That Roman Nose Thing

Well its been one week since the Roman Nose race and thought I better get something posted concerning the outcome. Considering all the rain in that area just afew days prior to the race, the trail was in pretty good shape.

Linda went off in the Cat 3 group at 9:00 am to do a single 8 mile lap. Her confidence and technical skills are really improving and this trail sets up nicely for her. The first half mile of the course is on asphalt and leads you to the bottom of a steep climb and another 1/2 mile of fast jeep trail. LJ is really fast of the start and this type of terrain is exactly what she needs. She had built a nice lead and quickly progressed across the dam and into the single track. LJ was able to maintain her position through Inspiration Point but shortly after departing that area she had a chain issue. It was not a serious problem and one that can fixed very quickly. However, I have failed to give her any instructions on how to make these types of simple repairs. So, what should have taken 15 seconds to fix
ended up taking her 4 minutes. During this time, the second place rider that she had built a good lead on, was able to close the gap and move out to what would be an insurmountable margin for Linda to overcome. LJ ended up winning her age group and and finishing 2nd overall in in women's Cat 3. Linda was happy with her finish but it was disappointing because she would have likely been 1st overall had it not been for those mechanical problems. Oh well, that's all part of racing.

As for me, I had set a goal of 90 minutes to finish my two laps and I was able to beat that time. However, that was not good enough for a top 5 finish. The Cat 2 class in the Tour De Dirt Race Series is extremely competitive and loaded with really good riders. Just the slightest mistake will cost you dearly. I made that mistake early on after crossing the damn and heading up into the single track. Their was a temporary river flowing through that area and I had some issues navigating through the water. I dropped from 2nd to 9th and was never able to regain much of that lost ground. Oh well, live and learn.

After recovering for afew days I was able to get in an awesome ride at Wilson on Thursday. LJ and I are headed back up there on Monday morning. I have some big racing events coming up in June and I will discuss these in detail on my next post.

Until then, "Stay Clipped In and Crankin".

Crankin Away

(Below) LJ and I at Roman Nose and Inspiration Point


As I write this post, Linda and I are crashing in beautiful Watonga, OK. We made the 3 hour drive down today to pre-ride the Roman Nose trail in preparation for tomorrow's race. Roman Nose is one of my favorite trails and we always top off a night here with a great meal from the Noble House.

Considering this area has had about 2 inches of rain in the past 10 days, the trail is in pretty good shape. There are some areas of mud and some deep running water. But that will just make the race abit more challenging. The Cat 2 class that I am competing in will ride 14 miles. My class is extremely competitive with a large number of very talented racers so I am not expecting a real high finish. But, my goal is to just go faster than last years race. Linda will be competing here also and she is pretty stoked for the event. This is her first time to ride here and she did pretty well on her pre-ride lap today. This is a great trail and it reminds me alot of Lake Wilson.

(Below) The Wilson group ride and LJ's first ride down Stego drop


Speaking of Lake Wilson, a group of us had a great evening ride there this past Tuesday. Doug Chambers has been wanting to get some pictures of riders on the trail and the evening light was perfect for that. Sandy Gilmore-McMullen went with us and it was a good night for her and Linda because they were both able to overcome their fear of the in-famous Stegosaurus drop. The evening was topped off with some great burgers cooked by Chef Chambers.

Well that's all for now, be looking for a Roman Nose race report in the next few days. Until next time, stay "Clipped In and Crankin".

The Thrill of Victory

Well this is my first post since the fabulous Wilson Fat Tire Race. As usual Doug Chambers puts on an outstanding event and it brings out most of the top riders in Kansas. There were 100 racers total and in addition to all the local riders, there were large groups from the Wichita area, from Emporia and also from Kansas City. One of the great things about mountain biking is being around all the great people.

In this blog installment, I will concentrate on the race results of my lovely wife Linda (also know as LJ).

The race format for Wilson had the Cat 3 racers going off at 10:00 am and doing a shorter 10 mile course. This would be perfect for me since I didn't start until 12:15. So, I was able to follow LJ around the trail giving her moral support and snapping afew pics. This is another thing that makes Wilson a great race venue, you can venture out to numerous spots and follow your favorite riders. I am very proud of Linda! She has really been training hard for Wilson and this was just her second solo race. She also did the Camp Alexander race last year and we have done Cruise the Blues several time as a team.

I had encouraged LJ to start towards the front because I knew she could ride all the early technical rock sections and I didn't want her to get caught behind the hike-a-bikers in that area. As is turned out, this was the right move for her as she was able to cruise through that area and really get off to a good start. Linda made it up "Tower Hill" and across the first road crossing without any problems. She crossed the road and navigated the "Roller coaster Section" in good time. Up "5 Mile Hill", down through the "Marina Section" and on to the cut-off. Up "Cabin Hill", down past the park office and into the super fast finishing section. LJ made it through her race without any major issues and finished 1st in her class with a very respectable time of 1:08:30

It is very gratifying for me to watch how far LJ has come in the past year and now she is enjoying the fruits of her labor. Her improvement has been outstanding and she will only become a better rider as she acquires more technical skills. For me, I might enjoy watching her race more than racing myself.

I will post again in a day or two with the results of my race at Wilson. Until then, "Stay Clipped In and Crankin".

(LEFT) LJ getting pre-race info
(BELOW) LJ and Sandy-Gilmore McMullen before the race

Expectations

Well its been almost 2 weeks since the Wilson Fat Tire Race. To say I was pretty pumped for this event is a understatement. Local trail knowledge is always an advantage, especially on a trail as challenging as Wilson and I know those 17 miles of trail like the back of my hand. Also adding to my expectations was the fact that I had rode a personal best lap of 1:42:45 the weekend before during a race tempo practice lap. So, needless to say I had set my bar pretty high.

As we lined up for the race, I had made the decision to start up front and stay with the lead group at least through the first technical section. We bolted out of the start and down the 1/4 mile of asphalt road towards the trail. The mass of racers had done a nice job of spreading out and we funneled into the tight singletrack without any problems and I was right where I wanted to be near the front. The pace was pretty fast and I hitched on the rear derailer of Brad Smith as we approached the first tight rocky section. Things were looking good for us until we encountered the one thing that every racer dreads, a rider that will not let you pass. Brad yelled out several times that he wanted to pass but this guy would not give an inch. Finally, after several attempts, Brad was able to find a slightly wider spot in the trail that allowed him to squeeze by. My attempt to pass also met with the same results but as we reached the first of the rocks I was able to take a different line and get around this rider. Unfortunately for me, Brad and the lead pack were long gone.

I settled into a good steady pace and was able to navigate up tower hill and through the rock garden without any problems. As we went past the second road crossing I felt good and my time was right on schedule. The next area is my favorite part of the trail and I call it the rollercoaster section. As you cross the road, there is an immediate steep downhill drop that ends in a sharp right had turn and from there this section is full of short climbs, sharp turns and afew jumps and boulders mixed in. I navigated Stegosaurus drop and Pine drop without any issues and headed past the Wilson Park office. After a short stair step climb and then the fast decent towards the third road crossing I began to navigate around the Marina section. At around mile eight, Steve Dutton and Dave Nily passed me and it was at this point I began to feel my pace had slowed just abit but I still felt pretty good.

I continued on towards the bridge and I noticed my time was definitely no longer on target. I was running about 1 minute slower than I needed to be. As I entered the newest technical section, Jeff Zook had pulled up behind and I slowed to allow him to pass. Around mile 11, I pulled even with a rider who was slowly walking his bike up a short climb. It was Brad, he had started to cramp up and was in pretty bad shape. Since there was nothing I could do for him I continued on towards the bridge. As I passed under the bridge I began to really sense my legs were feeling dead and after reaching the top of another short steep climb at the 14 mile mark it hit me, CRAMPS! They started in my left hip and quickly moved down that leg and then very quickly both legs were on fire. I coasted down the hill and when I came to a stop I was not able to turn my ankles to get unclipped from the pedals so I just fell over narrowly missing a cactus bed. After what seemed like forever, I was able to get unclipped and pull myself up to a kneeling position. This was my first ever experience with cramps and let me tell you the pain is excruciating. After slowly walking several hundred yards, the pain eased enough to allow me to get back on the bike. As I headed towards Cabin Hill, needless to say I was very concerned that the cramps would return. But, to my surprise they did not and I was able to finish the race.

The time I spent walking had cost me 7 or 8 minutes and it showed in my finishing time. My time of 1:52:30 was still good enough for 3rd place in my class. However, for me it isn't about where I finish as much as it is about meeting my expectations. Unfortunately, I was not able to reach that bar this time but I will keep pushing forward and looking to improve.

Until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".