Lake Hope OMBC

Lake Hope is always a fun course to race. Whether wet or dry it's always a fast race on what I consider to be a "real" mountain bike trail. The 15 mile loop has enough climbing to satisfy the masochist in most of us, an equal number of ripping downhills, and just enough technical features to test all skill levels. Add the feeling of being very far removed from civilization, and some very nice scenery and it is the definition of Ohio Mountain Biking.

Most years it is hot and this year, again, it was hot. Dry conditions left the course completely dry and as fast as it could possibly get. As I do every race at the start line I looked for my competition and marked 5 time state champion Dave Walker.

The race started and Dave jumped out front pretty fast onto the gravel road. I did not expect it and had lined up in the second row since it was a road start. After a minute I was on his wheel and the pace slowed a bit.

Into the woods Dave blew past the first turn and I was in the lead.
I settled into a comfortable pace right away. The singletrack was tight so passing me would be difficult and this race is long. 30 miles is on the long side especially on hilly terrain so conservation was the name of the game.

In no time Dave and another racer were right on me and the 3 of us slowly created a gap. Things were going good until we suddenly started running into racers that were behind us. We had taken a wrong turn and were running backwards on the course now. We all stopped, trying to decide what to do, then more racers came from behind. It was obvious the course was marked wrong and we all decided to keep going backwards.

Starting the second lap the course had been corrected and the race was on. It was only Dave and I now and he was leading with me chasing. The heat was starting to get to both of us some and Dave began to slow in the last couple miles. He was preparing for a sprint finish since neither of us was able to shake the other. Then in one of the many high speed, loose, gravely turns he went down pretty hard right in front of me and I sprinted for the finish.

After several minutes I settled back into an easy pace since I had not seen him chasing. He raced smart and snuck up on me, I never knew he was there but I still crossed the line first to take the win by 8 seconds!

After the race there was much debate about the wrong turn and it was decided that since we did complete the entire course the results would stand....it was a very unusual situation.

Overall a very fun race and some much needed points in the State Championship Series.

Next race is another Ohio Mountain Bike Championship Series race at Ceasar's Creek near Cincinnati.

Findlay Time Trial and Alum Creek

The Tuesday NIght Findlay Time Trial Series is under way again and it's nice to have a midweek race in the otherwise boring training routine. Findlay is practically in my backyard and I know the trail quite well. So far I have been able to squeak out the fastest time at the 3 events I have been able to attend. I was confident and excited about the upcoming NEO Power Series Time Trial at Findlay. The NEO guys put on such a great and fun series and it happens to fall during the time of year I enjoy the most.

Going into late summer it seems there is at least one race every weekend, and with 6 months of solid training it's time to coast a little and just enjoy racing and great weather. Race, rest, maybe train a little and race some more.

After two races in one weekend followed by a double time trial the following Tuesday I was extra tired and looking forward to a few days of rest before the big NEO time trial. And of course I get sick, like really sick. Apparently I had ingested just a bit too many races in too short a time and my body was overcooked.

I showed up for the time trial still feeling ill, was welcomed by mud which I had not prepared for. And proceeded to have a terrible ride, coming in at 6th place....not a great way to start the series.

Only one week later I had my chance to redeem myself at the Alum Creek State Championship Series race. This is another of my favorite courses because of it's overall high speed and it's just technical enough for my taste.

The start was pretty fast, I knew my main competition was Ben, who beat me by 30 seconds at the previous OMBC race, so he was my target for the day. I was feeling better than the previous week but not quite at full power yet.

The start down the mile or so of dirt road was faster than I anticipated. This was fun but I did not have the power to sprint into the singletrack in good position. By the time we rearranged ourselves Ben was out of site and gaining time on me.

I zoomed three laps in second place in a pretty uneventful race. It was smooth, it was fun, a little slippery , but my Superfly 100 did an excellent job of soaking up every high speed bump and root on the trail. It's been such an awesome experience to see just how good this bike works and how versatile it is as I use it on different terrain each weekend.

Eventually I cruised across the line in Second, a couple minutes out of first.

Up Next.....OMBC race at Lake Hope State Park in Athens!