US Cup Triple Crown #1 / Bonelli Pro XCT #2

I haven't finished an XC race at Bonelli Park since September 2010, and even then I only finished after a mid race chain replacement!  In 2011 I dropped the chain a few times and fell to the back and was eventually pulled.  And last year I sheered a pedal spindle.  I was praying the "Bonelli curse" would be lifted this year, and I was going to do everything I could to avoid problems.

They say you're not suppose to change your bike set up for a race.  But I had to... I had to help my odds!  My new Shimano drive train came in on Tuesday, and on Wednesday night I mounted up a new 42/30 XTR double crankset and XTR Shadow + rear derailleur to the Highball.  I knew I liked the double setup better from having it on my Tallboy the last couple years, and the "clutch" system on the new derailleur was going to help my chronic chain retention issues.  On Friday after 6.5 hour drive south, I finally got to test it out on the brake bumps and off camber turns of the Bonelli course.  FLAWLESS!!!  But I wasn't going to get too excited and jinx myself! (Yes there's still the remnants of a superstitious baseball player in me).

On race day #1 I was out early on the course to watch my brother rock it and take 3rd in the Cat 1 35-39 category, and fellow Norcal racer Neilson Powless blow away his competition on the last lap of his Cat 1 17-18 race.  Nice!  Good start to the day!  Then I got a free massage, and chiro adjustment from a vendor at the venue!  This day is just getting better!!!  That took the previous day's driving stiffness right out of my back.  Then I lost my car keys...

Ok... chill pill... don't get worked up.  At least you can still get into the car through the keypad!  I looked all around the car and the ground, went back to the massage place, sat there thinking about where on the course they could be... nothing.  I was kind of starting to freak out.  I called Jen to tell her, as if she could help.  My family that was there was helping look too, nothing.  I needed to eat, so I did, sitting in the driver's seat on the heating pad to try and keep my back loose.  I decided that remaining calm and relaxed was the best thing I could do, and I'll have time to look more after the race.  So I kicked back, put my feet up, and had an apricot Clif bar.  It came time to start warming up so I got suited up and everything ready, and just when I was about to head out... I FOUND THEM!!!  Oh what a relief... other than I felt like an idiot!

Warmup good... tire pressure good (I did more than the squeeze test!)... call up position decent (32 of 60).  GO!  We sprinted off the line and I was on the inside of the first corner, I held my line and didn't get pinched.  Up the curb and to the right... then an opening on my side... that's never there!  It's always on the other side! I wasn't quite ready for it and I missed out, and a couple others jumped in.  That's fine, we still had the start loop (one short track course loop) to sort out before really getting on course... which really strung us out after we all had to fit through the only 'S' turn single file.  Everyone stayed upright and we all came back together before tackling the first dusty climb on the course.  I had to stay in line for the first part, but passed a couple by the time we got to the top.  I didn't really push it over the top because I knew we'd have to brake check in the next singletrack from the traffic anyway, so I saved a little energy.  Up and over a few small rocks and into a little downhill I caught right up to the wheel of the US Air Force team rider before the 90 degree, off camber, loose right turn.  Watching him I got the feeling he was going to go down in front of me in the corner.  I don't know what it was, or if I really saw anything that HE was doing in particular or if I was just staying on my toes no matter who I was following... but he went down.  His bike flung right into my path.  I went wide left into the weeds and rocks but still had to jump over his back wheel.  I made it by and put the hammer down to catch back up on the next climb and hopefully put a little gap on anyone stuck behind that bobble.  I caught up to the pack by the top and took my special lines down the rocky descent.

There's really nowhere to pass in the next section of tight turns singletrack so I settled in to recover before hitting the new climb they added this year.  We came out of the trees to a loose left turn before heading up, and the rider in front of me slips out and crashes in the turn in front of me, going slow... turning uphill.  What is going on!??!  I made it by fine though and motored up the climb and a good clip.  I was feeling pretty strong up the next couple climbs and was moving up, getting towards the end of the lap when I came to the a downhill with some new poles and rocks to jump over before jamming on the brakes for a roller-drop to a hard left.  Oh and the dirt is loose there, it's really dusty from the traffic, and the whole thing is a downhill left turn.  I hopped the first one, then pull up for the second and my right foot comes unclipped.  My back wheel hits the pole, my seat smacks my... and I'm flailing about trying to stay upright and stay lined up to go over the last rock pile.  Here's a pic from my prelap of the spot:

Now picture my right leg sticking out for balance as I hit those rocks... and he saves it!!! The crowd goes wild!!! (I actually did get quite the cheer!).  I get to the dirt road at the bottom, give a "Phew!" of disbelief that I saved it and chuckle to myself before getting back on my horse up the next climb and then finishing off the first lap, probably in about 30th position.

Lap two was much less eventful and I used it to recover a bit from the first lap craziness.  But I was still moving up and keeping a decent pace.  The bike was working perfectly and I had my rabbits to catch.  As I got into lap three, I caught Menso de Jong, who is normally way up front.  It didn't look like there was anything wrong with his bike, and he was still clean.  I was a bit confused, but I sat on his wheel for a bit thinking to myself, "He's pacing it... just follow him and learn."  After a little while though it was just too slow and I couldn't help myself, so I passed heading up a steep climb.  Turns out he had to dnf because he was sick, bummer.  Back to racing my own race... which was going well until I felt like I couldn't digest anything, my back really started to hurt, and was crashing (bonking) a little.  On a couple of the climbs I started to feel chilled at the top, which was not good.  I had to back off a little and recover.  Then I looked back at one point and saw new teammate Ryan Chandler catching me.  Oh man, don't get passed by the new guy!  ;-) So I pushed a little harder and danced that fine line of bonkage for a lap, or two.  Actually I had totally forgotten what lap I was on!  Oops!

I was starting to feel a little better though and I was catching people again, so I pushed some more.  The back part of the course was starting to clear out of spectators and photographers so I was getting to feel like the race was finishing up.  Did I miss the bell??? Was I ON the last lap already??  I asked a group of people, one being a course marshal, as I was going up a climb... "Any clue what lap this is!?"  "Last one!!!" They said.  "Are you kidding me?!"  Crap, I had to motor!  But then a few seconds later they hollered back, "No, one more!!"  Or at least that's what I thought they said.  Great... still confused!!  Screw it... just go hard anyway!  I was feeling physically better and I popped a double espresso Clif shot for that final jolt to bring it home.  Sure enough, I came across the start finish to cheers and the bell ringing for one lap to go.  Well now it was certain... I wasn't going to get pulled!  Woohoo!  I gave it what I could on the last lap and caught a few more riders, but right at the end I was passed by two more and I had no kick left to challenge.  I missed out on a top 20 by 8 seconds!  But was stoked to have my best Pro XCT finish in 22nd... and to have had a mechanical free XC race at Bonelli!  FINALLY!!!  And big props to my teammate Ryan with a solid 25th in his first Pro XCT!

I grabbed a little food but kept moving since the Super D race was just a couple hours later.  My cooldown was also my Super D course recon since they had cut in a new first descent on the course.  It was in the grass but had been worn in a little by the Cat 1 racers earlier in the day.  With a couple off camber corners it would definitely be more tricky than the old course, but at least I didn't have to worry about my chain falling off anymore!!  I spun around the course easy a few times and was feeling good enough to screw around and have some fun for the camera.

When race time finally came, the legs weren't sore but were definitely feeling the effort from the XC.  Overall I was tired and hungry, but was happy I chose to stay in fueling mode with Clif bars and gels instead of the In-n-out one of the other riders at the top said he was regretting.  I wonder if he ended up seeing that again...

Soon my start time was up, and on the sixth beep... I was off!!! Trying to just stay smooth, keep the rubber side down, and go hard!  I hit all my marks on the top and the first descent, but was a little hard on the brakes and chatter going into the first right hander.  Dang, slow... sprint!  A few more 'S' turns in the grass and I was on the pavement power section... but there just wasn't much power.  I was smooth through the technical areas and fast through the turns, but there just aren't much of them.

This course is all about the climbs and the flats... hence the hardtail.  I gave what I had left to the end which was good enough for 10th.  Time to recover and rest up for Short Track on Sunday.

I've been really working on keeping a sense of normalcy around these "big" races for this year and staying more relaxed.  If possible, keeping a routine and not changing things... making the race just something I do and not a big deal.  So on Sunday morning I went for a nice ride on the Tallboy for a couple hours with my brother and that kept the legs loose before heading off to church.  We had a nice brunch... breakfast tacos... thanks guys!!!  And after the bike was prepped I rolled back out to Bonelli to get warmed up for Short Track.

I took a nice loop around the lake, trying to grab a couple Strava segments while I was at it, which was good motivation to push and worked well to get me ready for the 20 minute suffer fest coming up.  I got a great call up, 2nd row, sweet!  Right behind Sam Schultz, Zach Valdez and national champ Todd Wells.  I tried to tell myself I belonged there... HA!  I have historically stunk up the place in short track races... but I was just going to hang on and use it to get faster.

Once we set off, there was nearly a big crash in the first 'S' turn up the curb which I avoided but had to check up for.  That put me in the chase group right off the bat.  We had caught back up to a few people by the first climb and single-file-track 's' turn, and thankfully nobody went down there in the massive dust cloud. I was in the back third of the pack though as we entered lap two but I was hanging on and making a pass here and there.  At this point I'm a little confused which lap it was, but it was still early on... As I came to the dusty 'S' turn again there was carnage (a good handful of riders went down here throughout the race).  I could see Zach Valdez picking himself up as I went by.  But a lap or two later... there he is... passing me and charging hard!  I decided to do everything I possibly could to stay on his wheel.  Which is where I stayed for the remainder of the race as we worked our way back up through the field.  I pulled a couple times for him, but it was hard enough to stay with him.  When he decided to go and sprint it was hard to match... impressive!  We hammered lap after lap and I was so focused on staying with him I didn't care how much time had passed or anything else until the bell lap... I was going to actually FINISH a short track race!!! Not get pulled and not crash!!! Zach and I stayed together through the dirt and then back onto the grass.  Do I just let him beat since he pulled me nearly the whole way?  No, this is racing... so I went.

But I did go early on the grass with two corners left.  He had enough time to counter, but he didn't have the energy... understandably.  I rolled across the line in 17th.  Thanks Zach!

So the Bonelli curse seems to have been lifted... hopefully for good!  I'm happy and looking forward to the way this race season is shaping up.  And looking forward to fewer issues and mishaps thanks to better equipment!  Next race... US Cup Triple Crown #2 / Fontana Pro XCT...

TBF MTB Madness - A Spectacular Training Event

In the words of Samuel L. Jackson from the movie "Basic"... (Now picture him saying it, with his usual inflection...) "What we have here, is a FANTASTIC opportunity for a SPECTACULAR training EVENT!"

I've been approaching these early season TBF races as "train-through" races anyway, keeping the big picture in mind (being fast later in the year when it matters more to me), but this past week I made it really hard on myself... mostly intentionally.

First off... I finished 7th, and I'm in no way making excuses and I especially don't want to discount the effort of the guys who beat me.  They are super fast and are training hard right now as well.  But I'll tell you why I'm pretty darn happy with 7th.

Saturday I had a great day on the Tallboy, getting in about 4 hours of pedal time and it included a good training/coaching ride with one of my clients.  We had some beautiful sunny weather and riding in just shorts and a jersey in early March is a gift.  That ride had put my tally for the week at 17 hours of riding.  That may not seem like a lot to some, but that's already close to a weekly high this year and with one day to go.  So I started formulating my agenda for race day... and didn't really stop eating.

I decided since the weather was warmer that I would ride to the race in the morning and get in a nice long warmup.  Just as I was suiting up, Jen called and asked if I could grab four bundles of twist ties to bring because they were running out at registration.  Clint to the rescue!!!  Can do... so I loaded up jersey pockets with twist ties, race fuel, various extra layers and my phone to stream some Pandora tunes as I cruised over. About 45 minutes later I arrived and offloaded the twist ties to save the day (In my head).  At this point was my first "crossroads" so to speak... do I eat again?  I didn't really feel hungry, kind of, but it was only about forty minutes to race time.  I elected to get a little bit more coffee, keep sipping some electrolyte and just start warming up more intensely   In hind site, I think I should have eaten at least half of the Clif bar that I had with me because once I started trying to go hard my heart rate just wasn't rising.  An indication to me that the I wasn't still fully recovered and the food I was eating was still going to recovery and not fueling.  But race time was here, I popped a chocolate Clif Shot (like chocolate frosting Mmmm!), and went to the line.

Now enter agenda item #2... line up at the back... way back.  With some big Pro XCT races coming up, I'd be lining up with 60+ other dudes (100 for Sea Otter) and towards the back most likely.  So I wanted to make this start as challenging as I could and teach myself how to be comfortable working through traffic at the start.  So I went to the back and hung out with the expert women, single speeders, and guys as fit as I can only hope to be in 25 years.  When the ten second countdown came I looked down at my Garmin which showed my HR at 68... "uh oh, this is gonna hurt."  GO!!!  But I hadn't... tick-tock... Ok now here we go!

See me? Yeah... not there in the front!

But this is exactly what I was going for.  After about 30 yards we were moving pretty good and there was a nice dust cloud working, not quite as blinding and lung clogging as the big races but a good simulation nonetheless.  And the road was filled with riders.  I found someone who was moving forward on the right and made my first real acceleration to follow.  Soon my momentum was exceeding his (I love sprinting on the Highball!), I saw a lane to the left and went for it, shooting to the center and still passing... and now back to the right.  The 90 degree corner was coming up so I looked for a lane to overtake a big chunk of guys.  Nothing to the inside except a picnic table and no clear lane to swerve to the outside.  I'd have to sit in behind all the brakers and try to overtake on acceleration coming out of the corner.  The crystal ball in my head suggested that the swarm would swing wide and I would cut hard through the corner and sprint from the inside.  It unfolded exactly as planned and I bit off another big chunk of traffic, but I was still way behind.  I took the outside line through the next left hander and kept passing until the first choke point between some big rocks.  Guys, you can't go three wide into that... brakes!!!  I should have taken the jump to the right.  Ok, through the rocks and out of the saddle again.  I take the outside line on another left, trying to maintain more speed than the rest of the conga, and almost wash out on the gravel before getting onto the pavement.  I sprint up the little rise on the pavement, "Go get 'em Clint!!" I hear as I weave through.  Still on pavement, I have to fall in line, hard right, then another choke point between some rocks and posts.  I see an opening nobody else is taking and I go for it sprinting by... BRAKES!!! JUMP!! Bang!  My left foot gets ripped out of the pedal by the rock.  That opening wasn't as big as I though it was (uh... yeah... maybe that's why nobody else was taking it?!?!).  "That didn't sound good!" Says someone behind me.  But everything still worked and I was pretty sure I still had all my toenails.  Now into some singletrack... still way behind but this is what I wanted.  I have to fall in line as the trees are too close to pass in the grass.  There was a bit of pavement coming up so I knew a good sprint was coming.  I sit up, relax, and take a few deep breaths... turn... turn... down the bank... GO!  I sprint by a few out of the saddle, and then get down as aero as I can, weaving in and out of the draft as I pass before having to hit the brakes behind others as we funnel back into the trail.  Nowhere to pass here so I take a few more deep breaths to recover.  I look down, my HR is only in the 150's... what the!?  I felt like I was putting in a 175+ effort.  We make the turn around and the trail widens... "On your left!" And I pass in the weeds... getting back up to speed.  Did I mention how much I love how the Highball sprints (especially paired with the ENVE carbon wheels)?  Traffic is starting to thin out now as I'm getting closer to the front.  A few hundred more yards of trail and we're on the cobble stone levy.  A final flat stretch of about 300 yards before really getting into the course and I can see the leaders at the other end already.  I go "aero" again and do my best NASCAR "Sling Shot" pass (minus about 799 1/2 horsepower) and TT to the other side.  160... geez.  I'd picked off most of them by this point but I think I was still in about 10th or so as I started up the first climb of the course.

Agenda item #3... stay in the big ring.  It's not totally out of the question on the flattish terrain of GB, but still hard in some spots with a 42 tooth.  I had a few reasons for this.  I had been working with my front derailleur and some pliers to get it in a more optimal condition than it was left after knotting up the chain two weeks ago, but I still didn't trust it.  Another reason was to be a motivator to keep pushing really hard and the last was to really work on engaging all the leg muscles, use a slow cadence from time to time, and pedal efficiently.  I made a few passes up the climb and was sustaining a heart rate around 167 which isn't terrible for me but I felt like it should have been in the mid 170's.  I caught a rider as I got up to the top, and did a bit of a supercross style block pass on the sharp left hander before hammering down the hill.  I gassed myself on the schwoopy trails out to the "Beek's Bight" parking lot crossing where I could see a couple riders together, one looked like Jim Hewitt and the other was a Santa Cruz / X-Fusion team rider I didn't know.  At least now I could see the guys at the front from time to time.  But they were still about 10 seconds up and I hadn't seen the front group yet, probably another 10-20 seconds up.  And so I chased...

I charged hard the rest of the first lap but it just didn't seem like I was making up any ground.  I expended quite a lot of energy in all that early passing and sprinting, and the guys at the front were really charging as well.  At the beginning of lap two, in a clearing, I could see the front group of about 5 riders staying close together in a string.  That's rare in MTB racing... it must have been fun attacking each other and trying to pop guys off the back.  I continued up the climb for the second time in the big ring and kept giving it everything I had.  I was gaining on Jim and starting to hope that maybe the guys at the front would start to fatigue and I could pick them off later.  I was hitting all my marks and maintaining some consistent power.  Then as we were making our way out towards Doton's Point (the course turn around), I was just a couple seconds back from Jim and starting to think about where I could make the pass.  I stood to hammer up a quick rise and BAM! "OOUUGGH!!"  I almost went over the bars and took the stem to the gut when my chain skipped and came off the outside of the cranks.  AAAHHHH!!!!  I dismounted and just as I'm getting the chain put back on, Neilson Powless cruises on by.  "Nice work!"  I holler to him.  He started a minute after us.  Awesome.  So yeah I just got shown up because he had passed everyone I had and then some.  Chain's back on... ego swallowed... and I'm off again.  A few easy pedal strokes to confirm everything's working correctly before charging hard and hopefully I could catch Neilson and tag along to the front.  He was already about 10 seconds up as I made it around Doton's Point but I didn't seem to be losing any ground for the rest of the lap.  But I certainly didn't gain any ground either and we were getting into some lapped traffic now.  Some I hit at good times and others I had to wait for... the usual story.  But everyone was courteous and passing was clean.

After the main climb and downhill from the "bench hill" on the third lap, I caught a rider just as we hit a little rock garden climb.  He took the normal center line and so I went left, standing up to power over and make the pass, BAM! "OOUUGGH!!!"  Stem to gut again... chain was off.  Ouch.  I put it back on and passed the guy at the top of the next rise as he pulled over to let me by... thanks!  Ok so there was no catching Neilson, or the front guys, unless they fatigued.  So I just kept a strong, sustainable pace in the hopes that my last lap would have some productivity.

Catching lapped riders helps keep the motivation up, as there's always someone up ahead to target.  And everyone out there is really courteous and just happy to be on a bike.  I caught one women as we came to one of the big rock walls half way through the course.  She took the safe route around as I popped up and over the big face and made the pass... catching a little air as I went.  "AWESOME!" She shouted.  It wasn't much, but that little bit of encouragement was uplifting as I was starting to battle some serious fatigue.

As I came through the start/finish to begin my 4th lap, I ditched my empty bottle... throwing it across the finish chute in the general direction of where Jen was in the timing area in the hopes I could find it again later. I heard someone say "Nice throw!" so I don't think I hit anyone :-).  I snatched a bottle from the neutral feed zone and took the last of the gel I had with me.  But I was already starting to get that empty feeling like it wasn't going to be enough.  Not "hungry" but definitely not fueled.  I was already having a hard time keeping my heart rate in the 150's and that just got more difficult as the final lap continued.  I still made the main climb in the big ring.  I still had agenda item #4 to complete: Have a strong last lap and give everything I have.  I couldn't see any of the leaders anymore, but I kept pushing.  Winding through the trees, hitting my marks, right, left... stay on top of it, pedal, breathe, breathe... 'S' turn ahead... I glance down to look at my HR at the wrong time (144...)... left... OFF LINE! $#!^!! TREE! Miss the bars! Lean! OLAY!!!  Whoa! Close one! Only grazed the shoulder... that would have been all bad!  Focus... finish... stay smooth...  That little mental lapse woke me up for sure!  And I started having fun again, jumping and banking off of the trail.  Fun is fast!  Out to Doton's Point for the final time I could see Ron Shevock.  I was getting hungry, totally bonking, but that was more motivation to keep it up and finish.  Only 10 minutes left.... push.  I caught Ron and we had a nice little conversation about how much this sucked, how much we hurt, and how much Neilson crushed our souls... until I went by and gave the last five minutes of the course everything I had.  I came across the line in 2:02:40, 6 minutes back from the Pro winner Cody Kaiser.  But that time was faster than the winner's time two weeks ago on the same course, and I was three hours and nearly 50 miles into the day's riding so I was pretty happy with that.  And that chocolate brownie Clif bar back at the car tasted SO good!

After some chatting and congratulating with other racers... and as it started to sprinkle (I guess it is still March!), I set off for another two hour coaching ride with another client.  The sun eventually came out again and we had some fun on the local trails (with a little pump track action thrown in) before ending up at home where there was food that needed to get in my belly!  Five hours on the day, 75 MTB miles with a race in the middle.  I was satisfied to say the least with my "spectacular training event," even though I had bitten off more than I could chew to finish on the podium.

2013 - Off to the Races!

Happy New Year to everyone! (Can you still say that in mid-February???)  I had a fun off-season, getting in some fun rides and a couple all day epics.  But most of my time was spent recuperating (mentally and physically) and relaxing with family and friends.  It was much needed...

I had the chance to try some new things...

Scuba...

Cruising...

and Rattlesnake Tequila (no picture of that!!)... among many other things.  Also got to do some of my usual stuff but in new places...

Hike to the top of the highest mountain wherever we are...

And just enjoy life on a tropical beach...

But now it's back to work... both the full time day job and the training.  And since I can't move to Arizona for the winter like the "real" pro's, I'm turning pedals in whatever Norcal weather has to offer.

Day or night...

I've already hit up three races at our local hammer-fest venue, Granite Bay.  I always make sure to race these events put on by TBF Racing because they're a great motivator and test of fitness.  After a 3 or 4 hour ride on Saturday, it's good to have guys that have just come off of cyclocross season pushing me on a cold, early Sunday morning.

The first was the MTB Kickstart in late January.  I'd only been training two weeks so I was not going to kid myself of how well I'd do, but I was going to give it everything I had.

After a good start I was in the front group going up the first climb, but I watched Jared Kessler, Billy Damon, Ron Shevock and Cody Kaiser ride away pretty early on.

Even though I was on my Highball with a 3x10 drivetrain... I had one gear, and it was sorta fast.  No pop, no burst, no real "race" pace.  But it was a good solid threshold workout and I was as strong on the last lap as I was on the first.  And in reality, that's what I was shooting for.  And then I went for a nice 2 hour ride after the race... base training :-).

The second race was on super bowl Sunday, and would have one more lap than the previous race.  I was a little fatigued from a solid 4 hour road ride the day before but I felt surprisingly good after a long warmup.  I was able to stay with the lead group a bit longer but eventually Billy and Ron broke away.  Cody and I were riding together when we got caught by 16 year old Neilson Powless who had started a minute behind us.  This kid is blazing fast and is one to watch out for.  He had a GoPro on his bars for the race... you can see where he passed us at about the 4:40 mark... and then just rode away (he ended up having the fastest overall time by a couple minutes too!).
Neilson's Handlebar Video
Cody ended up having mechanical problems so I was sitting in 3rd by myself but still charging into the last lap and feeling pretty good.  As I started the 4th lap, I heard someone yell "Go Clint! Ron's not far ahead!"  "No way!" I thought... I haven't seen him since the first lap!  But that's the nature of the Granite Bay course, you can be quite close to people for a majority of the lap and not know it because it's so twisty (fun!) and wooded.

When I popped out at Doton's Point (the farthest part of the course) I saw Ron for a brief moment and he was only about 10 seconds up.  That gave me a little burst of motivation and I kept the pace up and eventually caught him a mile or so later in the twisty tree section of the course.  When I passed, he made a comment about being totally "done" but I didn't believe him.  I made sure to crank it up with whatever gas I had left to make the pass stick and pull enough of a gap that he couldn't draft up to me when we hit the final open stretch.  Success!  And I rolled across the line in 2nd place!  I was quite happy with that result and felt I earned my beer that afternoon as I unfortunately watched the 49ers loose the big game.  Oh well...

The third race was just this last weekend and would again be four laps of fun, but with eight mile laps instead of 6.5.  I was looking forward to it and we had great weather.  No leg warmers needed!!! (I'm cold blooded)

Beautiful sunrise over Folsom Lake

Unfortunately the start was about all the racing I got in.  Only about 5 minutes in, as I was making a move to the front, I dropped my chain and on the next pedal rotation it got caught up in my cranks, locked, and tried to turn itself into a corkscrew.  I got it back on the rings with a quick adjustment of the front derailleur but the it was skipping all over the place.  I started messing with the barrel adjustment on the cable with no luck.  After about a mile of fiddling and dropping positions I pulled off to see what the real problem was.  The chain was all bent and twisted up, barely making it through the rear derailleur bends.  I decided my day was done because it would just end up ruining some other part of my bike if I kept going.  So I headed back to the start.  It's just the way it goes some days, plus I was still pretty happy with the ride I had the day before on my Tallboy :-)


As I made my way back to the venue, I came across a downed rider just as the EMT was getting there.  He was in pretty bad shape and they thought he had a broken femur after hitting a tree.  I was able to help out while the EMT put a splint on and we got him on the backboard as the fire department got there for transport.  I followed up with a friend of his yesterday and I'm happy to report that amazingly he has no broken bones.  Very good news!

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

We've found a use for some spare parts, medals, and such that were just sitting in the garage to make our Christmas tree decorations a little more unique...

I hope you've had the opportunity to get a ride in or two in between enjoying family and food.  Today I finally got to ride in the sun and dry conditions!

And don't forget to have fun and "screw up" a family photo or two! :-)

Hoping Santa's sleigh has a bike rack...

God bless...

Clint

A Little Something Different - TBF MTB 50 Miler Team Relay

So a week prior to the TBF 50 Miler, Jen and I were hiking with our friends Peter and Allyson.  Peter and I were out front and as we were talking we thought it would be fun to do the race as a 4 person team with the girls.  We knew Allyson would be up for it, but how would we convince Jen?  Her awesome staff would be able to handle the timing while she does one lap so that wouldn't be the problem.  She has only ever done one race, a triathlon about three years ago, and she hasn't ridden her mountain bike in nearly two years since before she broke her foot.

Me: "Hey Jen!  Are you in for something fun?"
Jen: "No!"
Dang... too smart for us guys...
Peter: "Allyson's doing it too!"
Allyson: "I am?"
Jen: "No!"
Peter: "We're all doing it together and it'll be fun!  Plus there's drink's and food afterward!"
Jen: "Does this involve bikes?  What are we doing?"
Me: "Each doing one lap of the MTB 50 course (insert puppy-dog smile face).  It's only 12.5 miles."
...long pause...
Jen: "I'll have to check with Bill and Mark..."
Me: "Sweet!  That's not 'no'!"

I don't think we tricked her... we're not that smart.  But some serious peer pressure and puppy dog eyes were employed :-).  She worried and stressed herself out about it all week but eventually just left it up to me to make sure her bike was ready to go and I would tell her when to fuel and with what so she didn't have to worry about that too.

Race morning came and we were out there way before Sunrise setting up.  It was a bit colder than we would have liked, but then again it is the end of October!  We were rewarded however with a beautiful sunrise over Folsom Lake.

Allyson would lead us off for the first lap and she did fantastic on her Santa Cruz Juliana.  She laid down a lap time of 1 hour and 12 minutes before handing it off to Jen for lap two.

I set off to intersect Jen at various parts of the course to make sure she was doing ok and to take some photos.  But I'll leave the recap to her, in her words...

Yep... Clint's summary of how I was talked (bamboozled?!) into doing the MTB 50 Mile race is actually pretty accurate! (I'm always on my guard when Clint and Peter have been plotting.) It's been almost two years since I've even ridden my mountain bike, and I've barely had time to ride my road bike; I don't even have a "base" fitness level at this point. (See babe, I read your posts about training and "base" fitness!) I spend most of my weekends being with athletes, not being an athlete.  

I coordinate all aspects of registration and timing for TBF; I oversee a fantastic team of ~12 ladies who get our athletes signed in, and help gather split/finish times. I absolutely love what I do, and I love the team I work with. So to be honest, I was struggling to leave my "happy place" in the timing tent, and put myself out there to compete as a bona fide participant!  

But peer pressure prevailed, and after getting the race started with my timing team... I found myself in bike shorts and a jersey, freezing cold, eating a Hammer Gel, and waiting for Allyson to come across the line for the tag.

She came tearing around the corner, we did an air-high-five, and after failing to get clipped in quickly (so much for race-pace), I was off!

Thankfully I had very little traffic because the 4-person teams had started last. This helped me get comfortable with my bike, and remember which levers switched which gears. :-P  

I know Clint can recall every line, every berm and and every rock he comes across during a race... but to be honest, I was just trying to survive! Clint went out to different points on the course to take pictures, and make sure I was still alive. I tried to pretend like I could actually ride my bicycle, and not spend toooo much time walking.

The race leaders lapped me around mile 7, and I was so paranoid about holding up someone who actually knew what he was doing, that I pulled over early and often to let guys pass. I also figured it was good karma for all the times my hubby passes people out on the course. :-)

When I'm outside my comfort zone, I compensate with wisecracks and jokes, so I worked my way through the miles by yelling things at my TBF road-safety friends. Quips included "are you freakin' kidding me, I'm only at mile 3?!", "I can't believe we use our perfectly good income to pay for you to do this sort of nonsense!" (when I saw Clint), and "I have a new way to diagnose insanity... anyone who does this race as a solo rider." But in all honesty, I re-gained so much admiration for everyone who is willing to go out, and be in a situation where they stretch themselves to do their best. TBF emphasizes helping people live an active lifestyle, and being out on the course made me enjoy my normal support role in whole new way.

I finally got through the technical sections, across the levy, and to the fire road climb to the top of the water tower hill. I definitely walked up part of that hill, and I was really starting to get tired. But I pushed on for the greater good of "Team Kicking & Screaming" and after coming back from the turnaround I was dumped onto the pavement. My one true moment of "racing" (as opposed to "surviving") came at this point. There was a guy on a flat-pedal bike (I'm sure Clint could tell you the manufacturer/model for said bike, as well as every type of component it had... but I don't have a clue!). We were on a straightaway and I knew I was getting close to the finish line, so I put my hands on the handlebar aero-style, put my head down, shifted up a couple gears, and passed him. Yep, my one moment of glory. :-) 

A few more turns, and I FINALLY came around the last corner to see my timing staff cheering for me, and Clint waiting for the tag with the world's biggest smile on his face. I was too tired to fist-bump, so after an exclamation of "great job buddy!"... he was gone. It had taken me 1:35 to do my lap. (Spoiler alert: As I had predicted, Clint's lap time was less than half of my lap time. Yes, less than half. I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that he has a carbon bike and I don't. :-P Yep. That was definitely it!) 

It was fun to compete with my close friends, and my best friend... but I wouldn't exactly say I'm hooked! (Sorry babe!) There's room for only one professional athlete in our family, and I love volunteering and cheering so much that I think I'll stick with that calling. 

So on that note... racer-Jen out... and I'll see you at the finish line with cowbell in hand. 

:-)

When she polished off her lap and handed it to me, I set off in a dead sprint on the 1/4 mile of DG before hitting the trail.  I needed to warm up... even with coffee and a Tropical Hammer Gel (also caffeinated) I couldn't get my heart rate above 68 as I sat in the relay tag box spinning backwards!  I hadn't ridden the Granite Bay trails in a while, but they were still buffed and really, really fast.  I was feeling surprisingly strong and the Highball is always a perfect choice for those trails.  The course took us in the counter-clockwise direction which is reverse from normal so the corners don't quite have the dirt pushed up in the right spots, requiring just a bit more attention.  However the nice thing is that there aren't braking bumps this direction.

After a little course extension over to the Oak Point camping area for no purpose other than to get more mileage  I finally hit the fun stuff that snakes through the trees on sandy hard pack   I was sprinting out of the corners and having a blast but remembering to stay relaxed and just keep the flow.  As I came out of the woods to skirt around the "bench hill" I popped up off a little rock mound to clear the few feet of rocks that lie after it, but slightly miss-timed the boost and flew nose heavy until I landed back on the smooth trail.  It wasn't quite a nose-wheelie-endo-save but it was closer than I would like for just cruising at Granite Bay!  Just a reminder that I still needed to focus.  I pumped the corners on the little descent down to the road crossing and made my way over the sand to Doton's Point.  There I'd get back into the trees and started to catch some more people.  I rode all of the granite rock patches and rutted climbs on this section of the trail without incident and kept on truckin' back through Beeks Bight parking lot and looping towards the bench hill again.  On the last rock feature before the short climb up to the bench, I hit the top rock to jump the whole thing (a trick I learned from my DH skilled buddy Jared Kessler) and in the air noticed I was flying a bit farther than I'd planned on and slightly off line for the left hander coming up.  So I had to land with the bike already in a left-lean and back pedal a quarter turn to get the right pedal down quickly to make the turn onto the double-wide planks (something you don't want to miss!).  No problem... except that backwards pedal while landing caused my chain to come off.  As I rolled on I manipulated it with the derailleur to get it back on just in time to start the climb up the hill, passing two more riders.  On the ridge I caught another rider as I got to the most difficult rocky patch to climb in this direction and I had to take a different line than normal.  I didn't quite make it and had to dab, oh well.  I made the pass shortly after and hammered down the descent, finishing it off with a two wheel drift into the final 'S' turn, banking my rear wheel off the base of the tree in the center and catching the tail of the banking on the exit... FUN!  After that the course took some traversing singletrack, road and fire road transfers to the south and then up the water tower hill... which always hurts.  After the descent from the tower the course went out and back on the fire road and on my way out I saw another Folsom Bike racer Christopher Holmes coming in the opposite direction (can't miss him with that lime green Niner Air 9!).  I was just about to razz him and holler "Don't let me catch you Chris!!!" But as he got closer I saw it in his eyes... Oh he know's what's up... :-).  I made the U-turn with about two miles to go and kept up my nice steady effort until I made the turn onto the open parking lot where I could see that I was closing on Chris up ahead.  He entered the last singletrack about 50 yards up and I couldn't help myself, he looked like he was tired (this was the end of his 4th lap!) and needed the extra motivation to finish strong... "Chris don't let me catch you!!!"  I could see that he threw down some extra effort after that but I still closed right up to him with two corners to go.  We rounded the BBQ party area to cheers and after the 90 degree left into the finish shoot we both sprinted to the line but there just wasn't enough real estate left for me to pass.

Way to finish strong Chris!!!  That was fun!  I was shooting for a lap time between 45 and 50 minutes and I pulled the fastest lap of the day in 46:35.

I handed my "baton" to Peter (actually handed him my spare tube because I only remembered one 29er tube!) and he took off for the final lap aboard my ENVE equipped Tallboy (not bad for a loaner bike eh?).

He turned in a good lap at 55 minutes and had a blast on the bike, commenting that it just pop's up over things effortlessly... yep!

I had a blast just racing for fun and supporting my teammates.  And I'm SO proud of Jen for getting out there and doing her best.

We won the four person coed relay category too!  We were the only coed team but so what?!  Woohoo!!!

Huge thanks to TBF for a super fun event, very well marked course, ordering up some good weather, and for the three kegs of beer to choose from (Racer 5 IPA mmm mmm good!), bbq and awards afterwards!  Hard to beat that!