Darkhorse 40 Reports

kimrey

New Member
And omg Kush you tried to pass Joe's Sleeveless arms? what are you crazy? You obviously got pulled into their gravitational pull and it wiped you out.
Do you think any enhancement of the POV video would reveal the rays coming off Joe's guns?
 

map111158

Well-Known Member
Nice write ups everyone, like reading these. Also gotta add that Ive only been racing a short time but this is the best Ive been to. Awesome job maddawg and DH crew, the amount given back by these guys to the racers is amazing.

Had a great time out there. Highlight of my race was definitely teaming up with Woody for a dual effort, I would have never pushed myself as hard as I did as long as I did by myself, thanks buddy.

Ill be back next year for sure.
 

ChrisRU

Well-Known Member
Congrats to everyone who was able to finish this one and for all of the great times that were posted. Thanks to the Dark Horse crew for putting together such a great event, it was really top notch. The course layout was awesome, as was the event organization and after party. The turnout was amazing as well, seemed like almost everyone I have met from MTBNJ was there.

Pain sums up my recap, back pain specifically. Unfortunately as great of a race as this was it was probably the most difficult one for me so far this season. I felt good going in but after only a few miles my back started hurting, and it was relentless for the remainder of the race, never letting me find any kind of rhythm or allowing me to get mentally into the race. I had to really push myself just to get through it. My back has given me issues on and off since I started riding, but since I have been riding regularly it hasn't been too much of an issue. Thankfully the cheering section was there to give me a second wind and some motivation to keep going for the second lap, and once I got going on the second lap I wasn't going to give up. All things considered though I suppose I have to be happy with my time and placing, I just hate the feeling of knowing I had more to give.
 

Kirt

JORBA: Chimney Rock, Team MTBNJ.COM
JORBA.ORG
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I'll reiterate what everyone else has been saying, what a great event put on by the DH crew. I don't think you can get much better than this, 1st rate all the way. Thanks!!!

Coming in & had not set a time goal as I didn't know the course. I was hoping for a top 10 finish. I went into the ST in the top 20 just pushing enough to stay out of the huge cluster f*** in the back. Some idiot tried to pass about 50ft in & knocks me off my bike. Someone from behind yelled at him for me. Legs felt a little heavy for the 1st 1/2 hr or so but I was keeping a nice pace, passing when I could & not getting the HR to high. Caught Kush around mile 6 or 7 & he told me about the crash. We rode together for a bit & I could tell he was hurting. Past him after 1 of the fireroads. Rode with Gratefulrider for a while & past him on 1 of the steep ups. Pooriggy caught me towards the end of the 1st lap. We rode toether for the next 8 to 10 miles. He was riding really well. I stayed with him until the big FR climb (mile 26ish) then the cramp monster began to rear its ugly head. I dialed it back a bit. Things started to go down hill from here. GPS turned off, cramps won't go away, then at mile 30 I took a big swig of my Perpetuem & then threw it up. Never happened before, guessing my body didn't like the taste.:hmmm: Can't even get a gel down at this point but I pushed on. Come up to the last aid station, check my camelback for water, seems like some left, so i pass. Big mistake. Not 100 yrs later I take another sip & it's all gone. Actually think about turning around to refill a bottle but I press on. Things go from bad to worse. I feel about as bad as you could at this point. Cramps up & down my legs, light headed, stomach issues, etc. I'm getting real sloppy at this point too, lots of mistakes but somehow I'm staying upright. The last 3 or 4 miles felt like the longest miles of my life. Then I hear the the horns & screaming. THANK YOU GUYS! I knew the end was near. Finally cross the finish line. :drooling: It's over! Somehow the goal of top 10 is accomplished.

I'll be back next yr even if it's just for the beer.

Thanks for sharing all your stories, I read everyone & enjoyed them all. RNG1 stood out the most & Kimrey's made the laugh the hardest.
 

kimrey

New Member
On being lei'd

I was coming down one of the fire roads with my head slightly down when the wind caught my lei and lifted it up and held it across my eyes for a few seconds blinding me to everything ahead. All I could think was "if I crash because of this I will never hear the end of it." Sirens are dangerous.

Oh yeah, we saw a juvenile black bear and a pheasant when we were leaving the lot.
 

rockstar

Member
... never raced before, thought I would see what it was like...have alot more respect for those of you who raced the whole 40!!! This was a great event... I was glad to be a part of it!
 

PrettyToughRider

big hitter, the Lama
Awesome race! Well ran and great to see how much the Darkhorse crew put back into the race.

After last years DNF, I went into this race just wanting to finish. My goal was to keep it easy the first lap, then push hard the 2nd. It didn't really work out that way. In the beginning there was a bad bottleneck since we started right after the mass of Sport men. It was slow going for a while, which was probably good since it forced me to not push too hard. But once we passed the back of the man pack, I pushed harder than I should. I rode the first 13miles with Helen Cross, at times pushing too hard to keep up with her. Then she flatted, so I was on my own from that point. After the 1st lap I stop to switch camelbacks and grab a pb&j, thanks to Chris29er for his assistance. Little did I know, when I started the 2nd lap I was actually in 1st place. If I had known this I wonder if it would have changed my mentality and the way I raced. About 1 mile into lap 2, #1 girl passes me and for some reason I think I'm now in 3rd. I pulled back a bit feeling my stomach get queasy. Then at 31 miles, the cramps started. First my calves, which I know how to deal with, but then my quads which I never experienced before. Discovered that I had no more Electrolytes, wondering how the heck I packed so few. Spent the next 5 miles in survival mode, getting off and walking some climbs in fear of the cramps returning. Everyone around me seemed to be experiencing the same thing, misery loves company. I just kept moving forward hoping to not let any women pass. Then somewhere around mile 35 a women passed me and my spirits were defeated (didn't realize she was racing as a team). I was mentally berating myself for pushing too hard on that 1st lap. At mile 36, I got a second wind and was determined to ride through the cramping and 'race' the last 4 miles, it was a race afterall and I was determined to not let anyone else pass me. Finished thinking I came in 4th, and then was elated to hear I came in 2nd, what a great way to end it all.

I managed to get one beer before the kegs were kicked, we need 4 kegs next year;) Good food. I even won some $$ to boot! And thanks to the cheering crowd, they rocked and were the highlight of the race.

OMG!!! GOOD FOR YOU!! How exciting thats awesome! I did one lap, crashed hard at 18 miles and rode out the last 2 (which I think were the toughest) with one leg. I was going to do another lap until then...but wasnt sure if I could? 30 yes! 40? i dunno. I get to try next year though. Those last 2 miles took 40 minutes.... my main goal was getting OFF the trail for the elites/pros so as not to screw up their lines. I tried to encourage them (through tears and gritted teeth!) as they flew past. I have to say those trails were some of the nicest trails I have ever ridden. I cant wait to go back there again.
 

steve336

Member
Great job Steve.
Your a bit of a sleeper(your stronger than you realize), move to cat 2, ride more aggressive and you'll be finishing top 10 a year from now. you can do it;)

Thx Chris. Been training pretty hard for this race, hope to carry it on to 909. Im still learning!
 

Chris26er

Team MTBNJ.com-Halter's
Team MTBNJ Halter's
My legs are still toasted! I dont think I've been this sore since squatting in HS. Right where I cramped are super tight still. I hope I'm not the only one
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Thx Chris. Been training pretty hard for this race, hope to carry it on to 909. Im still learning!

if you do cat 2 at 909 its only 12 miles, after DH 40 thats a breeze.
you got skilz, just do your thing.
this fall i want to go back to stewart, that was a fun course. Hopefully we can get together to ride it again.
 

KennethLundgren

New Member
Well, THAT hurt...

Well, the Darkhorse 40 was only my third MTB race, just my sixth time on the 29er all year. I bought the bike over the winter, rode it for the first time the day before Lewis Morris, then got thrashed at Lewis Morris and Kittatinny... I'm a strong roadie but coach and train many MTBers, so I told a few of them it was time to get out there with them and have some fun!!!!

But at Darkhorse 40, I wanted to do well -- a roadie can theoretically snare a good result at the Darkhorse... I pre-rode the course with a nice group the Sunday before the race. I was still a worthless mess out there, having to clip out like 8 times per lap, couldn't get up the steeper climbs, just not acclimated to the dynamic of the MTB... Ben Williams of Clockwork Construction spent a good 2h with me, helping me with some tips, showing me the best lines, and his assistance REALLY helped. I told him I wasn't used to this type of assistance, especially from a super strong rider, and he laughed and goes, "That's because you hang out with roadie scum." Lol...

I went back to Stewarts on WED to ride 40 miles. I had a friend of mine, a former pro, to help set the pace!!! Goal was to hit first lap at steady race pace, just steady and fast, and noodle the second half, just time on the bike and burning the course to memory... We jammed first half of lap, and I felt like a different rider, clearing everything (hey, to ME this is a lot, lol) but my friend started to get heat stroke, so we had to shut it down... But I felt ready...

As a roadie and coach, I really train with discpline, with a regimented plan to peak a few times a year for certain races... I had peaked in early summer for the Tour of Killington Stage Race and for the NJ Time Trial Championships, and then I earmarked the Darkhorse 40 and two final NJBA TTs as my second and final peak of 2010...

Well, I'm 100% a roadie and still pretty much SUCK in the woods, but I had ELECTRIC legs and really made a point to hydrate and eat like a pro out there, and it helped. My goal was to have ZERO issues and just ride steady all race long, and I was able to do just that, ended up 5th in the Cat-2 race, to me a huge success being there were tons of fast riders there and 150 starters...

What I LOVE about MTB racing is you have to take care of your body 100% out there. There's no drafting, no sitting in, no recovering, no taking it easier, no soft pedaling. So you have to be on point with the hydration and eating. There is NEVER any fluke results at the Darkhorse -- every rider who does well is doing all the right things on the trails.

I had a Camelbak and filled it with 100 oz of Accelerade. What I like about Accelerade is the protein-carb mix -- your muscles will break down more slowly... For some, Accelerade can be hard to digest, especially over longer distances, but I took a chance... I was going to use Perpetuem but went with my gut instinct... I also had a bottle of water, a Clifbar, and two flasks of honey...

First lap, had that bite valve in my mouth, sucking on Accelerade literally all of first lap. At the start line, seeing guys with one bottle, two bottles, knew this was going to be a frickin' DISASTER for some... I'm learning that MTBers are the biggest weight weenies!!! This is a fast course, and the extra weight will NOT hurt. Who wants to stop in a 40-mile race, destroy your rhythm? I certainly am not fast enough to stop, made sure to have more than enough water on me...

I was able to take top-10 going into the singletrack, maintained position. We were going so fast and I was unusually calm, very surreal... It was an amazing feeling!!! On the first steep climb there was a true train wreck, so I clipped out immediately and ran by everyone, in top-3 and feeling GREAT. However, we all made a wrong turn at some point, and a few of us turned back, a few didn't, and I ended up back in the clusterf*ck that is the rolling pack!!! I tried to sneak back through to the front, always drinking. First lap, ate the bar, making sure I ate it while my body could still digest it!

I caught a small group, then upped the Tempo, wanted to see if riders were up the road. One guy goes, "Northeastern, we have 25 more miles to go. Slow down." "You can slow down if you want," I said, and kept going. Hey, if you want to do well, you race like you're always behind, in last. I felt good and wanted to maintain the steady pace...

I was pretty much solo from then on, for a good 60% of the race, and I thought I was in 2nd or 3rd. Kept my head down and kept drinking, kept slurping honey. People underestimate the importance here, especially in a race this long. I remember this 1998 road race, the Paris-Roubaix, and one rider is off the front solo for 60+ miles, and every time the camera is on him he's eating, he's drinking. Always eat. Always drink. So I tried to do the same thing.

The MTBers I coach, I tell them to break the race into thirds. First third, you're almost a tourist, just riding, warming up, locking every detail of the course to memory. Second lap, you're a racer, steady, fast, in the rhythm. Now, if you've eaten and hydrated and trained properly, the final third of the race, you should be RAGING! This is the principle anyhow. Just like she says, lol, it's not how you start but how you FINISH. The final third of the race is exponentially more important than the first third... SO many riders start off way too hard and can't really experience this sensation...

Well, I didn't either! I had wanted to crush the final third of the race, but I was shot. I was feeling the effects in second half of final lap. My upper body was mush, and I'm not a good bike-handler as it is, so I had to work MUCH harder to keep the speeds up. I was starting to feel a little nauseus from all the Accelerade, but in this heat it's better to over than underhydrate. I turned to the water here and kept slurping honey... and could feel it just sitting in my stomach. Blick.

A rider (I think PoorIggy?) caught me near the end, just blew by me -- he was doing what I wanted to do! Kudos to him, looking fresh and jackhammering along. Music to my eyes. He had gears, so either he was with us or an Expert/Pro who flatted. I thought for a minute maybe he was in the team race. Either way, he caught and passed me, so I gritted my teeth and tried to pull him back, but he was just too fast, too smooth... Gone. Peoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Coming to the final rollercoaster section, I actually felt very good again, able to finish the race strong. Crossed the line and heard I was 5th... VERY happy to hear that and survive the epicness that is the DH 40!!!! I've ridden plenty of 100+ mile road races, stage races, super long group rides, but I've NEVER done a race like this, and I have to say it's the MOST FUN I'VE HAD ALL YEAR ON A BICYCLE. Just so much fun out there... Absolutely hooked on the MTBing, love it, the perfect way to split up the road season... BBQ post-race, everyone so social, so many strong guys out there, people who just love the sport, just good times all around.

I've been telling everyone that the Darkhorse 40 is the single-best race I've ever attended. Been road racing for 10+ years, dunno what took so long to get into the woods! But... better late than never!!! Kudos to everyone who performed well and even finished this hellish event...

Thanks for reading.

Kenneth Lundgren
 
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pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
A rider (I think PoorRiggy?) caught me near the end, just blew by me -- he was doing what I wanted to do! Kudos to him, looking fresh and jackhammering along. Music to my eyes. He had gears, so either he was with us or an Expert/Pro who flatted. I thought for a minute maybe he was in the team race. Either way, he caught and passed me, so I gritted my teeth and tried to pull him back, but he was just too fast, too smooth... Gone. Peoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

It makes sense to me now...your a coach. When I passed you said nice, most guys want to knock me off my bike.(in a loving playful kinda way)
As a former roadie you know the stradgedy for passing. I sat behind you and the guy in the Palo Alto jersey for awhile. I saw that you where getting tired, when I did decide to pass I went with authority to try and shut you down and take more wind out of your sails.
I too have been involved in road racing and love the sport of mtb racing so much better. To sum up mtber's are more fun to ride with and there are less games in a mtb race. With your roadie experience you have the fitness. Just ride the mtb more for the skill handling/confidence. To get ready for DH 40 I put in longer mtb rides(3+hrs) with intensity. Come race day I still felt fresh through out the 2nd lap. When your feeling fresh you can also handle the bike better.
This was only my 3rd mtb race(cat 2) but listening to what other guys do(norm,vreeland,bikenben) you can gain a lot of insight.
 

liong71er

Well-Known Member
welldone,sir!
the best first posting ever.and thank you for sharing with us on this forum esp. with your experience as roadies/coach.:popcorn:
this race recap not only telling a story/reports but also containing valuables information about with nutrition/training and such,so,.indirectly you're coaching us and that's very kind of you sir!

i think cat 2,,wasn't a right class for you (since you're a coach and strong roadies) you should racing in expert class.
but,..what do i know about racing and roadies!:D
 

KennethLundgren

New Member
Dh 40

Poor Iggy, yeah, you came out of nowhere... I wanted to finish that stretch raging, but #1 I'm new to MTBing and #2 have never done a race quite like this, a steady hard 40 miles, so pacing and eating/drinking were still a little ambiguous... Legs were okay, but upper body I was shot and I just didn't have the confidence to plow 100% when I'm tired... Blah.

On the fire roads, I'd always turn around, and no one was there... But you rumbled up nicely. I was hoping there'd be some climbs or something, but nope. Just narrow singletrack! You blew by, impressive especially since we were 3/4 of the way into the race...

I had a blast out there. Goal was to avoid ANY drama. There was a guy early on, from High Gear, who I was about to MURDER lol, and I'm so mellow yellow in the woods so it took a lot to ruffle my feathers. But other than that, race went perfectly. Didn't crash, no mechanicals, no bonking. Whenever someone crashed in front, I made it by, either riding or hoofing it. Really lost no time, just on that one place early on where we made a wrong turn (and some guys did NOT turn back, eventually getting funnelled back onto course -- don't get me started!!!).

But will be back for more. Will probably race Blue, JH, probably NOT Ringwood, lol... I'm still borderline terrible if I have to go over challenging rocks. I rode Tourne on Sunday. Is it just me or is that place puny? I searched all over, kept on getting dumped out by that lake. Fun trails though, just small... I'm thinking of Mahlon soon, too... Maybe JH...

I live like 10 minutes from Ringwood but don't want to get lost or DIE. That pretty much sums up my thoughts about venturing there.

I want to keep getting better, will certainly upgrade to Expert next year, am looking forward to the longer distances (I wish the races were longer!). I didn't want to upgrade right away because I'm pretty much a liability in the woods, am always pulling over and letting riders pass (except at DH 40). At Lewis Morris, I unclipped right away as we blasted through the water, entered the singletrack DEAD last. And then at Kittatinny, that was a true clusterf*ck. Those wet rocks were NOT fun, and then suddenly train after train came blowing by and I was just out of the way constantly, letting guys pass. Very impressive, how fast some of these guys rip through these sections...

KL
 
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elzoller

El Guac-Oh
....I live like 10 minutes from Ringwood but don't want to get lost or DIE. That pretty much sums up my thoughts about venturing there......

Dude!!! You should be ashamed of yourself :D That is your backyard.

I can show you around one of these days, but at snail pace. ok maybe not snail, sport snail ;)
 

KennethLundgren

New Member
I knew I was gonna get CRUCIFIED when I wrote that, but I never hit DELETE, lol...

The thing is, I've gone there, like in 2007 on an old Schwinn Homegrown, with Art and Tahir from Campmor. Tahir was especially cruel to me, taking me on Cannonball and pretty much leaving me for dead (well, he eventually came back for me, but probably thought I was dead).

I'm getting better, but I'm still not very competent compared to seasoned racers. Have two more big races, then will have time to explore Ringwood, was thinking of parking at top of Skyline and going into woods, heading toward Shepards. I think that'll be a little easier! I guess riding rocks gets easier, not harder -- just gotta bite the bullet!

KL
 

map111158

Well-Known Member
Blue and Jungle are as technical if not more technical than the RW race. We should ride RW, I live close as well. I can show you an easy to follow loop with a bunch of rocks. Do it once a week for a while and youll destroy people as you already have good fitness.
 

KennethLundgren

New Member
I did a long ride at Blue in 2007 as well, and it seemed hard, but almost manufactured so. Ringwood is just HARD, just lunatic rocks, like you can barely walk through these trails and you have lunatics barreling up and over and down on their mountain bikes! Blue was hard, but rideable, although I've heard that there are some VERY gnarly places there...

In that time frame (fall of 2007), I also rode JH with Ben Williams and we flew through a lot of it. But... then I heard they've added a ton of nasty singletrack -- like huge boulders in the middle of the trail. With the State Championships being at JH this year, I want to ride the course several times, but I also know it's going to be a rock-fest and better riders will leave me way behind!

I'd love to ride Ringwood with you, to find a loop I could practice on... I'm actually planning a group ride of the JH race loop on probably AUG 28 with a bunch of riders. Feel free to come on out! The more, the merrier!!!

KL
 
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