xc62701
Well-Known Member
Agreed the baggage, stroller, supplies were a pain. I can't wait til she's old enough to carry her own crap AND mine 🙂
The Long Road Back
- Thread starter xc62701
- Start date
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Well that was fun. Just did the Augusta Training Crit tonight and it was my first time back there in 3 years so there was a little rust. It felt good and eased right back in. In the past there is usually a little soft pedaling in the beginning but we went right to work. That stupid hill in the back is nothing, but hard when everyone is stomping up it. I was just trying to find a rhythym the first couple laps. Once I did I attacked.
I went for a hard pull on the back stretch and felt good but sat up and got back in the group. I knew it was going nowhere as it was covered and I sat up. This happened to be just before a preem lap so I got on the back of the group and the group went hard. I really mistimed that effort. The guys I was behind got gapped off and it was me and a few others left to fight to get back as the group faded away. We were patient and worked hard but took almost a full lap to get back. At that point I wanted to keep position and try to set up for a hard finish.
Of course one more preem shook things up and I was 6th across the line but the last lap was coming up quickly. Around the final bend and up the hill I was caught in bad position and the guy I was drafting faded. I was sitting 13th and had the bear right and the drag to the finish left. I jumped the guys wheel I was on, sprinted past one other, and got one more just at the line. I finished 10th(?) out of 30 or so which I'm happy with. Not bad for an out of practice mountain biker I guess.
More trainer time this week and then it looks to be a soggy 4 hour mooch race this weekend.
I went for a hard pull on the back stretch and felt good but sat up and got back in the group. I knew it was going nowhere as it was covered and I sat up. This happened to be just before a preem lap so I got on the back of the group and the group went hard. I really mistimed that effort. The guys I was behind got gapped off and it was me and a few others left to fight to get back as the group faded away. We were patient and worked hard but took almost a full lap to get back. At that point I wanted to keep position and try to set up for a hard finish.
Of course one more preem shook things up and I was 6th across the line but the last lap was coming up quickly. Around the final bend and up the hill I was caught in bad position and the guy I was drafting faded. I was sitting 13th and had the bear right and the drag to the finish left. I jumped the guys wheel I was on, sprinted past one other, and got one more just at the line. I finished 10th(?) out of 30 or so which I'm happy with. Not bad for an out of practice mountain biker I guess.
More trainer time this week and then it looks to be a soggy 4 hour mooch race this weekend.
Last edited:
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Holding solid in the 160's this week. I hit 162 a couple of weeks ago but the vacation put a dent in that. I didn't eat super well leading up to or after the vacation so some of the weight came back. I went to the upper 160's but I'm back in the mid 160's again and steadily dropping. I still think I have a good change of hitting the sweet spot of my season in the upper 150's. So I've got some time but it's slowly creeping up on me. June 3rd and July 29th are the big races of my season. Mohican and Wilderness. I want to be light for those. It helps with all that climbing for sure.
As for the weekend I have my race bike back in action after slicing through one of the stock control fast track tires. I will try to patch it and save it for later but I have a good 3/4" slice in it so I'm not too hopeful. It will be a decent tubed tire anyway. I'm going with the Ardent Race 2.3's for now. I'll see how they hold up in the Mooch rocks. I'm feeling good and the legs are ready to go. I'll have to see how much fun this course is. I'll try to get to the camp Saturday for a preride and then let it rip on Sunday and see what happens.
Then the short race at Wawayanda, French Creek, Wawayanda Xterra, and then Mohican!!!
As for the weekend I have my race bike back in action after slicing through one of the stock control fast track tires. I will try to patch it and save it for later but I have a good 3/4" slice in it so I'm not too hopeful. It will be a decent tubed tire anyway. I'm going with the Ardent Race 2.3's for now. I'll see how they hold up in the Mooch rocks. I'm feeling good and the legs are ready to go. I'll have to see how much fun this course is. I'll try to get to the camp Saturday for a preride and then let it rip on Sunday and see what happens.
Then the short race at Wawayanda, French Creek, Wawayanda Xterra, and then Mohican!!!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Yesterday was the Mooch Madness Endurance race. I felt good all week so I was hoping the legs showed up. I had plenty of race time to figure it out.
The gun goes off and I didn't want to charge too hard up the first hill. I settled in 7th into the singletrack and would try to pick people off one by one. We hit the first rock uphill rock garden and the 3 guys immediately in front of me fall over. I rode right through the middle of them and kept rolling. After freaking middle I got through 1 more guy and then had my sights on Matt Tyler and Monte. I didn't want to put too much of an effort in chasing them down but rather I thought I could catch them on the Ice Cream descent. I got to them there and was able to keep the same pace through the first lap. On the second lap Monte was leading and Tyler was right in front of me as he flatted. He spewed stans all over so I knew he would be down fixing that for a bit. So then it was Monte and me. We rode close the whole lap and were right together for lap 2.
During lap 3 at one point I got some daylight between us and I just tried to keep the same pace. I think there was a minute gap by that point but of course I had no clue. That's the last lap I saw Monte. I rode with the pedals churning thinking at any moment he was going to come back. I was also have some tire sealing issues so I didn't know if that would come into play. I prayed on every descent that the tires would stay up as I ripped through the rocks. 4th lap... 5th lap... 6th lap I finally saw my teammate and said I had about 10 minutes on second. I still didn't want to take any chances. I even passed my pit as I didn't want to slow in the chance that someone was coming to get me. Of course on the 7th lap at the top of the last bump right before the downhill to the lake my tire starts feeling low. I had to stop to put some air in and get back on the gas. Around the lake and up the final switchbacks and I finally got to relax and realize I was going to get the win.
It felt so good to roll across the line for the win and feel good the whole race. My fitness has been coming around and still has a lot of work to go but what a fun course and an amazing day. I can't wait to to it again. Allamuchy is amazing! Thanks to all the guys who put the event together and put all the hard work in for us knuckleheads to enjoy the event.
The gun goes off and I didn't want to charge too hard up the first hill. I settled in 7th into the singletrack and would try to pick people off one by one. We hit the first rock uphill rock garden and the 3 guys immediately in front of me fall over. I rode right through the middle of them and kept rolling. After freaking middle I got through 1 more guy and then had my sights on Matt Tyler and Monte. I didn't want to put too much of an effort in chasing them down but rather I thought I could catch them on the Ice Cream descent. I got to them there and was able to keep the same pace through the first lap. On the second lap Monte was leading and Tyler was right in front of me as he flatted. He spewed stans all over so I knew he would be down fixing that for a bit. So then it was Monte and me. We rode close the whole lap and were right together for lap 2.
During lap 3 at one point I got some daylight between us and I just tried to keep the same pace. I think there was a minute gap by that point but of course I had no clue. That's the last lap I saw Monte. I rode with the pedals churning thinking at any moment he was going to come back. I was also have some tire sealing issues so I didn't know if that would come into play. I prayed on every descent that the tires would stay up as I ripped through the rocks. 4th lap... 5th lap... 6th lap I finally saw my teammate and said I had about 10 minutes on second. I still didn't want to take any chances. I even passed my pit as I didn't want to slow in the chance that someone was coming to get me. Of course on the 7th lap at the top of the last bump right before the downhill to the lake my tire starts feeling low. I had to stop to put some air in and get back on the gas. Around the lake and up the final switchbacks and I finally got to relax and realize I was going to get the win.
It felt so good to roll across the line for the win and feel good the whole race. My fitness has been coming around and still has a lot of work to go but what a fun course and an amazing day. I can't wait to to it again. Allamuchy is amazing! Thanks to all the guys who put the event together and put all the hard work in for us knuckleheads to enjoy the event.
Last edited:
@The Heckler finally getting his just desserts after years of cursing my tires.
Pearl
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
haha yes i remember this moment, feels like so long ago now!
The Heckler
You bring new meaning to the term SUCK
Man I wish I could've gotten a chance to see if I could hang with you guys! Thought, I think my legs may have popped off if I had to roll a 7th.
Nice to meet you and congrats on the win!
Nice to meet you and congrats on the win!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Hey man - thanks!!! Yea I'm sorry that you flatted so early. I was looking forward to having company for a bit.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Saturday is the next race on my calendar and I'm looking forward to beating myself up. I know my high intensity racing needs work so that's why I'm going. I'm going to see if this whole xc race engine still works. I feel like I'm riding ok for the long stuff but that's just because I can settle in and ride my own pace. This whole xc thing where you redline most of the race will be a test for sure.
I "think" I have my front tire sealing issue not fixed but at least it's leaking slower. This tire just seems to take a long time to seal up all the pinholes it has. For the Mooch race it would go flat every 2 hours. Now at least it takes a couple of days to do that. The rear sealed up totally fine but the front is still an issue. I just need to ride it more. With hitting the trainer most week days it just doesn't get the rolling time to really make it seal. I even soaped it up again and remounted, added more stans - which was the original issue and it's getting better finally.
I decided to register for the next month+ of races. Coming off of the Mooch race I still feel good and the weight is hanging in the mid to upper 160's and now I think I need to try and get it down to the high 150's. So I'm going to take the next few weeks and focus on trimming down a little more. I was 167.2 this morning so ideally it's 10 lbs off to be at 157 which is my ultimate goal. I haven't been that steady on the diet lately as life has gotten in the way with a sick baby and a funeral to attend but I'm still sitting in a good place weight wise. I know I can push it lower though.
The first big goal is Mohican on June 3rd. Just a little over a month away. Fitness is improving, weight is much improved, and the new bike is fantastic. Up next are Waway, Tour de Lake, French Creek, and the Waway Xterra Tri to get some last hard efforts in before the 100.
I "think" I have my front tire sealing issue not fixed but at least it's leaking slower. This tire just seems to take a long time to seal up all the pinholes it has. For the Mooch race it would go flat every 2 hours. Now at least it takes a couple of days to do that. The rear sealed up totally fine but the front is still an issue. I just need to ride it more. With hitting the trainer most week days it just doesn't get the rolling time to really make it seal. I even soaped it up again and remounted, added more stans - which was the original issue and it's getting better finally.
I decided to register for the next month+ of races. Coming off of the Mooch race I still feel good and the weight is hanging in the mid to upper 160's and now I think I need to try and get it down to the high 150's. So I'm going to take the next few weeks and focus on trimming down a little more. I was 167.2 this morning so ideally it's 10 lbs off to be at 157 which is my ultimate goal. I haven't been that steady on the diet lately as life has gotten in the way with a sick baby and a funeral to attend but I'm still sitting in a good place weight wise. I know I can push it lower though.
The first big goal is Mohican on June 3rd. Just a little over a month away. Fitness is improving, weight is much improved, and the new bike is fantastic. Up next are Waway, Tour de Lake, French Creek, and the Waway Xterra Tri to get some last hard efforts in before the 100.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Today was the Waway Spring Cleaning race. High intensity and me aren't really getting along right now so this would most likely be a hard day. The leaders of the 19-39 category were there, Matt Bruno that I remember is really strong in CX, and a few others. 8 total were on the line.
We took off nice and easy up the road and it got a little feisty as we turned onto Black Eagle. Here's where we would test the rock riders. I know some of the guys have good engines but I wasn't sure who could ride the rocks. I was hoping I'd have an advantage in the technical stuff. I sit 4th wheel and hang close to the group as we fire onto Hoefferlin. On one of the rocky ups someone bobbles causing Andrew from Black Bear to dismount and I ride past both. Now second wheel and the first rider started to open a gap on the field. Turning onto double pond I start to chase down the leader. As one point he bobbles and I get by him. I wanted to get to sitting bear with a clean view of the trail and now I had it. I know sitting bear well so I was ready to try and put some time into the others behind. I keep on the gas and as it switches back and opens up a few times I see no one behind. Every rock feature that we hit I cruise through knowing that if the others had issues I would only open up a bigger gap. Riding hard and smooth would be the way to go.
Somewhere along the furthest end of the loop from the start - on fishermans - I hear someone's chain slapping and I'm wondering who is bridging up. I look back and don't recognize the colors. Then I realize it's Mike Yozell from the 40-49 group. I'm happy to have held him off this far. So I keep on it and finish the lap and I'm still ahead of Yozell. That's a good person to have motivating you from behind. I think to myself to ride smart and steady through sitting bear and keep on it. All I had to do was keep on it for one more lap and I had this. Yea...that sounded fair.
Somewhere in the start of sitting bear right by the lake I rode through the rocks like I've done a lot and I hear the horrible sound of my tire pissing air. DAMN IT! I had a puncture in the middle of the tread. I rock the tire around a bit and try and get it to seal but no luck. I hit it with co2 to see if it will seal and no luck. Time for a tube. I rip the wheel off and tube it up as a train of riders goes by. I try to keep track of who passed but focus on fixing the flat ASAP. Of course my co2 was spent so I was glad I brought my hand pump. Tire back on and here we go. I chase hard. As hard as I could to try and get back to anyone. I hook up with Kirt for a little bit and hope to see anyone ahead. Kirt is riding well as I use him to motivate me but he creeps away.
I passed Steve E who was having pedal issues so that was one spot I got back. I see another rider later fixing a flat so that was another I got back. I knew there was at least 3 more ahead. I rode conservatively so my rear didn't flat again but I had to keep chasing when I could. I get to the final red trail and see the kit of Bruno ahead leading into the steep short climb. I made some time on that and realized that if it came down to a sprint, I couldn't take Matt. I had to try and get him before that. On the downhills I let it rip and don't look back. If he bobbles then I can get a gap and end this day gaining a few spots. I crosse the bridge by the start and go up the gravel hill to the finish and stand up to put down what I had left. As I feared Matt was right there and he had more gas than I did. I put in a good effort but not enough to get away. It was still fun nonetheless.
All in all I had fun but it's so frustrating to have an issue. Especially when you're in the lead. So much could have happened today if everything went right but I guess that wasn't the way it was to be. I even lost my glasses out on fishermans to boot. C'est la vie. I checked out results afterwards and found out I finished 4th after losing the sprint for 3rd. I finished 2 minutes off the leaders. I guess I do have some sort of xc effort in me but there's still more to come. More training, more endurance, more fun to be had.
Next up is the French Creek 4 hour race. Back to endurance. Next xc race will be Lewis Morris. That's my nemesis.
We took off nice and easy up the road and it got a little feisty as we turned onto Black Eagle. Here's where we would test the rock riders. I know some of the guys have good engines but I wasn't sure who could ride the rocks. I was hoping I'd have an advantage in the technical stuff. I sit 4th wheel and hang close to the group as we fire onto Hoefferlin. On one of the rocky ups someone bobbles causing Andrew from Black Bear to dismount and I ride past both. Now second wheel and the first rider started to open a gap on the field. Turning onto double pond I start to chase down the leader. As one point he bobbles and I get by him. I wanted to get to sitting bear with a clean view of the trail and now I had it. I know sitting bear well so I was ready to try and put some time into the others behind. I keep on the gas and as it switches back and opens up a few times I see no one behind. Every rock feature that we hit I cruise through knowing that if the others had issues I would only open up a bigger gap. Riding hard and smooth would be the way to go.
Somewhere along the furthest end of the loop from the start - on fishermans - I hear someone's chain slapping and I'm wondering who is bridging up. I look back and don't recognize the colors. Then I realize it's Mike Yozell from the 40-49 group. I'm happy to have held him off this far. So I keep on it and finish the lap and I'm still ahead of Yozell. That's a good person to have motivating you from behind. I think to myself to ride smart and steady through sitting bear and keep on it. All I had to do was keep on it for one more lap and I had this. Yea...that sounded fair.
Somewhere in the start of sitting bear right by the lake I rode through the rocks like I've done a lot and I hear the horrible sound of my tire pissing air. DAMN IT! I had a puncture in the middle of the tread. I rock the tire around a bit and try and get it to seal but no luck. I hit it with co2 to see if it will seal and no luck. Time for a tube. I rip the wheel off and tube it up as a train of riders goes by. I try to keep track of who passed but focus on fixing the flat ASAP. Of course my co2 was spent so I was glad I brought my hand pump. Tire back on and here we go. I chase hard. As hard as I could to try and get back to anyone. I hook up with Kirt for a little bit and hope to see anyone ahead. Kirt is riding well as I use him to motivate me but he creeps away.
I passed Steve E who was having pedal issues so that was one spot I got back. I see another rider later fixing a flat so that was another I got back. I knew there was at least 3 more ahead. I rode conservatively so my rear didn't flat again but I had to keep chasing when I could. I get to the final red trail and see the kit of Bruno ahead leading into the steep short climb. I made some time on that and realized that if it came down to a sprint, I couldn't take Matt. I had to try and get him before that. On the downhills I let it rip and don't look back. If he bobbles then I can get a gap and end this day gaining a few spots. I crosse the bridge by the start and go up the gravel hill to the finish and stand up to put down what I had left. As I feared Matt was right there and he had more gas than I did. I put in a good effort but not enough to get away. It was still fun nonetheless.
All in all I had fun but it's so frustrating to have an issue. Especially when you're in the lead. So much could have happened today if everything went right but I guess that wasn't the way it was to be. I even lost my glasses out on fishermans to boot. C'est la vie. I checked out results afterwards and found out I finished 4th after losing the sprint for 3rd. I finished 2 minutes off the leaders. I guess I do have some sort of xc effort in me but there's still more to come. More training, more endurance, more fun to be had.
Next up is the French Creek 4 hour race. Back to endurance. Next xc race will be Lewis Morris. That's my nemesis.
Last edited:
Kaleidopete
Well-Known Member
Wow! Good job! Thanks for the great recap.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
It was amusing to hear you guys when you came through. I could tell you felt my pain. I had it dialed but it wasn't meant to be.
Thanks man. The progress is the key for sure. I'm trying not to beat myself up too much. It was a good effort and my legs were still cranky from the four hour race last weekend.
Next thing is I've gotta find a tire setup that I'm happy with. I know it can happen with any tire but fighting with the front not sealing and blowing up the rear has me wanting to move on to something else. I'll get it figured out. Fitness wise - More hard work ahead.
Nothing you could have done about the tire. Them's the breaks. OTOH, fighting back through a cluster-f**k of a change to get elbow to elbow with Bruno is STOUT work for someone w/out a sharp-end. Nice to see your problems are now the same as any frighteningly fast persons are 🙂 That said, if you don't podium at LewMo, I will punch you in the nards.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Challenge accepted. My nards are on notice!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I took the plunge and kicked myself in the nards today to line up for the Tour de Lake. I've done a few of these before but not after a hard race like waway yesterday.
It was sketchy as hell around the lake with morons riding over the yellow and almost mixing it up with oncoming traffic. Then it really fired up on 181. I dug as deep as I could to hold on to the lead ground and it worked. I was hanging in the top 25. Shot over to the glen down the hill and then over to the flats through Ogdensburg. That's when we hit the funny part - as I've never experienced it before being just a chill paced group ride waiting for Edison. It was flat out slow. Then came Edison - I knew I wasn't going to hang. I was proud to get there with the lead group.
I climbed edison well but just not super fast. I found a group to hang with up and over Weldon. We picked up 2 skylands guys and the pace lifted to plaid. Holy crap they were going fast. I let them go and did my own pace to the finish. 8 miles of twisty roads and a couple nice climbs and it was over. I was really hoping to get under 2 hours and I crossed the finish right at the 1:55 mark. Fastest time yet and according to strava some of the fastest sections of the course I have ridden to date. I'm glad I hit the end hard as I finished right before a group of 10 riders I didn't know were right behind me!
My goal was to beat myself up again and I did it. AND I DIDN'T FLAT! Sorry still a little sore from yesterday. What an awesome weekend of riding!!!
It was sketchy as hell around the lake with morons riding over the yellow and almost mixing it up with oncoming traffic. Then it really fired up on 181. I dug as deep as I could to hold on to the lead ground and it worked. I was hanging in the top 25. Shot over to the glen down the hill and then over to the flats through Ogdensburg. That's when we hit the funny part - as I've never experienced it before being just a chill paced group ride waiting for Edison. It was flat out slow. Then came Edison - I knew I wasn't going to hang. I was proud to get there with the lead group.
I climbed edison well but just not super fast. I found a group to hang with up and over Weldon. We picked up 2 skylands guys and the pace lifted to plaid. Holy crap they were going fast. I let them go and did my own pace to the finish. 8 miles of twisty roads and a couple nice climbs and it was over. I was really hoping to get under 2 hours and I crossed the finish right at the 1:55 mark. Fastest time yet and according to strava some of the fastest sections of the course I have ridden to date. I'm glad I hit the end hard as I finished right before a group of 10 riders I didn't know were right behind me!
My goal was to beat myself up again and I did it. AND I DIDN'T FLAT! Sorry still a little sore from yesterday. What an awesome weekend of riding!!!
Go Schawlbe!
Actually IMO flats come and go, it happens. Hopefully the flat gods are appeased and you continue on your way.