Day 3

sorry for the lack of flair in this entry, it's for Cyclingnews.com (look under rider diaries) and I'm too fried to write more. This coffee shop has no air cond. and no food either. I'm outa here! Photos tomorrow.


Start of the day Jeff and Chris were 2 minutes down on the leaders but they were in good spirits and motivated to take the lead. The days stage was 82k long with 4 big climbs, 2 deep stream crossings and 2 aid stations. The heat would again play a role as the temps went well over 90° and many of the logging road climbs were very exposed due to clear cutting. The big carrot of the day was a 10k section of very windy and technical singletrack filled with roots, logs and bridges with no place to pass.

Chris and Jeff started strong but about half way into the stage Chris had a flat and they dropped out of the breakaway group of Gary Fisher, La Ruta, Flight Center and Cannondale Monavei (sp?). It didn't take long for Chris to change it but they were dropped and had to fight back leading a chase group of about 10 other teams who didn't seem to want to help with the chase.

The pivotal moment came when Chris and Jeff approached aid station 2 and saw the lead group refueling, although the lead group didn't see the chasers approaching. Chris and Jeff both had full bottles so they blew through the aid station and took the leaders by surprise. The tactic worked as they held off the chasing teams up one final punchy road climb before dropping into the single track that would take them to the finish line.

While hard-fought and exhausting, Chris and Jeff are now leading the GC.

gained 4 minutes on Kona and 10 minutes on the leaders - Monavie (sp?)

On a lighter note, Poz (who is growing a moustache) and Jason (who is sporting a sweet Fu-Man-Chu) also moved up in the GC but found time for some fun on the trails finishing very strong (not sure where we are today but we started in 44th).

The stream crossings were sketchy!
Playing it conservative paid off as many teams were fried by the heat and climbs but the dopplegangers finished fast & furious in the wildly-fun singletrack. True children at heart they both fit right in at the local kid's water park for a cool-off.


my turn!

Day 2

Huh? Is that IT?
Oh God what was I thinking???

Heading to the start - Jeff and Poz.

Seriously. Day 2 - 125k - great. Well at least it was less painful due to the stage being 99% on fire road. Sure there were some silly-hard climbs, 93° heat, blazing sun and TONS of dust to enhale - however without the fast-twitch reactions needed for singletrack and a Spring full of road racing under my belt I was happy as a clam to not be back on trails. My legs responded to the familiar steady-grind of the road and we did well. Actually we pulled ourselves up from mid-pack to top third (tho I'm not totally sure on that - anyone know where we currently sit in the GC?). Either way it felt like we smashed it today. As Poz said it was a Dog Day becuase we had it "In The Dog" almost all day.

From the start we were positioned mid-pack this was the view looking back -

Early into it we jumped up 30-40 riders without incident. One frustrating thing about mountain bikers is they dont' do so well in 500-rider pelotons. In fact they suck. Too many riders would see someone ahead of them bobble and so they would lock up their brakes. This isn't good when you are 4" off Mr. Twitchy's back tire. The rules say you must be w/in 2 minutes of your partner at all times and too often a rider would get 20' ahead of their parther and instead of yelling out their partner's name (the best way to find them while keeping their eyes on the road & other riders) they would sit up, slow down and look backwards which quickly took them out of their line and into the rider beside them. Then both riders would apply the brakes and once again all hell starts to break. Many unnecessary crashes took out riders in the first few miles. Bad way to start such a long day. It was un-nerving trying to pay such close attention for the first hour or so.

Another frustrating thing about (these?) mountain bikers is they don't appear to know how to paceline. Like what you see in the Tour De France - when all the riders are in a line to maximize aerodynamics. It's not hard - you ride behind the guy in front as close as you can, dont' make sudden movements, call out (point) pot holes, rocks and kamakazi squirrels or marmots and when you reach the front you pull hard for a minute or less then pull off into the wind, let the line pass as you slowly fall back and catch the back of the line. Nope. Not today. I said to Poz at one point "No one here knows how to pull through! And everyone is so sketchy!!" He sheepishly said back, "Uh, I'm afraid I'm one of those people." Then in a spirited voice he continued, "BUT - I don't think I'm the worst person!" I was feeling strong so I often took long pulls at the front (worth the added effort to not be breathing constant dust) and would then pull off only to have the peloton pull in right behind me - and stay behind me.

Here I am leading about 100 unhelpful mountain bikers waiting for just one to pull through... waiting...waiting...might as well take a photo right?

We pulled off 80 miles in 5 hours 22 minutes. The last 1% was very fun single track but that happened to be when my legs locked and Poz's stopped locking. As we dropped in he yelled, "I feel like I just woke up!" and aired 5' over a log and down a small ravine. I tried to follow suit and almost wrecked as my legs didn't like that stunt. We held off a few other charging teams and pulled into the sports arena track with heat and me screaming at my legs to stop locking. Luckily no photographers were around to see Poz pushing me towards the line (least I hope not). Leg cramps are just too painful. But it was over and soon we celebrated...

Best part of the day, Poz had the seriously brilliant idea to order pizza!!

Day 3 - We will eat breakfast at 6am, start racing at 8am for another LONG 80-90k but from what I hear, much harder. Wonderful. I paid for this?

BC Bike Race - DAY 1

The last 3 days have been a blur. It's hard to believe after so many months of training & thinking about it, we're here. Day one is over. I'm not sure what's been the biggest challenge but there have been plenty (and I was under the false impression the training was the hard part).

I'm not sure who's idea it was but Jon Posner and I both listened intently to Chris Eatough carry on about how outrageously fun the BC Bike Race is (after he won the first running of the race last year). It was convincing coming from such a seasoned racer as Chris so we agreed we were on it in 2008. It doesn't matter how much you run it through your mind but when the adventure begins there's no turning back and you deal with the knocks as they come, and they have come fast & furious. Besides our first flight out of BWI being delayed due to what the lady on the mic said was a crew who apprently were forgotten by the cab service (then hung up the mic and told her co-worker they were out partying too late and slept in). This wrecked our other 2 connecting flights and the fun game of re-routing began. Luckily we had all day but our trip managed to take all day. But all seemed back on track once we arrived in Victoria, BC.

The next morning we realized the shuttle pickup that would run us to the start of the race was a bit further than we anticipated.

Lugging a bike box and 2 large bags 8 blocks was challenge #2.

The third and possibly most daunting challenge was getting all our gear for the 7 days of racing (including nutrition during each day) into the bags provided by the race. The exceptionally cool embroidery took my mind off the fear that not everything would fit. Kind of. Imagine jamming all this into that bag: sleeping bag, pad, riding clothing (for any conditions), spare parts, post-race clothing (for any conditions) and about 10 lbs of gels & bars & mix. DaKine makes some bomber bags as that thing was stretched beyond safe limits but it still held fast. Then I realized my messenger bag with laptop and camera was still sitting beside me...DOH!!


Another fun hit was getting my bike built only to find my forks were blown - an apparent casualty of the flight. The team of mechanics from a local shop named Bike Obsession were helpful but had no replacements.

Chris took my photo as I was attempting to not let the stress get to me, eeking out a grin. He offered the fork off his team mates backup bike but it would have been too short - still a very nice gesture from the guys expected to win. It wasn't until a local guy named Matt offered me his personal shock of his bike since he wasn't racing. He drove 25 minutes home to get it and then back - without accepting a dime. The techs didn't even charge me to change it out and instead told me to get some rest - that they'd have it dialed in come morning. Wow. I'm used to seeing pro's get that treatment but for me? I was pleasantly floored but the stress was un-nerving to say the least.

The first day of racing found Eatough and Schalk, defending champions, foiled on the prologue loop due to a grassy field that first clogged almost everyone's derailleurs then for Chris & Jeff both, ripped them off the bike. They fought back from a 40 minute deficit back to an amazing 4th place which was a breath away from 3rd after a finish-line sprint.

Poz and I were not so competitive having escaped incident at the start only to find the heat & length of climbs were the most punishing challenge of the trip so far. Poz started viciously cramping to the point of walking climbs he would normally hammer up, swearing at his legs.

Team GIANT pro, Kelly Emmet - always smiling, was trading spots with us the first hour or so - then dropped us like we were beginners in a NORBA race. Her and her team mate (Sara something) went on to win the womens race. For me, the hike-a-bike sections inflamed my right IT band to the point of searing pain. Poz and I finished best we could trading pulls with a few of the other super-friendly racers then outsprinting a few more at the end to feel better about ourselves.

We're both hurting as I sit here writing this. I believe the term "Knackered" is appropriate...

Lot of large ferns and steep hikes.

...and amazing views.

Day 2 looms as the longest day of the race: 80-some miles that will either break us, or bring us back from the catatonic state we both are currently in.

Poz, myself, Eatough & Jeff

Stay tuned...
check www.cyclingnews.com for more updates.

Made it.

3 flights starting at BWI. I showed up at Poz's house slightly late and there was Jim Potts - smiling and happy to deliver us to the airport. How can anyone be so positive that early in the morning? He even had a passenger seat planned out (since his sweet Sprinter van only accommodates 2)

Traveling with bikes and food and camping gear for a week is challenging....


Flight #1 is almost 2 hours late getting off the ground due to a hard-partying crew the night before. This wrecked our connections until Ken, the ambiguously gay deskman re-routed us. This alone took 'ol Ken 20 minutes. We thought he was cool until we realized he plopped us in the very BACK row of our next 2 connections. I told Poz he should have flirted more...

Finally - we made it to Victoria and got settled in. We found what has to be the best Italian place in town and killed one of the best dinners I've had in many moons. I have a foto of Poz and his desert Port eyeing my cheesecake. My fone won't send a photo text to my e-mail but I'll try again in the morning. If it's good enough for Pam Anderson (she ate there last night so we were told) then it's good enough for us.

Time for some recovery sleep....

Nerves.

It's 11:39pm.
I have to get up at 3:45am to get out the door at 4am.
Be to Posner's house by 4:45am and hook up a new rear wheel,
stuff it in my bike box and off to the airport (thanks ahead of time Jim Potts).


I hope I remembered everything.

Had a hard time finding my game face.
At dawn the adventure begins...

Random Thoughts From Smarter People

"Mankind is looking for food not just on this planet but on others. Perhaps the time has now come to put that process into reverse. Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, maybe we should control the population to ensure the survival of our environment."
    Sir David Attenborough, Naturalist

"Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases (which) we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess. What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution, but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and the education of the billions who are its victims."
    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Activist

AND my own 2¢

Regarding the prices and demand for oil - instead of drilling our last great places and risking trashing them, why don't we take the $4 BILLION PER MONTH or whatever BS price tag that's being spent in Iraq and dump it into DETROIT to build a vast fleet of hydrogen fuel cell cars. People would get them FREE from the government upon trading in the gas-guzzling cars they own. This EMPLOYS people, SAVES the LIVES of our troops, CLEANS THE AIR & WATER and golly, reduces our need for ANY oil. $4 Billion a month - seems that could buy a LOT of cars!!!

-Jason Berry Socio-economical-enviro-sustainable Genius? No. Just a person who hasn't bought into the McBush propaganda that MORE oil is the fix for our country or the world. You heard it here first!

Buddies

I think long training blocks that include 3-4 hour rides are hard. I think doing them alone, day in, day out makes them extremely hard. Add in some 90° days and the pain thermometer is cracking. Saturday morning I woke up dreading 2 more long days of training. I was still feeling really beat down and I'm not gonna lie, my ass hurt a lot. So when the call came in that some friends would be riding the easy & fun trails at Schaeffer Farm, it didn't take much convincing to head there instead of the tumultuous rocks of Gambrill that I had planned on riding. To make things even more enjoyable, I pulled into the parking lot to find Jon Rourke, Gary Fisher World Cup team manager finishing his ride. I mentioned to him I had never ridden a 29'er and he quickly obliged his personal bike.

I couldn't refuse and off I went. I don't typically rave about a bike or product but man, that thing was SOOOO MUCH FUN! I now see the attraction and might have to pursue this whole 29'er thing. So not only did I score a fun ride on a chi-chi bike but I scored it with great friends and followed it up with a proper refueling session at Dogfish Head Brewery on the way home.

Shawn, Ian, Dietrich & Jon Rourke's sweet 29'er. Thank you Jon!!

I knew I didn't really cane myself like my training required but I figured I could pick up the slack on Sunday. However, when day broke and the alarm went off I assaulted the snooze. My procrastination for the day's suffer-fest was evident as I stood watching the coffee drip. Even the special blend I chose, "Wake The F*@& Up" brand, usually reserved for race days didn't fire me up. I even drove to the mountains kinda slow letting the Trust Company crawl inside my conscious. So there I was in the parking lot, feeling somewhat akin to a civil war soldier about to embark on a 40 mile march to Gettysburg when I got my bike together and noticed I left the tube to my hydration pack at home. It was close to 90° again and with a 4-5 hour ride planned, I didn't really want to fill my pockets with 6 bottles. As I sat debating a solution a car pulled in behind me and I heard my name followed by a derogatory word or two - it was fellow GFK team mate Dave Caz! Another buddy to ride with!! I was really stoked to have such unplanned luck. It made the hydration issue seem less annoying (I wore the pack and refilled one bottle as needed) and off we went. Dave has been riding really well and I even ended up slowing him down a few times but it was so much more fun to be out there with a friend pushing me (on one downhill his tire buzzed my calf - which is one darn effective way to push the guy in front of you unless you proceed to crash like Caz did). We did the big-burley-blue-loop and at the far end ran into another GFK rider & buddy, Aaron Kobilis!! He was done riding but it was great to see another friendly face. We made our way back to our cars a hair under 4 hours. I was waxed so instead of one more loop we headed for margaritas and enchiladas.


This ends the bulk of my training for the BC Stage Race and while I was a few hours short of the anticipated 20 for the week, it was worth it to end it feeling happy and in such good company. Of course I might be suffering like a dog in 2 weeks but Poz will be right there suffering with me. Big thanks to my buddies who have helped me through the recent hard training and hard personal times. Really big thanks.

Beers, Crabs & Bike Talk with Bontrager

For as many years as I've been a cyclist his name has been synonymous with quality bikes and parts. Right up there with Gary Fisher. And for years I wouldn't really think about the name in regards of a person, I just thought of the brand. I remember the first time I met Gary Fisher, we had just starting shooting "Off Road To Athens" in Waco, Tx and we found him chatting up Jeremiah Bishop in a coffee shop. I was thrilled to listen in and have the chance to interview him for the movie. Before long I found it easy to approach him at races & bike events and now he sometimes remembers my name! Gary Fisher isn't just a brand to me anymore. He's a very friendly, laid back guy who just loves bikes through and through - and loves to talk bikes to anyone. Not unlike Keith Bontrager. Trek's website says Keith worked "... out of his California garage in the early 80s, Keith Bontrager developed a reputation for crafting some of the finest handmade bicycle frames and components around. Keith's mantra was simple: strong first, light second."

Last night I had the chance to have dinner with Eatough, Posner and Keith. Thanks to DC traffic I got to the Catonsville restaurant late and arrived to a dozen large crabs piled on a table with Keith looking a bit bewildered. He had never had a proper Maryland Crab feast and while the hammers were pounding he looked up at me as if to say, "I'm supposed to eat THAT?" I couldn't really shake his hand as it was already covered in Old Bay but I sat down and proceeded to join in.

Chris Eatough said Keith is one of his 'favorite people' and it's easy to see why. Keith doesn't talk a lot. He choses his words slowly and delivers then with an honest look in his eyes, a quiet demeanor and a coolness that being one of the biggest names in cycling will give you. Some time ago Trek purchased Bontrager and they run the show now - which also put Keith's name under everything Lance rode. Now it's Levi and Contador on Team Astana, Team Kelly Benefit, Team Toyota-United sporting the Bontrager brand for road and Trek & Gary Fisher for mountain. Keith isn't terribly involved in the development anymore but does work on some of the most high-end road products. We talked about the different wheel sets & carbon for a bit but I didn't want to geek out on him with cycling talk. After the normal dinner conversation I asked Keith if it was weird for him to have his name be on so many cycling products. He stopped eating, looked at me and said, "Without a doubt. It's very weird."

The beer was flowing (even Chris had a couple) and the crabs were cracking. We talked about everything from mountain bike racing in Costa Rica & the Tour de France to chamois butter & chaffing (Poz had to bring that up).

When it was time to head out Keith gave me props on both 24 Solo and Off Road To Athens - I was like a kid who just scored an ice cream cone. It felt good for sure. So the next time I look down at my Madone and see that familiar "B" logo I'll smile and remember Keith's thoughts on eating Maryland Crabs - "This is medieval!"

Beat Down

I thought the wet-wood-bridge crash 2 weeks ago that left me with 6 stitches and a $600 bill might be it for a while but the end of May and start of June have held other more painful surprises. I have been tested mentally, physically and emotionally to a level not seen by this camper in a long, long time. The majority of hoopla has been too personal for public consumption but I find resolution through typing and you might get a kick out of these speed bumps:

On the way home to Rochester for Memorial Day weekend I detoured off to the mountains outside of Frederick. The throngs of Baltimorites who left work early that Friday clogged the highway which gobbled up precious daylight. After some very creative local-street-detouring I tried hard to get 4 hours of training in but 3 flats (and only one spare tube), 2 nasty crashes (one catching myself before my face met a guillotine rock an inch away) and the setting sun left me with under 3 hours in and not quality hours at that. By the end of my solo ride I was so nervous I'd split my lip open again I could barely ride the plethora of rocks that I normally catch air off. Funny how spectators or someone else to ride with mitigate the threat of crashing.

Home-time was good but hectic as usual. Dealing with aging parents & that sort of thing hints at tougher times to come. I scored a short but fun ride with friends then it was back in the car. I split up the drive home with a stop along Wellsboro to suss out land for a cabin someday.

Photo by James Kelly
The locals clued me into a challenging course used for the Laurel Classic Mountain Bike Race This was perfect as I got to ride 25 miles or so of solid climbing and ripping decents amidst some beautiful PA countryside. Again solo and nervous but determined to log quality hours. The drive home from there really sucked as I was dead tired and my trusty toyota truck started bucking and jerking. I have it in today for a new head gasket. Whoo hoo. There goes a quick $1300.

Last week I was at Wakefield Park near InnoTech where I was practicing laps at race-pace. I came blasting out of an overgrown section of singletrack and slammed head-on into the grill of a Chevy Suburban. I had this flash where I felt like a small rabbit that you might see on the side of the road - smooshed. For a second I was roadkill - my fate in the hands some uncaring jerk behind the wheel of a huge "It's My World And You're In It" mobile. Luckily he wasn't going fast and while I was, the impact wasn't too bad. After I peeled myself off his hood I started walking in small circles screaming "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HIT ME", "I'm SOOO MAD!!!" The driver got out and said he was "just looking to see where that dirt road went..." The guy was a bit older and wise - he let me vent for a minute, quietly apologized and gave me his biz card. "If you or your bike are hurt I'm willing to pay for the damages, I'm really sorry." My bike was ok so I ended up shaking his hand and apologizing for the verbal tirade and even suggested he buy a bike to explore trails - but it ruined my training ride. And for the love - who gets hit by an SUV while mountain biking on dirt trails? I do.

The craziness continued into the weekend with more personal stuff that left me with about an hour of sleep before Sunday's Massanuttan Hoo Ha and the 40 miles of XXC I signed up for. Mentally blasted, dead tired and after 2 hours of hectic driving I got to the venue 30 minutes before the start in no shape to race all day. So much for a warmup. So much for a game-face. I reluctantly got my number on, packed pockets with gels and I rolled out. I was stoked to see Darrell Prillaman and some of his Boone NC boys with whom I rode a few months ago. I knew however, the start would be the last time I'd see them as these guys are much faster than me on a good nights sleep. The race started and off we went for one of 4 climbs up that mountain. The XXC is brutally hard and after 30 minutes I was alone behind the leaders and in front of whoever else was having a terrible day.

My HR was well over my LT for the first 40 minutes as we climbed up the mountain then out a rock-strewn ridge that crushes the pace to a crawl. I had a very hard time clearing my head from said personal ballyhoo and my lines through the constant rock gardens were terrible. My back was screaming and I just wanted the pain, mental and physical to END. Then came the first downhill and what would normally be my time to shine - but not so much that day. The laurel was beautiful but overgrown and left only about 10" of view to the trail as it dropped and wrapped it's way down the mountain. I was trying hard to keep pedaling and not touch the brakes but I bounced off unseen rocks and pinballed off trees, each time the impact snapping my attention back to the bike and how horrible I was feeling. This particular DH goes and goes and goes. It's full of F-U rocks, tight and off-camber switchbacks and by the end of it your hands are numb to the bone, your arms are on fire and your tires are either flat or begging to be put out of their misery. One big lollipop loop and I was scrambling back UP that DH hoping no stragglers were on their way down it. Then XXC met the XC course where I saw other racers for the first time in 2 hours. We did just under 2 laps of that which was MUCH more fun with it's ripping smooth bank turns and rolling hills.

I managed to get a slight pop off a root just in time for the snap.
Photo from iPlayoutside
At 4 hours the cramp-monster found my legs and feasted. A really nice guy passed me and offered up some Endurolytes which I thought was cool. David T was the only guy in my class to pass me so I tried amidst the cramps to hang with him. We got to the final 100m and he sprinted. I gave chase to not look like a Sally but I figured since he rode the last big hill while I ran it and he offered me help there was no sense in trying to take 7th place from him - Nice Begets Nice. Mountain bikers are so much more fun to race with than roadies yet the sport is SO much more demanding than road racing - at least on my levels. Props to Darrell who took the win in the XXC about 40 minutes ahead of me. Man he's fast. Just over 4 hours and 9,000 of climbing I guess 8th ain't so bad but I felt horrible. RESULTS

Monday came and went. Then Tuesday. It's Wednesday and here I sit at InnoTech waiting for lunch time and a call from the mechanics to ask why there's so much rust on my truck. Maybe I'll send them a link to the Jersey trip blog. I've got 3 weeks until the BC Bike Race and it's make it or break it for training. Good thing my head is such a mess. Wonderful. I'll be on the bike 14-18 hours each of those weeks and I'm not really looking forward to that. This is one of those times I guess I'll have to pick myself up and just get to it. Like a good movie I try to always bring my blog back to a point or conclude it nicely. Not sure I can today since I'm feeling like roadkill that's been run over by a Chevy Suburban.