With a name like that, I couldn't miss racing there.
In fact, it's one of the best places to ride on the east coast. I had a blast just warming up on some of the trails adjoining the race course. Really.
For this race, I decided I would try full suspension again. Earlier this year (or late last year, I can't remember...) I bought a Spider XVP frame from board member elSanto. There is something about the VPP design that I always felt comfortable with. All built up, with hand-me-down race parts from seasons past, the bike comes in at 26# even. It's light, but not quite race light. And the rear derailleur has seen better days, once I caught a branch in it and it never looked straight since.
The bike is comfortable, no doubt, but I knew the first bit of fire-road would be key. If I could hang on there, I would be able to "breathe" on the single-track. This park has some amazing trails. A lot of it is climbing, but that also means some fun descending. And this event does not usurp its name one bit.
In preparation for the start, I did a few moderate to high efforts as close to the start as possible. With only 2 laps of 10 miles, and being able to carry only 1 bottle, I also drank beforehand as much as I could. I quickly switched for a full bottle and lined up, having to settle for second row already. No big deal, I was actually fairly relaxed for some reason. People kept lining up until the field made up a good 3 rows.
Off we went. Surprisingly, I managed to move up a bit after the first 2 bends in the trail. After this came a section of fire-road where things settled quickly: this is basically a half-mile stretch all uphill. In the middle of this climb I was riding with the lead group of 6 riders or so, and turn after turn hoping the climbing would end only to see more of it. Finally we reached the single-track, and the fun began. Behind us was just silence.
The course dropped us into a big gully, a fast more or less straight downhill with ancient stone water bars. Most downhills would actually be similar. Not seeing the other side of those meant that it was safer to jump, which was a lot of fun to do while hugging the back wheel of the rider in front. Just follow the same line, and if he crashes chances are you will too. The bottom was a hairpin turn, and from there on the first big climb of the course. A couple guys rode clean away, and I followed the fellows in front of me. There were little opportunities to pass, and I was redlined anyway. From behind came Harlan Price on his singlespeed, and with a couple swift moves he proceeded to leave us slugging up this hill.
Eventually we reached the top just as I was running out of hope. The trail ended all of a sudden, and we were riding on the road. Not for long, the next piece of single was epic. A real treat. I was riding third wheel, and eventually second wheel, and the twins behind me started to become impatient and asking me to pass. It's always easier to follow than to lead. We were going at a good clip already. This went on for a while, them asking us to pin it up. Eventually I saw a hole and passed. Only to be passed again less than a minute later. Doh... At least we pushed the pace a bit more. We hit some rollers, and rocks were sprouting all over the place. That is where my companions decided to leave me. Just not how you think. One of the twins decided this was a good time to tweak his ride, so I handed him my tools, hoping I wouldn't need them. The other twin and another guy stopped on the side of the trail all of a sudden, victims of some rocks I guess. I was by myself, now I needed to set the pace, not blow up, and just generally find out where the trail went.
Luckily the course was well marked, and the rocks relentless (read: sweet). Eventually at the bottom of a descent I caught a glimpse of Harlan in front of me. Interesting, he must have been having a bad day. But later on I was seeing the two race leaders also. Eventually, on the second big climb of the course I caught up with Harlan and even rode by as he had to walk a real steep part of the climb. Ever the gentleman, he gave me a friendly tap as I rode by, and I only saw him again after the finish.
From there on I was in no man's land. This second big climb seemed to go on forever. After cresting the top came a 2 mile downhill, fast but no so fast that it didn't require pedaling. That part was really nice, peppered with rock gardens that the faster you ride, the "smoother" they get. At that point some of the Endurance riders were finishing their race, so I had to take some not-so-good lines, which didn't matter much with some suspension.
At the end of lap one, and through the start-finish I saw the race leaders, still together, leaving a little squiggle on the course apparently designed for spectators to see a bit more of the race. Grabbed a full bottle passed by my wife, rinse, repeat, except I was by myself and didn't see anyone else on the course. The course designer has a knack for placing hairpin turns at the bottom of the fastest descents, and more than once I had to lay hard on the brakes and downshift fast. In the second long climb, at the steepest point I wussed out and dropped to the granny ring. Or tried to. My bike didn't want to shift and I ended up having to dig deeper in order not to walk this part.
The relief when I reached the top... I hadn't dared look back up to that point, but I knew that if no one had caught me then, it wasn't going to be likely now.
I did not eat the whole race, and decided to just ride the last 4 miles without bothering to drink. Sure enough, right after I passed the line I started feeling some cramps. Didn't matter much by then.
The end of race ceremony was something to behold, with the organizer a bit, hum, lubed up, mumbling people's names in the PA horn. Priceless. The event was well run, though, and quite worthwhile, with food, music, even a band was playing at some point. And the perfect weather.
Thanks for reading.
In fact, it's one of the best places to ride on the east coast. I had a blast just warming up on some of the trails adjoining the race course. Really.
For this race, I decided I would try full suspension again. Earlier this year (or late last year, I can't remember...) I bought a Spider XVP frame from board member elSanto. There is something about the VPP design that I always felt comfortable with. All built up, with hand-me-down race parts from seasons past, the bike comes in at 26# even. It's light, but not quite race light. And the rear derailleur has seen better days, once I caught a branch in it and it never looked straight since.
The bike is comfortable, no doubt, but I knew the first bit of fire-road would be key. If I could hang on there, I would be able to "breathe" on the single-track. This park has some amazing trails. A lot of it is climbing, but that also means some fun descending. And this event does not usurp its name one bit.
In preparation for the start, I did a few moderate to high efforts as close to the start as possible. With only 2 laps of 10 miles, and being able to carry only 1 bottle, I also drank beforehand as much as I could. I quickly switched for a full bottle and lined up, having to settle for second row already. No big deal, I was actually fairly relaxed for some reason. People kept lining up until the field made up a good 3 rows.
Off we went. Surprisingly, I managed to move up a bit after the first 2 bends in the trail. After this came a section of fire-road where things settled quickly: this is basically a half-mile stretch all uphill. In the middle of this climb I was riding with the lead group of 6 riders or so, and turn after turn hoping the climbing would end only to see more of it. Finally we reached the single-track, and the fun began. Behind us was just silence.
The course dropped us into a big gully, a fast more or less straight downhill with ancient stone water bars. Most downhills would actually be similar. Not seeing the other side of those meant that it was safer to jump, which was a lot of fun to do while hugging the back wheel of the rider in front. Just follow the same line, and if he crashes chances are you will too. The bottom was a hairpin turn, and from there on the first big climb of the course. A couple guys rode clean away, and I followed the fellows in front of me. There were little opportunities to pass, and I was redlined anyway. From behind came Harlan Price on his singlespeed, and with a couple swift moves he proceeded to leave us slugging up this hill.
Eventually we reached the top just as I was running out of hope. The trail ended all of a sudden, and we were riding on the road. Not for long, the next piece of single was epic. A real treat. I was riding third wheel, and eventually second wheel, and the twins behind me started to become impatient and asking me to pass. It's always easier to follow than to lead. We were going at a good clip already. This went on for a while, them asking us to pin it up. Eventually I saw a hole and passed. Only to be passed again less than a minute later. Doh... At least we pushed the pace a bit more. We hit some rollers, and rocks were sprouting all over the place. That is where my companions decided to leave me. Just not how you think. One of the twins decided this was a good time to tweak his ride, so I handed him my tools, hoping I wouldn't need them. The other twin and another guy stopped on the side of the trail all of a sudden, victims of some rocks I guess. I was by myself, now I needed to set the pace, not blow up, and just generally find out where the trail went.
Luckily the course was well marked, and the rocks relentless (read: sweet). Eventually at the bottom of a descent I caught a glimpse of Harlan in front of me. Interesting, he must have been having a bad day. But later on I was seeing the two race leaders also. Eventually, on the second big climb of the course I caught up with Harlan and even rode by as he had to walk a real steep part of the climb. Ever the gentleman, he gave me a friendly tap as I rode by, and I only saw him again after the finish.
From there on I was in no man's land. This second big climb seemed to go on forever. After cresting the top came a 2 mile downhill, fast but no so fast that it didn't require pedaling. That part was really nice, peppered with rock gardens that the faster you ride, the "smoother" they get. At that point some of the Endurance riders were finishing their race, so I had to take some not-so-good lines, which didn't matter much with some suspension.
At the end of lap one, and through the start-finish I saw the race leaders, still together, leaving a little squiggle on the course apparently designed for spectators to see a bit more of the race. Grabbed a full bottle passed by my wife, rinse, repeat, except I was by myself and didn't see anyone else on the course. The course designer has a knack for placing hairpin turns at the bottom of the fastest descents, and more than once I had to lay hard on the brakes and downshift fast. In the second long climb, at the steepest point I wussed out and dropped to the granny ring. Or tried to. My bike didn't want to shift and I ended up having to dig deeper in order not to walk this part.
The relief when I reached the top... I hadn't dared look back up to that point, but I knew that if no one had caught me then, it wasn't going to be likely now.
I did not eat the whole race, and decided to just ride the last 4 miles without bothering to drink. Sure enough, right after I passed the line I started feeling some cramps. Didn't matter much by then.
The end of race ceremony was something to behold, with the organizer a bit, hum, lubed up, mumbling people's names in the PA horn. Priceless. The event was well run, though, and quite worthwhile, with food, music, even a band was playing at some point. And the perfect weather.
Thanks for reading.
