Assorted Bikes and Friday Ramblings

It's been a rough week.  

Sunday was the Eastern Cup 6 Hour race at Catamount.  I can't find any good pictures or much time for a formal write-up, but I'll have that together shortly while it's still semi-relevant.

The short version is that I had an awesome race.  Bounced around in traffic a bit on lap 1, but settled in and rode steady for 8 laps and a 13th overall finish in a very strong field.  I beat some guys I've been gunning for all season and closed the gap on a few others.

Monday night we had an intense rain storm, which triggered a string of all too familiar feelings and reactions, all of which were bad and very much blown out of proportion.  As a result I ran around filling holes and just generally panicking, which is bad pretty much always.  

I had planned to try to race two weekends back-to-back, which is a tall order but possible with optimal rest and recovery in between.  I've had neither and am still formulating my weekend plan.

This week has also been tough at work, and I'll spare you the details.  I've spent a lot of time on the phone, and that means my mind is inclined to wander to thoughts of bikes and riding.  Here are a few images that I've stumbled upon this week. 

 

Late 80's LeMond.  Not sure of the material- looks to be aluminum lugs, but it's definitely not organic enough to be a Calfee.  My guess is that it's a LeMond/TVT from around '88-'89.  Totally dig the paint.

At the other end of the drop bar spectrum is this 2013 BH disk equipped carbon cross bike.  Wow.  I thought disks for 'cross were hokey...until this.  Same goes for the tubeless wheels.  Very svelte and shapely package.  This was posted on the BH FB page.

Also from the BH FB page is French Olympian Julie Bresset's hardtail race bike.  I can only imagine that this decked out carbon sled weighs comfortably under 20 lbs.  Carbon wheels and the ISP give it a very purposeful, race-only vibe.  Also a 1 x 10 XTR drivetrain with a KMC X10 SL Ti chain.  This looks fast sitting still. 

 I've posted pictures of this particular Fat City Shock-a-Billy before, but I think it bears re-posting.  I really like lilac paint with the fork and stem to match.  The mismatched headset and different color shift/brake housing really don't bother me either.  Maybe this is because boutique full suspension bikes are on mind since my MX Divide is scheduled to arrive any day now. 

 

 Enough said.

The Roost: Sid Taberlay

Keeping it Local: Eastern Cup This Weekend

In a series of posts I've rambled about having great form and poor results simultaneously, so I've decided to change my tact.

Last season I felt like I wasn't able to capitalize on being in great shape and was painfully close to making a breakthrough at the races.  This year I feel like I've improved on that fitness and am riding smoother yet I haven't been able to tap into that fitness on race day.

Wednesday Worlds races have been great this year, and I haven't done any endurance races since Whiteface.  I hadn't planned on doing the Eastern Cup 6 Hour race at Catamount this weekend, but since I know I can race well there and it's a good distance for me I'm going to go for it.  

Part of my problem may be going too hard midweek and being tired on the weekend, so with the idea of competing this weekend I decided to pull out after 2 of 4 laps at Catamount this week.  I was riding with a good group- pretty much the same handful of riders I'd been mixing with for the last few weeks.  

After I pulled out I rode back to the start, and as the leaders rolled by I pulled off the trail to watch and started my stopwatch.  As leaders rolled by I saw how small the gaps were and was motivated to see that I'm improving, and although there's some hard work to do to keep that momentum I'm getting closer.

And this weekend I'm going to keep it local.

Frustration, Anger, Acceptance

"The more things change the more they stay the same".   That adage with its blended elements of zen and pessimism is a pretty accurate summary of my attempts at racing standard cross country events this season.

I'm in good shape.  A couple weeks ago I set a new PR on the Bolton hill climb, and at last week's Wednesday Worlds I had a 1 minute gap on my nemesis on lap 2, rode off the course, he passed me and I was able to claw back a 30 second advantage by the top of the climb.  So the fitness markers are there.

My skills are improving.  While I'm not setting the world on fire I am much smoother than I was a year ago.  

My cool kid inhaler seems to be working.  I can start hard without wheezing, and generally feel like oxygen intake isn't a problem beyond the usual at my limit and can't go any harder sort of thing.

I've even switched to half and half in my coffee instead of light cream.

With all of these indicators going the the right direction I've decided to try my hand at a few standard distance XC races this summer.  

 

And at the risk of sounding melodramatic it's been all for naught when I toe the line for standard cross country races.  It's like I somehow have reverted to the fatter, slower and less smooth version of myself from years past at those races. 

For both XC events this year it's been hot- over 85 degrees with high humidity and an even higher pollen count, and I've also dug really deep midweek before both races so I may not have been in optimal racing condition.  

It just confounds me.  I'd like to be able to do some races that are a little shorter and cheaper than marathons, but really it's been an enormous sense of frustration to be able to race for 1 hour or 4 hours but not 2.

So I'll be sticking to marathons for the rest of the season, which was the plan all along. 

Reading the Trail: A Session with Knight Ide

I've never been a great descender.  Average for an XC guy, but never great.  In rough sections I can stay upright, but I tend to lose time on the front the field and don't carry as much momentum as I should.

With all of that in mind I sought out some trail skill lessons with Knight Ide of Ide Ride in East Burke.  Knight is one of the cornerstones of riding in the Kingdom, and the lesson options offered through his Ide Ride are targetted at getting people to the next level.

For me that next level is improving in XC and marathon XC races.  Slight advantages in skill can add up to huge amounts of time and energy saved; even in races 100 miles long seconds count.  The difficult part is translating that goal into something that can be taught in the confines of a lesson.

My main goal with my session was to improve on corners.  We talked about my mental approach and what I needed to think on the trail.  Knight's first comment was "you're not reading the trail."  Right.  The good lines were obscured by obstacles and I was staying upright, but not smooth and certainly not fast.

We talked about how to read the trail and how to approach corners.  After absorbing as much insight as I could we made our way up to the top of Kitchell for the first of several trips down through the sweeping bermed section.  Bermed turns are exaggerated corners, so with less risk of sliding and an increased need to look ahead DOWN the trail Knight recommended we focus on that.  

First trip down Knight rolled through first and was clearly well faster than I was, which I expected.  I was also starting to put together how I needed to attack the berms in order to maintain some speed.  With the goal of starting further outside and looking down the trail I started to improve a little each run and was able to stay off the brakes. 

After the session I began to analyze how I'd been approaching corners and looked back through a couple of race pictures to see if I would have taken a different line now.

Here's a shot of a short downhill section right before the finish line at the Dark Horse 40 last year.  There's nothing heinous here, but my line is indicative of not looking far enough down the trail.  A better line would have been to start further outside, go around the rocks at the top and then also be setup outside for the (rider's right) turn just out of the frame.


Interesting.  So how did it work out on the trail?  Well in my first race on a flat, technical course I maintained speed and had my best Wednesday Worlds of the season.  You can read the details in this post, but the biggest win there was being able to ride smoothly and maintaining speed.

The formal product offering from IdeRide includes options from individual coaching through camps and clinics which I highly recommend if you're looking to take your riding to the next level.  For more info check out www.ideride.com.

Stickers and an Update

Things have been up and down on the racecourse over the last few weeks, but the good news is that I think I'm figuring it out.

Today my new stickers arrived.

I promptly wasted most of lunch break sorting out how I'd best display them.  They're a little taller than last year's version so they don't lend themselves well to round frame tubes.  So with a little creativity and a pair of scissors I came up with this- bumper cutout on the right leg, url around the left below the SID decal. 

More news to come including some details on riding with Wayward and look for a great post called "How I Spent My Summer Vacation, or Why I Got An Inhaler."

Yeah, really psyched to be one of the cool kids now.

From the Saddle- Hinesburg/Huntington Loop

Wilmington Whiteface 100 Race Report

The Wilmington Whiteface 100 is the East Coast qualifier for the Leadville 100.  Leadville has gained broader appeal in the last few years since Lance Armstrong decided to add it to his program, and as a result Life Time fitness has started running a series of Leadville events that culminate with the Leadville 100 miler in August. 

I've had an interest in doing Leadville since I was 19 and read about it Mountain Bike Action.  It was a much different event then, but it's gained a reputation as the premier ultra-endurance event in North America.

The Wilmington course shares many similarities with Leadville, namely that it's a long, out-and-back course on mostly dirt roads, gravel, pavement, a little singletrack and a ton of climbing.  The same elements exist in most 50+ mile races, but in different proportions.  The Wilmington course was very much about dirt and gravel road climbing fitness with very little time on singletrack (less than 8 miles by my estimation) and several riders competed on cyclocross bikes.

Leading up to the event I had some great practice races at Wednesday Worlds but had also been hobbled by intermittent back problems.  My training had been erratic for the past month and I had decided back in February to not put everything on the line to try to qualify for Leadville this year; instead I would do the event for experience to prepare for a run at qualifying next year.

A handful of local racers were also in attendance including fellow Grass Moots team member George LaPierre and Waterbury stalwart Jay-Pro.  I was able to find a local campsite on short notice for small dollars.

If you haven't been to the Lake Placid/Whiteface area it's worth the trip.  The region is beatiful and there are plenty of places to ride on and off road.  I'd only seen Whiteface from a distance, and I have to say that in person it is ungodly steep.

After I settled into my campsite I got to bed early partly because I knew I had to wake up at 5:15 AM and partly because I had nothing better to do.  When I awoke Sunday morning I quickly broke camp, put on my kit and headed to the start.  After a smooth packet pickup and short warmup I headed to staging and lined up in the middle of the corral.

The mood at the start line was positive, and although there was no demarcation between ages or categories there was a general agreement that if you looked fast you belonged towards the front.  As we rolled out onto the pavement I slowly started working my way up, and on the long pavement stretches that followed I recalled my decade old pack handling skills and stayed smooth while maintaining my spot.

A few times I spun out my 39 x 11- which on a 29er with my spin is hauling along just shy of 30 miles an hour.  The first 15 miles were done in about 45 minutes, and it was clear that this was going to be a fast day out.

As we headed onto the first gradual dirt road climb I became aware of my lower back.  Tingling at first, then becoming a dull ache I went from feeling like I could have an awesome day to reassessing my commitment to finish.  The pain started to radiate down my right leg and eventually the light burning and tingling ran from my right kneecap up through my quad, across the top of my hip and into my spine.  Shit.  Maybe I should have gone for the deluxe air mattress instead of the $19.99 Wallymart special that I'd purchased a few short hours before I slept on it the night before.

I settled in with a reasonable group and rolled along trying to not let the discomfort erode my confidence or stamina.  At one point I pulled off the trail and stopped to try to stretch it out, and as I did the small train I had just passed rolled by me.  The whole time I was thinking that if I didn't finish the pace would be irrelevant, so I stretched as well as I could and pushed on.

At a certain point after that the pain stabilized.  I was aware of it, but it went from almost crippling to a dull background ache.  From then it never got any better or any worse.  After I caught back up with the group I'd been riding with I heard that the course was actually a little over 70 miles, not the 58 it had been last year.  Silly me- I'd been thinking it was close to the advertised 63.2 miles both times and had based my pacing and finishing goal around that.  Now I had at least an extra hour's worth of riding ahead of me.

The climbs were long.  The middle of the course was mostly loose gravel so on the out-and-back course that meant that the descents were on the same loose gravel.  Every time the road/trail pointed down I put every ounce of Knight's instruction into reading the trail and made up serious time by staying loose and taking good lines.  Earlier in the race I had been dueling with a guy with aerobars on his Fisher Superfly, and by dueling I mean that he tried to stay on my wheel every chance he got, then would dart around me and get aero when it suited him.  On particularly fast downhill I passed him on the outside of a steep and chundery corner, and took particular pleasure in doing so.

On pavement, gravel and dirt roads there was a consistent theme of long steady climbs and fast descents where I regularly was hitting 40-45 mph.  We worked our way back toward Whiteface and hit the second short singletrack section.  The trails were nice- reasonably smooth with sinewy corners and well-worn lines despite their newness.  I managed to pick off a few more riders on the short sections with some less-than-stellar riding and was back on the pavement and headed for the final climb up Whiteface.

We darted off the pavement and down a quick chute towards the flume at the bottom of the mountain, then the trail turned up.  Slowly at first it got steeper and looser as we went with a particularly sharp and nasty uphill right before the last aid station.  Of the six guys in my group I was the only one who cleaned it.

At the aid station I handed two empty bottles to a volunteer and drank one before he'd filled the second.  I knew the last climb was tough, even if I didn't yet know how tough.

As I made my way out of the aid station and dawdled along in my lowest gear a lone, clean rider rolled down the trail and stopped to wait.  "Hey guys- welcome to Whiteface.  You're almost there."  said the rider who I quickly identified as none other than Dave Wiens.  Cool.

What followed was one of the nastiest climbs I've ever seen: a boulder-filled moonscape of loose rock and gravel that criss-crossed the fall line ever so slightly as it made its way up the mountainside.  I'm not sure how long it was, but it was the mountain biking equivalent of hand-to-hand combat- slow, painful and completely exhausting.  Like most riders around me I rode at most 20% of it, and my pace was so slow that my speedometer kept dropping to zero because it doesn't recognize speeds below 2 mph.

Once I got to the top a hair-raising descent straight down the face of the mountain on the same rocky surface was all that stood between me and the finish.  I passed a handful of riders that were trying to pick their way down as I tried to keep the bike upright.  

In the end I finished in a little over 6 hours.  My original goal based on last year's course was 4:45, but considering  additional 12 miles and how much trouble I had with my back I'll count that as a success.  

Automotive Inspiration

I've hinted at my automotive affinity with some pictures of random roadside vehicles and the latest round of GTI t-shirts, so here's a full-on automotive post.

In many ways the automotive world leads the cycling industry with style and colors.  These are all cars that I find intriguing for one reason or another. 

Porsche 904- a benchmark for the German racing giant.  I just love the lines of these cars, and considering what other cars looked like in 1965 it was ahead of its time.

There were only a few hundred of these made to comply with regulations that the car had to be in production and available to the general public.  Most of the pictures I've seen are of silver cars with cool accents like the tricolor stripe above or the red hood shown below.

Also from '65 is this Type 65 Coupe.  Technically these are Factory Five kit replicas, but they share the same body style and layout as the original.  Here again I like the retro racing and stripe/number paint.  

And seeing this makes me think my next round of Pro-35 shirts should be gray and orange...

Ford GT40.  Somehow this lonely American supercar has been all but forgotten, but at the same time the pony car thing was happening in the US Carroll Shelby put together the GT40 that won Le Mans in 1966.  This is from the 2005/2006 production run of the new version which also was entirely under appreciated at the time.

Another new GT40 in understated race livery.

Made It

 

Yesterday was the Wilmington Whiteface 100, and as you can tell by the picture I was able to finish.  

I'll post a more in-depth write up later this week with pictures taken with real cameras and not just my iPhone.