Chain Stretcher ...

[NJMX835]

I was in the second row of the first class off (Beginner 30-39), didn;t go very hard right off the line, but passed a few people on the first few hills, but strangely didn't see too many after that.

The course was fairly slick & also muddy in spots which I thought would work to my advantage, but I don't think I was riding as well as I would have liked to & due to my drivetrain being on it's way out, as soon as it got some mud in it, it started slipping, which got worse as the race went on

Unlike the last two races I was by myself for a good portion of the race, which I thought was odd & I couldn't figure out if I wasn't pushing hard enough, if they guys in front of me were just plain faster than usual or since I didn't start all the way in the back like I usually do, if that's why I wasn't seeing more riders.

Anyway, then the top few 40-49 guys started catching & passing me, but quite a bit earlier than I saw them in the other races so I figured my pace must be way too slow, started trying to pour it on & honestly gassed myself a bit.

Then, while trying to sprint one of the short, steep hills ... my chain snapped.

I had no link on me & have never actually had to fix a chain on the trail so I figured I was in for a long walk (I was a little over 1/2 way through the lap), luckily a rider (who I definitely owe a beer to ) stopped & offered me one of his, but admitted he also had never fix one either. I had a chain breaker on my multi-tool, so I gave it a go & lo & behold after about 15 minutes of trying (and at least as many riders passing me) I had a functioning chain

I spent the rest of the race riding along & chatting with a fellow from the 50+ beginner class, my drivetrain now slipping uncontrollably on the climbs making it almost mandatory to walk them, but at least I had someone to BS with making the rest of the ride fairly decent & at least I got to finish.

All & all it was a good day out & met some great folks, thanks again to the dude who gave me that link, you saved me from a very long hike!

 

[xc62701]

I was in the second row of the first class off (Beginner 30-39), didn;t go very hard right off the line, but passed a few people on the first few hills, but strangely didn't see too many after that.

The course was fairly slick & also muddy in spots which I thought would work to my advantage, but I don't think I was riding as well as I would have liked to & due to my drivetrain being on it's way out, as soon as it got some mud in it, it started slipping, which got worse as the race went on

Unlike the last two races I was by myself for a good portion of the race, which I thought was odd & I couldn't figure out if I wasn't pushing hard enough, if they guys in front of me were just plain faster than usual or since I didn't start all the way in the back like I usually do, if that's why I wasn't seeing more riders.

Anyway, then the top few 40-49 guys started catching & passing me, but quite a bit earlier than I saw them in the other races so I figured my pace must be way too slow, started trying to pour it on & honestly gassed myself a bit.

Then, while trying to sprint one of the short, steep hills ... my chain snapped.

I had no link on me & have never actually had to fix a chain on the trail so I figured I was in for a long walk (I was a little over 1/2 way through the lap), luckily a rider (who I definitely owe a beer to ) stopped & offered me one of his, but admitted he also had never fix one either. I had a chain breaker on my multi-tool, so I gave it a go & lo & behold after about 15 minutes of trying (and at least as many riders passing me) I had a functioning chain

I spent the rest of the race riding along & chatting with a fellow from the 50+ beginner class, my drivetrain now slipping uncontrollably on the climbs making it almost mandatory to walk them, but at least I had someone to BS with making the rest of the ride fairly decent & at least I got to finish.

All & all it was a good day out & met some great folks, thanks again to the dude who gave me that link, you saved me from a very long hike!

Awesome! Way to stick with it and perservere!!! I saw a lot of people snapping pics - I wonder when they are going to show up

 

[gtluke]

gimmie a minute, my pics are going up now

the course got way way way harder as the day went on. the rocks went from wet to slimeballs. i was riding around the park from 8am till about 4:30 pm taking pictures. towards the end i gave up climbing the rocks, with a 40lb backpack on it just got too scarey. mud was dragged all over all the rocks.

i usually love to comment on how much i love blue mountain. but after sitting on a rock on stinger or wherever the hell i was for 8 hours in the cold and rain i'm friggan sick of that place
actually i didn't mind but it was damn lonely out there.

 

[xc62701]

Good I'm not the only one thinking it got a lot worse. As it dried it got slicker it seems. My lap times were 54 min then 59 min then 67 min.

 

[Kirt]

It was a super fun race, too bad I DNF'd. I flatted towards the end of the 1st lap, then bent my spare tubes valve so it wouldn't hold air. Wish I could have ridden my 2nd lap. Congrats on the 2nd place finish Ryan. 3 laps must have been crazy. great job to everyone else who finished.

 

[NJMX835]

Awesome! Way to stick with it and perservere!!! I saw a lot of people snapping pics - I wonder when they are going to show up

Thanks, I'd have to say the same thing to you for sure!

I can't even imagine doing 3 laps of that course today... :drooling:

 

[xc62701]

Call me massochistic but I love that place. I was having fun the whole time. The only time it was bad was when I was cramping towards the end. Once I got them to subside I was having fun again.

 

[cyclocrossfool]

Second to none

Blue Mtn is by far the best race course ... Period. It has everything a racer could ask for, a mountain bikers heaven.

RC ...

 

[pixychick]

Great job on the 2nd place Ryan!! Certainly nice to end the series with a good race experience.

 

[pixychick]

I can't even imagine doing 3 laps of that course today... :drooling:

I'm not going to lie and tell you it was easy. Three laps was challenging for most of us, but just like fixing your chain, you figure it out and make it work because you want to finish. Congrats on your first chain fix and not giving in to quitting! :getsome:

 

[Mare]

As time goes on, I am getting desensitized to technical, rainy, cold conditions. I was kind of dreading yesterday because I am not the best technical rider, but I shut up, raced, and had fun. The first lap was me trying to figure out what I can and cannot ride. The 2nd lap was fun and at one point I thought "What the hell am I rushing back for? It's the last race of the season and I am having fun."

This is the first year I did a bunch of races, so I got to learn about myself and racing in general. It was a great year and everything is a bit less intimidating now. I got 3rd. Yay!

 

[xc62701]

I'm not going to lie and tell you it was easy. Three laps was challenging for most of us, but just like fixing your chain, you figure it out and make it work because you want to finish. Congrats on your first chain fix and not giving in to quitting! :getsome:

True. I was pushing and killing myself up neds cause once I was there I knew I could recover and flow through stinger, sis, etc... to save up for the little climbs coming. You find a way to moderate and make it work.

 

[xc62701]

Great job on the 2nd place Ryan!! Certainly nice to end the series with a good race experience.

Thanks! Sure is! Next up....Halloween Night TT!!! That's the official last race. That's gonna be a blast.

 

[xc62701]

I got 3rd. Yay!

Congrats!!!

 

[RacerChick]

Whooops!

Blue Mtn is by far the best race course ... Period. It has everything a racer could ask for, a mountain bikers heaven.

RC ...

Wrong sreen name ...

Yesterday's race was super tough. I got a 4th place start finished behind Marianne, Gerilynn and Reba, geez they are fast. I finished 2nd in my class, missed seeing Heidi in the event. The course was very technical, greasy, yet rideable thru the rock sections. Ned's Lung was an incredibly hard climb, but the downhills were scary fast and thats where I made up most of my time. Yesterday's race was the first race since breaking my collarbone that I wasn't affraid of the tech sections, sure made a huge difference not riding "scared". Next Sunday is round 4 in the NYState MTB Series in Liberty NY. Sports are racing 18 miles, from what I've heard it's mostly all climbing :mad2:

RC ...

 

[Mare]

Congrats!!!

Thanks. You too!

 

[ayhan.emrah@gmail.com]

My Son's Race Review!!!

Thanks. You too!

Chain Stretcher was the last H2H series mountain bike race in 2008. It was an hour and a half hour away from our house. We got lost in finding the place. It was really cold and mostly rainy. We checked out the trail a little bit. Then we saw that it was really muddy and wet.

We were at the starting line. When the race started I started fast. However, after about 5 seconds, I got stuck in between two stupid old people. I past the people so fast that I went from last to 4th.

After a while, things started getting bad, I was fifth and fifth a long time, almost 3-4 miles. Towards the last 3-4 miles, I got so mad that I was on fire. I past one person. After about a mile, I past two more people. One of them had a broken chain, he was leading the group, but then he was not. Then I past another one and now I am second behind Jake again. This time I was so close to passing Jake. I think I am going to next time I race him. I ended the race second.

I was super muddy at award when I got my medal. Then I went to one of my soccer games. Our team won. The score was 6 to 3. I went home to get some shower and rest.

 

[Engignar]

I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of rain hitting the trees and had a serious desire to roll back over and sleep for another four hours. I shook it off and said to myself Get yourself together man! Let's do this! It rained the whole ride up and I was very wary about the conditions...my preride on Friday showed a few sections that were sketchy at best, adding all the mud and slime to the mix would make it downright dangerous I thought, so I knew I needed to have my head in the game. I think the conditions ended up playing to my advantage though, as I seem to excel in the techy stuff.

My class went off third (Beg 19-29), which was a bit of a change as I am used to being the first riders on the course. With the tight singletrack I figured passing would be a challenge and wanted to try and get free of the pack early. I took the lead onto the fireroad only to be passed immediately, at which point his back tire began spinning and flinging mud in my eyes. No thank you! He bobbled a bit on the first little climb there and I went by him, never to get passed again.
I don't pace myself to well, and tend to go very hard the whole time, knowing I will be slower at the end. Because of this I tried to build as much lead as I could so I had a cushion to fall back on. As it turns out, I caught a lot of guys in the 30 -39 and 40 -49 class who went off ahead of me and had a total blast working my way through people and picking spots to pass when someone would make a bobble. Everyone was a really good sport and very courteous, with lots of encouragements like "nice climb" etc, which is great to hear from people you are competing with! As much as I feared many portions of the course would be almost unrideable due to the mud I managed to clear most everything, only popping off a few times when I would spin out. I always play head games with myself, knowing that I only have four then 3m then two miles to go...Reading all of the reports of the 8.2 miles. I ended up clocking it at 8.68 and was pretty spent at the end. It worked out, and I won my class with a 59:55 lap, beating the next guy by 6 minutes! Next year I'm going to make the jump to sport, so I will have to get my pacing down a little better (or my fitness a little higher). Overall the course was super fun and I actually enjoyed the slipperyness. Just something about finishing a ride totally exhausted and covered in mud and rain with a big smile on your face. So satisfying. Great job to the organizers putting on the race in those conditions and making it as safe as possible for all of the competitors.

 

[idbrian]

Jamie,

Is there a regular updated map of Blue that has those newer trails on it?

Thanks.

 

[Steve Vai]

You're Superfly seems to be missing one of it's chainrings

-Jim.

PS-Sorry to have missed this event. I know Jamie does awesome work putting races together, and I also LOVE to climb. But I like cyclocross more so