6/2-3 - Doubleheader Race Weekend Part 2 - Sierra Cup Series #4 - Peavine Challenge

Well the epic racing weekend was off to a good start with a win at SoNoMas on Saturday (check out part 1 here if you missed it) and I was feeling fairly decent Saturday night.  But after the drive up to Reno the next morning, my lower back was pretty darn tight.  All the driving probably didn't help with that.  The legs definitely weren't "fresh" but didn't seem to be too flat.  I did notice it was much harder to get my heart rate up when I was trying to warm up, which was to be expected.  I would be running the same set-up as the day before: Highball with Nano TCS tires.  The sealant did a good job on the front tire so thankfully I didn't need to change it out.  With the trip up to altitude however, my rear brake was a little off causing the bike to sing to me like a bad American Idol audition... and not a funny one either!  After some fiddling I was able to get the caliper to a spot where it wasn't really causing resistance but would let out an occasional squeal.  Good enough.

The Peavine course consists of one big mountain loop starting at about 5200ft elevation going up to a little over 6000ft in about 6 miles.  After my warm up I didn't feel like I had a ton of "pop" and wasn't sure if I could really hammer the climb on both laps.  I figured I'd be sitting in for at least lap 1.  

When the whistle blew I was off and in the lead right away.  Am I finally getting good at starts??? I doubt it, I just love how well the Highball sprints so it's fun.  I started up the first climb and wanted to set a strong pace to feel out my competition and keep anyone who didn't belong up front from getting in the way.  Pretty soon it was just three of us off the front.  I led up over the first crest and bam... a face full of headwind!  Those two guys found their "happy place" tucked right in my massive slipstream (sure... sit in behind the tall guy!) so I backed off the pace just a bit until the crest.  But I felt stupid for not letting someone else lead when I should probably be conserving.  Especially when #2 passed me after the short drop to the fire road climb and said "Good job" like he wasn't even working hard.  All I knew was that right then he was pulling away and my legs were burning!  Then the other guy passed me but I was able to stay on his wheel for a bit but it still hurt.  So I backed off and decided to just keep them in sight for now.  But their pace was soon dialed back when the climbing got steep and my diesel motor was still chuggin' along at a low rate, barely getting to 160bpm.  I stayed on the wheel of 2nd place and we were about 20-30 seconds back from the leader, but near the top of the climb I passed for 2nd figuring I would descend faster.  I dropped into the "bobsled" section which is a fun half-pipe shaped canyon the course rips down in a slalom.  But I didn't have the energy to charge it and soon I was being asked to pull over, which I did.  Then I wanted to see if he'd hit the same stupid sharp rock I've hit the last two years to give me flats... he missed it.  But he's a local so he probably knew it was there too.  I missed it as well and continued down the hill at a smooth pace, just conserving energy and not getting worried about my position.  I could still see them both in the open sections and could make up time on the few short climbs that interrupt the super fast and flowy descent.  The legs felt like they were coming back... nice!

At the bottom I was only about 20 seconds back, and we started climbing again.  A friend watching yelled "Alright Clint they're right there... time to RACE!"  Exactly... and it was on!  But there was still about 35 minutes of climbing to go, so I was planning on just catching up at a smooth and steady closing rate and making the pass closer to the top.  We went over that first crest again but I didn't get close enough to get into their draft.  Oh well, still a lot of course left.  Up the fire road we went and I caught 2nd place pretty quickly as he was fading back.  I set my sights on the leader, about 10 seconds ahead who was making his way up the first of the steeper sections, which is about 1/3 of the way up the total climb.  I was closing fast and had a decision to make... do I pass now or sit and wait to pass closer to the top like I had planned?  I wasn't sure what the best move was, but what I did know was that I was feeling good right then and he looked like he was suffering.  So feeling like I had a good chance to make the pass stick, I poured it on, passed in the weeds and did my best to pull a good gap and break his spirits so he wouldn't try to hang on.  I figured if he caught back up, I'd still have a chance to pull a gap again at the top.  But he never caught back up and my gap was growing... nice!  Now I just needed to protect my equipment, be smooth and bring it home.  But near the top, still climbing, I shift down and CRUNCH!  A nasty sound comes from my gears so I stop pedaling immediately.  For whatever reason, the chain had gotten thrown over the rear cassette and wedged between the spokes!  Ahhh!!!  Stay calm... don't get mad.  I dismount, inspect... then yank!  It comes out with no damage, thankfully I had stopped pedaling quickly and it was only half way wrapped around.  Quickly I'm back to charging up the last bit of the climb with 2nd place in sight but still quite a ways back.  

Down the bobsled I go... remember that rock... missed it!  Nice.  Ok... deep breath... smooth is fast.  I was most definitely faster the 2nd time down but I was really having to be "twinkle toes" over the rocks because while I put more air pressure in the tires after learning from my mistake at SoNoMas, it still wasn't enough.  I had forgotten how fast I end up going here over the sharp rocks.  That made this time down more nerve racking than fun.  I heard a couple rim strikes but thankfully no loss of air.  And since I was rocking the pedals so much dancing around the rocks, my chain came off about three times.  Thankfully I've learned how to pull it back on by working the front derailleur so I didn't have to stop.  But it requires me to look down at it and when I do, of course that's when I rim strike a rock.  I was so nervous about flatting and I was really working to stay light on the bike.  I was literally yelling "STOP!!! NO!!" at every rim strike.  Yes... I was yelling at rocks, rather than slowing down.  Thankfully I made it through the worst of the rocks without incident but I was so mad at myself for running too low of pressure the second day in row... stupid.  

I turned down the last canyon traverse and fighting the blast of headwind and the rapidly increasing temparatures, I finished strong and came in for the win with a time of 1 hour 59 minutes for the 25 mile course with 4500ft of climbing.

Stoked to have finished under 2 hours which was a little goal I had in the back of my head, and even more stoked to have pulled off a second win on the weekend!

And the podium is always made sweeter with a bottle of wine... NICE!!!

6/2-3 - Doubleheader Race Weekend Part 1 - SoNoMas

What has turned out to be one of my favorite races each year, SoNoMas, was moved up in the calendar from its usual spot in August probably due to additional punishment racers (and staff) get from mid-summer heat that time of year. When I saw it on the schedule however I was really bummed because the race on the next day is part of the Sierra Cup Series which I'm committed to this year. Considering SoNoMas, the monster trek around Lake Sonoma, is one of the toughest races all year and more of a Marathon XC event I really didn't think it would be smart to try and do both races that weekend. But with strong races each of the 3 weeks prior, and not only riding 30 miles to work Wednesday morning but riding 22 miles out to the local Prairie City Race and then managing a win, Jen looked at me with surprise and said "You're not racing SoNoMas?!?!" I told her how insane it sounded with the XC race in Reno the next day, but rested up Thursday just in case with an easy recovery spin. On Friday's lunch ride I had some pep in the pedals, and Jen was still encouraging me, so I signed up for the 35 mile & 7k feet of climbing race the next morning. I blame her :-) Each year I have flatted at this race, and last year the luck was even worse. Battling for 3rd with 4 miles to go, my rear derailleur cable broke. I was trying to single speed as much as I could and made it maybe a 1/2 mile before the chain blew up. So I ran/coasted the last 3 or so miles to finish 9th. I was looking for redemption... and a little better luck.

This year I would be racing my Highball because I'd been racing the last few weeks on it and was really comfortable.  And last year, on the Tallboy, I remember thinking that it wasn't too rough overall and that I wished I had the hard tail for those steep climbs.  I arrived at 7am and quickly realized I forgot socks!  DOH!  Luckily my buddy Brian Butler was there with his race rig... an old panel van filled with... well... everything from the garage.  So I asked, and of course, I had a selection to choose from.  Nice.  I then moved on to the snails pace reg line and resolved myself to "it is what it is" and tried not to get worked up about the quickly approaching 8am start.  My fault... should have left earlier (than 4:30! ugh).  Fast forward... 7:52... time to start the warmup.  I "pinch test" my WTB Nano tires, a little soft but I've been running them like that lately so I figured I was ok, and I was feeling rushed even though trying not to.  Everyone's already lined up so I just spin a couple minutes and then join in.  I'll just have to use the 10 minute road-race start as my "warm up."  

This race usually contains some fast Cat 1 and/or Pro roadies, as well as some notable MTB strongmen.  This year was no different.  Once we started up the road climb, the pace was pushed and I just tried not to totally blow up since this was my "warm up." So I hung on to the back of the lead group and planned to get to the front, or close to it, on the last pitch before we hit the dirt.  So my warmup finally ended and I hit the dirt in maybe 6th or so, and began ripping down the first fun filled singletrack trail of switchbacks, loose rocks and root drops.  At least it was fun until I was held up by the first roadie with a handling vs. fitness imbalance.  After a couple steep sections of roller coaster I was finally able to make the pass and set my sights ahead.  I soon caught up to Jim Hewitt and passed him as well, but he's very experienced and good at pacing so I was concerned that I might be going too hard too early.  But I pressed on, feeling like I'd been held up too much and too much time was lost to the leaders.  Before long, at about mile 5, I caught up to Aren Timmel and Michael Hosey on a climb with a convenient place to pass so I went on by.  But as I passed, I asked Aren "Anyone else up ahead?" Figuring there were at least a couple, but to my surprise he said "Nope."  Still wanting rabbits to chase and knowing it's a long race to be leading this early I said "Just tell me there are..." and I kept the power down.  Michael jumped on my wheel and we stayed together for the next couple miles, pulling a decent gap.  As we made it to the short road transition, I discussed with Michael the potentially frustrating sight ahead of us.  That being the short course riders we had now caught.  This year was the first year they offered the short course, a 10 mile shorter route which started at the same time.  I caught up to a group of three just before the turn off the pavement, but was only able to pass two before the third made his way to the dirt pile that goes up and over the curb and guard rail.  I hollered "Riders back!  Go go go!" to try to, um, encourage him on what could be a challenging obstacle to clear for even a seasoned rider if you don't hit it right.  I swung out wide to give him room, he made it most of the way up before having to put a foot down, then I was right up on him.  Thankfully he had heard me and was moving off to the left, but my attention was more on him than what I was about to run into as I charged up... DING-DING! No, not a doorbell, that's my rims bottoming out on the square edged curb because I was slightly off line.  Can you see the concern in my face?

"Oh no..." I thought to myself.  I took a second before charging down the loose downhill and didn't hear any air rushing out, but my front seemed a little more squishy.  

Quickly back to the task at hand... negotiating slow traffic on a fast downhill with loose jagged rocks.  Michael chimed up "I don't like this..."  My sentiments exactly.  But we charged ahead.

As I took an alternate line around a rider on the brakes, my bike skipping over the rocks, DING! Another rim strike.  But this one was followed by the dredded PPSHSSHSHSHHHHH....  I could barely navigate the next off camber turn without the tire rolling off the rim so I had to pull off.  Dang.  I was really bummed, but trying not to be.  I flipped the bike over and gave it a shot of Co2 only to hear it running right out of a hole in the center of the tread from the sharp rock, as well as the bead.  I took the wheel off and was shaking the sealant around as passing riders offered their sentiments of "Bummer," "Sorry Bro," "Aww already?!" etc.  The tire seemed to seal up and I filled it to what seemed to be a good pressure.  Stop time (according to my Garmin) 1min 16 seconds and I was on my way again playing catch up.  I passed a handful of riders back fairly quickly, but the trail turned downhill with off camber turns and was putting too much force on the still fragile seal, so it lost pressure again.  I was off again, still swishing and pleading with the sealant to hold because I really didn't want to put a tube in. This stop was 1min 20 seconds and I put more air in and tried to give the sealant a little more time to do its job.  I rolled through the first aid station on a mission.  I knew fairly gradual fire road climb was coming up where I'd have an opportunity to pass a few people back if I could before the next singletrack.  I made those passes stick on about five riders before the switchback at the top to enter the narrow trail again.  Mark Weir saw me as he turned in and with a shout of encouragement let me by to keep up my pace.  I was held up a little by a couple guys before I'd have good passing opportunities but I just tried not to panic.  It was still only about mile 10 of a 35 mile race.  

At about mile 13 I was behind Will Curtis and Jesse Smith on a winding dirt road when I see a trail diving off to the left and a course marker hanging on a tree branch... as we go by it.  On the brakes, I holler at them "This way guys!!!"  And I drop in.  I spend the next few seconds, while navigating the downhill switchbacks, second guessing myself looking for tire tracks in the dirt.  It just felt right though.  But since my attention was distracted, I wander up the side of a rut putting extra force on that front tire and it burps air out again.  Ahhh!!!  The next bit of trail was climbing and traversing so I decided to keep going until I was forced to stop.  I made it a couple miles before Will and Jesse had caught back up to me and it was clear the tire was slowing me up so I'd better stop again.  A handfull of riders passed again during this 1 minute stop, but I put even more pressure in that front tire praying this would be the last time, and I gave the back tire an extra shot of air too just in case (my head was playing games and I thought the back tire was going down too).  Thankfully, this was my last stop.  I had 20 miles left and I steadily picked off everyone I had already passed... again.  I guess I got my wish of still having rabbits to chase!  

With the race being moved up the calendar the trail was a bit different than years past.  It wasn't quite as loose on the steep climbs, but the cattle hoof marks were a bit more present.  The weeds were also taller which obstructed the view of the trail in the turns and the creek crossings were deeper.  Different challenges to overcome on a trail that gives and takes elevation very quickly (steep).  I was still feeling good though as the miles ticked off.  I was fueling well with Hammer Gel and HEED, only having gone through about 1.5 bottles by the mile 21 Camelback aid station.  I ditched my half full (not half empty... see what I did there?) bottle in exchange for one of their cool podium bottles before plunging into one of the deepest creek crossings on the course.  I had just passed Aren back and could see Jim up ahead on the climb.  When I caught Jim he said Michael was about a minute and a half up so I kept pushing my pace.  At about mile 25 or so, I made my way down into another creek gulley to see Michael off the side of the trail in a ditch, his bike backwards and the rear wheel off.  It looked like he had crashed badly and I asked if he was ok.  With exasperation he told me he was good and to just keep going.  So I did.  Turns out his rear derailleur hanger had broken and it wasn't a crash.

So I was all alone off the front.  Well sort of.  I was still catching short course riders here and there.  These were the leaders of their race though and most of them, with early notice from me, would pull off and let me pass without much hold up.  I'd give a shout of thanks and encouragement as I passed and tried to keep the hammer down, worried that Jim (or someone else) was going to make a late race charge and catch me.  My Highball was working so well and I was very happy to be able to stand up and really power up out of the steep gulleys with such efficiency.  I passed that 31 mile point where I had to start running last year and was battling with my urge to keep going as hard as I can with the need to make sure I take care of my equipment.  Smooth is fast... and it was fast enough to hold on for the win by 6 minutes after 3 hours and 3 minutes.  The record time, set by Levi Leipheimer, is 2 hours 57 minutes... so not bad considering my stops and slowed pace with the tire issues.

I returned the now soiled (to say the least) socks to Brian and went into recovery mode to get ready for the next days race.  Continuously eating, keeping the feet up, and getting one of the best sports massages I've had from Samagse Mobile Massage who was on site.  Awesome!  Oh and I'd say that a podium celebration is good recovery as well!

Next up... part 2... Sierra Cup #4 - Peavine Challenge in Reno.  

5/26 - Sierra Cup #3 - La Grange Spring Classic

Round three of the Sierra Cup Series would take me way up North to Weaverville, CA.  About 45 minutes west of Redding, near Whiskeytown Lake where I had raced a month earlier at the Shasta Lemurian (Hard and VERY fun).  Don't let this spec on the map fool you though, not only is there some of the best MTB riding but the Trinity Valley is absolutely gorgeous! 

La Grange, the fall version, was one of my first few races way back in 2006 when I was still a Clydesdale.  I remembered that the trails were very fun, despite an endo on a downhill switchback (yep, sucked at those back then too!).  And I think my finish time was 2hrs and 13min if I remember correctly.  So I had a target time to beat at least. 

After the 3 1/2 hour drive up and an adaquate amount of coffee... I swung a leg over the Highball and set out for a warm up and to check out as much of the course as I could.  It's a "lollypop" style course where we'd head out about 3 miles on the same trail we'd return after riding the big loop.  It's funny how well I remembered the trails after so many years, and they were still great.  It wasn't like I remembered where every bump, rock, root, etc. was but more the general stuff like creek crossings and the general topography.  Race time came under cloudy skies and I sprinted up the first hill and set into 3rd wheel.  Once we got to the plateau, I was able to keep that pace and pulled up into the lead and made sure to hold it long enough to be first into the singletrack.  I kept the pace high but Billy Damon, last year's Open Category 30-39 Super D National Champion and shredder from Auburn (so he can climb too), was right on my wheel.  At least I could hear him breathing hard... I certainly was!  I stayed in the lead and we put a big gap on the rest of the field in short time, railing the twisting trails of the rolling hills and I only slid off the trail once after overcooking a switchback.  After crossing a road we turned up, and I mean really up on a steep climb that just seemed to get steeper until finally giving a little break and a bit of fun downhill which landed us on another dirt road for more, and more climbing.  Billy pulled up alongside on his Santa Cruz Blur TRc and we chatted a bit on the steady incline.  I asked if he was going to put me to shame today but he said "Nah 45 minutes is about all I've got at this pace."  Of course I didn't believe him, but we were about 45 minutes in when the climbing got steep again and I made sure to keep the pace up.  He slowly faded back as I climbed the ridge up to the top of the course and was maybe 30 seconds back before most of the climbing was done and out of sight when we'd get into the trees.

The course transitioned to contouring fire road as it began to sprinkle lightly.  I came up over a knoll and around a right hand corner when a black bear cub went running across the trail about 30 yards in front of me... WHOA!!  Uhh... where's mama bear?!?!  I immediately sat up and was looking around for the big beast but didn't see her as I kept rolling and yelling "HEY BEAR!!" loudly hoping to scare them off.  As I continued down the trail I was wondering to myself if it was possible to outrun a bear on a mountain bike.  They can take shortcuts... hmm.  We'll thankfully I didn't have to answer this question, but needless to say this put new meaning to the term "racing scared."  The pull tag the promoter had us pin to our shoulder flapping in the wind was freaking me out too, right next to my ear.  It sounded like a bear running through the leaves... must, ride, faster!  It wasn't long before I rolled down into a creek crossing which required a dissmount, trapsing through ankle high freezing cold water and running up the steep trail on the other side.  Good thing that imaginary bear was chasing me or I might have let it get to me how much I hate having cold wet feet!

The course then gave me something else to focus on though as it got back into singletrack, and I mean single.  Hardly cut in wide enough for a tire width in places and riding on the spine of an old mining flume was pretty tricky at race speed, especially when it started sleeting!  And then hailing!  What happened to 67 and sunny?!  Weather forcast fail... you never know what you're going to get in the Trinity Valley though.  The frozen precipitation only lasted for a few minutes however and turned into a steady light rain as I turned downhill on those tight switchbacks that claimed some of my skin five years ago.  I think there's about 10 of them with a few sweepers thrown in the mix that add to the fun, and no crashing this time, guess I've improved a bit.  Turns out the rain tacked up the trail PERFECTLY!  The Nano's held the dirt like velcro all the way down to the creek trail which resembled the trails I have back home out my front door.  Like a giant pump track, twisting around trees with small climbs, descents and tons of flow.  I remembered this trail, but forgot how fun it was!  About a mile on this one and it was back onto the stem of the "lollypop" and I was boosting the water bars on the descent back to the finish line where they told me I had set a new course record.  1hr 36min... a bit of an improvement over the last time I was here!

5/19 - Sierra Cup Series #2 - Pine Nut Cracker

Coming off of a great 1st round of racing for the Sierra Cup Series at the Rockhopper Classic in Vacaville, I had my sights set on round two and another fun course at the Pine Nut Cracker in Gardnerville, NV.  But I really had to focus on my recovery during the week, that effort at Rockhopper capping off a 17+ hour week of riding really took it out of me.  Thankfully it was perfectly timed with an off week from Wednesday night races at Prairie City, so Jen and I went sailing in SF bay instead... and it was even a race!  A very fun and necessary break, both mentally and physically.

Anyways... back to Nevada at 5200ft... In years prior I had always ridden a full suspension on this course because it's pretty gradual climbing and almost constant seated pedaling over moto trails (a.k.a.- lots of small roller bumps).  But since it's not very rocky, I decided to give the Highball a shot this year.  And I was happy I did.  Combined with the fast rolling WTB Nano's... it was a rocket!

I took the lead right from the gun and tried to push through that first 5 minutes of leg burn that always seems to hurt the worst.  I guess it's the body saying "Oh not this again..."  But I got through it and onto the singletrack and I could hear one person in tow, but I was trying not to look back and just keep the power down.  The first half of the loop is a deceptive climb.  With all the rollers, small and big, there are lots of false flats where you don't think you're climbing but you are.  There's one steep and loose climb which I made up in lap 1 (but not 2&3 due to it getting chewed up by other racers hiking) and a couple other good pitches that sear the lungs, legs, and let you know you're climbing at elevation.  But the payoff is a long, gradual downhill with banked turns, rollers to pump and double and bushes to duck under while brake drifting.

I set off down the hill, still in the lead, and decided I was going to try to keep up with the lead moto who rides out front making sure the trail is clear from other users.  So at every opportunity I was sprinting and pushing the pace, absolutely railing this trail (pats self on back) and staying on his wheel.  Off road motor-pacing?!?!?! YES PLEASE!!!  BRAAAP!!! 

I swear I was smiling ear to ear, well, if I could.  I was totally gassed and going all out.  I was getting a bit dusted from the moto and couldn't really see the trail  in the faster sections.  But since I knew there weren't really many rocks to be had I just listened to his throttle and watched his suspension to know what was coming for me.  I was up and out of the saddle hammering but staying loose ready to absorb anything.  He would look back every now and then and I could see his eyes widen and he'd hit the throttle, surprised to see me so close (I talked with him after the race) until we hit the open rocky meadow with a gradual climb.  Couldn't keep up with him as easily there... but after a few more rollers there was a fast (top gear and pedaling) downhill and I was back on his wheel again to the last steep descent where I decided I could go as fast as he was willing to take those off camber turns too.  Again... FUN!!  Except he just got to twist the throttle up the last leg burning climbs to complete the lap.  Cheater.

I've always told myself that smooth and fun is fast, and that was certainly true here.  As I started lap two, my chasers were nowhere in sight.  Even as far back as I could see on the dirt road before entering the singletrack again.  But I still had my lead moto and I kept my pace as high as I could. 

He stayed a little farther ahead of me on this lap but I still was in super shred mode and put in a 36 minute lap time, starting lap 3 at 1hr 16min into the race.  Which meant that I had a good chance of finishing in under two hours if I kept the pace up.  This was great motivation though and I knew it would be hard.  I always believe that someone is going to sneak up and catch me near the end, so it helped to have something to shoot for and help me keep the pace up.  Thankfully nobody appeared after a fun 31 miles and I rolled across the line with about 4 minutes to spare before that 2hr mark for the win.

5/12 - Sierra Cup Series #1 - Rockhopper Super D and XC

A couple Saturdays ago (late post... super busy...) the Rockhopper Classic, in it's second year of revival after a dormant decade, presented a new challenge to racers... Super D.  We would start at the top of the radio tower hill at hammer nearly all hillside singletrack dropping about 700ft elevation as fast as we could to the flat finish.  I had pre-ridden some of the trails about a month earlier and they were hardly rideable due to damage from cattle hoof holes.  So I was concerned about the conditions and bike choice, especially for the XC race later in the day.  But the Montecelo Cycling Club who was putting on the race, and numerous volunteers, did an absolutely fantastic job of trail work to smooth out the course to make it more than bearable.  Awesome!

The registration process took a little longer than anticipated so I didn't have time to get a full run of the Super D course to check it all out.  But on my climb up to the top I popped on course to check out the ramp they built for the "steeze jump" competition and decided that I would be coming into it way to fast and would end up pile-driving my face into the next hill most likely, good to know.  Continuing the climb up, backwards on the course, I discovered that while smoothed out, the turns and switchbacks on the steep hillside were loose and flat... a recipe for a washout and tumble down the hill in just about every turn.  So while the course really didn't have any technical aspects as far as rocks and obstacles, it was still going to be a challenge to maintain speed.  And finally at the top I discovered that the first 50 yards of the course consisted of 4 small bmx style double jumps.  Not good for this penguin.  I got a couple practice passes on them but it was definitely just going to be a "get through it" section for me and I'll have to make up time somewhere else.  I was about the sixth guy to start so I was able to watch a few others on the first couple turns.  One guy had already ended up washing out on one of those flat turns, confirming my course analysis.  It was my time to start and as I rolled into the start shoot I just wasn't feeling it.  Not a whole lot of fire, and as I was already thinking about it, Mark Weir shouted to me "Kill it Clint! But leave something for the XC!"  Right... don't blow up the legs with the XC less than 3 hours later.  3-2-1-Go!  I clip in and get a couple pedal strokes and gear shifts before having to brake check my speed on the rollers because I suck.  But I got through them and back on the pedals... feeling like everyone watching me at the start was probably laughing at me regarding my non-jumping skills.  Guess I need to spend some time at the local BMX/Pump Track.  Into the first 180 degree turn I felt like I was on the brakes way too much and not pushing it, but I was smooth and clean.  That was pretty much the same feeling on every corner as I made my way down the hill.  Whether it was a tight switchback (there were a lot of them) or a sweeper... I just felt slow, but smooth (and still upright!).

The Tallboy was handling the hoof-chatter that was still on the trail with ease and the WTB Prowler SL's were digging into the loose dirt perfectly.  I put the power down everywhere I could but just still felt off.  I came into the "steeze jump" section and took my bypass line with a lot of speed and still had to brake check before the big dip at the bottom and bottomed out my fork.  Thus confirming I would have done a good javelin impersonation into the next hill if I'd hit the jump for sure.  I finished off the hillside singletrack and hammered the last 1/8th mile or so of flat grassy course before crossing the finish.

I had no idea of my time or placement for about 2hrs after the race due to a timing system snafu, so when asked I just described my run as feeling slow and "eh" and I just went into recovery mode to prep for the XC race a few hours later.  Eventually results were posted so I strolled over to find out I was 2nd!!!  Just 8 seconds back from Mr. Weir.  Needless to say I was pretty happy with that result, but I also felt like knew exactly where I left 8 seconds out on the course... oh well... I got a cool custom pint glass for my efforts!

The XC start was set for 11am but that time came and went with the registration line still with at least 30 people waiting.  So the start time was moved back to 11:30, which was fine, except I was getting a little hungry and it was beginning to get hot.  The predicted temp for the day was 92 and there wasn't any wind to help.  I prepped the Highball and set out on the XC course to make sure it was going to be the right choice and not punish me too much from the rough trail that remained.  I wanted to run as low of a tire pressure as possible to help with this and the WTB Nano TCS tires with their strong bead were going to do the trick.  I think I ended up with just 22psi in the rear tire and the bike just floated over those small bumps.  I was good to go and continued to hydrate and pre-fuel with my Hammer favorites (HEED, Gel and Perpetuem Solids) in anticipation for the high effort in high heat to come.

Eventually I rolled up to the start and lined up with a few other top step contenders I recognized... Kevin Smallman, Cody Kaiser and Alex Wild were just a few but I knew there were some younger racers in the mix as well ready to pounce.  There was also an older guy with rainbow stripes on his sleeve (Masters world champ)... always a threat!  The gun went off and it was on.

After the first corner I settled into 3rd position and was feeling pretty good.  It wasn't very long before we'd get into the steep climbs and I took the lead up the first one, standing up and taking full advantage of the Highball's stiffness and efficiency.  I charged the next fast downhill and jumped the paved path and hammered up the next climb.  At the top I glanced back and it seemed like I was starting to pull away which didn't make sense... I'm never a fast starter!  The first trip down "hamburger hill" and the nasty corner at the bottom (hamburger... as in what your face looks like if you don't respect the steepness and lack of traction) was clean and I popped out of the trees onto a gravel road for about a 1/4 mile.  I had a couple seconds on the next group but I knew I was no match on this flat stretch if they worked together so I didn't waste any effort.  Kevin Smallman came around and took the lead but I got it back as we made our way up the next climb.  This fire road climb steadily steepens to a real nasty pitch at the end on a small stretch of singletrack.  Right before that I let two racers by and I had this feeling that was a bad decision because I knew there was a rooted and steep downhill with a couple small drops after this climb.  When we turned downhill we navigated the first turn and open section fine with decent speed but the tricky right turn with a small drop was ahead.  I tried to ease up a bit to allow room for a fumble up ahead but Alex, who was leading, didn't clear the drop and turn and ran into the next tree.  He didn't go down but blocked the trail and the 2nd place rider and myself ran into him.  Alex got going quickly and so did I, but in that melee my chain had come off... which I didn't know.  So as I attempted to clip back into the pedals there was no resistance and it wasn't happening.  There wasn't the time or room to stop there as the rest of the group was right behind me and I continued to rock this downhill bouncing on the seatpost with my feet out to the side as skids feeling like a total goober.  I still almost ran into the back of Alex at the bottom but I pulled off at the turn and scoped out the bike.  The chain was completely off and outside of the pedals.  Trying not to rush and risk breaking something, I calmly took my time to get it back on right and when everything seemed ok I was back on my way but now in about 9th place and a lot of time back.   I passed a few before we got out of the steepest climbs and when it opened up I could see a lead group of 4 riders about a minute or more up.  So I pushed the pace as hard as I could... trying not to get discouraged because I really wanted to win this race.

By lap 2 I had passed a couple more and was trying to reel in that lead group.  I could see Cody, Kevin and Alex there with one other I didn't recognize.  I hammered the steep climbs and by the half way mark I had passed Cody who had fallen off the lead pace.  I eventually caught the lead 3 on a perfect stretch of trail where I could pass them all at once before heading into some climbing and switchbacks.  I was feeling really strong, but as I had figured Kevin was just cruising with that lead group and conserving.  He jumped on my wheel as I passed and stayed there all the way up to the top.  He is a very good descender so I didn't want to let him by on the long DH for risk of him pulling away.  I attacked the downhill and all the nasty switchbacks hard and kept the pressure on him.  It was pretty fun though, we were sliding into berms and squealing brakes all the way down and I would stand up and sprint out of every corner.  After the race Kevin told me that I was absolutely nailing those switchbacks, which made me really happy because I think I suck at them.

He was still there on my wheel as we began the final lap and I knew I had to pull away on the climbing far enough so that he couldn't catch back up on any downhills.  So I hit those steep climbs with everything I had left and attacked all the downhills as well.  Riding scared, and really wanting to win.  I made it through the final lap clean and only started to cramp at the very end.  And 50ft after crossing the line in 1st overall after over 2hrs of pain I was handed a Corona... don't mind if I do!!  (Thanks Murphy!).  I was so stoked to have won this race.  Not only because it starts me off in good standing for the series, but that it was my first race after Jen had broken her foot last year and for some reason it meant something to me.  I guess I wanted to replace that painful memory with a positive one with a win... and to go along with the fact she finally was doing well enough to have the metal plate removed from her foot the day before this race!

I'm so happy with the double podium day and am looking forward to throwing down for the rest of the series.  Thanks to everyone who made this race and course possible, it was a great event.  And thanks for the custom labeled Rockhopper Macchia Zinfandel winner's wine!  It was really good... and no I didn't drink it from my Super D pint glass!

April Showers Bring...

April 25th Prairie City Race: I got 1st, but it was an adventure.  I'll let the pictures tell the story...

Lap 1- Thinking we'll sneak in the race before it gets bad.

Lap 2- Ok getting bad, but still some white showing.

Lap 3- Poor bike... one more lap.

Aftermath...

 Yummy....

 Want some?!?!

I was riding by braille...

 I can see!!!

 There's a Santa Cruz Tallboy under there somewhere...

 Look how white my grips are!!!

Sometimes you just gotta embrace the conditions and have fun!

2012 Sea Otter Classic

This year would be my first trip back to Sea Otter in two years, and my first time as a Pro.  I basically got my start in racing at Sea Otter, and it's kind of funny to look back at my XC results (and categories)...

2006 - Sport Clydesdale Class - 13th
2008 - Expert Clydesdale Class - 1st
2009 - Cat 1 25-29 - 3rd
2010 - Cat 1 25-29 - 1st

Last year I was all set to go race and had been training hard since November, but then the week of the event this happened and I made the very easy choice to skip Sea Otter and take care of Jen.  That event changed our lives, but also my whole outlook on racing.  Prior to that event, and looking back all the way to the last time I was at Sea Otter in 2010, I was way too focused on racing and was not even fun to be around the days leading up to a race or especially on race day.  Jen called it "race mode" and my friend Brian, who I stayed with in 2010, called me "the intimidator," probably because I showed no emotion.  Over the course of the last year I've worked to change my attitude, be more approachable, and make racing fun.  So Jen and I set off after work Thursday looking forward to a fun weekend with great weather and friends at this year's Otter.

We were so blessed to be staying with our friends Brian and Bri again this year who are such fantastic hosts.  Plus, they live right across the street from the track... can't ask for any better accommodations!

Friday - Short Track:

I had left myself plenty of time to get my Highball ready in the morning and the rear brake was giving me a ton of problems.  I thought I had it all worked out and turning without really dragging, but when I came back to it and rolled it over to the car it was dragging even worse and sounding horrible.  I think it changed once the temps heated up.  Brian helped me get it rolling without too much resistance but it just sounded absolutely horrible.  The sun was out and cookin' up temps in the mid 80's to 90 by the time our race was set to start at noon.  I've never really done well at Short Track, it's just not my thing.  I do better at longer races, and 20 minutes plus 3 laps of an 1/8th mile (?) course is, well, not long.  59 guys lined up and we started clean, for the first 100 ft or so.  Then we had an off camber right turn with ruts to start a climb.  I knew there would be problems here and it would be just pure luck if I got through it clean.  I didn't.  Someone washed out in front of me and then we were running.  The field got strung out immediately and I was way in the back.  I caught back up at the top of the climb and then on the traverse across the top I took an alternate line in the grass and over some rocks to make a pass and then took as many deep breaths as possible on the short downhill.

I made the hairpin turn and stood up to hammer back to the line to do it all again.  I lost a couple spots on the climb as my rear brake was making tons of racket and the shifting was even jumping around.  Just not a good day.

I was actually wishing I had ridden the Tallboy, not because of the issues the Highball was having, but because there was actually some rough pedaling where I would have been faster since we weren't actually on "trails."  Since I wasn't having a great race at all and I know I didn't have the umph to really make any passes stick I didn't push overly hard in order to save a bit for the XC the next day.  I lasted a little under 10 minutes before getting pulled, to finish 49th of 58.  And that's all I have to say about that.

After short track I set off for a pre-ride of the XC course.  Yes, in the middle of the day in the heat, the day before a race, and it would take a couple hours.  It may not have been wise, but the course had changed quite a bit since I raced here last I felt it was more important to inspect it and recover/rehydrate after than to race blind.  I made sure to keep a steady intake of Hammer HEED, Gel, and Perpetuem to not get depleted of anything.  With the warm up, short track race, and pre-ride I got in close to 3.5 hours of riding in on Friday and got some pink skin to go with it.  In the evening I finally got the brake and shifting issues all figured out and the Highball was dialed for XC.

Saturday - Cross Country:

I woke up with legs that were a little fatigued so I went for a spin first thing.  Just a half hour, but it did the trick to help loosen everything back up.  After breakfast, some stretching and final bike and fueling prep I went back up to the track and began my warmup.  It was getting really hot out on the track.  To the point where I was beginning to wonder if I'd be better off staying cool in the shade somewhere rather than riding around in the sun.  I decided to keep moving to make sure my legs were ready to go and keep chuggin' fluids.  I felt ready as the time approached and I rolled up to staging with 88 other guys.

I wasn't expecting any sort of call-up but after about 30 or so names I heard mine... but I was in the back and couldn't make my way through and then everyone just all rolled up at once while they were still calling names.  It was a little weird when that happened, but I ended up with a decent position in the center about 4 rows back and most importantly in the shade!  The start position isn't as important at Sea Otter because we start on the Laguna Seca track and it doesn't funnel down right away.  After the national anthem and with a cheering crowd the gun went off.

So now we're on the wide open race track; 89 guys on mountain bikes with wide handlebars, powerful and touchy disc brakes, knobby tires, and way too much adrenaline who don't really know how to road race.  Sound like a bad idea?  Yeah, it was pretty scary.  Even though all those knobbies on the pavement created the coolest sound.  We'd fan out wide on the straight away and then everyone would close way down in the corner trying to hit the apex, a few tires skid around me as I lean over in the turn making sure not to overlap the wheel in front of me.  I'm white knuckled and my arms are stiff trying to hold my position as the guy next to me leans on my elbow.  Ok, first corner is done.  The hairpin turn starts a little climb for us, but the leaders take the inside pavement which is narrower (the pit road exit) and some guys slide a bit on the dirt to the side but since we start to climb it slows down and mellows out.  We crest and head down the front stretch at 30mph with the group completely fanned out because nobody wants to pull.  We bunch back up in the right hand 90 degree turn and a BMC rider almost goes down up front.  That could have been really bad.  But we made it through and the road craziness is over now that we have a steady climb up to where we exit the track through a 12ft (approx.) gap in the concrete wall.  At this point is the first choke of the course and I don't know what happened up front but we stopped and everyone was running through here and it was a total cluster.  My pedal gets caught up in someone's front wheel, I was able to yank it out without any damage and remount to give chase.  Towards the back of the pack now I stand up and hammer the first short climb and pass quite a few guys by the top.  I crested the top and kept the cranks turning on the long downhill and take the rutted line on the right side.  Guys are coasting on the left and I can't figure out why, but I'm turning the pedals at 44mph and I pass at least 5 guys on that first descent.  The course stays on this ridge line fire road for about 2.5 miles with a couple pretty steep but short climbs.  The final one is really steep and of course I end up having to dismount and run up because the guys in my way can't get it done.  It's really frustrating to be able to ride something easily in my pre-ride but be forced to get off during the race because of traffic.

One more downhill and I know the singletrack is coming so I try go get by as many as possible, passing a couple more on a gravely corner before turning into the fun stuff.  As I expected, my progress is impeded on the singletrack and I just know the front is getting stretched out even more.  There's nowhere to pass so I just sit in and relax as we cruise the sandy corners and I have a little fun drifting and finding some good flow. We finish the decent and I, along with a couple others, pass the roadblock racer as we start the next switchback climb.  We pick up the pace a little bit but I feel like I could go faster.  We're on singletrack here and there are a couple places where I could force a pass, but our pace is just fast enough that I don't think I could have made a move quick enough to make it stick.  I looked for a couple places and almost washed out on the inside of a corner once as I hit a rut I didn't see trying to cut the corner a bit much.  We crest the top of that climb, about 6 miles into the race and begin another ridge line gravel road.  I have no idea what place I'm in but I just keep looking ahead and picking off as many as I can.  I get to the first "caution" spot which is a blind downhill full of ruts.  As I approach I see a cloud of dust and a course marshal waiving us to the right side.  When I crest I see a rider getting up from a crash on the left and the guy in front of me takes a line a little more to the center.  I stay loose and to the right, cross over a couple ruts, let off the brakes and make the pass.  No big deal and I set my sights on the next guy.  We get a little bit of singletrack on a gradual descent which culminates in a 50ft "sand dune" drop onto a dirt road which is pretty fun.

I hadn't quite caught up to the next two riders yet which means I have a flat dirt road section where I'm all alone.  I take on a dose of Hammer Gel and continue to drink.  This valley is pretty hot but I try not to loose any ground to the guys behind me who might be working together to catch back up.  Then comes the Trail 82 singletrack climb which is about a mile long and a fairly steep slog.  There's shade in the beginning but about 1/4 of the way up it's just a trail in the bushes with dead air and I'm cookin'.  I keep the pace but after a little bit I can feel I'm totally overheating and beginning to get chills.  I back it off a little and take on as much fluid as I can stomach.  I'm still not feeling great and begin to wonder if I'm going to be one convulsing on the side of the trail soon.  Normally I handle heat very well but this was such a drastic temperature change from what I'm use to in less than a week (after the race I heard someone say their Garmin recorded 106 degrees here).  I finally crested and turn into a slight breeze at the top so I fully unzip the jersey and keep going.  I start to feel better and then I get passed so I match the attack and stay on his wheel down to the road crossing as we catch another small group containing fellow Norcal racer Will Curtis.  I'm able to pass everyone in this group and make it stick by the top before a short decent.  There's an off camber left turn that I made with a drift and my left foot out.  I don't get clipped in before a bermed right turn which opens into a good size water bar which of course had a camera man and a crowd saying "Boost IT!!!!" I'm not fully clipped in but the cheers and cowbells made me do it anyways.  I hit the jump and tweak out the bike for show, open jersey flapping, and while in the air realize I'm going to land in a rut.  Thankfully it wasn't a deep one but my front tire landed with an objectionable "BAARRRPPP!" Thankfully I'm running WTB TCS Nano's and the bead held strong without any air loss.  Still not clipped in I drift the next left hander which set me up perfectly to pass a rider on the right side of the next rutted downhill as I let go of the brakes and hit 28mph at the bottom.

Here begins another dirt road section of a little over a mile.  I get passed back by that guy from the last downhill but I'm ok with it and sit in his draft for a bit.  We climb up to the "Three Sisters" ridge and I'm feeling pretty good as I catch up to Cody Kaiser after the second climb.  About then, Barry Wicks comes blowing by (he had been off to the side with a mechanical early on).  I tried, and so did Cody, to stay on his wheel but we couldn't.  That was humbling, but I keep on giving the best I've got.  It's a little under an hour into the race now and my hamstrings and inner thighs begin to cramp on the climbs.  Just as I finish off the rest of my bottle, I see Brian stationed perfectly for an exchange.  He hands me a nearly full bottle of water and I was SO needing it!  Some goes on my head and back and I chug down as much as I can before the next turn.  We're descending on road now as I pass Cody, Menso de Jong and another rider at the base before turning up the twisty Goat Trail climb.  Rejuvenated by having water again I'm standing on the pedals and hammering.  I also have no choice but to stand because if I try to climb seated my hammies will cramp!  I make a couple passes and catch up to a group of three or four which included Jim Hewett (winner of last weeks Napa Valley Dirt Classic).  I sit in and recover a second before seeing an opportunity to attack on a steep climb.  I go for it with a little momentum and Jim's gears slip, causing the rider behind him to check up and swerve into my path.  I check up but my wheel is overlapping the other guy's back wheel and I'm loosing my balance... "go go go GO GO!"  I holler but he doesn't go quick enough and I have to dismount... dang.  I finally get back on and the group comes back together and I take the next climb to pass them all, just before the final decent on the Goat Trail and I'm able to put in a little gap.  I'm totally spent though as I hit the false flat but try to hold my gap before hitting the road.  The final climb back has a few steep rollers but overall is a steady slog which normally I can hammer pretty hard.  Not this time though as the hammies just want to cramp.  And from my efforts on the Goat Trail when I stand up the quads didn't really like that either.  I glance over my shoulder after a corner and I see Jim coming.  I keep the power down as much as I can and pass maybe three more riders before the second to last climb when Jim goes by.  I match him up to the crest of that one but couldn't hold it up the last one.  We get a little bit of fun singletrack descent as we're almost back to the track and I try to stay smooth and recover for one final finish sprint.  I almost blow a corner and slide into a ditch but saved it with inches to spare.  Jim is about 4 seconds up as we hit the track but the gap holds and I roll across the line in 38th place.

I finished in 1:24:14 and was 9 minutes and 56 seconds back from the winner Geoff Kabush.  I'm really happy with my effort though and feel I gave it everything I had.  I was happy to be done and in one piece after a crazy first Sea Otter Pro XC.

By now you might have noticed the new jersey...  I'm very excited to now be racing for the new Santa Cruz / Fox Racing Shox team and representing a great group of sponsors.  This is a great group of extremely talented riders of "All Mountain" ability and I feel extremely privileged to be welcomed aboard.  The jersey is on loan from new teammate Aaron Bradford who unfortunately broke his collar bone in DH practice on Friday.

Best part about finishing a race!

Sunday - Fun Day:

Greeted by dense fog Sunday morning I set off with Brian for a tour of the Fort Ord fun trails that I've never had the chance to ride.  We had a blast ripping around for about 90 minutes when he had to get stationed on the course to provide a feed for Brianne who was on her way to winning her Cat 2 XC race.  I finished off my ride on the long climb back of the xc course, encouraging all the cat 2's giving it their best and cheering on the riders I knew.  That's one of the things I love about Sea Otter is that I'm surrounded by so many people I know and everyone's just stoked to be riding and racing their bikes.

A High Five for Avery Morin grabbing 3rd in the Cat 2 15-18 XC (she's 14!)

Later Jen and I went down to Cannery Row in Monterey for brunch.  Where I powered down an omelette, the rest of her crepe, and most of two HUGE mango-coconut-granola pancakes before spending some time in the Monterey Bay Aquarium where she got freaked out by the jellies and giant octopus... but cute penguins made up for it.

Perfect cap to a super fun Sea Otter weekend.

4/15/12 Napa Valley Dirt Classic Race Report

The Diesel is back...

Pacific Union College in Angwin, CA puts on this race each year, usually the Sunday before Sea Otter which makes for a great bike set-up test and final fitness gauge.  It's a super fun course, winding through the trees and steep slopes of Howell Mountain and has the two infamous features; the "whoop-de-doo's" and the painful climb out of the Pope Valley to finish off the race.

The week prior I came down with something, a cold I guess, or just a lot of fatigue.  Either way I was not able to ride Wednesday through Friday, trying to get better asap.  Conveniently that also coincided with rain storms, cold and hail.  So I didn't feel TOO bad.  Saturday morning I discovered the bottom bracket on my Highball was seized!  I hadn't ridden it in about 2 weeks and hadn't checked it.  I took it down to Folsom Bike and while they didn't have an XTR BB in stock, my buddy Eddie was able to clean and re-pack it to get it ready for Sunday.  While he was doing that, I was on the Tallboy for most of the morning coaching a new client on MTB skills which is always rejuvenating and helps give me my riding "stoke" back.  I really get encouraged to help others who are so motivated and to be able to see real progress.  I got in a couple hours of riding at my pace before and after our session, but was out for about 5 total.  Legs felt ok after that, but Sunday morning I could tell they were a little fatigued.

So a long warm-up was in order.  I mounted up on the Highball with now turning cranks (although they seemed to have a little extra resistance) and a sweet custom fender I made from a 2 liter bottle and started spinning around.  After about 45 minutes, there was still a little soreness in the hammies, and my heart rate was decent so I was as ready as I was going to be.

There's always a tough crowd that shows up for this race, and this year was no exception.  Jim Hewitt, Kevin Smallman, Cody Kaiser, Michael Hosey, and the usual current and alumni kids of the Whole Athlete development program to name a few on the Pro line.  Then there's always the Cat 1 fasties chasing us down like Brian Butler and Krishna Dole that start only a couple minutes back.  On the line, I turn to Kevin and say "I despise this start! Ugh" and his reply of, "Yeah I'm not looking forward to this... it's one of the most painful starts in Norcal" I'm in complete agreement with.  The gun goes off and we're sprinting up the pavement for about 200yds, a pretty decent incline too, before getting about 5 breathes worth of fairly level singletrack before turning up a gradual incline again.  Then after a hairpin it gets steeper until we get to the run-up which is quite slick this year after a week's worth of rain and hail.  At this point, being the absolutely horrible starter I am, I'm bringing up the rear of the pros and a lead group is about 10 seconds up I think.

The first couple miles are on some fire roads and grassy double track that have a few power sapping wet spots but overall the course is in decent shape.  I get to the "whoop-de-doos" (three gigantic rocky rollers) and charge down the hill of the first one, pedaling in and no brakes, absorbing the rocks to maintain maximum momentum up the first rocky roller.  Pre-shift, stand, aim for the rocks which is the place of historically good traction only to find they're super slick and covered in moss!  The back tire immediately slips out and I'm running.  The crowd that usually gathers there cheers me on and one guy says all the white rocks are slick.  Yeah... NOW I know!  I make it through the next two rollers, only aiming for the dirt this time and the new WTB Moto 1.9 tires dig in and hook up great.  But even after that on the next mile or so of trail the hardpack and rocks are still very slick and even just riding along straight the back tire slips and slides making me think I have a flat.  I couldn't wait to get into the singletrack!

Finally the fun stuff.  Tight, twisty, leafy and needle loam covered dirt ran beneath my tires as I caught and passed a couple riders.  I got stuck behind one guy for quite a while, much longer than I should have but I wasn't feeling super aggressive to put out the effort to force a pass.  I should have though, it's a race, but I just didn't have the fire yet.  I eventually passed him on a tight turn he couldn't navigate, and being a bit frustrated I finally got some fire and wanted to put the gap on him quickly which I did.  After one of the steep climbs I came around a corner to find Will Curtis on the side with some sort of chain problem.  Bummer.  His Whole Athlete buddy Tony was stopped to help him too.

I caught a couple more guys, the old guys of the pro class who still manage to start faster than me!  And passed them just as Tony came blowing by.  Crazy kids.  I stepped it up and was able to keep up until a short climb where he just left me... impressive.  I stayed in "Diesel mode" riding by myself just chuggin' along and enjoying riding my bike.  The descent down into the Pope Valley was not too slick thankfully but had some pretty serious ruts to navigate.  The Moto's kept great traction and I got through it all clean and began the dreaded climb back out.  The first pitch was slick and I didn't have enough momentum so I had to run it.  The second one came and I just didn't have the fire to push it and felt running would be just as fast so I dismounted about half way up.  I was frustrated because I normally ride that one.  The last and longest one came, with great traction and I cleaned it all which I'm very happy about.  It was about an hour and fifteen minutes into the race and I was just starting to feel good, and feel like I'm racing.  I get back up to the main fire roads and a course marshall says "Almost to the top! Just about 100 ft to go!" Yeah, for that climb!  Then there's more to come... about a mile or so of steady fire road that has a deceiving incline to it which you can loose a lot of time on if you don't charging.

I came around a corner and saw a glimpse of a rider that looked like fellow Folsom Bike rider Jared Kessler who's been crushing the early season road races in prep for mid season Super D's and Enduro's.  So I keep the diesel chuggin' and I'm about 5 seconds back from him when we hit the airport plateau and pass Kevin Smallman who's pedaling with just his right leg.  As I pass I see his left crank arm in his back pocket... dang.  Turns out he snapped a BB30 spindle!  Crazy.  One more small incline and I sprint to catch Jared and hit my highest HR of the year so far (181!) and then sit in behind him.  It's a gradual descent down to the track and I knew I couldn't drop him there.  I stay right on his wheel, getting roosted with mud and we finally hit the track.  One lap of pavement, against a guy who's been learning a lot of road tactics lately and I know is a great sprinter.  I have to time my move right.  Mid-way through the back stretch I have a run... I know I shouldn't go but I do.  I shift and stand up to lay down as much power as I can and we enter the final turn.  I protect the inside and glance back, he's still there but a bike length back.  He's getting a run in my draft.  I stand up again and let finish the corner out on the left of center and glance over my right shoulder expecting him to be there but he went left!  Dangit!  I'm giving it all I can as he's coming by on the left and that white chalk line finally comes... I throw the bike forward and it's over!  That was pretty rad.  Sprint finishes never happen in MTB races so I'm excited about the finish regardless of who got it.  We were racing for 5th overall and I thought he had me at the line, but the scorekeepers saw it differently and gave me the spot, finishing 4th in Pro and 5th overall (Michael Hosey was up there but racing Single Speed).

I'm a bit frustrated with my lack of motivation at the start and for the first hour.  I need to figure out how to get a fire going sooner... or just start doing 50 & 100 milers!

I am happy about my super-awesome custom fender though!  I didn't have a spec of mud on my face until I got roosted by Jared.

Now off to the 'Otter...