shapeshifter7
Member
Anyone doing this race? Im trying to find a map of the course and i can't find anything.
Jamis H2H Race #8 Tymor Park Challenge
- Thread starter shapeshifter7
- Start date
Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
Ill be there... I don't have a map of it.. Just going to show up and wing it.
Its in reverse of last years race. There is climbing in the beginning.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/223674272
If you never raced here, give it a shot.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/223674272
If you never raced here, give it a shot.
shapeshifter7
Member
Ok awesome. I'm thinking about pre-riding it Friday. Never been there before so I figured its a good idea.
If anyone wants to tag along I don't mind driving
If anyone wants to tag along I don't mind driving
Off The Road Again
Well-Known Member
Pretty tame place from what I remember, fun place to race, nothing overly challenging except the climbs, kinda like LewMo but more fun. Should be interesting going in reverse direction this year...
It is on private land in that only residents of the town can use the park. I don't know if you can pre-ride Friday, they may allow a pre-ride Saturday only.
It is on private land in that only residents of the town can use the park. I don't know if you can pre-ride Friday, they may allow a pre-ride Saturday only.
shapeshifter7
Member
alright sounds good.
Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
Race recap... if I may..
This was the first time at Tymor.. Wait wait.. Lets backs up...
A couple weeks prior, I had a horrible race at Taconic 909... I had the wrong stem and bar, tire pressure and fork pressure setup (way too far forward, too stiff, too hard) in addition to the wet conditions made for a really f'd up ride. Result - battered and bruised.
Turn the page a couple weeks forward - New bar, stem, tire pressure and fork sag setup + 1by setup. Result - A super comfy fun bike which meant way more confidence going into this race.
Night before - RobW came over and we coverted his ride to a 1x10, fixed his tubeless in the rear, fixed his rear hub and straightened his wheel + added new grips. Turn clock to when he finally left my house 11pm.. My wife was doubting that I would make the race. Both Rob and Wifey were trying to talk me outta going to this race. I almost emailed Ben and asked if I could crash his cross clinic instead. As I was typing the email, I said "F'dat". I made a commitment to race this series, I have a whole bunch of new wisdom and things I need to try and see if it all worked, I need to race this race and finish out the season strong. This was more about me fullfilling a commitment I made to myself in February. I needed to complete this first year of racing..
I threw the bike, the camelback, toolkit in the trunk and set the coffee pot for my usual 4:30am time..... Sleep.. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.... I wake up at 2:30am with my 3 year old crying in my ear.. Poor little guy - doesn't feel well - Wife handled that and took him back to his room. Back to sleep....
4:30am - Wake up, Drink water, take shower, head downstairs to make my usual Mocha (Super strong french roast with a scoop of chocolate whey protein) and 3 of Wifey's homemade pumpkin super muffins. As I sit in front of the computer and check the MTBNJ forum, I print out the directions to Tymor. Hit the bathroom, get dressed... Hmmmmm - long sleeve, long pant downhill kit? Shortsleeve Jersey, Baggy Fox short?... Decision - Downhill pants and Fox / Giant Jersey, pack a bag with a change of clothes, two chocolate coconut water bottles (one for before, one for after), banana and a 32oz of Water.
5:45am - Jump in the car, set the GPS and hit the road... GPS is saying ETA 9:20am.. "Oh F"... I can drive fast but not enough to make up that time... Keep pressing... up the turnpike I go... Saying to myself - something must be wrong with this GPS... Exit 7a approaching - thinking, Should I just turn around and go home, I'll never make it in time... Nah - keep going... GPS still reading after 9am ETA.. "F" Exit 8 approaching - "Aw man, I'm going to turn around and go home.." Wait - the GPS is set for "no toal roads".. Dumbass. Switch, recalculate - 8:10am ETA... YESSSS! Plug the ipod in and crank my favorite playlist and set cruise control for 85mph... I start mind f'ing the race in my head... Then I quickly tell myself - "Cut the shit, get nervous, getting anxious and over thinking this will only cause you to lose a good percentage of your race focus and performance". That worked... Deep breathe, seat further back and zone out to the music. Zoned out and cruising - rocking out to Linkin Park / Jay-Z mashup... Yeah, this is going to be a good day!
NJ Turnpike >> GW Bridge >> Deagan >> Sawmill >> Taconic >>> @ Race: 7:45am.. Made great time, what a perfect drive in. I pull into the lot and the first guys I see - Ram and Marek (1 and 2 in the points).. Me 3rd... I say - "Sup guys - Funny you're the first people I see today".. Park the car.
I grab the bike, throw the front wheel on, grab helmet, gloves, tighten shoes, put on camel back - head to the bathroom then registration. Picked up the plate and chip... 8:05am... Time to preride.. Thinking CAT3 is riding two laps 6 miles which means I can preride @ 3 miles and be back in time to rest and start the race. Plus - Great opportunity to warm up.
Preride
Hit the fireroad - wet conditions.. "Ugh, I hope its not like Taconic..." Hit the singletrack, wheels starting to slip all over the roots... "F". Its like Taconic. Ok, ride easy and be careful and analyze every obstacle and line... Get around to the other side of the lake - its dry.. "The sun has been hitting that side of the race course... "Nice".. Finish up the preride.. Nice and easy course.. Thinking - I need to save my legs for the second lap's last two medium climbs...
Prerace
Head outta of the woods and run into Schilling. We chat it up and true to form, he provides me with great advice and wisdom. I run into Mike R and Wendy from Giant grass roots and explain the wet slippery roots situation and to be careful. I also been meaning to thank Mike for the wisdon he gave me at Lewis Morris - "Ride more miles".. Which is when I bought my Cyclocross bike resulting in learning better cadence and pace.
I also took an opportunity to walk over and introduce myself to some other MTBNJ kit'd folks. Good stuff. Good peeps
Now waiting, I see all the guys in my class.. Chat it up with them and start breaking down what I saw on the preride... Warning everyone of the slippery roots and rocks.
Now to the Race
Lap 1 -
We're staged, I see some new faces I've never seen... I'm chatting it up until about 15 seconds before the start... "Good luck Gents - Be safe, see you at the other end" We hit it.. I held back from my usual BMX jack rabbit start being careful to not blow up or burn too many matches too soon.. Hit the single track third with the guy in first pulling away very fast "Who is that guy?", second chasing him down... I immediately begin coaching myself - taking advice from Clarkestein's first century thread - "Don't let your legs hurt yet".. "Downshift and spin and try to maintain a brisk and careful cadence and pace. Ride conversative through the slippery stuff.".. DO NOT FALL!!!. I give up third to Ram our points leader... I settle in and am feeling real good now.. Good speed, good cadence, only slight leg burn.. Little cramping in the right quad above the knee but thats nothing to worry about, it'll pass as I continue to warm up. I make quick work of all the slippery sections being super surgical. I'm drilling in when things open up. I see 5th place behind by about 30 seconds.. "Hold him off"... Now I start picking up the pace a little more.. I make it half way through the first lap to the other side of the lake.. Start climbing.. I look back for 5th - "Where'd he go?".. Keep pushing.. Climb > Decent > Spin out > Climb > Decent > Spin,.. Having a blast now.. Relieved I made it through the slippery stuff with no bobbles or crashes.. I make mental note of each small accomplishment... "Stay focused..." "Don't fall, maintain cadence, fight the urge to stand up and peddle.. Stay seated and maintain momentum..."
Lap 2
Make it to second lap, hit the fire road bridge, little style wheel for the spectators... I hear "Nice - Style points". I look back.. I see Howard from the 40-49 class.. "He's always fast, I'm giong to see how long I can hold him off and try to out pace him, If I can do that, I know I'm doing good"... I turn into the single track, I look down at Howard, "Hey Howard - Sup".. Then I drill it.. Riding a little harder now, pushing and trying to spot and nail good lines... Again being surgical through the slippery stuff... Still holding off Howard.. I make it to the other side of the lake - I see CAT 3 19 - 29 2nd place guy, I also see CAT 3 40-49 first place guy.. So does Howard - He pins it and I let him by.. I then try to hold his wheel while he attacks. He picked some awesome lines down hill, I follow.. I now pass 2nd place 19-29. and then watch 40-49 First place battle pull away from me. Third climb - Legs burning... Climb, Climb.. I get to the top, look back and say "No one in my class is close to me, I'll walk the last little switchback climb". Click, click.. Walking.. Hop back on - hit it.. My legs thanked me for that little break...Now realize I am in the final stretch and didn't fall or flat and I'm in 4th.. Super happy at this point..I may have prematurely lossed focus, I approach some spectators at the tail end of the singletrack - pull a wheelie and lose balance and fall into the brush.. Get up laughing and making fun of myself - What an asshole I am.. I asked the one guy if he got that on camera - if so, I wanted a pitcure of it... Finish the race with a small wheelie.. Super happy at this point.. I did it..
Even though I finished fourth, I didn't fall (not counting to stupid one at the end), I didn't flat, I rode well, applied all the wisdom and advice everyone has told me and it worked. The bike setup felt great - one minor mod in mind - I needed a little bit easier gear on the climbs.
I had a blast riding today and loved the course.
I finsihed the series, I beat Marek (2nd in points) today and with my Paydirt hours and today's finish, secured 2nd place in the points for the series.. F'n A! Who would'a thought I'd be able to pull that off in my first year...
Commitment fullfilled! Deep breath.. Sigh.. That was a fun year!
This was the first time at Tymor.. Wait wait.. Lets backs up...
A couple weeks prior, I had a horrible race at Taconic 909... I had the wrong stem and bar, tire pressure and fork pressure setup (way too far forward, too stiff, too hard) in addition to the wet conditions made for a really f'd up ride. Result - battered and bruised.
Turn the page a couple weeks forward - New bar, stem, tire pressure and fork sag setup + 1by setup. Result - A super comfy fun bike which meant way more confidence going into this race.
Night before - RobW came over and we coverted his ride to a 1x10, fixed his tubeless in the rear, fixed his rear hub and straightened his wheel + added new grips. Turn clock to when he finally left my house 11pm.. My wife was doubting that I would make the race. Both Rob and Wifey were trying to talk me outta going to this race. I almost emailed Ben and asked if I could crash his cross clinic instead. As I was typing the email, I said "F'dat". I made a commitment to race this series, I have a whole bunch of new wisdom and things I need to try and see if it all worked, I need to race this race and finish out the season strong. This was more about me fullfilling a commitment I made to myself in February. I needed to complete this first year of racing..
I threw the bike, the camelback, toolkit in the trunk and set the coffee pot for my usual 4:30am time..... Sleep.. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.... I wake up at 2:30am with my 3 year old crying in my ear.. Poor little guy - doesn't feel well - Wife handled that and took him back to his room. Back to sleep....
4:30am - Wake up, Drink water, take shower, head downstairs to make my usual Mocha (Super strong french roast with a scoop of chocolate whey protein) and 3 of Wifey's homemade pumpkin super muffins. As I sit in front of the computer and check the MTBNJ forum, I print out the directions to Tymor. Hit the bathroom, get dressed... Hmmmmm - long sleeve, long pant downhill kit? Shortsleeve Jersey, Baggy Fox short?... Decision - Downhill pants and Fox / Giant Jersey, pack a bag with a change of clothes, two chocolate coconut water bottles (one for before, one for after), banana and a 32oz of Water.
5:45am - Jump in the car, set the GPS and hit the road... GPS is saying ETA 9:20am.. "Oh F"... I can drive fast but not enough to make up that time... Keep pressing... up the turnpike I go... Saying to myself - something must be wrong with this GPS... Exit 7a approaching - thinking, Should I just turn around and go home, I'll never make it in time... Nah - keep going... GPS still reading after 9am ETA.. "F" Exit 8 approaching - "Aw man, I'm going to turn around and go home.." Wait - the GPS is set for "no toal roads".. Dumbass. Switch, recalculate - 8:10am ETA... YESSSS! Plug the ipod in and crank my favorite playlist and set cruise control for 85mph... I start mind f'ing the race in my head... Then I quickly tell myself - "Cut the shit, get nervous, getting anxious and over thinking this will only cause you to lose a good percentage of your race focus and performance". That worked... Deep breathe, seat further back and zone out to the music. Zoned out and cruising - rocking out to Linkin Park / Jay-Z mashup... Yeah, this is going to be a good day!
NJ Turnpike >> GW Bridge >> Deagan >> Sawmill >> Taconic >>> @ Race: 7:45am.. Made great time, what a perfect drive in. I pull into the lot and the first guys I see - Ram and Marek (1 and 2 in the points).. Me 3rd... I say - "Sup guys - Funny you're the first people I see today".. Park the car.
I grab the bike, throw the front wheel on, grab helmet, gloves, tighten shoes, put on camel back - head to the bathroom then registration. Picked up the plate and chip... 8:05am... Time to preride.. Thinking CAT3 is riding two laps 6 miles which means I can preride @ 3 miles and be back in time to rest and start the race. Plus - Great opportunity to warm up.
Preride
Hit the fireroad - wet conditions.. "Ugh, I hope its not like Taconic..." Hit the singletrack, wheels starting to slip all over the roots... "F". Its like Taconic. Ok, ride easy and be careful and analyze every obstacle and line... Get around to the other side of the lake - its dry.. "The sun has been hitting that side of the race course... "Nice".. Finish up the preride.. Nice and easy course.. Thinking - I need to save my legs for the second lap's last two medium climbs...
Prerace
Head outta of the woods and run into Schilling. We chat it up and true to form, he provides me with great advice and wisdom. I run into Mike R and Wendy from Giant grass roots and explain the wet slippery roots situation and to be careful. I also been meaning to thank Mike for the wisdon he gave me at Lewis Morris - "Ride more miles".. Which is when I bought my Cyclocross bike resulting in learning better cadence and pace.
I also took an opportunity to walk over and introduce myself to some other MTBNJ kit'd folks. Good stuff. Good peeps
Now waiting, I see all the guys in my class.. Chat it up with them and start breaking down what I saw on the preride... Warning everyone of the slippery roots and rocks.
Now to the Race
Lap 1 -
We're staged, I see some new faces I've never seen... I'm chatting it up until about 15 seconds before the start... "Good luck Gents - Be safe, see you at the other end" We hit it.. I held back from my usual BMX jack rabbit start being careful to not blow up or burn too many matches too soon.. Hit the single track third with the guy in first pulling away very fast "Who is that guy?", second chasing him down... I immediately begin coaching myself - taking advice from Clarkestein's first century thread - "Don't let your legs hurt yet".. "Downshift and spin and try to maintain a brisk and careful cadence and pace. Ride conversative through the slippery stuff.".. DO NOT FALL!!!. I give up third to Ram our points leader... I settle in and am feeling real good now.. Good speed, good cadence, only slight leg burn.. Little cramping in the right quad above the knee but thats nothing to worry about, it'll pass as I continue to warm up. I make quick work of all the slippery sections being super surgical. I'm drilling in when things open up. I see 5th place behind by about 30 seconds.. "Hold him off"... Now I start picking up the pace a little more.. I make it half way through the first lap to the other side of the lake.. Start climbing.. I look back for 5th - "Where'd he go?".. Keep pushing.. Climb > Decent > Spin out > Climb > Decent > Spin,.. Having a blast now.. Relieved I made it through the slippery stuff with no bobbles or crashes.. I make mental note of each small accomplishment... "Stay focused..." "Don't fall, maintain cadence, fight the urge to stand up and peddle.. Stay seated and maintain momentum..."
Lap 2
Make it to second lap, hit the fire road bridge, little style wheel for the spectators... I hear "Nice - Style points". I look back.. I see Howard from the 40-49 class.. "He's always fast, I'm giong to see how long I can hold him off and try to out pace him, If I can do that, I know I'm doing good"... I turn into the single track, I look down at Howard, "Hey Howard - Sup".. Then I drill it.. Riding a little harder now, pushing and trying to spot and nail good lines... Again being surgical through the slippery stuff... Still holding off Howard.. I make it to the other side of the lake - I see CAT 3 19 - 29 2nd place guy, I also see CAT 3 40-49 first place guy.. So does Howard - He pins it and I let him by.. I then try to hold his wheel while he attacks. He picked some awesome lines down hill, I follow.. I now pass 2nd place 19-29. and then watch 40-49 First place battle pull away from me. Third climb - Legs burning... Climb, Climb.. I get to the top, look back and say "No one in my class is close to me, I'll walk the last little switchback climb". Click, click.. Walking.. Hop back on - hit it.. My legs thanked me for that little break...Now realize I am in the final stretch and didn't fall or flat and I'm in 4th.. Super happy at this point..I may have prematurely lossed focus, I approach some spectators at the tail end of the singletrack - pull a wheelie and lose balance and fall into the brush.. Get up laughing and making fun of myself - What an asshole I am.. I asked the one guy if he got that on camera - if so, I wanted a pitcure of it... Finish the race with a small wheelie.. Super happy at this point.. I did it..
Even though I finished fourth, I didn't fall (not counting to stupid one at the end), I didn't flat, I rode well, applied all the wisdom and advice everyone has told me and it worked. The bike setup felt great - one minor mod in mind - I needed a little bit easier gear on the climbs.
I had a blast riding today and loved the course.
I finsihed the series, I beat Marek (2nd in points) today and with my Paydirt hours and today's finish, secured 2nd place in the points for the series.. F'n A! Who would'a thought I'd be able to pull that off in my first year...
Commitment fullfilled! Deep breath.. Sigh.. That was a fun year!
Juggernaut
Master of the Metaphor
Sweet!