Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Race Report: Gunnison Growler

This past weekend I went down to Gunnison for The Original Growler and a little relaxation before the race.  My wife, Megan, and I got into Gunnison Friday evening to spend Saturday at Curecanti National Park just West of Gunnison for some hiking, a picnic, and lake kayaking.  The views were amazing and once again reaffirmed our love for Colorado.  We love small towns like Gunnison and the friendly people that live in them.  After a long day of adventure, I slept like a baby Saturday night and arose to a chilly Sunday race morning with a 7 a.m. start.  Things warmed up fast after a long neutral start to the trails at Hartman Rocks.  The race really heats up after the neutral start ends and then hit a steep fire road dubbed "Kill Hill".  I stayed ahead of the pack up the hill to avoid pile-ups since the Growler is one of most technical endurance races out there.  I was riding among pros who I've followed through the years.  It was really exciting to be among the greats.  I did a decent job keeping up with the top twenty riders the first lap, and made sure to not completely burn myself out.  My legs and lungs were fine, but man does that course mess with your head.  Lots of technical... LOTS!!! During the first lap I didn't expect the last couple miles to be so technical, and quite frankly I was getting a little annoyed.  After refueling midway from my awesome support crew of Rae, Rachel, Theresa, and Amber, I was physically and mentally recharged.  I spent the earlier part of the second lap slowly reeling in my competition.  I was ready to hit the techy stuff on the last half of the lap when on a downhill I heard the deafening sound of a hissing tire losing air.  I cut a small hole in the side of my rear tire.  I tried putting my bike on it's side hoping the sealant in my tire would seal it, but it was a no go.  I had to swap out the tube.  This cost me twelve minutes and at least twelve spots.  I tried to push the pace to reel some guys in, but it was no use.  I was cooked.  I ended up 40th overall (22 in my age group) with a time of 6:01:57.  Getting flats is just a part of the sport.  It is what it is.  I still had a great time racing and hanging out with my teammates.  We were easily the most supportive team out there cheering loudly for our own teammates, and for anyone else coming across the finish as well.  The race does not officially end until you make the slow ride back into downtown where you are given a choice from a growler (empty, but taps not too far away), a coffee mug, or a t-shirt.  Plus, they hand you $10 to buy lunch!  The Original Growler is what all other endurance mountain bike races should aspire to be.  Fantastic event!  I am sure to return next year with more sealant in my tire!  Next up, PV Cycle Derby this coming weekend.





Sunday, May 12, 2013

An Evening To Remember

As soon as I walked out the door of DIA into the warm Colorado air, I knew I had to ride  I had just came back from a fun weekend in Chicago for my brother's graduation, and it was already late in the afternoon.  I zoomed home, and plugged in my bike light battery to charge while I got ready.  I grabbed a quick bit to eat, prepared the bike, ripped off my clothes like I was Magic Mike, and kitted up.  I was on my bike at 7:35pm and North Table Mountain which is under Jefferson Open Space curfew would close a half after sunset which give me exactly an hour to get a loop in.  I don't know if it was the sweet smell of the warm air, the sounds of happy birds chirping, or the fact I knew I only had a short time before darkness would close in with only a minimal charge on my bike light, but I seemed to just dance up the singletrack climb.  I effortlessly swooped through the corners.  I skipped up short steep sections without even one hard breath.  I glided down the descents like a bird of prey swooping down for the kill.  Even though I already have two races under my belt for the year, it didn't feel like the bike season had started until today.  It's going to be the best year yet.  Get out there and ride!\



Friday, May 10, 2013

Race Report: Ridgeline Rampage and Battle the Bear


I have been a little behind on race reports for this year. Believe or not, I do have a real job alongside my biking career that has gotten rather busy lately, but enough of all that boring stuff.

Ridgeline Rampage

I do not know what it is about this race, but my legs always feel heavy whenever I warm up for the Ridgeline Rampage, and then it all goes downhill from there. I started the race making a rookie mistake and shooting the gap. Maybe since my last race was a cyclocross race, I thought this was a good idea for a second, but in endurance racing it is about the worst move you can make. The first lap I pushed harder than I should have while everyone else took it easy behind me. The second lap my racing buddy Jason passed me with hopes I would hang with him. Although I tried, I just didn't have it in me to hang. If my performance was not embarrassing enough, I fell on my left side during the first lap, and right side during the second lap making holes in both sides my new bib shorts. I was able to reel some racers back in a little on the later laps, but they soon pulled away again. I just did not have the motivation to dig deep enough to catch up to anyone. I ended up with a disappointing sixth place. It was not even close to the podium spot I was shooting to achieve. My buddy Jason ended up with first though, so I could at least be happy for him.

Battle the Bear

After a week of kicking myself for sucking during the last week's race, I lined up for the Battle the Bear with a strategy; don't be the first to the single track, and just try hang with Jason who is known to be a strong racer. The race was six laps of ten miles at Bear Creek Lake. The first half of the first lap was much more mellow than my last race and I was able to save my legs for awhile, but on the only big climb in the race Jason made a quick move and I followed creating a gap from the main pack. I did not realize until the second lap that Jason was not trying to make an early break away, he was chasing a racer that was pulling away. I let Jason lead the second lap, and then took my turn pulling on the third lap. We pulled the lone racer in during the that lap. After that, we took turns pulling all the way to the last lap. On the last lap we could see the lone racer pulling us back in slowly, so on the last few miles to the finish line I pushed the pace. I pulled away from Jason, and unfortunately the lone racer along with another racer pulled him in. I pushed hard all the way to the line, and I'm glad I did because I only won by thirty seconds. It was a much better result than a sixth place! I still could not help but be disappointed my buddy Jason was not on the podium with me. I'm sure he will kill during his next race though.

I have a graduation and a wedding before my next race in Gunnison for the Growler. I'm hoping to pull off a top ten, and enjoy the awesome trail they have down there. I can hardly wait!