Cathedral pines 2017

Dairyman

Active Member
Who’s in? What class are you running?

Any recommendations on where to stay the night before? Not interested in camping.

I’ll be in SS solo open
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
In as a team with Jaime.
I drive from my house, the ride in is not bad, it's the drive home that sucks. I've heard of guys getting a room Saturday night and driving home Sunday. It kinda makes sense not having to deal with traffic after a 6+hr race.
 

Mitch

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
In for a few laps. This will be like my 7th one and while I am not in any shape I love to support these guys. They support our races and and they put on a really great event. I'll probably be heckling you on the mike by 10 am... See you there.
 

1speed

Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
So how'd it go for everyone who did it this year?

I felt like I was painting by numbers this year. I came into it pretty tired and after pre-riding Friday afternoon, I knew the course would be tough for me. I hate loamy trails, and the freeze/thaw cycle that seemed to exist out there had turned what have usually been hardpacked singletrack into soft and loamy dirt. That's nice if you intend to fall down (which I did once) but it sucks otherwise because you really don't get to relax at all without losing speed. The ground just pulls your tires in. More than half the course was like that, including all three of the back-to-back power climbs. (That, more than anything, SUUUUUCKED on the SS. I think the EMT guy at the top of the third one was ready to give me oxygen on my last lap when I crawled over it for the last time.)

At any rate, I finished fourth this year, but still had my second fastest 8 laps ever. I was like 2 minutes out of third. I probably could have made up that time on my last lap if I knew about it, but I was just going through the motions at that point. I was tired, I had lost my Garmin on the second lap when I slipped on a root and fell into a comfortable pillow of soft dirt, and I think I had only drank three bottles all day. So, yeah, chasing for the last step on the podium wasn't happening.

A few quick observations: first, Cadre is awesome and they put on a killer race every year. Seems like they know every rider and give each one a shout out as they come through the start/finish. It's just cool to hear your name shouted when you're pushing yourself. Second, @Mitch should be bound and gagged before the start from now on. Holy shit, did he ever create a complete clusterfuck on the start line this year. He should tell the story himself, but what was shaping up to be the first civil start I've ever experienced at CP quickly turned into the biggest shit show ever with just a few words from Mitch. I thought it was funny because guys who were pretty relaxed just a moment before were suddenly wide eyed and nervous as hell as Jeff started the countdown. Finally, this was the first time I realized this after looking at the posted results, but ... holy crap, I'm the old guy now. I think I averaged something like 18 years older than the three guys ahead of me. I could legally drink before the guy who finished in third was even born. When the hell did that happen???
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
So how'd it go for everyone who did it this year?

I felt like I was painting by numbers this year. I came into it pretty tired and after pre-riding Friday afternoon, I knew the course would be tough for me. I hate loamy trails, and the freeze/thaw cycle that seemed to exist out there had turned what have usually been hardpacked singletrack into soft and loamy dirt. That's nice if you intend to fall down (which I did once) but it sucks otherwise because you really don't get to relax at all without losing speed. The ground just pulls your tires in. More than half the course was like that, including all three of the back-to-back power climbs. (That, more than anything, SUUUUUCKED on the SS. I think the EMT guy at the top of the third one was ready to give me oxygen on my last lap when I crawled over it for the last time.)

At any rate, I finished fourth this year, but still had my second fastest 8 laps ever. I was like 2 minutes out of third. I probably could have made up that time on my last lap if I knew about it, but I was just going through the motions at that point. I was tired, I had lost my Garmin on the second lap when I slipped on a root and fell into a comfortable pillow of soft dirt, and I think I had only drank three bottles all day. So, yeah, chasing for the last step on the podium wasn't happening.

A few quick observations: first, Cadre is awesome and they put on a killer race every year. Seems like they know every rider and give each one a shout out as they come through the start/finish. It's just cool to hear your name shouted when you're pushing yourself. Second, @Mitch should be bound and gagged before the start from now on. Holy shit, did he ever create a complete clusterfuck on the start line this year. He should tell the story himself, but what was shaping up to be the first civil start I've ever experienced at CP quickly turned into the biggest shit show ever with just a few words from Mitch. I thought it was funny because guys who were pretty relaxed just a moment before were suddenly wide eyed and nervous as hell as Jeff started the countdown. Finally, this was the first time I realized this after looking at the posted results, but ... holy crap, I'm the old guy now. I think I averaged something like 18 years older than the three guys ahead of me. I could legally drink before the guy who finished in third was even born. When the hell did that happen???
@Riggedfmx and I had a good race. We finished 5th of 25ish teams in male duo. @pooriggy and Jaime C finished ahead of us and then two geared teams in 2nd and 3rd. Oldock and Norling really killed it though winning the team event on SS. I think that place would be fun for an xc type event but man is it tough on the body for 6 hours. I ran 32/17 for the first lap and it was my fastest lap but I switched to an 18 for the remainder and it felt worlds better and easier to keep spooled up for the twitchy stuff. The difference this year is I was able to race every other lap like an XC race and I felt strong all day. Promoter and event is cool but it’s definitely tough to train that late after already doing more than 22 races since January. I say I won’t go back but I probably will. I’d also like to try out the rocky point 50 down the road. The drive is easy in the am and always sucks on the way home.The after race chili and beer was fantastic however. @Dairyman did his first endurance event as well.
 
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pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
This was my 7th CP, the course and the people are pretty much the same however I enjoy this race every year and look forward to it.
I used to do open solo but switched over to team class 3 yrs. ago an enjoy racing as a team these days.

Jaime and I finished 4th, we where actually a bit faster this year but the competition was better this year. I was happy to get in a 43 minute lap, which was a personal record. Only 8 people did a 43 min lap, Edwin Sanchez did a 42 min lap and got in 9 laps solo, which is crazy fast.

Cadre puts on a great event with a fun cast of characters. The people that host and the mtbers that show up make this a must do race every year. Thank you.

20171120_074607.jpg
 

Mitch

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
You are correct Steph, This was for the Mitch award, It's still light out. I got up for your award in the dark and then had it swiped away from some crazy guy who said he knew you..;*). Iggy was and is delirious and was very confused after the race.

I don't really have a "Race" report, I have a ride/hangout report.. So having no plans to race other then to ride and push for some spots I had a great day.. The day started with an easy drive out to the venue at 530 am with no traffic and arriving to score a nice spot next to Turbo and Tony. Checked in and said hello to my boys running the show and collected my nameplate.
Hung out and chilled with about 2o peeps and then headed down the road to the lower lot for the start. This is where the fun starts that Marty was talking about. For whatever reason everyone was lined up like 4o yards back from where we always start this race. So Im saying hello to friends and others and Jeff is now yelling down the start time and he now yells out 1 minute to go. I then roll up to where the race usually starts and then look back and yell that I don't know what you all are doing back there but this is the start over here. Well everyone now hits the gas to get up to me and some folks thought the race started and passed me and I'm yelling Woohh slow down , not yet and the next time you know everyone is in a big cluster fk and then Jeff yells GO. Mass starts are a crazy and I just sit back and enjoy. I was close to being the last starter and from then on I just enjoyed myself. I got to ride with friends and even met a nice girl from Long Island that I might start dating. So to keep it short if you are reading this you should do this race next year, Its like riding 6 hours around Allaire with Six Mile twisters on it. Just a fun course and run by great people and great riders... #SS4S
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I then roll up to where the race usually starts and then look back and yell that I don't know what you all are doing back there but this is the start over here. Well everyone now hits the gas to get up to me and some folks thought the race started and passed me and I'm yelling Woohh slow down , not yet and the next time you know everyone is in a big cluster fk and then Jeff yells GO
20171120_153751.jpg
 

1speed

Incredibly profound yet fantastically flawed
For whatever reason everyone was lined up like 4o yards back from where we always start this race.

What? We have never started this race up where you were. You were right near where the road started. It's always tight but that left ZERO room for anyone to spread out before hitting the paved section. We always started it back where we were, and it always curves around up the far side. Right after you yelled that, the two guys to my left were the ones who kind of screwed everyone up because they just kind of hesitated a second and then slowly started to roll up and as soon as everyone else saw that, they just converged en masse. I was laughing because I really thought you did it to screw with everyone. But then I thought, "Oh shit, I'm right in the firing line." I tried to move over a bit, but I was locked in and all I could imagine was getting blocked in by a crash and then run over by the crushing wave behind me. I got lucky though - the guy to my left bobbled right away and I jumped in front of him and found myself in a little pocket of air that I used to get past the hill. Then this tiny girl in front of me starting getting pretty sketchy and I moved to the right and just stayed there all the way to the woods. (Incidentally, that same girl crashed almost right away in the singletrack. She was okay, but we were moving pretty fast and everyone had to slam on the brakes to avoid rolling over her.)

But you really thought that was where we were supposed to start? I think that's even funnier. You've been there every year! We've never been that far up. We've always started back where we were lined up.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
I went in circles on a 5" fatbike for almost 7 hours. I drank 4 bottles in 8 laps. I got the win and paid for it. I don't think I'll be able to sit down normally for another week or so...
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
Marty is right. It's never started there in the few years that I have raced it. Mitch definitely clusterf'd the whole start. :) I went around the truck and flew up on the outside of jeffs truck just in time for two guys to crash and almost take me out. I barely avoided that.
 

Mitch

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
You are both crazy. At most maybe I was 10 yards closer but you were at least 30 yards off the start. I thought it was funny.
 
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