Taconic 909 post race write up

Norm said:
1. Paragraphs
2. Less pictures of those body parts
3. Smile on the podium. You look like you just got arrested
Click to expand...
I was smiling just like I was today.
 

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Recap time!

So as we have established the course was climby, techy, and slick as heck. My pre-ride the day before took 1:18 and I was concerned about keeping up my energy for 2 laps.

All the Cat2 ladies started together and I led going into the single track (that hard left was a muddy mess!). Lost traction on the first punchy climb and was passed by Ruth on fire. The flow of the first part was a lot of fun, tight twisty turns. Lost traction again on a rocky step up and Nina got by cleanly (hats off to her). Somewhere in the middle was fire road climb that was a grind but I passed some guys there. The second half of the course was very challenging - between the off camber slick roots, the jagged rock gardens, drops with trees everywhere, and the roller coaster section it's was just about survival and staying upright. I made it quite far along the section where the hecklers were, but bailed on the final drop part because I wanted to not die. I did manage to crash into a tree and got a decent scrape on my arm.

On the second loop I was mostly alone until I caught up with Seth in the tech section. We leapfrogged a bit until the final turn to the end when I gave it my all to get in under 2 hours. Got 3rd overall and first of 2 in 40+. I had a bloody knee from one of my stumbles and was grateful there wasn't anything worse!

I like the 909, it's got flow, climbing and tech. Usually you don't get all three in a race. Anyplace will suck more when it's wet and muddy!
 
Okay, I will give you a recap @fidodie

To start, Thursday evening I traveled to State College PA to visit my family. We then drove to Clarion, PA to my brother's girlfriend's place so that we didn't have a long drive a Triathlon we were taking part in Saturday morning. YES! I said triathlon! I have never done one before this, never trained for one but my brother insists that I do this with him. It's called the Tough Shit Triathlon, it's a non-event, uninsured, put on for 29 years by my brother's girlfriend's father (Jim) and his friends. You are competing for a vegetable, this year it happens to be a head of cabbage.

Saturday morning, I start with a bagel, a banana, and some peanut butter oatmeal with M&M cookies, coffee, and some water. Put on my running shorts which will double as swimming trunks and also going to be my chamois for the mountain bike portion. Anyway I swim a quarter mile up river and then a quarter mile back. It took me 24 minutes, I could barely pull myself up the ladder to exit the water. Which puts me in bottom 3rd of the group. Jump on my mountain bike and set off for the 9 miles of mostly singletrack. But before the single track it is a long climb on the road. I climb this with ease passing a handful of people on the way up, once it levels off, I pass another handful. Now, I'm looking for the entrance into the single track, I remember from the pre-race spiel "Sharp right turn, something something something". Found the sharp right turn, which takes me down a steep hill, the one I just climbed. I'm looking back, but no one follows.

I made a wrong turn! I turn around and climb back out. Costs me about 5 minutes. Finally on the right track, I pass Jim and tell him what happened, he responds with "Hey, Ryan! Tough Shit!". The singletrack is great, it's a variety of flowy stuff through the pines, slippery wet rocks and roots, and short punchy climbs. I pass a ton of people in these 9 miles. As I come in to change into my running shoes, I hear "You're in 3rd". I'm take off on the run, it's a short 3 mile trail run, 1.5 miles uphill, 1.5 downhill. I make it to the downhill and my whole stomach is on big crampy mess. I bleed 1 spot and end the whole thing as 4th overall.

It was a fun event, with beer and party afterwards. The entry fee into the event is that you bring a covered dish, so there was plenty of good food to be had.

Sorry for the tangent, but I feel that it was necessary to lead into Sunday, Taconic 909!

Up early, have a 3.5hr drive to the race this morning. Granola, coffee, banana, half a bagel pre-race. Legs are DEAD!!! I ride to registration, and think "I should be resting."

Head back to the car, throw my kit on and decide that my warm up will take place during the race. So I just talk with a few people and then line up. We are off, I have the hole shot coming through the start/finish area. I decide I'm not going to push it on the down hill before the muddy left turn, everyone else decides to push it. So I go into the single track about 7th or 8th and I'm okay with that. I have never rode this course before so it will be nice to follow people. That lasts for about 5 minutes and I'm immediately annoyed with the bike handling skills of people in front of me. So I start making some passes. I find a single speeder and just sit on his wheel for a while he asks if I want to pass, I tell him that I'll just wait a little. A couple minutes later he offers again, I take it. Now we are in the middle of the lap with some climbing, the two people directly ahead of me dismount on the long technical climb. I give it a shot but I connect with them and have to dismount as well. It's almost CX season, so I practice a little run and CX mount, I get around one.

Now for the technical decent, I'm behind two guys that descend with caution so I burn up my brakes trying not to rear end them. We come onto the double track climb, the guys are chit-chatting and doing introduction. I put it in the next gear and go around both of them. The last quarter of the lap is technical, this is where I do well. I can see racers out ahead of me. So I begin to reel them in. We get to the huge outcrop of rocks with 5 people heckling on it, I'm now in second place and I'm on first places wheel. He bobbles once and then twice. The third time I'm able to get around on the outside of the turn.

I lay down some power through the last mile of the first lap, I'm able to put in a 20 second gap. I continue with this pace through the twisties. I see the 1st place single speeder and bridge up to him. We ride together for a while. He lets me go around right before the last technical section and I put in my last effort. Up the double track through the finish line.

This is the first time I stand on the top step of the podium.
IMG_0732[1].JPG


Looking forward to Mountain Creek in two weeks. I believe that will be my last CAT 2 mountain bike race.
 
rsinger814 said:
Okay, I will give you a recap @fidodie

To start, Thursday evening I traveled to State College PA to visit my family. We then drove to Clarion, PA to my brother's girlfriend's place so that we didn't have a long drive a Triathlon we were taking part in Saturday morning. YES! I said triathlon! I have never done one before this, never trained for one but my brother insists that I do this with him. It's called the Tough Shit Triathlon, it's a non-event, uninsured, put on for 29 years by my brother's girlfriend's father (Jim) and his friends. You are competing for a vegetable, this year it happens to be a head of cabbage.

Saturday morning, I start with a bagel, a banana, and some peanut butter oatmeal with M&M cookies, coffee, and some water. Put on my running shorts which will double as swimming trunks and also going to be my chamois for the mountain bike portion. Anyway I swim a quarter mile up river and then a quarter mile back. It took me 24 minutes, I could barely pull myself up the ladder to exit the water. Which puts me in bottom 3rd of the group. Jump on my mountain bike and set off for the 9 miles of mostly singletrack. But before the single track it is a long climb on the road. I climb this with ease passing a handful of people on the way up, once it levels off, I pass another handful. Now, I'm looking for the entrance into the single track, I remember from the pre-race spiel "Sharp right turn, something something something". Found the sharp right turn, which takes me down a steep hill, the one I just climbed. I'm looking back, but no one follows.

I made a wrong turn! I turn around and climb back out. Costs me about 5 minutes. Finally on the right track, I pass Jim and tell him what happened, he responds with "Hey, Ryan! Tough Shit!". The singletrack is great, it's a variety of flowy stuff through the pines, slippery wet rocks and roots, and short punchy climbs. I pass a ton of people in these 9 miles. As I come in to change into my running shoes, I hear "You're in 3rd". I'm take off on the run, it's a short 3 mile trail run, 1.5 miles uphill, 1.5 downhill. I make it to the downhill and my whole stomach is on big crampy mess. I bleed 1 spot and end the whole thing as 4th overall.

It was a fun event, with beer and party afterwards. The entry fee into the event is that you bring a covered dish, so there was plenty of good food to be had.

Sorry for the tangent, but I feel that it was necessary to lead into Sunday, Taconic 909!

Up early, have a 3.5hr drive to the race this morning. Granola, coffee, banana, half a bagel pre-race. Legs are DEAD!!! I ride to registration, and think "I should be resting."

Head back to the car, throw my kit on and decide that my warm up will take place during the race. So I just talk with a few people and then line up. We are off, I have the hole shot coming through the start/finish area. I decide I'm not going to push it on the down hill before the muddy left turn, everyone else decides to push it. So I go into the single track about 7th or 8th and I'm okay with that. I have never rode this course before so it will be nice to follow people. That lasts for about 5 minutes and I'm immediately annoyed with the bike handling skills of people in front of me. So I start making some passes. I find a single speeder and just sit on his wheel for a while he asks if I want to pass, I tell him that I'll just wait a little. A couple minutes later he offers again, I take it. Now we are in the middle of the lap with some climbing, the two people directly ahead of me dismount on the long technical climb. I give it a shot but I connect with them and have to dismount as well. It's almost CX season, so I practice a little run and CX mount, I get around one.

Now for the technical decent, I'm behind two guys that descend with caution so I burn up my brakes trying not to rear end them. We come onto the double track climb, the guys are chit-chatting and doing introduction. I put it in the next gear and go around both of them. The last quarter of the lap is technical, this is where I do well. I can see racers out ahead of me. So I begin to reel them in. We get to the huge outcrop of rocks with 5 people heckling on it, I'm now in second place and I'm on first places wheel. He bobbles once and then twice. The third time I'm able to get around on the outside of the turn.

I lay down some power through the last mile of the first lap, I'm able to put in a 20 second gap. I continue with this pace through the twisties. I see the 1st place single speeder and bridge up to him. We ride together for a while. He lets me go around right before the last technical section and I put in my last effort. Up the double track through the finish line.

This is the first time I stand on the top step of the podium. View attachment 37796

Looking forward to Mountain Creek in two weeks. I believe that will be my last CAT 2 mountain bike race.
Click to expand...
Ha, I think I rode with you for a bit. I was second ss. Couple geared guys passed me and one I passed back and took off but two others got away.
 
Nice job Ryan! I'm sure your body was shot the last two days for sure after that weekend, swimming... almost as bad as running
 
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