected up and over, landing about 15ft down the trail... on my back... on some roots. Still sliding I rolled over just before the bike tumbled over me. I was totally stunned and couldn't breathe. I'd landed on a root right about where my left kidney is and also where my multi tool and pump were in my jersey which didn't help. After moaning a bit and getting up slowly, I made sure all the bits were still where they should be and were operational. My right hand took a crunch and was hurting a bit and my lower back was really in pain. I had a headache too. But the bike didn't have a scratch on it and I knew I needed to get moving to stay loose, so I got back on my horse and continued on. I certainly couldn't push it and was just trying to get through the rest of the race. I couldn't dive into the corners at all because holding myself up against the g-forces really hurt my back. Especially on the last stage which was the new flow trail. It was fun, and I finished, but I could hardly hold on. <br />
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A lot of people were climbing up to stage three as I finished up the final stage and I was still making good time. The climb out of the canyon back to the car seemed endless and hurt... man did it hurt. I packed up and was on the road before noon. Awesome! I got back and was able to help set up the course for our cross race which turned out to be really successful. I'm really glad I had the support system to make getting down to Santa Cruz and racing the enduro possible. I really wanted to finish out the series like I'd planned to at the beginning of the year. With the crash in Santa Cruz and my course mix-up at Mammoth a few weeks prior, my results weren't were I'd hoped they'd be but I still managed to place 10th overall for the series. I'm even more stoked for my teammate Ryan who captured the overall win for the series! The Tallboy LTc rocks!<br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-61086714689573613442014-09-25T11:25:00.000-07:002014-09-25T11:25:51.703-07:00CES #4 - Kamikaze Bike Games - MammothIt's been about eight years since I last rode at Mammoth. Things were a little different then... here's a photo from one of the last trips there of Jen and I at the top of Kamikaze...<br />
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Of course, Jen crashed pretty hard on the Kamikaze DH right after that photo was taken which knocked her back out and she couldn't walk for three days. And that's probably one of the reasons it'd taken me so long to come back. But I was looking forward to the great trails that I remembered being a part of the next round of the California Enduro Series.</div>
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We've been working pretty hard promoting and preparing for the <a href="http://www.saccyclocross.com/" target="_blank">Sacramento Cyclocross Series</a> so my training and ride time has taken a back seat lately. But the XC race scheduled for Saturday as part of the Kamikaze Bike Games was tempting. So next to my Tallboy LTc enduro machine, I threw on the Tallboy C just in case I could get there in time and felt like jumping in the race where the uphills count for time too. I left the house super early Saturday morning, railed some high mountain roads in the Mazda3, and made it to Mammoth with plenty of time to relax and get a prelap in. After riding the course, I knew signing up for the race would be a good choice. It was really fun! It had everything! Buffed flow trail, loose berms, jumps, ladders, and a pretty rocky and technical descent at the end of a lap. </div>
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With the lack of training and since I haven't raced XC in a while, I dropped back to about 10th spot in the first climb on fire road to single track. No sprinting from this guy! It was nice to hear some cheers from friends though as I reached the turn into the first climbing trail. Once we settled into a nice seated climbing pace I was able to make a few passes and get up to about 6th and I could see the 5th just ahead. I looked back and there was already a big gap behind as well. We climbed up to the main lodge and then UP a portion of the Kamikaze DH before heading into some flowy singletrack. </div>
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That's where I caught Evan Christenson, a Jr rider who cat'd up to pro/open for this race to push himself. Props to him and he was doing great. But my Tallboy wanted to open it up for some DH fun so I went by and ripped the descent back to the bottom.</div>
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The final descent of the lap on Shotgun trail was pretty rowdy at speed and a blast to ride. At one point I came out of a berm and launched off a rock and landed in roots which kicked me sideways and my back wheel bounced off the tree. I whooped with delight like a little kid after the save. </div>
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But alas... it was back to the climbing for lap two and Evan caught me after a little while. Neither of us heard from anyone at the venue telling us our time gap to the riders ahead. We couldn't see them no matter how hard we pushed and there was still no challenge from behind. Until we reached the Kamikaze climb again and I looked back and saw a rider coming. At that same time I reached for a couple Clif shot bloks I'd stuck to my top tube, and I totally fumbled! Here I was riding up Kamikaze, juggling two shot bloks in the air with my left hand! I caught one and while the other was still in the air, I popped it in my mouth and tried to catch the other but failed. Shot blok down! We have a shot blok down!! Dang... oh well, I had a few more lick 'n sticks to top me off. After getting into the singletrack again, that rider I saw finally caught me. He was charging hard and I figured I'd let him pass, and stay on his wheel and pace for a bit. But once the trail turned down, he was slowing me up so I went on by and quickly caught Evan again after some more descending. He pulled a little gap on a steep climb after passing the lodge again, but I was able to pull him right back once the trail turned down.</div>
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As we were about to turn in to one of the last traversing trails, he inadvertently gave me a sign of his fatigue. He shook his hands, trying to loosen up some arm pump. He was riding at his limit on the downhills and that's where I'd hit it hard. I went by and even though there was a little more climbing left I knew there was enough descending trail to hammer I could secure the 5th spot. </div>
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It was a blast racing this course and fun to have a race long see-saw battle with Evan. Great job to him and thanks for taking the podium pic ;-).</div>
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After the race, I was checking out the new <a href="http://www.ridextr.com/en/index/" target="_blank">Shimano XTR M9000</a> series electronic shifting at the venue. Joe Lawwill even let me ride his Blur LTc equipped with this system. It is VERY cool. Instant, precise shifting (and the little servo noise is trippy) even with the front derailleur under load. And the "Syncro" mode allows complete shifting with the front and rear using only the right lever. Something that seems really valuable in race situations. Once you get to a certain point after a few shifts with just the rear, the system beeps at you indicating the next shift will be with the front based on the gear ratio. That point can also be programmed. Very cool!</div>
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I met up with Ryan after his enduro preriding and we kicked back at our campsite.</div>
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Sunday morning I was out on course at 7:30 to get at least a little practice time in on two of the four stages. It was good to see them, except for the hail and rain storm that started when I had a couple minutes left on my last lift ride up! By the end of that run I was soaked and freezing. And my Capo "flo-yellow" wasn't quite as bright.</div>
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We moved the racer meeting into the lodge to warm up, and because of the unpredictable weather (hail, snow, lightning, high winds) they cancelled the small section of Kamikaze DH we were suppose to ride from the top for Stage 2. And changed the order so after stage 1 we'd hit stage 4 before riding up to the main lodge for stage 3.</div>
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Thankfully by the time we began racing, the skies cleared... but I was still wet and cold. I rode around at the top of stage 1 to keep from shivering but I could barely feel my hands in the cold, wet gloves. Oh well... it was enduro time and stage 1 was on! After a couple small drops in a sandy chute the trail traversed back and forth across the mountain. I was just trying to pedal everywhere I could and keep from missing the sharp stuff!</div>
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Unfortunately about half way down I missed a turn and didn't realize it until I felt like I was pedaling a little too much, and figured out I'd ended up on the XC course. Looking back, I know exactly where I went wrong: After some steep ladders and berms there was a trail intersection with a cluster of course tape. The correct route went off to the left and down, in a way that you can't see the trail. And the route I took was the trail that could be seen, and since it wasn't blocked off and I was in a racing blur, I took the wrong trail. I saw a course marshall after a bit and he was standing next to the DH course which was still marked, telling me that trail was what I was supposed to be on, and that I was only the second rider he'd seen. I didn't think that was the right trail either, talked with him about it and figured my run was shot and I'd just go down the DH run since I knew it connected with the enduro stage after a little bit. </div>
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After getting back on course, I finished up and was pretty frustrated with myself and that the course wasn't marked clearly enough at intersections. I lost about two minutes because of that and that blew my chance at even a somewhat decent result on the day.</div>
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So the remaining stages were just about having fun and going fast. I climbed up the transfer (maybe the only enduro rider to ride all of it?) to stage four which would be our second timed run of the day, and was the first male rider to tackle the stage. There was quite a bit of pedaling for the first half of what would be a ten minute stage. Then it was time to drop into "Follow Me" trail for some double black fun. With the Fox suspension opened up in Descend mode, the Tallboy LTc ate up the drops and rocks with ease and I got to the bottom with a big smile on my face. Mission accomplished!</div>
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For the next transfer, we'd ride from Canyon Lodge to the main gondola, about four miles using some of the XC course trails. Then onto the gondola to the half way point, and a nice steep climb to the Stage 3 start.</div>
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Everone there walked but I rode it... because I wanted to feel good about myself... still frustrated with my stage 1 mistake. </div>
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Ryan would be the first guy to go off after the ladies, then I'd try to chase him down. But after a few fumbles on a trail I hadn't seen yet, I was caught. I let him pass and then tried to stay with him, which I was doing and then he crashed coming out of a corner with his bike upside down and sideways blocking the trail. He got up quickly though and I let him stay ahead since he was having a better run. We got separated after I almost washed in a sandy corner and he pulled away. The rest of the stage was pretty straightforward, fast and fun until we got onto a jump trail with wood jump faces sending into blind landings. </div>
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My eyes bugged out, and I turned back into a penguin. Maybe if I was in contention I'd hit that stuff blind, but not today. I'd finish in 30th place in the pro men's field for the day, due to my stage 1 mistake. And that result dropped me to 7th overall for the series with one more race remaining in Santa Cruz. Hopefully I can put down some good times there in a few weeks. Despite the results, coming back to Mammoth was a blast and I wish I could have spent more time there riding all the other great trails on the mountain. </div>
Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-45877891926442608972014-09-04T11:06:00.000-07:002014-09-04T11:06:32.100-07:00California Enduro Series #3 - NorthstarA couple months after round two at China Peak, it was time to get back to California Enduro-ing at Northstar for the third stop in the series. With my new green accent Tallboy LTc built up and ready to rip I was looking forward to it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There would just be three timed stages in the race and the first one was on Livewire; a completely man-made jump run. Certainly not my cup-o-tea! But I've been working on being a little less of a penguin lately and setting up the suspension correctly for the take-offs, so at least I knew I could do it. But since I don't know how to fully "scrub" at speed I knew I wouldn't be competitive on this stage. We started a little ways down on the trail on top of the flyover, and I was certainly nervous. I knew I'd just have to attack it and that would keep me safe... no limp arms here! I hit the first lip, pulled up and did a back wheel tap bmx style and that felt good. And after doing the same on the next jump I was ready just to let 'er fly. </div>
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I was feeling really comfortable and smooth. Having fun until my chain came off as I dove into a right hand berm after some braking bumps. I thought it had fallen off to the outside, so I shifted the derailleur down but it wasn't catching. Up and over another jump, through another berm and still nothing until I had a second to look down and see that it was off to the inside. So I shifted accordingly, through another berm and up over a roller before it finally caught and I was back on the gas. Frustrated but after a few more jumps... having fun again.<br />
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After a little debrief it was on the lift with Ryan which would take us about half way up. </div>
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Then we were pedaling the rest of the way to the top. Ryan wasn't obeying the California "hands-free" law...</div>
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Thou shalt not text and enduro! Though I think he was checking the live results. It still seems funny to me that you can ride on a chairlift and cruise while checking your phone while we're technically racing. Enduro!</div>
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Stage two should have been right up my alley... a sixteen or so minute pedal stage with an uphill finish. Yeah that's still a short sprint in my book but long for the CA enduro scene. I set off from the gate and gave it what I could on the short climbs right off the bat. The tree bark and needles on the loose trail made a sound like I had a flat tire, and the loose conditions sapped power in the same manner. But all was still inflated and after navigating a few deep and loose rutted corners I was onto a flat rolling trail for some more hammering. I guess I went a little too hard, trying to pedal through everything because I caught my left pedal on a stump or something as my suspension compressed into a trough. That kicked my back end up to the right and sent me off the trail into a dead tree. I stayed up, but this was right at the base of a short climb which I now had to run up, losing more time. For some reason that took me out of it mentally and I couldn't focus on the trail and be fast after that. Until I got passed... then it was on again!</div>
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This young kid was rippin' so I stayed right on him and when it came time for pedal power at the end of the stage I passed him back and pushed to the finish. A finish which was after about a three hundred yard road climb. I was totally gassed after that climb and the area after the finish looked like a war zone with guys collapsing after the line gasping for air. Once they got air... some were cursing the organizers because they had to actually put some power down while pedaling their bikes. C'mon guys... not everything is pointed down. Yes, I too was surprised these trails were used in the race, considering that Northstar has many really gnarly and fun downhill trails. But Enduro isn't just a bunch of DH runs linked together. You're going to have to pedal your bike. Good job giving your all. Why don't you just feel good about your effort and move on? Maybe recognize that power and fitness is an aspect of your cycling that is in need of improvement? The type of racer that comes to these Enduro's usually is from a background of either more DH oriented racing or XC oriented racing. And I don't usually hear the XC guys complaining about the technical DH or jumps they have to navigate. They just keep working to get better at them trying to find that line between pinning it and making sure to get back home in one piece. Why can't this go the other way around? Ok... rant over... </div>
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After another pedal about half way up the mountain I set off on the final stage of the day. A really fun DH trail starting off with high speed berms and low flying jumps before heading into "Pho Dog" trail which is a go-to if you ever ride Northstar. I cleared all the jumps and felt quick in and out of the turns, then got pitched a little sideways in the last rock garden before the trail opened back up to more high speed jumps. A handful more big banked corners (Daytona Berms) sent me into two more jumps where the LTc got to fly before calling it a day.</div>
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I finished up 19th overall but aside from a few hiccups, was happy with the day and had a great time racing out of my comfort zone. Plus, Northstar is close to home and I was back by 2pm to this little guy... :-)</div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-60255452189086027392014-08-20T10:22:00.000-07:002014-08-20T10:28:07.020-07:00The Annadel XC RaceThe Annadel XC race was coming up and the Tallboy is far and away the best bike in my stable for that course. And I was hoping to have a little help from "new bike speed" after just building up the new version the weekend prior. "Blue" sure is purdy!<br />
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We arrived in Santa Rosa on Saturday morning a bit later than we'd planned, such is life with a 5mo old! So as usual, not much of a warm up for me. My legs were feeling a bit heavy but there just wasn't time to work it out. <br />
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The race starts as a mass roll out from downtown on Sonoma St. It's a big knobby tire peloton with a bunch of guys who normally don't ride that closely together. But at the front it's been pretty tidy for the most part. I was hoping for a composed trip down the pavement which would give my legs a chance to work out their issues before having to pin it. I even brought my cell phone because I was going to snap a selfie in the pack! But some young guys decided to try and break away thirty seconds into it and screwed up that plan. Dang. The pace was up immediately and we strung out. My chain skipped and I lost contact with the front group, nobody came around me to pull and a small gap formed. I didn't panic and just reeled them back in slowly until I was back in the draft. <br />
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We dove into Howarth Park and the climbing started. The legs weren't there yet and I was hanging on. I had no power on the climbs and the front group of five or six quickly went out of sight. I was pretty bummed but I just hoped it wouldn't take too long for the legs to come around and maybe hope to sneak in on the back end of the podium. My trip down Cobblestone trail felt good. I passed a couple guys and the new Tallboy was loving the descent. I'd be praying for the downhills hoping to make some time up all day long.<br />
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We dropped down onto pavement and I had one guy in tow. I had my head down a little too much and missed a turn into the singletrack. Doh! I usually don't make bonehead moves like that. This was just not my day! I hit the first long climb and just pressed on and got through it about a minute slower than my best time. Ugh. I had eaten a couple Chocolate Cherry Clif Shot Bloks (caffeine!!) though and the legs were starting to feel better by the time I turned into North Burma. I had some spunk back and could rip on the flowy trail and descent, just one second off my best time. <br />
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I was starting to reel a few people in, but after a short climb and railing another descent, I was fading again on the next big climb up South Berma. Looking back at Strava, I was again a minute off my best time, but I wasn't really loosing ground to the riders around me. In my head, it was a race to the Lawndale DH with the riders I could see. And I managed to catch the two guys in view before the singletrack started and then my race was on. I caught Justin Harrell in a switchback and he pulled over to let me through (thanks!). My glasses were sweat covered and I couldn't see any detail on the heavily shaded trail. But that's probably the reason why I was so fast and PR'd that section. The fun didn't last long enough though and I was climbing the pavement traverse over to Schultz trail for some more rough climbing. Jen and Logan were there cheering for me though!<br />
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The Schultz climb is rough and where the Tallboy normally shines. And for that matter normally I do too since it's such a power section. But just not today. It was yet another "get through it" section and I didn't think about it and just gave 'er what I had. <br />
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The beginner course merged back in just after Schultz and I had a little more traffic to deal with on the undulating Ridge trail. Everyone was very courteous and moved over where they could and I kept chuggin'. I could see that I was catching Brian Astell which was motivating. When the trail turned down again I opened it up and let the Tallboy float over the rocks. After a few corners I overtook Brian and charged to the finish.<br />
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I would cross the line just off the pro podium in 6th place. So close! But not really... I was a minute back from 5th. Considering my legs felt like water balloons for the first hour, I'm happy I did that well. Weirdly this race didn't seem to take as long as it has felt in previous years, despite it being my slowest time. It was good to be out there though, and I had a great time ripping the fun trails of Annadel (the one's not pointed up!). Congrats to Michael Hosey who's been working hard coming back from injury and took the win over Levi Leipheimer. And congrats to my teammate Ryan who pushed hard for 4th place.<br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-21791759899967677412014-07-23T15:37:00.000-07:002014-07-24T07:54:05.829-07:00"Enduroance Nationals" - Sun Valley NAET / Enduro Cup and Marathon MTB National Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
All packed up and ready for a 650 mile trip with a three month old (and all the "equipment" that's needed), three bikes, tools, gear, clothes, and food for ten days. </div>
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Yep, my Highball is in there somewhere, along with two spare wheelsets, a pack'n'play crib and a stroller. I'd say my packing skills are pro. Everything's ready, Logan's strapped in and asleep... perfect... ready to hit the road. Get in, turn the key... "Click... click click click click." Um, this isn't happening. I turn to Jen, "I have no idea where the jumper cables are!" The search begins and about fifteen minutes later we were finally rolling. Thankfully there were no problems on the road for the twelve hours it took to get to Sun Valley (lots of stops for Logan!), but there would be more hiccups to come.</div>
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On Saturday morning we arrived at the race venue and Jen finally got to experience the drastic difference in ambiance between Enduro and XC racing. It was about an hour before the "start" and instead of a full parking lot with riders warming up on trainers, and a general "nervousness" in the air typically found at an XC race, there was a nearly empty parking lot aside from a couple guys casually unloading their bikes while working on some large breakfast burritos. #soenduro</div>
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We all got to ride the gondola up to mid mountain which was nice.</div>
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And then I went up to the top (9000ft) and waited around to do the mandatory preride of the flow trail which would be the second timed stage.</div>
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It was a good thing to send everyone down that trail to get a look. It was very odd, hard to read, and seemed to lack real flow. It even went uphill in parts. I heard some call it the "anti-flow" trail and it required a ton of pedaling. I put the preride knowledge in my back pocket and went back up to the top to wait around for the start of stage one down Bald Mountain trail.</div>
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I remembered this trail from previous years, for the most part. It was rocky and loose, with high speed straights, blind wrap around corners and tight switchbacks down below. </div>
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Very fun to ride, but very challenging to race because you're trying not to dab the brakes while thinking "do I REALLY remember this corner?" The corners were so loose that if you tried to brake or make any adjustments in the middle, you went down. A lot of people did. I played it safe, going for consistency over two days and had a reasonable run even though I really didn't know where the finish line was (hidden in the trees). </div>
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A comfy chairlift ride took me back up to the top for stage two (what happened to pedaling up for transitions?) and it was back onto the "anti-flow" trail. At race pace it was better, and I felt like I had a pretty decent run. I was able to get in and out of the corners much more comfortably than my practice run, but nowhere near the speed of the guys who can really ride this style of trail well. </div>
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Stage three wouldn't start for a while so I took the opportunity to make a run down lower Bald Mountain Trail and River Run Trail which was really nice to see again before racing it in a couple hours. Jen, Logan and I hung out at the bottom for a while realizing that start times are a very fluid concept in enduro ( which is better, #endurotime or #endurNOtime ). Then I made my way up to the top and waited some more, enjoying the wonderful view.</div>
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Eventually I found myself in the start gate and then hammering again down upper Bald Mountain Trail.</div>
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Since it was the second time at race pace on this trail in a day, it went MUCH better. And then onto the lower section which is even faster and wide open with very little traction. As I reached nearly 40mph blazing through the trees over scree, the thought hitting something wrong that sends me flipping into the trees didn't really sound good, so yeah I dabbed the brakes. I still found myself blowing through a couple turns and hanging the back wheel off the trail (Saved it!!!) which got the heart pounding for sure. Down towards the bottom on River Run Trail, my tall frame found its way through the many switchbacks fast enough for the 9th best time on the stage. And I was pretty stoked on that. </div>
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Day two would start with a gondola ride to mid mountain, then a pedal powered transition stage up a steep, relentless fire road to the top. The TALAS fork came in handy and I "won" that transition stage and got to the top with some time to myself in the start area.</div>
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The concept of the fluid start time bled into day two as we relaxed at the top and eventually started about an hour and a half after I got there. The first stage of the day took us down the back side of the peak to Warm Springs Trail. The upper part is still on the loose scree but as you make your way down past the tree line you get a little more dirt traction and a ton of real trail flow.</div>
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Warm Springs is a blast to ride and I felt great. I rode both stages clean and fast, with times that made up for my day one sluggishness and brought me up to finish 7th overall! I was very stoked on the result and had a blast as always riding the Tallboy LTc as fast as my skill and sense of self preservation would allow. </div>
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Next up it was Marathon National Championships on Saturday. The week in between was spent pre-riding and getting back into XC mode, while taking care of the little guy. Here's a photo summary:</div>
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That last picture was one of the other hiccups in the trip... in addition to the car not starting a couple more times and having to flag someone down for a jump start. I noticed the damaged rack on Friday as was heading out for my final pre-ride. Thankfully the family of the elderly man who backed into it was there and took care of everything. They knew the owners of the "Elephant's Perch" bike shop downtown and got us set up with a replacement rack so we could get the bikes home. I was very thankful that they took such good care of us, but combining that with installing a new car battery definitely falls under "things I'd rather not do the day before a marathon xc race." <br />
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This year our start time was moved back to 1pm and it was toasty warm. My Tallboy was all shined up and ready to go, with eleven Clif Shot Bloks stuck to the top tube for easy access. Right before the start, a guy came up to me to say thank you because earlier in the week I had offered help to him on the trail when I was out pre-riding. Because many other riders had just ridden on by, he really appreciated it and would be rooting for me in the race. Cool! <br />
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Since it was an XC race, we actually started at 1pm and rolled out down the bike trail towards the big Cold Springs climb. When we hit the first upslope on the dirt road, I found myself at the front. I wasn't pushing the pace but I think everyone just wanted to follow the human highlighter for a while. That and I was the idiot who went to the front in the headwind! Oh well, it was fun to lead a race with such a high caliber field even if it was just for a quarter mile. Once we neared the first steep pitch, others went around, which I was fine with. There was just one line through the loose dirt and a rider about three spots up fumbled and stalled. I sat up and held back so that it wouldn't bunch up and force me to dismount. But in that process I shifted too quickly and the chain went over the cassette and stopped me dead in my tracks. I tried not to stack the rest of the group and get out of the way. I was "that guy" but there was nothing I could do about it. The chain went back on quickly but I was already at the back of the field and my hopes of trying to stay with the front group were dashed. Now it was a game of catch-up and just to do the best I could and see what happens. I had a decent climb to the top and grabbed a neutral water bottle before heading down warm springs. I'd been riding this downhill all week and had it pretty dialed so I could stay relaxed while being fast. After the descent and a fire road climb, us pro's got a bonus section for this years course. A half hour long, nose of the saddle climb UP Bald Mountain Trail. Yup, that same trail we raced down twice in the enduro the week before. Thankfully, the hiker traffic throughout the week packed it in some and repaired some of the blown out trail. But it was a doozy to say the least. Survival. Just one pedal stroke after another. I quit thinking about how hot it was, how the elevation was getting to me and how much it hurt. Just get to the downhill. <br />
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I finally made it and railed the warm springs downhill, but I was a bit more out of it that the last trip. I was beginning to think that I'd be OK if something on my bike broke and I had to DNF. Oh darn. I even tossed my CO2 to someone with a flat half way down. If I got a flat I wouldn't mind the break until someone tossed me theirs (someone would, because most MTBer's are cool like that). <br />
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I was able to recover a bit after some time descending, and felt pretty fast on River Run Trail. I had caught a rider in a Giant kit by the bottom but I thought "Nah that can't be Carl Decker, I'm sure I'm still at the back." I rolled into the feed zone only slightly delirious and I spotted Jen. Before the race I had given her two bottles and said I would tell her which one I wanted. But I didn't anticipate my state of exhaustion. She hurriedly asked "Which one do you want?!" I was just happy I spotted her! "Oh... um, the black one!" I wanted to quit. But she was there with what I needed, ready to hand off as if it were a high intensity Pro XCT race feed. And I was on my way. I had to keep moving or else I WOULD quit, and I'd hate myself for choosing to quit when I didn't HAVE to. So I pedaled off again through the start/finish line and the announcer said "And it's Clint Claassen out of here first!" excitedly like I was doing well or something. It seemed odd since I was at the back of the pack right?<br />
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After taking down a lot of water and peeling off a few Shot Bloks from the top tube, and a mini Clif bar, I was climbing Cold Springs again. Just to get through it. That guy in the Giant kit caught me and as he rode up along side I turned to see who it was. "Hey Carl!" It turns out it was Mr. Decker. Hmmm... we conversed a little about how much this sucked, and how about this time last year we were finishing which sounded nice. He said "We're sitting in around 10th spot right?" "I don't have a freakin' clue" I said. A couple minutes later we reached a small neutral feed area before the singletrack and a guy there said "You're 8th and 9th with about 90 seconds up on 10th!" <br />
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Me: "No $#!^ !!!"<br />
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Carl laughed. So apparently I was doing much better than I'd thought! That was a bit of a spark and I was able to keep up with Carl's pace for a couple miles, until I ran out of water and had to dial it back. Unfortunately there was still a lot of climb left, and I was now all by myself with plenty of time to think about how much it sucked. I looked at each water bottle that was discarded along the trail, wondering if there was wet goodness inside. I couldn't bring myself to actually check, figuring I could get through the next 25 minutes without it. <br />
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Those 25 minutes were really hard.<br />
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The neutral feed water station at the top was a glorious sight. I can't imagine what I looked like to them... if they could get past the florescent yellow. I tried not to drink too fast, and kept railing down warm springs. So happy that I didn't really have to think about the trail, except to miss the loose rock that had moved around from racers going off line throughout the day. Both legs cramped in the inner thigh going up the middle climb on warm springs, and I wanted to keel over. I tanked the last of my water and a couple extra salty Margarita Shot Bloks and after a few minutes of spinning up the trail in pain they went away. <br />
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With the carrot of a potential top ten finish dangling in front of me I hammered on. Pushing it on the downhill as much as I could. The comfort of the Tallboy and having reliable equipment didn't grant me a legitimate excuse to end my suffering early, and I am thankful. Because I came across the line in 9th place, knowing that I gave everything I had to get my best pro finish ever at a national championship. And my second top ten of the trip!<br />
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I just wish the race schedule was reversed with Marathon's first and the fun Enduro last. When I rule the world...<br />
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Next up... after a mental and physical break. Downieville! Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-64901730087571937932014-06-24T13:51:00.000-07:002014-06-24T13:51:25.817-07:00California Enduro Series #2 - China PeakFor the 2nd round of the series, we'd travel to China Peak Mountain Resort near Lakeshore, CA. I grew up going there to ski back when it was called Sierra Summit, but had never been there during the dry part of the year until a couple years ago. We helped run a couple triathlons based out of the resort and nearby Huntington Lake, and I'd always bring a mountain bike to get a little time in the dirt when I could. The trails there are primitive and there aren't any man-made features typically found at bike parks. This year we'd only have three timed stages but we'd have to pedal back up to the top unlike last year where the lifts were used. I arrived Friday evening around 5pm and got in what pre-riding I could before dark. There was a setup for a wedding half way up the mountain... I couldn't pass up the photo op overlooking Huntington Lake.<br />
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The trails were deep and loose up top, and then rockier down below. Here's the top of the main rock garden on Stage 3.<br />
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Ryan came in late as well at we met up on the hill. Here he is practicing a line on the lower section of the rock garden, just around the corner from the picture above.<br />
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We were having fun and I was happy with my bike setup. I'd just put on the heaviest tires I've ever run, WTB Vigilante AM front and WTB Trail Boss "Tough" on the rear. They were hooking up great and it was nice not to worry as much about flats. We sessioned the rock garden a couple times but it was getting dark so we headed back to camp, and I fired up the grill for some shredded pork tacos!<br />
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Race morning we thew on our yellow and even though it was suppose to warm up, we both decided to go with the full face <a href="http://www.giro.com/us_en/cipher.html" target="_blank">Giro Cypher</a> for added protection in the tricky terrain. It has good ventilation and neither of us had a problem overheating all day. We rolled out at 9:30am, for about a 45 minute climb to the top for stage 1.<br />
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Some of the climbing was steep and it was really nice to be able to dial down the head angle of the Tallboy LTc with the <a href="http://www.ridefox.com/product.php?m=bike&t=forks&p=34712&ref=filter" target="_blank">Fox TALAS</a> fork on the transfer climbs. Ryan and I chatted it up with other racers up the climb and were having a great time "racing" in such a relaxed environment. Both of us commented how it was so different and less stressful than XC racing. That is... until you're on the pedals for a timed stage... then IT'S ON!!! Boom! The heart rate is pegged and it's an all out effort. My legs and by head are constantly competing with each other it seems. The legs just want to keep pedaling and forcing speed, but my in my head I'm telling myself to be calm, smooth, and relaxed. I'm learning that sometimes it's faster to not pedal everywhere I can and just use the trail to get speed and flow. Stage 1 was in the trees on nice sierra loam soil, and I managed to keep my wide bars from clipping anything!<br />
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About half way down the stage, the trail dumped out onto a fire road traverse. As soon as I came out of the singletrack and got pointed the right way, I stood up to sprint but my thumb slipped and I clicked down too many gears... mashing!! I was already winded from the elevation and the stage to this point, but trying to sprint this short traverse gassed me even more. It didn't last long and raised the seat up for some seated hammering getting up to only 33mph before hitting the trail again. The last part of the stage got into the deeper powder turns but they were tight, and I seemed to stall out in each one loosing more and more time. I finished the stage feeling good that I was smooth, but those tight corners got to me and there were many, many more to come on stage two.<br />
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It was a very short transfer climb up to stage two, so Ryan and I hung out for a couple minutes to recover before getting in the gate. The timing crew had us do our own countdown to start each stage. I'm not sure what's less stressful, that or someone else counting down. "Five... Four... (more than a second passes)... Three... (a few more deep breaths)... TwoOneGo!!" I had it in the perfect gear and pedaled into the first righ hander and nailed it perfectly, then the next left, peftect as well... nice! They were more sweeping corners with flow, and that felt good. A couple small jumps over rocks, into and out of a small tree section, and back out into more slalom corners. I unclipped on a tight left hander, and couldn't get back into the pedal before the next corner, but you just have to ride it anyway. The middle of stage two had some deep powder corners in between some steeper rocky sections which were really fun. I was riding within myself, which I know isn't going to win the race. I'm focusing on technique right now and the speed will come the more I do this type of riding. Plus, it's a long series and consistently finishing instead of going bonzai and risking a dnf seems like a better plan for me. The bottom of the stage had the tightest and loosest corners of the day, and I just unclipped and slid into them moto style which seemed faster instead of staying in the pedals and stalling out. <br />
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After the 2nd stage we had to hang out at the bottom for at least a half an hour since there were still racers on the first stage that our next transfer would have to cross. So I kicked my feet up in the shade and killed a Clif bar and bottle of water.<br />
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With the fork in the low setting it was time to climb again, which helped ride the steeper climbs on this transfer that others had to walk.<br />
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But when we reached the half way mark up the mountain. We found out there were STILL racers on stage 1 so we'd have to wait some more.<br />
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Santa Cruz factory employee Scott Chapin and SC/Fox rep Ariel Lindsley set up an informal mini spint & slalom stage in the grassy meadow to pass the time. They set their times, but there weren't many takers. I guess everyone was conserving their energy. Just as I was about to give 'er a go, we got the word that stage 1 was clear for us to continue up the mountain. So on we went.<br />
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Stage 3 was the longest of the day, dropping the full length of the mountain, with a nice view of Huntington Lake from the top.<br />
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After relieving some fluids, I put myself together and with a little energy boost from a double espresso Clif shot I was pedaling into the deep and rocky corners of stage 3. I felt pretty smooth on the upper section but had a bobble in the rocks after the back end got kicked sideways and I almost high-sided. Thankfully there was room in the trail to recover and I could ride it out and into a nice long straightaway for some serious speed. After hard braking and sliding into the handful of deep switchbacks in the middle of the stage, it opened back up to a short fire road pedal section with a small climb at the end... which completely red lined me. I paused and soft pedaled for a few seconds at the top before entering the next trail so that I could see straight, because I'd really need to focus from here on out. The lower section, called "Gnarly Trail," was the most technical of the day (and most fun!!). The first few corners were very deep sand but had good banking. Just a little rear brake is all that's needed and you can slide it around. I was feeling good and still staying fluid and loose, I entered the main rock garden and actually took a straighter line I hadn't practiced but since I had more speed it was possible.<br />
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Down around the next corner and on the final rock chute (from Ryan's pre-ride video above) I got a little squirrely as the back end slipped off a rock. Sideways in the chute wasn't good so I let off the brakes and just held on. I made it through the next few drops and turns and really gained a lot of confidence out of that. I DO have the ability... I just need to mentally let go! And physically too... I'd been gripping the bars so tightly that I was getting some serious forearm pump. And after finishing out the stage I noticed that I hadn't bottomed out either my fork or shock, which means I need to run them a little softer and that will certainly give me more speed and flow over the rocks. <br />
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At the end of the day I finished 21st overall with very close times in the pro field. Ryan had a much better day and finished 10th and even got a little prize money! I know exactly where I leave the seconds out on the course... and I'll get 'em back. This race was a good confidence boost and I'm looking forward to the Sun Valley Super Enduro next week. <br />
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Hey at least I won "Stage 4," although nobody else knew about the optional pavement stage after the race.<br />
<a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/156530585" target="_blank">Strava - 33.7mi 4,350ft - Huntington Lake Loop</a><br />
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Stick a fork in me...<br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-70817576867457288652014-06-19T09:06:00.000-07:002014-06-19T09:06:00.934-07:00Enduro Then Endurance - CA Enduro Series #1 (Battle Born Enduro) and NCNCA State XC Champs (Rockhopper Classic)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After dipping my toes into "Enduro" last year, I've been really looking forward to this years' races. Yeah, I've always been more of an XC racer, but that's just because it's been convenient and it's the most efficient use of my time (pack the most miles in as small of a time period as you can). But since I grew up controlling things with motors, and as a bigger guy I really, REALLY liked going downhill when I started out riding mountain bikes (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=616514241712299&set=pb.530980996932291.-2207520000.1403125990.&type=3&theater" target="_blank">Flashback to 2005</a>), I've always had a love for speed. And as great as the Highball and Tallboy c are at what they do, riding and racing my Tallboy LTc is just fun. So off to Reno I went for the first round of the California Enduro Series on Peavine Mountain. Reno? California series? The west side of the mountain is technically in California and though we didn't ride on that side, I guess it still counts :-). <br />
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Marshall and Ryan would also make the trip up the hill and we took to the baron, desert mountain in our flo-yellow. Stoked...<br />
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We had a seven mile, two thousand or so foot climb to start our day as the first "transfer" stage before we even started racing. It's not timed, but I set out at a nice pace to get my body warmed up. Plus it was already getting quite hot, and I didn't really want to be standing in line at the start of each stage in the sun. I was the second rider to go off for stage one. I hammered the dry, loose and flat corners as best I could but it was really hard to find any flow and really open it up. It was a nice long stage, but it seemed like every corner was blown out with vision blocking bushes, rocks, or hill contour on the inside. The "bobsled" I remember from racing XC here was fun, as it snakes down a small canyon from side to side. I beat the camera man, so here's Ryan and Marshall on the bobsled.<br />
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After finishing stage 1, I felt I had more to give but the corners were getting to me. After a brief pedal back up the hill, I'd start stage two with even slower, tighter corners that I fumbled around in. Feeling pretty frustrated with myself, I was happy that the second half of stage two opened up a bit and I could let her fly. Finally! Some speed! Stages three and four were much of the same. Just trying to find a place to put power down while skating around in the corners. Most of stage four I was familiar with from the old Peavine XC course, except for an abrupt trail turn at the bottom with signage that was a bit too late. I blew right by, but thankfully I saw it and went back. <br />
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The final stage was for pro/expert only since it ran through the main rock gardens on the hill. It was pretty fun, and thankfully I had seen it before so I knew just to point it straight and let the bike do the work. The LTc soaked it all up and I'm really diggin' the TALAS 140 fork. Especially dropping it down to 120mm for the long transfer climbs.<br />
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I ended up 12th overall, and even though times were very close together, I couldn't help but be frustrated with my performance. I just need to relax and ride it, not tense up and try to pedal my way through everything. But I was stoked with the trailer I picked up through craigslist while I was up in Reno, it's going to be perfect to use for <a href="http://timeyourrace.com/" target="_blank">TimeYourRace</a>! And maybe the occasional shuttle day... :-)<br />
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The next day was the Rockhopper Classic XC race at Lagoon Valley Park in Vacaville. Last year I had to miss this race because I sliced open my hand with a saw, so I was happy to be in one piece this year! We were timing the race as well, so Jen took the trailer early in the morning. I set off a little later after dropping Logan off with some friends to watch for the day. While I was so thankful for their help, I really didn't want to leave him since he's always incredibly cute in the morning and hard to leave! Because of that, and my frustration with my enduro race the day before, I decided I'd really make this race count.<br />
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With the steep, punchy style of this course, the Highball was my steed for the day. I got in an easy warmup, stuck six Clif Shot Bloks to the top tube (sorted by caffeine level), and I was feeling comfortable on the line.<br />
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The legs were a little heavy once we got started, and I was happy the pace wasn't a sprint from the get-go. I think everyone knew there was a long hot race ahead, and didn't want to fry themselves early. I hung in there in about 3rd or 4th spot for the first couple climbs and around to the backside of the hill. I got into 3rd as we made our way up the singletrack climbs and was feeling good so when we hit the first of the really steep climbs I went to the front and upped the pace a bit. Jim Hewitt stuck with me as well as Justin Thomas, and Jim went by as we pedaled up the fire road climb in the middle of the course. That fire road always seems to hurt more than I think it should, but the cold water on my back from the neutral aid station felt great after the initial shock. Jim lead up the next set of switchback climbs and slowed the pace down a little. He is always very good at pacing a race, so he may have been trying to keep us within his pacing strategy. Since I was feeling up for it, I wanted to try and push the pace beyond what he was comfortable with, and went around at a break in the big climb before we got to the final switchbacks. I made it to the top, with maybe a five second gap lap record!<br />
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It was really starting to warm up as I started my second lap. And I tried to ride in the shade wherever I could.<br />
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I was still feeling decent on the steep climbs for the second lap, which was surprising to me since I haven't had the chance to do much training for them. They were tough though, especially with the dead air making me feel like I was in an oven while climbing slowly. I was slowly, slowly stretching my lead but Justin was still hanging on about five to ten seconds back so I had to keep my pace up. Every time I'd look back to him, his effort showed on his face and his jersey was fully open. He was ready to crack, I was just hoping it was soon! I really wanted to ease up for a minute and take on a little more fuel and water without giving ground. That finally happened by the time I reached the top of the mountain on the second lap. And once I reached the bottom and headed out for my third and final lap, I had no chasers in sight. I took down the last of my non-caffeinated Shot Bloks and a bunch of water as I started the third lap. But half way through I was getting hungry and those steep climbs were burning hot. On to the caffeinated bloks for the last boost of energy to the finish! I started talking to myself... "They're still there, chasing... they're coming... just a few more minutes of climbing... one more set of switchbacks... you can do this keep it up!" Finally I made it to the top, happy to rail the descent one final time. I was a bit out of it though, and as I jumped over a rock about half way down, my take-off was poor and I didn't counter the force of the hot side-wind coming up the hill. I landed on the bank of the cut in trail, the tires slipped out and I slid along for about ten feet on my hip and elbow. I never let go of the bars though and was back on and rolling quickly with revived focus that carried me to the finish and the win. </div>
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In addition to the wine and a little cash, I was also awarded the USA Cycling Northern CA and NV district state championship for the second year in a row! <br />
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Jen also won some wine in the raffle! It was a good day!<br />
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I'm very happy I could pull this one off and feel a little redeemed after the Battle Born Enduro. I've always made an effort to be well rounded and I'm thankful I have the support to do both types of events. Who knew enduro would be the perfect leg opener for an XC race? <br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-19096208540204685432014-06-04T11:54:00.000-07:002014-06-04T11:54:34.440-07:00Changing It Up - Pavement RacingLast weekend was the Auburn Omnium which consisted of a circuit race on Saturday and a criterium on Sunday. Don't ask me what the difference is between the two, I couldn't tell ya. But since we were out there timing the events with <a href="http://www.timeyourrace.com/" target="_blank">TimeYourRace</a> I figured I'd give racing the skinny tires a try.<br />
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The last (and only!) road race I entered was five or six years ago. Since USAC won't transfer any of my MTB rankings over to road categories, I'm still just a Cat 5. I just never got into it because if I didn't have a MTB race to attend, going for a long training ride on the dirt always seemed better than paying for a short road race. Anyways... we had help in Jen's parent's and our friend Kris Morin to fill in for me watching Logan and helping run the event, so I suited up in fluorescent yellow and got to the line.</div>
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The course was about a mile and a half with two good climbs. I jumped right to the front from the start and pulled the group around for a couple laps. Then dropped the hammer for a few minutes to break away.</div>
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Since this was a "rest week" for me with about half the volume and no intensity, it was nice to test out the legs a little. </div>
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But going hard enough to stay away from the group for the rest of the race was going to be too much too soon, I eased up to get caught and would wait for the last lap. Funny thing is... I never once saw the lap cards where they were positioned, and nobody rang the bell for us to signify the final lap, I didn't get my opportunity to give that final push. We were supposed to race for 30 minutes and I was watching the clock on my Garmin, so as we went up the final climb at just over 27 minutes, I was sitting up and happy to get pulled up to the leader about 30 yards ahead but a guy who seemed to be working really hard and I couldn't figure out why. Until we rolled across the line and the USAC officials said we're done. So I finished 3rd. I asked if they rang a bell for us and nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. Hmmm... Oh well, it's a two day event, and I learned a couple things. Back to work...</div>
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Day two was the Auburn Downtown Crit. The course was awesome with a long start/finish straightaway and up a short climb to the top of the hill. A u-turn under the railroad tracks and then a gradual climb on the back stretch to an old pot-holed bridge over those same railroad tracks. Then a fun descent where you pick up speed quickly three 90 degree corners... left, then right, then another right before back to the finish stretch in downtown. </div>
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When the gun went off I was at the front again but realized I probably should have had more than just a bucket of coffee and a banana for breakfast! Oh well. <br />
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I pulled the group on the back stretch at about 23mph before one of the host shop (Victory Velo) riders went to the front for the first downhill. He took the corners well and then I was back at the front on the start climb for another lap. We did this dance for a few laps before someone else decided to lead on the back stretch at 19mph. I sat in and attacked before the bridge, and hammered the downhill. I wasn't too comfortable with the oil stains on the pavement on entry to each corner, but the bike always felt solid. A little gap formed when I did that but I figured that mixing it up was kind of fun instead of trying to ride by myself which I do all the time. I just wish there was a bigger group since there was only three of us at the front. </div>
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I made sure to ignore my Garmin clock and pay attention to the lap cards for this race and when the final lap came I went to the front. We slowly made the turn to the back stretch and I was wondering if someone might jump early. Nope. Half way there I picked up the pace and listened for any shifting behind me. I hammered over the bridge and down the hill, carrying good speed through the first left. I could see a lapped rider ahead just entering the next turn and I hoped he wouldn't be in the way. By the last corner I was starting to stretch a small gap but I had to let up for that lapped rider, catching him right before the apex of the turn. I waited to see his exit route and decided that since there was enough room, I could carry the most speed on the outside to go around. That also gave me the opportunity to look back and see where the other guys were. They went to the inside and were already sprinting so I set my sights on the finish line as well and made it there first. Cool!</div>
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I definitely had a fun time trying something different, playing strategy games and mixing it up with guys. Maybe I'll do a few more... but now back to the dirt...</div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-15175620385792114312014-04-16T09:38:00.000-07:002014-04-16T09:38:59.782-07:00Sea Otter Classic Wrap UpBefore we had our son Logan, Jen made a little list of things she'd like to do soon after he was born. It starts off small and simple, with things like "go for a walk" with no real criteria so that if a long recovery was needed after delivery it could still be something easily checked off so she could feel like she was accomplishing something. The list also had "go to Sea Otter" on it. Before he was born, we were trying to keep expectations low but we were really hoping we'd be able to integrate him into our racing and events life early, but Sea Otter still seemed daunting. Thankfully Jen and Logan recovered well and even though he was only a little over three weeks old by the time the 'Otter rolled around, it would be his fourth MTB race. So he was ready... was I? Training for me has been a little "off" with the new addition to the team so I'd be relying more on my base and the two Prairie City Race Series "tune up" races leading up to SOC. I won both of the PCRS races which felt good but a 5th at the Napa Valley Dirt Classic the week before didn't leave me feeling so great about my fitness. <br />
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When we rolled down to Monterey Thursday night, we met up with Marshall who had brought down the rush order kits that Capo got to us in time for the weekend. After seeing them and trying them on, I wasn't sure how well they were going to go over, but we were sure going to stand out!<br />
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Short track was Friday morning and I got a nice long warm up in. The course was similar to last years but a little longer with a few more features. The infield section had a tunnel and flyover and then went out onto the track with a few more turns in the sand. It was actually kind of fun! Except for that nasty gravel section of course. <br />
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I got a decent starting spot on the line, about four rows back and on the inside of the first turn which I thought would be good. It was not. I got pinched off there and was very quickly shuffled back. Then in the next corner, last years big "choke point," I was on the outside and the same thing happened again. The guys in the middle shot through first before I had room from the outside. Essentially I was caught in an eddy. Who knew you had to study up on fluid dynamics before racing short track!? Anyways, my main goal was to stay out of trouble which I managed to do in the next few corners and I was able to pedal through the gravel pit, sweet (remember, we're into checking easy stuff off the list!). The infield section had some sharp corners and big dirt mounds to go over and on each one there was a bottleneck as you can see in the aerial video (start at 3:45 for the men's start):<br />
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At least I'm easy to spot in the new colors! I settled into the field after the first lap sorted out and began my moving up. With the field so strung out I knew I wouldn't get far but I managed to pick off a few and had some fun in between the pain.<br />
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I finished 41st out of about 65 guys and set off for my XC course pre-ride. When I got back to the expo, I found Marshall (he was SO hard to spot!) and found out he'd finished 10th in the Enduro! Sweet!!<br />
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The XC start got moved up from 1:30pm to 11am which was nice and meant we might not have as much wind to battle out on the ridge tops. Sporting our "flo-yellow" I lined up with Ryan and nearly 100 other guys for the start of our 35 mile race. We started out on the track as normal but I was surprised to find that we pulled off earlier than normal and went out to a road outside the track before finally climbing up to the dirt. The pace was intense but my legs felt more fatigued than they should have been by that point. So my strategy early on would be to maximize my passing opportunities on the downhills and techy sections while trying not to blow up on the climbs. Then just hope my legs would come around later in the race. I passed a load of guys on the first few big descents and managed to hold my position on the few climbs along the ridge. We got to the bottom where we normally turn into fun singletrack but instead made a sharper turn down a short double track with a couple off camber rollers. I had scouted this out in my prelap and my assumption was correct that everyone would be in the clearer high line but the lower line was the place to be and I motored by some more. Until one guy forgot how to corner and drifted out into me, his inside leg sticking straight out for counter balance, and he almost pushed us both off the edge. Thankfully I was able to brake and let him cross in front of me and recover before we made it down to the road. Yes... road, quite a lot of it in the first part of this course. I topped out my 39 tooth gear and found a drafting partner before it leveled out and we entered the first singletrack climb. Here we had to stop, literally. It's the inevitable pro conga line at Sea Otter that always happens and this year I just didn't have the stuff to get in front of it in time. Oh well. We moseyed up the climb at a fairly moderate pace but it still seemed tough for my legs. "When are they going to come around?!" I thought. When we got towards the top it opened up and I made my way around the few holding us up, but my legs still felt flat. As Ryan passed me cresting the ridge I felt something in my helmet, then "AAHHHH!!! Something's stinging me!!!" I didn't know what it was but I hoped it wasn't going to give me a reaction, which I'd had before during a hard ride that left me slightly incapacitated for a bit. The stinging finally stopped and thankfully I didn't feel any shock coming on so I pressed on, remembering how my brother had joked about our new kits attracting insects. Ryan had a little gap on me as we rode down the next road (yep) downhill and he was able to pedal away with his bigger 42 tooth gearing. But a little drafting help came and I caught back up by the time we started climbing again. <br />
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I ate, I drank, but the legs were still not coming around and Ryan slowly began to pull away from me. With our new colors so bright, I always knew where he was even though he was across a canyon. I came through the start/finish a little over an hour and a significantly slower pace than I'd hoped for. <br />
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I was loosing my optimism that the legs would come around in the second lap as it seemed no matter what I did helped. I just felt like I was running on 'E'. My heart rate was dropping and so was my positioning. By the half way point of the lap I was in "just finish" mode and pretty frustrated. There didn't seem to be anything I could do. I was even passed on the ridge road by a guy hauling some camera gear back. Pretty demoralizing! I got a little boost of energy in the last mile or so, like a horse sprinting back to the barn, and made a couple passes to end up finishing 66th.<br />
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Man was I happy to be done. It'll be one of those races I'll just clear from my mind and move on. I think I needed more calories the day before and/or before the race because I powered down lunch like it was nothing. Oh well, at least we looked good!<br />
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Then it was back to work, heading out again on course to help out one of my local high school racers with her pre-ride and give her some tips before her first Sea Otter XC. <br />
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Riding with Sam and coaching her made me feel better, but nothing beat holding my little guy after a long day.<br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-78652948498411718352014-03-06T08:21:00.002-08:002014-03-06T08:21:58.749-08:00Racing Into Shape - Episode 4 - TBF MTB MadnessLast weekend was the fourth and final TBF race in Granite Bay and wraps up what I usually do each year to jump start my intensity training. We got a little taste of winter in the week prior and it was nice to see Folsom Lake rising up a bit. The weather gave us a break for the race and the trails had a day to dry out making the dirt conditions pretty stellar. There was just a pretty strong wind from the South to contend with and would certainly become a strategic factor on a course where it's normally hard to break away. <br />
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I started mid pack just to get used to close quarters and working through traffic. After a couple corners I was at the front and paced just fast enough to make people work without over doing it. <br />
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Once I reached the road before the first climb I looked back to see a group of about six. Normally, someone is eager to attack here and peg it up the first climb but there were no takers. Until about fifty yards before the turn into the climb someone tried to go by on my left. There was room, but not much and he clipped my bar and almost took me down. Thankfully I pulled out of it! I certainly wasn't expecting that since there was plenty of room to pass elsewhere and, well... it's Granite Bay not a Pro XCT Short Track. But racing is racing no matter where you are, so it was a good reminder for me not to get so comfortable. The guy apologized and yielded the corner to me and we mashed up the climb. <br />
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I wasn't feeling very fleet and the lungs felt a little closed off on the top end efforts. I was hoping there wouldn't be any attackers early and thankfully there weren't. So we cruised around at a controlled pace that I got to set.<br />
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By the end of the first lap we had trimmed down the group to four and I was learning that my chasers, all under twenty years old, didn't seem to be racing each other but were really only racing me. Especially when we were suffering into the headwind (though I guess it was only me suffering at the front!). Thankfully they weren't working together or they could have put the hurt on me I'm sure. <br />
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Lap two was uneventful and I stayed at the front. I backed off the effort a bit whenever we turned into the wind to try and save the legs since nobody else was willing to pull. <br />
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We were getting into some heavy traffic and thankfully I was feeling a little better by the third lap climb. I continued to lead and at the top and first corner of the decent I heard the unmistakable sound of a tubeless tire "burp" and resulting crash. Alec Crofoot who was sitting third had crossed up in the corner and went OTB ending his day. So then there were three... continuing to work through traffic. I would push the pace here and there, testing the guys a bit but they hung in there and we were just biding time until the last lap.<br />
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Final lap... somebody's got to do something! And heading up the only major climb on the course I felt Andrew Taylor making a move as the pace increased. He went by looking strong and I suppressed the "give up" voice in my head and was able to keep contact. I let a little gap form towards the top to recover figuring I could catch back up on the descent and turns. I played that strategy and stayed in contact without over doing it for the rest of the lap and was right back on his wheel with a couple miles to go. We had dropped Tofor Lewis in third with a decent gap and we both knew it was going to come down to a sprint finish. I stayed right in his draft as we turned into the wind and he slowed the pace, daring me to pass. It was really hard not to but would have been a poor move in such a strong wind. Tofor wasn't catching us so I stayed right there in the 2nd spot as we neared the line. With two corners to go, Andrew picked the pace back up and over the final knoll he went for it a little earlier than I was expecting and got a little gap just before we were blasted with wind. I started my attack and the gap wasn't closing very quickly and I started to think I wasn't going to get it done. But then the gap suddenly closed so I gave it one last kick, pulling up beside with closing speed and I lunged for the line...<br />
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It was so close and neither of us knew who'd won. We each wanted to be the winner but were both pretty stoked on how exciting it was. In the end, the RFID timing system picked up his chip first but just barely!<br />
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Congrats to Andrew for throwing down a strong last lap. I'm pretty happy that after pulling everyone for three laps I was able to stick with him and make it that close of a finish. I'm pretty sure that was the first time I was in the "attacking" position for a sprint which was cool... I just need to have more confidence!<br />
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-82020029295511080132014-01-21T10:52:00.000-08:002014-01-21T10:52:02.636-08:002014 Kickstart!I spent the last week of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 recovering from a spectacular crash on Christmas eve where I clipped a tree branch with my handle bar at over 21mph and smacked the ground hard.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hit the branch on the left and ended up just past the trees to the right.</td></tr>
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It left me with 15 stitches above the eye and a left knee about three times its normal size. I was able to lightly ride out the swelling but it still didn't feel right and would easily swell back up. An MRI revealed a severe bone bruise on my femur at the knee, as well as a bruised patella, tibia, and strained IT band and popliteal tendons. Thankfully the MRI confirmed there was no ligament damage and I could resume riding without further damage. All I'd have to do was not fall on it!<br />
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So why not race?! The TBF MTB Kickstart is always a good opener for the year and a good shock to the system. Conditions were a bit odd, July dry dirt with January cold. I'd have to be careful in the slick corners and not take any risks, but I was looking forward to mixing it up as best I could. I had no expectations after some very inconsistent riding over the past month. I donned my CA State Champ jersey (with my regular jersey underneath... it was 32 degrees!), because it's not every year you get to wear one of those, and toed the line with the usual local speedsters and some seriously fast high school racers who've been training hard for their fast approaching season. <br />
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We set off at a decent pace for the start loop and see-sawed a bit until I settled into the 3rd spot on the first climb. I was enjoying watching the two characters in front of me... Ron Shevock leading but nearly sliding out in every corner due to a very worn out back tire and Tofor Lewis taking some skillful "fun" lines through the singletrack. I could tell that 16 year old Tofor had some spunk and would likely be the one to beat. Half way through the first lap I passed for the lead and Tofor pulled in behind. <br />
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I was racing my Tallboy not just because it's a fast bike for this course but because it would put less strain on my knee vs. the Highball. Tofor was strong on the climbs, so I set out to push the pace where the Tallboy excelled and dial it back where I didn't feel as strong. I stayed out front with three chasers close all the way through the second lap as we battled through lapped traffic.<br />
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And on the first climb of the last lap, Tofor attacked for the lead and never looked back. I couldn't match his acceleration and after getting stuck behind a lapped rider for a bit, I couldn't see him by the top. My race would be for 2nd with Andrew Taylor. I stretched out a small gap through the corners but he was able to reel me back in at the last corner with enough left to take me by a wheel in a sprint finish. I've never been a good sprinter, but apparently I'm a really good lead-out man! <br />
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It was a great race out on the trails and I'm really happy that 1) I'm able to do it at all, and 2) I performed as well as I did! Congrats to the young racers out there working hard... looks like I'll be hitting them up to tag along on training rides to push my fitness!<br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-62650312968714502842013-11-19T11:04:00.001-08:002013-11-19T11:04:50.909-08:00Baptism by CrossI gave cyclocross a serious try back in 2009. Coming of an awesome MTB season including an XC National Championship and Downieville All Mountain victory for Cat 1, I was feeling good and was figuring out I was fairly good at racing bikes. So I immersed myself in cross... I bought a geared CX bike and entered the elite categories to promptly have my arse handed to me repeatedly. I was taking it way too seriously, putting the same pressure on myself as I did during the previous MTB season and not having fun. After that winter I sold that cross bike and decided that I wouldn't race cross anymore because I need an off season. That was a good decision, leading to much needed recovery for my body, some fun vacations, completed house projects.<br />
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But this year I got the itch again. Probably because I've had a better, more relaxed attitude towards racing in general that didn't leave me so wiped by October. But I told myself that this still needed to be an off season, but possibly with some fun shenanigans on a technologically archaic bike. My cyclocross savior would come in the form of a single speed, and my baptism would be at the first <a href="http://www.bicyclingevents.com/SacCx/" target="_blank">Sacramento Cyclocross Series</a> race in Vacaville. Fittingly... it was pouring rain...<br />
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That's me... D...F...L... and I was fine with it! I hadn't raced a cross bike in just under four years and riding in serious muck was something I never really do either. I was seriously feeling "reborn." My first few laps were spent feeling like I was learning how to ride a bike again. Slipping, sliding, and skating around turns. It was cold and wet, which I normally hate, but I was having a blast. Pedaling where I could... and accepting the fact that I could only go so fast because of the gearing and trying to lay off the brakes. After a few laps I learned that those skinny tires can grip and you can lean the bike over more than you think. <br />
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I ended up getting the hang of it and picking off some of the field and finished 4th. While surprised at the result, I didn't care much about it. I was doing it for the fun and smiles... which were plenty!<br />
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After a nice vacation and a couple weeks off the bike (all bikes), it was time to take up my cross again. This time at Lange Twins Winery for Sac CX #4. With no expectations, I lined up with the Single Speed A's again under beautiful blue skies. I'm about to race... and the typical anxieties that run through a racers brain just weren't there. Did my bike have the right gearing for the course? I don't know, and I don't care. Did I eat the right food the two nights before?? Most likely not, but pumpkin ice cream is tasty and while egg nog ice cream isn't great on it's own, adding a little dark rum makes it better. It's just for fun, and just to mix it up a little because riding and racing bikes is awesome. I was also happy that after a couple weeks of vacation I fit into my new SacCX kit which I helped design. I was lined up next to <a href="http://folsombikeelitemtbracing.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/race-report-single-speed-as-at-sacramento-cyclocross-race-4-lange-twins-winery/" target="_blank">Ron Shevock</a> who currently leads the series on a Felt carbon cx bike with disc brakes (he ended up winning this race too). I have to say I'm a little jealous of the discs... old canti's hardly deserve to be called brakes by comparison. Anyways... it was go time and we headed out into the course. I tried to stay with Ron and the front guys, but I had no misconceptions about how out of shape I'd be or that the effort wasn't going to hurt.<br />
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I fell to the back, but not off the back at least. The nice thing about single speed racing is that nobody you're racing with can pull away too quickly. But that also means that if you drop back for whatever reason you can't really catch up. Like when your front wheel skewer comes loose because you're screwing around jumping off stuff on an already bumpy course.<br />
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Makes me really appreciate the thru-axel's on my MTB's. I heard and felt rattling for about a lap, and figured it was just aluminum frame noise or something. Then I looked down and saw the skewer lever pointing forward... and I NEVER leave it that way. Briefly the thought of just continuing on went through my head, but then I remembered the time the front wheel came off my POS commuter bike in college. That eject did not feel good... so after climbing the stair section of the course I stopped to tighten that puppy up. I pedaled hard, drifted some corners and passed a few guys back so I could stay on the lead lap. I see-sawed with one other SS'er on the final lap but he had a bigger gear, the finish stretch was pavement, and there was nothing I could do. Oh well, I finished 6th. I had fun, rode as fast as my gearing would allow, opened up the legs which felt good (I hit some surprising heart rate numbers too!), and the gaggle of course hecklers on the hairpin turns gave my kit good reviews. Only sucky part was a painful cross blister from the rough course.<br />
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I guess I will have to do a little more work to this bike than just lubing the chain. Time for new bar tape! <br />
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Ride on!Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-8589839287116299072013-10-29T11:03:00.000-07:002013-11-21T10:20:12.981-08:00Racing The Stable - One Race, Four BikesI'm not sure when the idea popped into my head, but I figured I'd try something a little different for this year's TBF 50 Miler in Granite Bay. Race four different Santa Cruz bikes! I had three, just needed a fourth. And talking with fellow racer Ryan Gibson after the Santa Cruz Super Enduro the week before I told him my idea and he let me borrow his <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/bronson" target="_blank">Bronson C</a>! Awesome! The plan came together and the race format made it possible to pull off this stunt and get a good comparison; four laps on a fast rolling course with plenty of short punchy climbs, twisting turns in the trees and a few small rock gardens. It's a total pedal-fest and the trails overall aren't technically challenging by themselves, but riding them at race speed makes it interesting and would give me the opportunity to review each bike's pedaling capability, steering characteristics and overall "race-ability." After some thought on the order, the line up would be <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/tallboy" target="_blank">Tallboy C</a>, <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/bronson" target="_blank">Bronson C</a>, <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/tallboy-lt" target="_blank">Tallboy LTc</a>, and <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/highball" target="_blank">Highball C</a>. I would do my best to give the same perceived effort on each bike but really try to maximize time gain where each bike excelled. <br />
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The Tallboy would start off the shenanigans and I figured it would give me a good chance at staying with the front group while saving the speedy Highball for the end. <br />
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We started out at a pretty fast pace, trying to weed out the group a bit. I hung on in the fourth spot for the first couple miles and made my way up into the lead just before we headed into the "winding woods" where I can really use this bike to its full potential. I kept the hammer down and flowed through the turns slowly pulling away. I could stay seated nearly everywhere, even up the rocky climbs, allowing me to both conserve strength and be fast at the same time. <br />
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It's set up with a 120mm fork up front (<a href="http://www.ridefox.com/product.php?m=bike&t=forks&p=32612&ref=filter" target="_blank">Fox Float 32 CTD w/ Trail Adj.</a>) and it's still quick and nimble, never holding me back in the turns. It pedals very efficiently once you get the sag set correctly in the "virtual platform" as I like to call it. But this bike is all about momentum... it just carries any speed you're able to muster like no other. The Tallboy really is a true all around racer and I set the fastest lap of the day at 45:56, about forty five seconds faster than I set <a href="http://claassenmtb.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-little-something-different-tbf-mtb-50.html" target="_blank">last year</a> riding only one lap as a four person relay. I love that bike. I had a good lead as I came around the final corner and through the start finish arch I could see Jen holding the Bronson and our friend Erin Upchurch in front of her to take my discarded Tallboy. Sweet!<br />
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And I was off on the Bronson! I grabbed a neutral bottle handoff to pocket (because even the XL frame doesn't have room for a bottle with the <a href="http://www.ridefox.com/product.php?m=bike&t=shocks&p=99202&ref=filter" target="_blank">Fox Float X</a> reservoir) and got my pedal on! This would actually be my first ride on a Bronson, and first time on a 27.5" wheeled bike for that matter. This Bronson was set up with a <a href="http://www.ridefox.com/product.php?m=bike&t=forks&p=34511&ref=filter" target="_blank">Fox TALAS 27.5 160 w/ remote</a> which was pretty cool. The dual cable remote controlled the CTD positions on both the fork and rear shock at the same time. I started the lap off with the fork down in the low 130mm setting which surprisingly made the bike feel a LOT like the Tallboy I had just come from. Both in handling and pedaling position. Oh and pedaling... this thing can do it! On smooth terrain and flats I really didn't feel like the bike was holding me back at all. It had a nice firm platform and I could apply power efficiently. Where I first noticed the extra heft was on the short steep climbs where it just didn't seem to power up quite as quickly or carry the momentum as well at the Tallboy. But once I got into the turns is when I really noticed this bike excel. "Playful" is the term that seems to fit how this bike felt. It was noticeably quicker steering than the 29er even with the fork pushed out to 160mm. And it mowed over anything as long as you had speed.<br />
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The Bronson hid its long travel well and never really felt like it was a "big bike" until it came to rocky climbing. That's where this bike's weakness was, at least compared to the others. I definitely noticed the smaller wheel size not rolling over things as easily and the slack angles causing a little bit of wander. Throwing the fork down to 130mm helped, but I still had to dab in one tricky spot. I found myself having to "aim" the front wheel when the climbing got slow which wasn't something I was used to. And of course the 28lb weight and beefy, slow rolling tires didn't help the overall effort. I finished up my lap on the Bronson with a respectable time of 49:36, ditching it to our friend Cabot and taking the Tallboy LTc from Jen.</div>
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Back to a little bit more familiar feel of a 29er, it was nice not to feel like I was "perched" on top of the bike, but more a part of it. And big wheels roll!!! The LTc pedals just as well as the Tallboy C and Bronson (maybe a little better) but with more of a "monster truck" attitude. So for example, in my own head I was saying "BRAP!!!" (but think two stroke... "Breep?") in and out of corners and jumping off things on the Bronson. It's just playful. But on the LTc I just say "BRRAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" and laugh as it just mows over stuff! It's just plain fun and nothing stands in your way. Not even when climbing. Techy, slow approach rocks on your climbs? MUAHAHHAHA!!! Done. Next. The LTc combines the "big bike" travel of the Bronson with the momentum benefits of the Tallboy C. </div>
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If it has one weakness compared to the others it is that it is the slowest turning of all of them, requiring you to "guide" rather than "flick" through corners. On it's own, it's really isn't that slow and has never been something I had noticed before (after over 1k miles on the LTc) comparing it directly to the Bronson. Setup might have something to do with it as well: 20mm longer stem and 70mm wider bars on the LTc. But as long as you get your approach right, and lay off the brakes, she'll roll on through. </div>
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About half way through the LTc lap (lap 3) I still had a lead and I couldn't see 2nd place. But I was catching lapped traffic so unless they were close I couldn't really tell who was back there. I felt like I was still cruisin' well, especially when a guy on a road bike (just out for a ride) drafted off of me on one of the gravel road sections and complimented my pull as I peeled off on the course. But the heavier bikes were beginning to take their toll on me, and I was feeling the heft on the climbs for the second half of the lap. With about three miles to go for the lap I heard someone behind me, and there was young Justin Harrell on his hardtail. He said "man it took me FOREVER to catch you! Highball next lap?" "Yep," I said, as he stood up and pulled away up a climb. "See you in about five minutes!" he said. I laughed... "I doubt that!" I was seriously starting to fade and he had probably put a good thirty seconds on me before I ditched the LTc to <a href="http://mikethepoolman.com/" target="_blank">Mike Stinson</a> and grabbed the Highball from Jen. The Tallboy LTc had thrown down a lap time of 50:25, not too shabby considering my state of fatigue.</div>
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The Highball, the rocket, was to be my "closer" and allow me to catch anyone ahead. The bike is unbelievably snappy and fleet, with loads of acceleration. Even with the big wheels, it's super quick and nimble in tight turns and just a blast to ride.</div>
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It took me a few miles to get used to the hardtail especially after coming off of the big Bronson and Tallboy LTc. It just felt weird at first, and like I was being bucked around. I was having trouble putting power down but I eventually found my grove and remembered how to go fast on this racer.</div>
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As I made my way around the northern, most technical part of the course I was moving fairly well but the legs were burning up and starting to cramp. To complicate my comeback I was catching lapped traffic at the most inopportune times. At one point a rider fumbled climbing up a rocky chute and fell over stuck in his pedals. That caused a bit of a delay until he got it sorted out since there was no way around. But those issues were merely seconds and the biggest factor to my slow last lap (52:54) on the Highball was my fatigue. I just couldn't lay down the power where the Highball excelled. I had nothing left for the climbs and was just done. I finished off with everything I had and came in 2nd overall. </div>
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After I finished, totally cooked, someone in the crowd yelled "Time for a 5th lap!" I laughed... and collapsed into my shoulders. Not so much... time for some beer and bbq! My experiment was done, and I would definitely call it a success. Thanks so much to Ryan Gibson for the loaner Bronson. To Kris and Patrick Morin for taking pictures out on course. To Erin, Cabot and Mike for helping with my bike changes. And of course to Jen for helping enable :-). It was awesome to be able to compare these four bikes together in exactly the same race environment and what better way to cap off a great season of racing bikes than to race them all at once!</div>
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If I had to do this again, I would swap the order between the Tallboy C and the Highball. Leading off with the Highball because it was very hard to go back to the hardtail after all the squish. And after the race, people asked me which was my "favorite." Well they're all my "favorite" for different things, but for this race if I were to pick one, it would be the Tallboy C... "comfy fast." </div>
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And I'm out...</div>
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The builds and bottom line:</div>
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<b><u>Lap 1 - <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/tallboy" target="_blank">Tallboy C</a></u></b></div>
Frame: XL 2013 Santa Cruz Tallboy c (matte carbon / red)<br />
Fork: Fox 32 Float 29 120 FIT CTD w/ Trail Adjust<br />
Shock: Fox Float CTD w/ Trail Adjust<br />
Wheels: ENVE Twenty9 XC on Chris King 28h hubs<br />
Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail<br />
Shifters: Shimano XTR SL<br />
Crankset: Shimano XTR - 42/30 Chainrings<br />
Rear Der: Shimano XTR Shadow +<br />
Front Der: Shimano XTR<br />
Cassette: Shimano XTR - 36/11<br />
Chain: KMC X10SL Gold<br />
Seatpost: Thomson Masterpiece 30.9<br />
Saddle: WTB Silverado Carbon<br />
Stem: Thomson X4 90mm<br />
Handlebar: Easton Haven Riser<br />
Grips: ODI Flangeless Longneck<br />
Tires: WTB Nano front and WTB Nine Line rear<br />
Front Brake Rotor: Ashima Airotor 160mm<br />
Rear Brake Rotor: Ashima Airotor 140mm<br />
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Bottom line: True "all-rounder" and the king of momentum. Extremely capable racer but comfy at the same time. Faster than it feels and a real energy saver over the long haul.<br />
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<b><u>Lap 2 - <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/bronson" target="_blank">Bronson C</a></u></b><br />
Frame: XL 2013 Santa Cruz Bronson c (Tennis yellow)<br />
Fork: Fox 34 TALAS 27.5 160 FIT CTD w/ remote<br />
Shock: Fox Float X<br />
Wheels: Un-branded carbon rims on DT hubs<br />
Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail<br />
Shifters: Shimano XTR SL<br />
Crankset: Shimano XTR Triple<br />
Rear Der: Shimano XTR Shadow +<br />
Front Der: Shimano XTR<br />
Cassette: Shimano XTR - 36/11<br />
Chain: Shimano XTR<br />
Seatpost: KS Lev Dropper<br />
Saddle: Specialized<br />
Stem: Thomson X4 50mm<br />
Handlebar: Easton Haven Riser<br />
Tires: Maxxis High Roller front and WTB Wolverine rear<br />
Front Brake Rotor: Shimano ICE Tech 180mm<br />
Rear Brake Rotor: Shimano ICE Tech 160mm<br />
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Bottom line: "Playful" bike that wants to be flicked around. It hides its travel and pedals very well... but keep this thing pointed downhill to really see it shine.<br />
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<b><u>Lap 3 - <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/tallboy-lt" target="_blank">Tallboy LTc</a></u></b><br />
Frame: XL 2013 Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc (Matte black / orange)<br />
Fork: Fox 34 Float 29 140 FIT CTD w/ trail adjust<br />
Shock: Fox Float CTD w/ trail adjust<br />
Wheels: ENVE Twenty9 AM on Chris King 28h hubs<br />
Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail<br />
Shifters: Shimano XTR SL<br />
Crankset: Shimano XTR 42/30 Chainrings<br />
Rear Der: Shimano XTR Shadow +<br />
Front Der: Shimano XTR<br />
Cassette: Shimano XTR - 36/11<br />
Chain: Shimano XTR<br />
Seatpost: Fox D.O.S.S. dropper<br />
Saddle: WTB Silverado Carbon<br />
Stem: Thomson X4 70mm<br />
Handlebar: ENVE DH Riser (cut to 780mm)<br />
Grips: Grips: ODI Flangeless Longneck<br />
Tires: WTB Vigilante TCS front and WTB Wolverine rear<br />
Front Brake Rotor: Ashima Airotor 180mm<br />
Rear Brake Rotor: Ashima Airotor 160mm<br />
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Bottom line: The "monster truck" that will eat any trail and is the most forgiving of the bunch. Great combination of all day pedal-ability and fun factor. Can't help but smile when this one takes you for a ride.<br />
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<b><u>Lap 4 - <a href="http://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en/highball" target="_blank">Highball C</a></u></b><br />
Frame: XL 2013 Santa Cruz Highball c (Matte black / silver)<br />
Fork: Fox 32 Float 29 100 FIT CTD w/ trail adjust<br />
Wheels: ENVE Twenty9 XC on 32h hubs. ethirteen xcx front and DT 340s rear<br />
Brakes: Shimano XTR Race<br />
Shifters: Shimano XTR SL<br />
Crankset: Shimano XTR 39/26 Chainrings<br />
Rear Der: Shimano XTR Shadow +<br />
Front Der: Shimano XTR<br />
Cassette: Shimano XTR - 36/11<br />
Chain: Shimano XTR<br />
Seatpost: Thomson Masterpiece 30.9<br />
Saddle: WTB Silverado Carbon<br />
Stem: Thomson X4 90mm<br />
Handlebar: Easton Haven Riser<br />
Grips: ODI Flangeless Longneck<br />
Tires: WTB Nano front and rear<br />
Front Brake Rotor: Ashima Airotor 160mm<br />
Rear Brake Rotor: Ashima Airotor 140mm<br />
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Bottom line: The "racer." A true speed machine with amazing acceleration and climbing ability while also being nimble and quick in the turns. Though very lightweight, it stays grounded and stable at speed also making it a good all day rider.<br />
<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-16310761455792617072013-10-18T16:00:00.000-07:002013-10-18T16:01:19.517-07:00Santa Cruz Super Enduro Race ReportI missed out on the inaugural event last year since it was only a fifty rider field. But this year I was lucky enough to get one of the two hundred spots that sold out in under two hours after registration opened... and so did my teammates Marshall and Ryan. Sweet! We don't get the chance to ride together often so we were all looking forward to it. I drove down Friday night and stayed at my in-laws who live only thirty minutes away. And I was enjoying the relaxed diet of enduro as compared to XC... I ate WAY too much apple crisp dessert my mother-in-law made with apples from their trees. Oh well... chalk it up to carbo loading! That and the four packets of oatmeal I had in the morning... :-)<br />
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The race venue was in the canyon right smack dab in the middle of the San Andreas fault. And as Santa Cruz Bicycles employee and racer Scott Chapin explained to me... those mountains are moving that way and those mountains over there are moving that way (opposite). I think he was expecting the earth to just open up under our feet. Marshall and I debriefed that convo while trying to stay warm. Notice my thermal jacket! (And new baggies so I'd fit in a little better)</div>
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After the racers meeting... 8:30am came and went. And we were just standing around killing time, expecting somebody to yell "GO!" or something. About 15 minutes went by before someone came up to us and said "I just came down from my car and I think they're sending people off, numbers 1-30 or something..." Well it wasn't even that official, but pro's needed to get to the top by a certain time. I was number 27 and Scott was number 1. He was freaking out a little bit figuring he would have to be the first one to go off at the top (which wasn't the case... if we'd actually been listening during the riders meeting!) so we set out at a blistering (for enduro) pace up the hill, passing racers left and right. About five minutes into the climb we still hadn't warmed up yet! He eventually backed off but I kept up the pace because it felt good to open up the legs... or work out the apple crisp... however you want to call it! Eventually I got to the top and start of the first stage... and was the first one there. TRANSITION STAGE WIN!!!! </div>
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After about twenty minutes of chillin' it was finally time to line up and take to "Special Stage 1" which started out on the rolling "Ridge Trail" before dropping down onto Corral. Since I'd been sitting around so long it was a cold jump start to the system. From stationary to full sprint out of the gate... oh... and don't hit any trees!</div>
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Ridge trail is pretty awesome but definitely one of those trails where it pays to really know it. And I didn't. I was checking up way too much in the corners where I probably could have kept pedaling. And I totally got detracted by some cheering hooligans drinking beer at 9:45am and almost sideswiped a tree in a corner I forgot was there. Oh well... SUPER fun! The trails were dry and loose so almost every corner had the potential for washout. And they all made me feel like I had a tire going down because even my WTB Vigilante up front was drifting! On the Corral fire road I opened it up and put my head down. I laid into one corner a bit too much and almost lost it, then I looked down to check my tire pressure and when I looked up, TAPE!! I swerved left and hit the little hip jump they'd taped off. My bad for not looking ahead! The rest of the stage had many more of those taped off diversions, and some of them were a little confusing, making a zig zag down the fire road and up features on the sides. But I finally came to the finish and skidded to a stop with a good lung sear. I rolled down to the aid station where a bunch of riders gathered. It was like we'd never ridden bikes before... everyone was coughing and hacking from the cold start. Someone said their feet hurt! Ryan and Marshall came down shortly after with the same feelings but were all smiles from the fun trail. </div>
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It was starting to warm up so I ditched all my cold gear and started up the climb with the guys. Eventually I was all by myself climbing again. I was in my easiest gear, and a comfortable cadence! I felt like if I went slower I'd waste energy. Oh well... I figured I'd just chill at the start of SS2 for a bit and relax before hitting it again. Wrong! When I got to the start area, the starters waved me on and said they wanted to keep people moving through. I looked around... nobody else there... Ok well I guess I'll go! I got to the start line and this is literally how my start countdown went:<br />
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Starter: "30 seconds to start."</div>
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I'm just finishing putting my goggles back on...<br />
Starter: "10 seconds... 5...4...3...2...1... oh wait!"</div>
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Me: "Uhh.. What?!" (Laughing... I take my hands of the bars)</div>
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Starter: "Ahh.. oh well.. GO!"</div>
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And so I was off... and the "WTF WAS THAT!?" thought in my head about the start sequence soon left and a big smile returned as I hammered down another section of Ridge Trail towards "Sawpit." </div>
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The bottom of Ridge Trail has an off camber rock garden which I nailed faster than in practice a week before, as well as the next two rooty sections. Sweet! Then came the climb up to the top of Sawpit. This shouldn't have been a big deal... but man did it BURN!!! I felt so gassed! But at least I kept it in the big ring. Sawpit is pretty awesome as well with some steeper sections, tons of turns and a few spots to really open it up.</div>
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With another clean run I was happy and having a blast. I knew I'd left some time out on the course, braking a little too much into corners and almost flying off the trail in another spot. I was just having fun and really enjoying "racing" in such a relaxed atmosphere. Marshall and Ryan came down feeling good about the day as well, but Ryan was a little frustrated with a minor washout. We chatted for a bit and then headed back up the hill for the final stage of the day.</div>
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We had to wait a bit for the start crew to be ready for us before letting loose on Braille Trail. This is the steepest of the three trails and definitely the gnarliest. There are features built up all over, some of which are faster and some slower. Right after the start and first sweeping corner, my eyes went straight for the line which ended up being slower, a go-around instead of a jump over a tree. Oh well. Time to pedal hard and make it up! I bottomed out all the suspension my Tallboy LTc had to give in a couple g-outs and let 'er rip on the straight spots. This trail is a blast! As I came down towards the end there were people cheering all around the final few turns through the trees... pretty cool!</div>
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I almost lost it through that last S-turn before the log... my front tire washed and then suddenly grabbed and "barked" at me as I almost high-sided! Thankfully the tire didn't come off the rim and I jumped the log and sprinted around the next corner to the finish.</div>
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We hung around at the bottom of Braille for a while, chattin' it up and debriefing on just how awesome the morning had been. But that was the problem... the day was "over" and it wasn't even noon yet! So the three of us and Ryan's buddy Jeremy headed back up for a little "team ride" fun on Ridge and Sawpit. That post race ride with the guys was so awesome... just ripping the trail wheel to wheel! I wish we had some cameras! I couldn't see squat with the dust, but I was the only one with goggles so I was sittin' caboose. Oh well! Riding so close was sweet. I wadded up in the rock garden on lower Ridge... oops! </div>
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If the race itself didn't put a big enough smile on our faces, that ride certainly did! We didn't even mind the climb back out because we knew our "finisher ribbons" were waiting and some enduro "recovery."</div>
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After final results were posted, I ended up 24th for the pro men. Marshall was 18th and Ryan 19th. But I'm not disappointed at all... I had a blast and I love hangin' and ridin' with not only my teammates but all the other cool racers I've come to know over my first season with enduro racing. I will DEFINITELY be hitting these up next year!</div>
Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-42920625102929832402013-09-10T10:10:00.000-07:002013-09-10T10:10:45.978-07:00Big News For 2014 - The New Training PlanNext year I'll be starting a new training program. After a good solid base over the winter months in the traditional style (with a little CX thrown in on the SS), around the middle of March I'm going to be changing it up a bit. The modified plan is going to likely consist of less sleep, more caffeine, and less riding time. The exact details are still being worked out and it's going to be a very "fluid" process I'm sure. Yeah, you might be thinking... "That doesn't sound like a very good program." Well I'm very excited for it because of the new addition I'll have to my "pit crew" and cheering section. Let me introduce you...<br />
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There's definitely going to be some new equipment involved as well. And eventually some new wheel sizes... but they probably won't fit me as perfectly as my 29ers.<br />
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But having another person waiting for me at the end of a race is going to give me even more motivation to get there fast. And we're so stoked!<br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-71939636717490592012013-09-06T18:29:00.002-07:002013-09-06T18:29:49.879-07:00The Bidwell Bump All MountainThis event didn't go so well <a href="http://claassenmtb.blogspot.com/2012/08/82512-bidwell-bump-all-mountain-rubber.html" target="_blank">last year</a>. My bike broke during the warmup so I went to my backup but started the XC three minutes late, crashed a couple times but still didn't finish last and stole a couple Strava KOM's. In the Super D I tried to go 100% race pace while sight-reading the trail, and just about tore my elbow off. Learned my lesson there!<br />
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So this year the main goal was "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Vy5dVI4fM" target="_blank">Just don't die</a>." - Check!</div>
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Next goal: Crush the XC and don't crash (maybe even do well?). - Fail! Well... partially...</div>
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Crush the climbs and pedally stuff I did. My Tallboy LTc soaked up the rough "lava rock" climb on North Rim trail and I was off the front with a substantial lead.</div>
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I turned into the first downhill (B Trail) and was smooth but pretty conservative since most of the corners and rock drops are concealed by brush or the hill's contour. </div>
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I probably lost 20-30 seconds to the fastest chasers. But by the bottom I was still all by myself and I motored on down to the creek crossing, shouldered my 28lb trail rig and tried not to fall over as I forded knee high waters. Now with wet feet it was hammer time again for a 700ft vertical gain on mostly loose fire road where it I was only one second off of last years time but on a nearly 4lb heavier bike! Sweet! For the next few minutes I hammered down Guardians Trail singletrack which is flowy and predictable. I turned down onto "Bloody Pin" trail and felt solid and smooth through the first few rocky switchbacks. The trail opened up a bit and I put the pedal to the floor but lost focus on an easy right hand sweeper and washed out the front tire... slapping the dirt pretty hard. Damn! Goal #2 Fail. I sprung up and remounted to find that my right shifter had dug into the ground and bent so far down I could barely reach it. I spent the next few corners figuring it all out and beating it into the most manageable position. </div>
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Thankfully the photographers weren't two corners higher :-).</div>
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The last few miles of the trail were pretty frustrating without the ability to shift. It's full of very short steep pitches with blind entry. Without course knowledge I ended up doing way too much of this:<br />
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And I got passed with less than a mile to go by a local ripper Lowell Mourel and was beat out by about by twenty five seconds. Dang. At least everything was intact and I could go for a Super D pre-run with my teammate Marshall, and WTB/Cannondale riders Ben Cruz and Marco Osborne before getting my taco truck tacos. But with short digestion time it was still sitting heavy after the shuttle to the top... I was really glad I gave my second taco to Marshall! A mocha Clif shot aided the internal processing and I was ready to go again with a slightly "greener" helmet.<br />
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Oh and baggies!<br />
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I was having a solid run and feeling pretty good. Especially after getting through the section that sent me to the ER last year. But after hammering up that climb something went really haywire in the gears. CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! PING! And all those other horrible noises. The chain didn't break, the derailleur cable didn't break, but my chain was loose and dangling. I dismounted and inspected to find that I'd lost the bolt through the front pulley wheel on the derailleur and the whole wheel was gone as well. The was no fixing this. So I just removed the chain and continued the 2nd half of my Super D run chainless while cheering on the guys still hammering. Oh well! Maybe 3rd time's a charm and better luck next year?</div>
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Marshall had a decent Super D run but crashed in a washout as well. He said this was one of the toughest races he's ever done.</div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-54840195165328083472013-09-03T15:06:00.004-07:002013-09-03T15:07:01.954-07:00There's Life After Downieville - Annadel XC Race ReportCruising around town in Downieville after a mechanical failure ended my hopes for a solid All Mountain result (still ended up 13th though!), I found some motivation to keep pushing hard through August. I had a little chat with Mr. Leipheimer and confirmed he was planning on racing the Annadel XC two weeks later. A race I love and happened to win last year... by only five seconds over Colin Daw... who was also signed up.<br />
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So after a solid couple weeks of prep I was feeling good and ready. The Tallboy was all shined up and looking good as well.</div>
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Both Ryan and Marshall were racing too, and beforehand I was trying to think if there was any way we could benefit from "team tactics" so to speak. But really this race was just going to be a situation of chasing Levi and we all knew it. Mitigate the damage on the climbs and hammer the tech sections and try to make up ground. </div>
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It started off with the usual fast paced road start which was MUCH more well behaved this year than last. No need to swerve into oncoming lanes to avoid cars even! The pace seemed faster from the get-go which helped filter out some people that shouldn't be at the front. And for me it went by very quickly, I wasn't struggling like normal and still felt like I had some kick when I could finally see the dirt at the end of the road. So I sprinted up and entered the dirt in 3rd behind Levi and Glen Fant (I think). I red-lined up the first few climbs and chose to dial it back a bit and recover. So I got passed by a few, but managed to get back into third by the first descent down Cobblestone, this time with Colin Daw in 2nd. </div>
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We were a bit spread out so I was all by myself for the next road section and undulating singletrack. I lost a few seconds when I lost focus and my back tire kicked off a rock and sent my front wheel into a tree. Thankfully it was slow and I didn't go over... it was just one of those "HEY! PAY ATTENTION!" reminders from the trail. I could see Colin in the clearings up the next climb and he had about 30 seconds on me. But by the bottom of the South Burma climb (after some good DH sections, about mile 13) I had narrowed the gap down to maybe five seconds. Once we finally reached the top of the long Lawndale downhill I was right on him, unfortunately I didn't realize THIS was the top of Lawndale. I should have gone for the pass but I didn't know it was the crucial spot. Once I realized where we were, I didn't push the issue and sat in, figuring Levi was long gone anyways and the race was for 2nd. </div>
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We took on the neutral water bottles from Camelbak and cruised Lawndale road together over to the Schulz climb where Colin sprinted to get in front. We stayed together and when the climbing got rough and steep about half way up, I was feeling a little held up. So I went for it where it opened up and as I got beside Colin I was in some loose rock and slipping out, expending too much energy trying to make the pass. He looked over, saw that and attacked. He quickly got a big gap while I needed to recover and suddenly I was all alone. Frustrated... I picked the pace back up for Ridge trail, which is a technical undulating trail perfect for the Tallboy. I still couldn't see Colin in the winding trees so my goal changed from trying to get 2nd to getting a sub-two hour finish time. Suddenly I popped out of the singletrack and onto the final fire-road descent and I could see Colin up ahead! I opened it up as much as I could, just taking the straight line over the rocks and soaking them up. The sun/shade mix in the trees made the rocks hard to distinguish in the dust, so I had a few rim-strikes to the ENVE's but thankfully no flats and no damage. I didn't quite catch Colin but still ended up with a time almost a minute under two hours and good enough for 3rd (about 3 1/2 minutes back from Levi). </div>
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It was cool to race together with Colin for so much of the course, that kind of close riding doesn't happen much in MTB racing. <br />
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And thanks to everyone who came to say hi after the race... and gave me their extra beer tickets while I waited in line... three beers for 3rd place!!! :-D<br />
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-71503969715636659202013-08-06T13:36:00.000-07:002013-08-06T13:38:41.180-07:002013 Downieville ClassicIt's summer in NorCal... hot, dry and on most days there's smoke in the air from a fire burning somewhere. So we, as mountain bikers, flock to Downieville where it always seems to be awesome. Even if the breeze isn't blowing up the canyon (which it is probably 80% of the time) and it's hot, just go ride in the trees where the sun's off your back and you make your own wind blazing downhill at 30+ mph. Your leg's will get cooled off by the occasional creek crossing as you go and once your back in town you can get a little cryotherapy by jumping in the river. And if you're stressed out from the day-to-day... Downieville is one of those true "get away from it all" places where there is still no cell reception and you can truly relax.<br />
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...unless you're there to race, and you think you have a shot...</div>
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Then Downieville will taunt you with the occasional clean run where you were going so fast your eyes were watering and you couldn't see... yet you still hit the lines and floated over the gnar with ease... and you're superman. That would be how I felt on my first trip up there this summer in late June. When I went up again the weekend before the race... something was off. I was on edge, probably because I sensed the Kryptonite that was waiting for us. Between my teammate Ryan and I, we had 5 flats, one broken spoke, a broken chain, a broken derailleur cable, a sliced sidewall on a new tire, and a lost pair of sunglasses. Downieville always has a way of reminding you who's boss. Frustrated with how things had gone the weekend before I really didn't want to go into the race with such a bad taste in my mouth. Since my <a href="http://santacruzbicycles.com/tallboylt_carbon/">Tallboy LTc</a> was all put back together and dialed by Eddie at <a href="http://www.towncenterbike.com/">Town Center Bike</a> by Tuesday, I took off work and headed up for one more day of practice on Wednesday. I softened up my suspension a bit and decided I was just going to give it some flow, relax, and give the rocks the respect they demand. It turned out to be a flawless day and I had some of my fastest times... leaving me feeling much better going into the race. </div>
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But for me with that confidence comes some self imposed pressure and a big bundle of nerves. I was a mess on Friday... I just wanted to race!!! I worked hard all day at chilling out and by the evening I had finally attained a little racer-zen and told Jen "Eh... it's just a ride on sweet trails with 600 other dudes." </div>
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That was the perfectly relaxed attitude I needed to have and that I maintained until I was stopped in road construction traffic on my drive up race morning. Sitting there, going nowhere for 20+ minutes as the clock ticked away I was suppressing some serious internal rage. Once I arrived in Sierra City about 40 minutes later than I'd planned... I still had to pick up my reg kit, weigh the bike and hopefully warm up. But it was out of my control and I could only move so fast. So still in my street clothes I rolled down to the reg area without my phone or garmin (If I can't see the time I can't freak out about how late I am!) to knock out those necessary tasks. People were warming up all over and some even wondered if I was racing since I was rolling around in shorts and a t-shirt. No... I haven't embraced the "Enduro lifestyle" quite to that extent... I'm just late! Eventually I got all my stuff ready to go and I went down to the start line with about twenty minutes to spare. It was already a clustered mass of racers on the narrow road waiting for the start, and I picked my way through and up to the pro start group expecting to be able to warmup ahead of the start line like in years past. But that wasn't allowed this year and I was stuck to ride in 30ft circles in the open area between the pro and expert start groups. The worlds smallest warmup loop! I wasn't warm, I was starting in the back of the pack... oh well. At least it was time to race, finally!</div>
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Usually this race starts out at a fairly mellow pace up the road, which I figured would give me time to warm up before really getting into the climb. Not so much though when you have a Pro Tour road rider (Levi Leipheimer) in the mix. In one of the fastest starts I've ever experienced in this race, I was playing catch up from the gun. The group stretched out quickly and I was stuck behind a couple guys joking about the start not mattering and "This is where the race is won or lost." Yadda yadda... move guys... it matters for me! I ended up burning a few matches before I finally made it up to some familiar faces in Jason Moeschler, Kenny Burt, and my teammate Ryan about 10 minutes into the climb. I dialed it back a bit to something a little more sustainable for the 40+ minutes more of climbing and hoped my glutes and low back might loosen up a bit too. We hit the early steep section and my back tire slipped out half way up so I walked the rest and recovered as about three riders passed by. I remounted and caught back up to Jason and Kenny but it wasn't long before they decided it was time to go and put it in another gear. I was not matching that. Whether that was mental weakness or not, I resolved to "diesel mode" and chugged up the climb. </div>
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I kept Ryan in sight and was about 20 seconds back from him as we approached the cheering crowds at the top. I had no idea where I was positioned but a friend yelled out that I was 12th. WOW! Since I wasn't able to keep tabs on the front guys from the start, and considering how slow I felt just chugging along, I was STOKED to hear that! I happily took my bottle hand-off from my adopted race family (thanks Morins!!!) and headed in to Sunrise trail a little over 53 minutes into the race, one of my fastest times to the top (on the heaviest bike I've ever raced)! </div>
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After clipping my bars on a tree early on Sunrise trail, my focus resumed and I stayed smooth and relaxed, feeling like I was gaining some ground. At least nobody was catching me, which I was expecting. On the traverse over to Baby Heads I multi-tasked and munched down a mini blueberry crisp Clif Bar, chugged a bunch of water, and closed the gap to Ryan. However once I got into Baby Heads section I played it conservative and went into equipment preservation mode. More than anything I really, REALLY wanted to have a clean race without a mechanical problem or flat. Something I don't think I've ever been able to do at Downieville. I was respecting the rocks... so to speak. </div>
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That granted a little physical recovery as well and once I splashed through the creek and made it up onto Pauley Creek trail I was ready to hammer. I set out to chase down Ryan and ended up passing Alex Wild and Neilson Powless before connecting with Butcher Ranch trail. Knowing I was now in the 10th spot I wanted to preserve that with everything I had... but it would still be nice to catch some more guys. So I danced that fine line between taking risks and protecting the equipment down Butcher, narrowing the gap to Ryan. After the short climb up to Third Divide the gap was down to about five seconds. As I opened up the suspension, lowered the seatpost and dropped into Third Divide a spectator said "Have fun!" Oh yeah baby!!! I quickly got up to speed, but since I was only wearing glasses for the XC and still protecting my bike I grabbed a bit more brake in places... only made it up to 33mph on one of the most fun sections of MTB trail in the country. I think Ryan was going balls out though because I couldn't see him anymore as I went into the final push... First Divide trail. I put my head down and felt the burn... looking over my shoulder wondering when SOMEONE was going to take away my top 10. I just didn't feel fast and it hurt! But I was starting to see some dust... was I catching Ryan? On a long stretch I could see that it wasn't Ryan, but a smaller rider in a black kit. The only guy I knew up ahead fitting that description was Levi. I pushed harder. A few corners later I came around to bike, rider, dirt and rocks flying everywhere! I fish-tailed and avoided the tumbling wheels and yelled "You OK?" as I went by. And when I looked I could tell that it was Levi, and he didn't respond as he got up slowly. I hit the brakes and yelled back again, "Levi... you OK!?" "Yeah..." So I kept going. And at the next road crossing I yelled to the volunteers there that if Levi didn't come down in a minute to go check on him. I hammered down the last bit of First Divide, making sure not to over shoot a few key corners and fall into the river. Eventually I made it to the pavement, ecstatic that I had finally made it through a race here without a problem! </div>
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On that final stretch of pavement I kept looking over my shoulder for Levi though, figuring he could take the spot back and pass me with roadie power just like Menso de Jong did two years ago. But I held it out and finished in 9th with my best XC time ever by over five minutes! I high-fived Ryan who had finished up in 8th, almost catching 7th place rider Kenny Burt. And after a little cryo-recovery in the river I started my drive back home, excited to share the news with Jen. </div>
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Sunday morning, of course when it didn't matter as much, there was no construction... figures. But it was good to get to the top nice and early. I leisurely got ready, weighed the bike in (just over 28lbs), and pedaled around a while. I felt primed and ready after a 40 minute warmup... and a double espresso Clif Shot! The race crew was pumping some heavy metal tunes and I had some Rage Against The Machine blaring while I was in the start line. I'm not really a fan of theirs... but it worked! I was rockin' out and ready to rip! </div>
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I set off and had a very smooth run on Sunrise, then promptly proceeded to almost wash out on the first two corners of the newly re-routed Butcher Ranch fire road. Thankfully I didn't go down and proceeded to have one of my best ever runs down Butcher. I climbed strong up to Third Divide and was gassed as I dropped in. I took a few breaths to recover and missed out on some speed, only getting a little over 35mph on the initial descent. But I was railing all the corners and just loving it! I was starting to get excited, knowing it was going to be a fast time if I could hold on. </div>
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PPSSHSSSHHHHHHHSHSHSH!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!</div>
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I hadn't even hit anything! I was being so smooth! It's smooth trail right here! AAAhhhh!!!! My back tire was immediately flat. I pulled over and had the world's fastest tube change... getting back on the bike not long after a second rider had passed by. But about 100ft later... POW!!! Like a gun shot. There was something else wrong, and my only tube, and only co2 can was done. I inspected the rear tire to find a hole in the bead... dang. A rider tossed me a tube and co2 as he passed, awesome. It was a 26er tube but I stretched it to fit and aired it up. Though I couldn't put much pressure in it with the bulging bead. I limped down the trail but the inevitable happened after just a few hundred yards and it pinch flatted. Well... gotta get down the hill anyway... so lets just see how strong these ENVE hoops really are! I picked my way down the last of third divide and then first divide trail, trying to stay out of the way of racers still hammering and trying to avoid the most jagged rocks. </div>
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About six miles later I finally limped across the line. I was last, but at least I finished. And I was impressed that the <a href="http://www.enve.com/wheels/mtb/twenty9AM.aspx">ENVE AM</a> rim was still straight and without any major damage! Nice!</div>
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So my hopes of a problem free Downieville weekend were dashed, as well as a potential top five in the All Mountain. Oh well... 364 days 'til the next try. I'm stoked for Ryan who ended up with a 5th place All Mountain in his first year racing at the pro level! His race report is up as well if you want to check it out <a href="http://rchandlerracing.com/2013/08/06/downieville-round-two/">here</a>. And actually I ended up 13th in the final All Mountain results, which is my best yet!</div>
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Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-745280881180554183.post-46244832874988610552013-07-07T15:02:00.000-07:002013-07-07T15:02:49.490-07:002013 Marathon MTB National Championships - Sun Valley, IDFor the third straight summer I made the drive out to Sun Valley, ID... it's long, but totally worth it! This year would be a little different though, as the race was the double length "Marathon" National Championship race and Jen finally got to come with me (always better!). I was really feeling strong in the week leading into the race and the longer format usually suits me well (commence diesel mode!), so I was looking forward to a good result. The course would consist of two circuits of last year's amateur xc national champs course... basically climb a big mountain and come back down... rinse and repeat.<br />
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Friday morning I set out for a pre-ride on the Highball. From what I remembered the climb wasn't too rough, so the sub-21lb. hard tail might be nice. And about half way up, I met Neil from <a href="http://www.avexsport.com/">Avex</a>. He snapped this photo showing the awesome view of the Ketchum/Hailey valley below.<br />
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He's also having me test out one of their new <a href="http://www.avexsport.com/bpa-free-bottles-pecos-autospout-plastic-water-bottle.html">Pecos insulated bottle</a> which is pretty cool. It has a flip top cover to keep crud off the spout. So far it's pretty cool and finally a bottle I wouldn't be afraid to have on the bottom of the down tube on my Tallboy LTc.</div>
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After the long climb was a ripping long descent and was a ton of fun. <br />
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While being fairly smooth and flowy, was also high speed and littered with sharp rocks in places that made the risk of flatting high. So because of that I elected to pull out the Tallboy for the extra security of the squish. There weren't really any places where I'd be hindered too much by the added weight, since almost all of the climbs were long and steady. Plus I know the Tallboy could rip the downhill a bit faster... and be more fun!<br />
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Race morning came and I was pretty anxious. Not so much about the race itself but that something just didn't feel right. I ate a good light breakfast and had a cup of coffee, but I still wasn't satisfied and just felt tired. Plus I was cold and couldn't seem to warm up. It was about fifty degrees out at 7am, which is less than half of what I've been used to in Sacramento the last week or so. But it's not THAT cold and I shouldn't need my thermal jacket which I was wearing during my short warmup. The race was at 8 and I didn't really have time to eat any more or get whatever it was sorted out before lining up. I just hoped I would start to feel better once things got underway.<br />
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We started out with a start loop around the venue and up a couple hundred yards of the "climb to the sun" which didn't feel so great first thing in the morning! The field got strung out a bit after winding back down through the trees and heading out down the paved bike path. I caught up to the lead group about twenty strong before we turned off the pavement and started up the big climb. The group stayed together and composed until the climbing got steep. The top six or so broke away and the rest of us spread out a little. I was feeling ok, and hanging in the chase group just staying smooth and steady. We turned into the singletrack and the climbing continued but was a little more rolling. I got popped off the back as I needed to recover a bit. The only problem was I really wasn't recovering and getting any "pop" back. I kept sipping on the Clif Shot mix in my bottle and slowly reeled the chase group back in, catching them about half way up the climb. I could see the leaders farther up the climb, at least five minutes ahead already, which was demoralizing. Oh well... it just wasn't happening today. After about fifty minutes of climbing we crested the top and began the descent. I passed a few guys, and I also think I counted three who were pulled off with flats before we made it to the fire road climb, bringing us back onto the front side of the mountain for the final descent to the finish. I had NO power for the climb, and was passed by a couple guys... dang. I popped a Clif Shot because I was feeling hungry again, but after a little bit the hunger resumed. I was already starting to feel a little over saturated with sugars and just wanted water, which I didn't have with me. <br />
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Thankfully after all those fun switchbacks on the descent, I came through the venue to start lap two and got the hand-off from my support crew which was a nice big bottle of straight water. Jen yelled that she thought I was in 19th at that point... maybe after this water I'd feel better and could pick off a bunch? So I set off for lap two...<br />
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I bridged up to a couple guys on the pavement and once I was in the draft, sucked down some water. Then some more. After about five minutes I was starting to feel better. But then that whole bottle was gone about a quarter of the way up the big climb, and I still wanted (needed!) more but had nothing. The only thing that kept me going up that climb was the promise of a bottle of water from the aid station at the top. With about eight minutes left in the climb, I came around a ridge and could see that glorious white tent... an oasis in the mountains. I finally got there, and yes, WATER!!! Only problem was I could only take a couple gulps before needing to put both hands on the wheel for the descent. Ahh! I WANT MORE!!! There was a short climb about half way down where I could get a few more sips before the high speeds resumed. Finally I made it to the fire road traverse and I sucked down the rest... still feeling over saturated and hungry but getting better. There was another aid station and I grabbed another half full bottle from them before cresting that climb and I sucked down some more. I was about twenty seconds back from catching another guy so I set out to try and reel him in on the final descent. But I still just didn't have the energy and he was descending well. I made up time, but just not enough before the bottom.<br />
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I rolled across the line in 17th after three hours and seventeen minutes for the 40 mile, 6000+ ft. vert. course. I was pretty upset and frustrated with how I felt, because I think it was something as simple as not eating enough the day before. But I did the best that I could with what I had, the bike was awesome, and this always makes it better...<br />
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And after tanking about four more bottles of water and eating two lunches... time to enjoy Sun Valley and a little vacation!</div>
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And on Sunday we had a fun time riding the gondola and lifts up to the top, rollin' the bikes down and enjoying some great trails and awesome views.<br />
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<br />Clint Claassenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10076440682616835568noreply@blogger.com1