Ah...Vulture's Knob...my favorite racecourse. This is where racing started for me way back when, I think it was just about 10 years ago. Last Saturday night found me back there again racing some the same trails that were built more than a decade ago. After having mixed results so far this season I showed up with no real goals or expectation, just hopes for no mechanical problems and a fun day of racing.
Recent heavy rains left the course extremely muddy and slick, and most of the fast guys from this area showed up to play in the mud. Temps were in the mid 70's with humidity.
Our Pro/Expert start was extremely fast, despite getting a great jump off the line I
found myself neck and neck with 3 other racers 50 
yards off the line as we sprinted for the singletrack. Then just as we began our left hand sweeper to begin the prologue one racer decided to go straight causing a high speed pile up involving myself and a couple other racers. We went down hard! I picked myself up to see bikes and bodies and water bottles scattered on the ground to each side of me. Automatically I jumped up and remounted, now at the back of the pack. Time to play catchup!
Slowly working my way through the pack, passing whenever the trail allowed, I clawed my way up to 4th place by the end of lap 1 and was feeling very good.
Early into the second lap I moved into 3rd and rode the entire lap mostly alone, wondering how far ahead the leaders were. Then about mid-lap I caught sight of 2nd place and slowly reeled him in as he began to slow in the hot, muddy, conditions. I found great satisfaction passing him beginning the 3rd and final lap as he was 
the guy that caused the wreck at the start, and also because I have never beat this multi-time state champion in a fair race.
The final lap 
was by far the most difficult of the day as the trail became even more unridable in spots and the watery mud became more of a peanut butter consistency. Riding across the line for my final lap I finished 2nd only a few minutes out of first! Defini
tely my best performance of the year!
But the day was not over yet, we still had the muddy paws dog race with my Rottweiler "Lava". Lava is not fast but she is very reliable and we have been biking together for over 5 years. I had originally planned to do this race with my younger and faster female Rottie but a training injury found her at home recovering.
The "race" was a time trial type event with a staggered start,
2 miles of trail, off leash, with spectators yelling and throwing dog bones at the pups trying to distract em. Including us there were 6 competitors, 2 pit bulls, 1 german shepherd, a pointer, a lab and another dog, I think it was an Aussie mix.
We were among the last to start and Lava began at a blistering pace...for her. It was only a short way into the race she began to slow and then dieseled her way to the finish, slowly but surely, ignoring the other dogs on the trail and the spectators as if they were not even there. We crossed the line somewhere near last place and made the ladder ride for a 20 second time bonus! It was great to compete with my best bud and favorite dog of all time! Lava enjoyed the attention too.
My next race is a biggie...the Mohican 100....not sure if I 
will do the 65mile or the 100 mile event yet, but it's sure to be an epic adventure!
Thanks to Justyna Wlusek and Bob Grimm and whomever else I stole these photos from!
Thanks to my sponsors Gary Fisher and Bontrager Components! Without them I would be a runner and not a biker!
The "Wilds" is an appropriate name for this course. I seem to forget how difficult it is every year until I get there and do a warm up on the slick, rooty, rocky terrain. We were lucky enough this time to get dry weather for a change and many racers from nearby states showed up to enjoy it.
I was not feeling well at all leading up the race, and even considered skipping it. But I do love racing even when it's not perfect conditions, and I figured I could not get a better workout any other way. So I made the 2.5 hr drive down to Cumberland and signed up to race.
During my warm up ride I noted the trail was extremely tight and technical and I knew a good start would be very important. I set a couple goals, get a good start and hang with the leaders until I puke.
So lining up for the dirt road start I noticed many unfamiliar faces around me, there were so many guys from West Virginia and Pennsylvania it was hard to know who to watch for. No matter, it's not a team sport and my fitness and ability would determine the final outcome anyway.
The starting siren sounded and I clipped in and got a great start, I led the entire pack from the start line, down the road and into the singletrack. It was a good plan as only 3 other guys were able to hang with me and the 4 of us instantly gapped the rest of the racers.
I could not believe I was leading the race and I fought with myself internally to not go too fast. It was difficult, I wanted to take advantage of being in front on such a rough trail but also knew if I redlined that I would get passed and dropped.
As fatigue set in my handling suffered and I slipped off the trail and was passed fallin
g back to 3rd. That was ok though as I could now follow the local fast guys who knew the trail best. I held onto their wheels for several more miles until another slip up sent me crashing off the trail again. Quickly up and on the bike I watched helplessly as the 3 leaders rode away into the distance. I just did not have the fitness to catch back up. Now it was a lone race as I kept an eye out behind me and tried to hold my position.
The course was made for me and my bike, the full suspension and 29" wheels made an extremely technical and rough course much smoother and I enjoyed working the bike through the rough, knowing the guys behind me would be struggling on many of the sections.
It was a painful race as I pushed myself to the limit on the long, 14 mile laps, finally finishing in 2 hrs and 18 minutes for 4th place. Not a bad place but again I was too far behind the leaders for comfort. I am beginning to wonder what the rest of the season holds for me.
I made sure to get my share of Sierra Nevada from the beer bus while waiting for the awards!
"If you do the work, the results will come"....looks like it's time for me to get busy! Next race is only a few days away at Vultures Knob on Saturday!
Grassman was a new course this year to the OMBC. Located in Coshocton it was an unusual mix of flowy smooth singletrack, grassy doubletrack, with rocks and roots on one half of it. Oh, and sprinkle on one huge climb per 7 mile lap just for fun.
Rain the night before and the morning of the race made for one mess of a trail. It also kept many of the racers at home sucking their thumbs. Our Pro/Expert field consisted of only 10 starters.
After walking around in the mud preparing my bike and registering for the race we finally lined up for the start. Off we went up the dirt road and into the first climb, where we all dismounted and walked through the mud.
At the top of the climb a group of 4 of us got away from the rest of the pack and we traded the lead until we were down to 3. I led the race for the first time this season for a few short minutes...but it was nice nonetheless.
Finishing lap one our group began to splinter and a gap formed both in front and behind me as I settled into 2nd place. Then it began to rain, and rain and rain for the remainder of the day. The trail became even more slippery and unpredictable. 3rd place was creeping up on me and my lone ride became a race again. The big climb was nearly impossible to ride and I saw many racers walking up it as I lapped the slower traffic beginning my 3rd and final lap.
With a little luck and a fair amount of pain I finished in 2nd place, still uncomfortably far from first but it's hard to complain about my best finish thus far in 2010. This race was also my first muddy race on 29" wheels and oh my they are the cat's ass in muddy conditions. Or just about any conditions for that matter. 29ers are here to stay as the top 3 guys at every race this year have been aboard the big wheeled machines....but like a said before....more on that in a later blog!
My next race will be Vulture's Knob Groovy Series #2 where I will have something to prove after my flat tire fiasco at the first race. Also there is the muddy paws dog race I will be doing with my Rottweiler "Sookie" the same day, I have a good feeling about this one!
yards off the line as we sprinted for the singletrack. Then just as we began our left hand sweeper to begin the prologue one racer decided to go straight causing a high speed pile up involving myself and a couple other racers. We went down hard! I picked myself up to see bikes and bodies and water bottles scattered on the ground to each side of me. Automatically I jumped up and remounted, now at the back of the pack. Time to play catchup!
the guy that caused the wreck at the start, and also because I have never beat this multi-time state champion in a fair race.
was by far the most difficult of the day as the trail became even more unridable in spots and the watery mud became more of a peanut butter consistency. Riding across the line for my final lap I finished 2nd only a few minutes out of first! Defini
tely my best performance of the year!
2 miles of trail, off leash, with spectators yelling and throwing dog bones at the pups trying to distract em. Including us there were 6 competitors, 2 pit bulls, 1 german shepherd, a pointer, a lab and another dog, I think it was an Aussie mix.
will do the 65mile or the 100 mile event yet, but it's sure to be an epic adventure!
