Do they have a lot of big races there? I know Roanoke well. I’ve driven past it a million times on the way to SIL’s place in NC. 81 to 220...right through Roanoke.
Massanutten is about an hour closer? I think anyway.
Jshort’s bike thread
- Thread starter jShort
- Start date
Do they have a lot of big races there? I know Roanoke well. I’ve driven past it a million times on the way to SIL’s place in NC. 81 to 220...right through Roanoke.
Massanutten is about an hour closer? I think anyway.
Pearl
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
szymon
Active Member
Same here, in the past years I always tried to support the nj series but this year there was too much drama and it seemed the series pretty much fell apart by the end, so what's the point.
Classic. I remember Rob blogging about his Bkill race, saying he busted his ass. Someone posted this pic on his blog as a response. Lol
Roanoke I'm not aware of races, but there's riding down there (Carvin's Cove and other stuff). So to mix up a long weekend of riding-not-racing it is probably worth the trip from Harrisonburg.
Harrisonburg has a few big races as you have Stokesville on one side of the valley, Massanuttan on the other.
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
How about this year @Pearl ? I'm heading down a well as @xc62701 , @Riggedfmx , Monty and some teammates. If you want to have a good season start it here. This race will rip your balls off while smiling.
First race of the season, can’t hold anything back. Wait, that’s not how it goes. In a perfect world, my first races are the MTBNJ short track series. These races are so beneficial to kicking the season off for so many different reasons. I could go on and list them but this is all about the Mayhem race. It’s going to be a long one so get comfortable, or just click the like button now and move on.
A 1PM race time is unusual and tricky to nail in the nutrition department. I usually glaze over when I read a recap that lists what the person ate before a race, but it’s been a long time since I’ve written one of these I’ll indulge myself. My plan was to have a pretty decent breakfast and then a second, smaller meal before the race. So I woke up and had coffee, 2 eggs, oatmeal and half an avocado… stuff I eat all the time so it seemed like good choices.
Another choice I made was to ride a bike other than my usual race day ride Turner. Instead I opted for my winter training bike. A carbon frame hardtail, with a Niner carbon fork, 11 speed gearing (36T up front with an 11-40 XTR cassette in the back) and carbon Valor wheels. With the carbon wheels on the bike, it feels like a rocketship. It spins up to speed like a roadbike. Seriously, I can’t even describe how awesome it is on smooth flowy trails. From what I remembered of this course it was half fire road, some singletrack and a big mudbog. In other words, the perfect place for my winter bike.
The ride down was uneventful other then listening to some loud angry music to get me fired up. I always listen to loud angry music before a race. What do people who don’t listen to loud angry music listen to before a race? I was wondering this during the drive. I was amped up without the music and just excited to race.
Anyway, I’m pretty far down in this and haven’t even gotten to the race part.
I pulled in, parked, picked up the # plate and then ran into Brian and Kris (@BrianGT3 and @muddybike). We agreed to meet up and do a quick pre-ride. A few minutes into the pre-ride Kris split off and Brian and I kept going. The course seemed a little different than last time, with a lot less fire road that I could tell. We were running short on time and took a few shortcuts back.
At the lineup, there were no jitters. I was pretty confident in my conditioning and racing isn’t new so I was more excited than anything. Looking around for familiar faces which I haven’t seen in a few months, seeing who was lining up in my group, wishing teammate and friends good luck, etc. Also enjoying the caffeine buzz I had which was definitely flowing through my blood.
2 minutes between each group….The pro men go, the pro women go, then we get to go. I always like to throw it all down at the beginning of a race and max sprint for a good 15-20 seconds. Not that I’m counting, it may even be less than that, but it’s usually enough to be at or near the front. I feel like this sets a tone and the pace (obviously). And usually it gives me a cushion to recover in the singletrack.
This venue is a little different and there was nothing technical to cause a backup and let me get away / recover while the group chased. Instead there was someone on my wheel once on the trail. When I feel a wheel, I naturally push harder and try to distance myself. Well, damn, it wasn’t working. Zero separation.
My bike felt fast but bumpy as hell at race pace; too much air in the tires for sure. The lack of a gap meant there was no time to recover either so when I looked down and saw my HR was redlined, I was not surprised. Plan B… survive till the fire road and hide behind someone. When the time came, and we dumped onto the fire road someone took off past me… as if I was slowing then down the entire time. A little disheartening to be honest. Then @BrianGT3 took off after him. I tried to latch but as soon as we got back onto the trail I couldn’t keep pace with him either. Brian was riding super strong and the leader was putting distance on him. Meanwhile my heartrate was (still) maxed and I was (still) trying to catch my breath from the opening sprint. I knew the rest of the pack was right behind me so I couldn’t let up too much, but I had to recover or I was going to pop 15 minutes into this race. Can I get a redo? Somehow I got a little separation and was able to collect myself. My HR was still in the middle of threshold, but I knew coming into this race that it was going to be like this. Doesn’t mean I was ready for it.
This is when things get a fuzzy. I got to the start finish after the first lap and was still in 3rd. I thought how happy I would be with a 3rd place finish. But then I also realized this was a 4 lap race and the first lap took my around 30 minutes. I was expecting a 90 minute-ish race (I think my time in 17 was 1:37 or so), so it was a bit of a kick in the teeth. I was still running hotter than should have been at this point of the race so I had to turn it down a little more… and that’s when I started bleeding spots.
First it was Roger and some other guy leading the 45+ group, then it was Steve in my group. There goes 3rd I thought… unless I can keep up with him…. Nope. He’s gone too.
Ok so 4th it is.
Second and third laps are a little tortuous. My bike is kicking my ass… literally. I have to stand a lot to absorb the bumps which in turn is making my legs burn, and my triceps are on fire because while there were no rocks at all, there were a shit ton on of bumps and few roots mixed in, and I was really really missing my suspension. Why did I bring this bike?
On top of all that it dawned on me that I didn’t eat anything after that breakfast which was now about 8 hours ago. GU’s were little more than duct tape stopping a leaking damn at this point. I’d pop one, then I’d pop. The pop another one, then I’d pop again. Then I ran out and it didn’t matter anyway, I was shot with a lap to go.
Onto the last lap and I see Brian walking out with his bike. Broken chain... I was bummed and would have stopped to help him (and catch my breath) but I didn’t have a chain tool.
Then I got passed again. I try to hang, but no good. Then I get passed again, and at this point I’ve pretty much given up hope of latching on. I just put it into cruise control at a speed which I knew I could finish with.
I limped through the finish line completely wiped. Post race chats centered on the distance of this race and holy hell why was it so long? I know all the tough guys are going to say 2+ hours is nothing. And they’re right. As long as you know this going into it, which I would have if I got there early enough to do a pre ride of an entire lap or talk to someone who did the cat 2 race and see what the winners times were. I also could have looked at the cat 2 results (if they were posted, not sure if they were or not) and I sure as hell screwed myself by not eating enough. AND I will never race that god damn torture machine ever again… all you rigid racing tough guys are clearly badder ass than I.
To summarize, it was a little disappointing, but I learned (remembered) a lot and (hopefully) won’t make the same dumb mistakes or excuses next time. Thanks to Brian for gracefully having a mechanical, I ended up in 5th of 14. As far as first races go, they always hurt and this one was no different. And just like the race, this recap went way too long. If you got this far, thanks for reading.
Thank you @moose35 for the pictures
A 1PM race time is unusual and tricky to nail in the nutrition department. I usually glaze over when I read a recap that lists what the person ate before a race, but it’s been a long time since I’ve written one of these I’ll indulge myself. My plan was to have a pretty decent breakfast and then a second, smaller meal before the race. So I woke up and had coffee, 2 eggs, oatmeal and half an avocado… stuff I eat all the time so it seemed like good choices.
Another choice I made was to ride a bike other than my usual race day ride Turner. Instead I opted for my winter training bike. A carbon frame hardtail, with a Niner carbon fork, 11 speed gearing (36T up front with an 11-40 XTR cassette in the back) and carbon Valor wheels. With the carbon wheels on the bike, it feels like a rocketship. It spins up to speed like a roadbike. Seriously, I can’t even describe how awesome it is on smooth flowy trails. From what I remembered of this course it was half fire road, some singletrack and a big mudbog. In other words, the perfect place for my winter bike.
The ride down was uneventful other then listening to some loud angry music to get me fired up. I always listen to loud angry music before a race. What do people who don’t listen to loud angry music listen to before a race? I was wondering this during the drive. I was amped up without the music and just excited to race.
Anyway, I’m pretty far down in this and haven’t even gotten to the race part.
I pulled in, parked, picked up the # plate and then ran into Brian and Kris (@BrianGT3 and @muddybike). We agreed to meet up and do a quick pre-ride. A few minutes into the pre-ride Kris split off and Brian and I kept going. The course seemed a little different than last time, with a lot less fire road that I could tell. We were running short on time and took a few shortcuts back.
At the lineup, there were no jitters. I was pretty confident in my conditioning and racing isn’t new so I was more excited than anything. Looking around for familiar faces which I haven’t seen in a few months, seeing who was lining up in my group, wishing teammate and friends good luck, etc. Also enjoying the caffeine buzz I had which was definitely flowing through my blood.
2 minutes between each group….The pro men go, the pro women go, then we get to go. I always like to throw it all down at the beginning of a race and max sprint for a good 15-20 seconds. Not that I’m counting, it may even be less than that, but it’s usually enough to be at or near the front. I feel like this sets a tone and the pace (obviously). And usually it gives me a cushion to recover in the singletrack.
This venue is a little different and there was nothing technical to cause a backup and let me get away / recover while the group chased. Instead there was someone on my wheel once on the trail. When I feel a wheel, I naturally push harder and try to distance myself. Well, damn, it wasn’t working. Zero separation.
My bike felt fast but bumpy as hell at race pace; too much air in the tires for sure. The lack of a gap meant there was no time to recover either so when I looked down and saw my HR was redlined, I was not surprised. Plan B… survive till the fire road and hide behind someone. When the time came, and we dumped onto the fire road someone took off past me… as if I was slowing then down the entire time. A little disheartening to be honest. Then @BrianGT3 took off after him. I tried to latch but as soon as we got back onto the trail I couldn’t keep pace with him either. Brian was riding super strong and the leader was putting distance on him. Meanwhile my heartrate was (still) maxed and I was (still) trying to catch my breath from the opening sprint. I knew the rest of the pack was right behind me so I couldn’t let up too much, but I had to recover or I was going to pop 15 minutes into this race. Can I get a redo? Somehow I got a little separation and was able to collect myself. My HR was still in the middle of threshold, but I knew coming into this race that it was going to be like this. Doesn’t mean I was ready for it.
This is when things get a fuzzy. I got to the start finish after the first lap and was still in 3rd. I thought how happy I would be with a 3rd place finish. But then I also realized this was a 4 lap race and the first lap took my around 30 minutes. I was expecting a 90 minute-ish race (I think my time in 17 was 1:37 or so), so it was a bit of a kick in the teeth. I was still running hotter than should have been at this point of the race so I had to turn it down a little more… and that’s when I started bleeding spots.
First it was Roger and some other guy leading the 45+ group, then it was Steve in my group. There goes 3rd I thought… unless I can keep up with him…. Nope. He’s gone too.
Ok so 4th it is.
Second and third laps are a little tortuous. My bike is kicking my ass… literally. I have to stand a lot to absorb the bumps which in turn is making my legs burn, and my triceps are on fire because while there were no rocks at all, there were a shit ton on of bumps and few roots mixed in, and I was really really missing my suspension. Why did I bring this bike?
On top of all that it dawned on me that I didn’t eat anything after that breakfast which was now about 8 hours ago. GU’s were little more than duct tape stopping a leaking damn at this point. I’d pop one, then I’d pop. The pop another one, then I’d pop again. Then I ran out and it didn’t matter anyway, I was shot with a lap to go.
Onto the last lap and I see Brian walking out with his bike. Broken chain... I was bummed and would have stopped to help him (and catch my breath) but I didn’t have a chain tool.
Then I got passed again. I try to hang, but no good. Then I get passed again, and at this point I’ve pretty much given up hope of latching on. I just put it into cruise control at a speed which I knew I could finish with.
I limped through the finish line completely wiped. Post race chats centered on the distance of this race and holy hell why was it so long? I know all the tough guys are going to say 2+ hours is nothing. And they’re right. As long as you know this going into it, which I would have if I got there early enough to do a pre ride of an entire lap or talk to someone who did the cat 2 race and see what the winners times were. I also could have looked at the cat 2 results (if they were posted, not sure if they were or not) and I sure as hell screwed myself by not eating enough. AND I will never race that god damn torture machine ever again… all you rigid racing tough guys are clearly badder ass than I.
To summarize, it was a little disappointing, but I learned (remembered) a lot and (hopefully) won’t make the same dumb mistakes or excuses next time. Thanks to Brian for gracefully having a mechanical, I ended up in 5th of 14. As far as first races go, they always hurt and this one was no different. And just like the race, this recap went way too long. If you got this far, thanks for reading.
Thank you @moose35 for the pictures
Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
Sorry bout the bike choice recommendation ...
Thanks for noticing.
Yeah, breakfast, then a PB&J sandwich about 45 min. before race. I probably should of had a Gu on last lap but was delirious.
I've tried that and it doesn't work for me. I need something closer to 90 minutes out and with less sugar. I usually do a cliff bar or something like that.
But usually we race between 9 -1030 or so, so breakfast is just plain oatmeal with some granola and berries. I'll just bring some oatmeal for the ride next time.
Or buy a fat bike?
BrianGT3
Well-Known Member
Please continue to give Jeremy bike choice recommendations! Hahaha
That was me!
moose35
Well-Known Member
No problem glad you enjoy them
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
Awesome write up and nice work! That course definitely favored horsepower over weight.
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Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
Raced rigid HT SS at Mayhem and it was perfectly fine. The place was smooth and flat... follow your dreams LOL
Most of my rigid riding consists of 8 miles of road, a few of Columbia trail, maybe a quick loop of Nassau when conditions allow, and then some rocks at Voorhees. I probably just need more time and hard efforts on that bike but it's not going to happen when I have my Turner which is equally awesome in its own (23lb fully suspended) way.