Fontana Triple Crown U S Cup 2011

Last weekend I traveled to Fontana, California to compete in the US CUP #2. This "Triple Crown Event" offered the xc and Super D on Saturday followed by Short Track Sunday afternoon. This was to be my first Big National Race as a Pro and I was hoping for a top 40 finish.

Saturday I arrived just in time to the overcast skies and cool temps. The venue was on a mountain right in the middle of suburbia. If you watch the videos you can see for yourself what I am talking about. After the old registration and warm up routine I lined up with about 100 of the fastest racers in the country. There were teams from several other countries as well. I actually got a call up although it was at about 60th position on the line so it was little help.

Before long we were off and racing! The start was a quick series of S turns that caused a huge "yo yo" effect in the pack. Back at mid pack where I was we came to a complete stop at the first few corners while the leaders sailed through and were gone.

The course was rocky and flat near the start but quickly led up to an extremely long and steep climb. It was sandy, rutted, relentless. We were all in our lowest gear grinding up at near max effort. Some of the guys ahead slipped mid way up and we were all forced to dismount and run the remainder. As if my legs did not hurt enough already! Within a few steps the burn was intense! More than the normal amount of pain for sure. I made a mental note to stay on the bike at all costs on this climb the remaining 4 laps.

Finally near the top of the mountain the climb leveled out and we were up to speed on some really sweet packed-sand singletrack. There were plenty of boulders here and there and the course followed the ridge of the mountain for a while before the downhill. What a downhill it was! High speed, swoopy, scenic, two wheeled fun! Then a little bit of road leading to the start finish where we would do it all again.

Our class was extremely spread out, there was little passing opportunities and I took the first two laps just sitting behind people much of the time. Lap 3 was better, I finally rode the whole giant climb now that the pack was thinning. I was feeling pretty good, the bike worked great. I ran the new bontrager 29-2 tires. While they are optimized for loose conditions they work well just about anywhere and were a huge help on that long sandy climb. One slip and a racer is off the bike and walking to the top!

Lap 4 was going good, I was getting optimistic as I saw the guys ahead of me starting to fade back. Although I was moving up it was not enough to keep me from getting lapped by the leader just before crossing the line for my final lap. I was forced to abandon and scored in my place at 66th out of around 100 guys. Not the finish I had hoped for but wow what a fun race and insane competition!

Later that day was the super D event. It was a downhill course with one small climb in the middle. We not only competed against the top xc guys but also the top downhill guys at the race. I dropped a chain and was forced to dismount to fix it during the race but still placed 29th which I was quite happy with. The course was really fun with some pretty scary drops near the bottom, I nearly lost it near the finish to the delight of a large crowd that had gathered there. It was cool to nearly crash then save my own ass to the cheers of so many spectators!

Finally Sunday night closed with the short track. Race. A twenty minute race around a short loop. The course was very roadie friendly and I knew I would be in trouble when I got another way back call up. I was starting near the rear and a crash at the start brought my group to a screeching halt in the first corner. By the time we got moving the leaders were way gone and the panic ensued. Our group stretched out to a single file line as we all sprinted hard trying to catch up. I was redlined beyond the redline, I blew and struggled alone a couple of laps before latching onto a rider and getting some air back into the lungs. I hung on for a couple laps, made a move to pass, and just as I was getting tired again we got pulled as the leaders approached from behind. I was not sure what to expect but I made it 16 minutes before getting pulled which I was not totally disappointed about. Overall for the weekend's Triple Crown I managed a 45th place which I suppose would be categorized as an honest ass kicking. What a humbling experience to line up next to legends and really see where I stand.

Next up is the Whisky 50 where I will again be battling with the big guns in the Arizona high country. I suspect it's going to be Epic!

Check out the two videos below, they give a glimpse of the giant climb and the awesome trail conditions, as well as the insane speeds we travel at on our bicycles.

Watch more video of US CUP PRO TRIPLE CROWN #2 FONTANA on cyclingdirt.org

Watch more video of US CUP PRO TRIPLE CROWN #2 FONTANA on cyclingdirt.org

MBAA Race #4 Foray at the Fort

Foray at the Fort, MBAA race #4 was probably the most important race of the Arizona series for me. This race was worth "points and a half" so it was a good opportunity to get a good finish and some much needed points toward the state championship.

I had trained well, stayed healthy, prepared my bike, arrived on time, all of the requred stuff to have a good finish. Located just a few miles from Mexico on a military base this course was just too far for me to make the drive down for a preride. Luckily I arrived early enough to scope out the first 2 miles of the 6 mile loop. It was all uphill, starting with a false flat and slowly working up to a loose, techy climb near the top.

I finished my warmup and devised a psuedo race plan. Then, just as I was approaching the line and making final adjustments to my gear I broke the zipper on my jersey. Crap on a stick! The temps were cool and the course was fast so I really did not want to compete with my jersey open and flapping in the wind. Near the starting line I struggled for several minutes to repair it. I could hear the announcer over the loud speaker "pro's you have 2 minutes til start" I though for sure I could zoom over with 20 seconds til start and still make it.

Well, apparently they did not use the loud speaker to send off the first wave of racers because when I finally gave up on the zipper and lined up there were no pro's on the line.

"where is the pro class?" I asked the racer next to me. "They left already!" he replied. I cursed and jumped off the line, heading up the road and into a headwind all alone. So much for my race plan!

For the first several minutes I was all alone, could not see anyone. Then I caught the first guy in my class struggling up the steepest part of the first climb. I passed him and moved on into the singletrack that I had not ridden yet. It was very loose and rough, I had thoughts of my bike breaking from the beating it was taking.

The rest of the lap was more of the same, tough, lung burning climbs at altitude followed by steep, loose, rough downhills and finally to the only short road section through the start finish. 1 lap down, 4 to go!

Lap 2 was more of the same, I was moving up and gaining time on second place slowly but surely. He did not see me creeping up behind him and I was just about to make contact, pushing myself hard, riding on the edge, when I lost it in one of the many loose corners and went down hard!


The crash tore a hole in my shorts, bloodied my hip, elbow, shin, and tore my rear shifter housing which eliminated half of my gears. I had no idea I was bleeding and had torn shorts. Too much concentration was needed to keep my chain on a usable cog. I had to hold my shifter between gears on some of the climbs and I dropped my chain several times the 3rd lap, having to stop, dismount, and reinstall it.

Now my hopes of 2nd place were pretty much gone and I just tried to keep my bike together and not crash for the second hour of the race. It was a disappointing feeling to be racing at less than my maximum speed but I managed to keep it upright while navigating through the lapped racers.

"The Fort" was easily the most difficult course I have raced this year, mainly because of the altitude, difficult climbs, and teeth rattling downhills.

I finished 3rd and that was good enough for a podium spot and some valuable points in the series. Currently I am leading the points race but that could easily change considering we are only halfway into the series. We now have a 5 week break in the AZ series. This weekend I intend to travel to Fontana to compete in the US Cup Triple Crown. I will be lining up against the fastest racers in the world in the xc, super D, and short track events! Should make for some good stories at least!

thanks to Barry Hart Photography for the awesome photos!

Double Blog Throwdown! White Tanks vs Sage Brush

White Tank Mountain Competitive Course was the venue for the 3rd issue of the Arizona State Championship Series. This 7 mile loop was mostly fast, rocky doubletrack although there was about one mile of rather technical trail sprinkled throughout.

Temps were on the chilly side again, about 60 at start time. There were quite a few racers on the line this time and I had only raced against about half of them. The rest were guys I have never seen or heard of so I had no idea what to expect. Coming off a killer cold for the past two weeks I was feeling weak on race day. Had I not pre-registered I would have skipped this one all together.

After a half arsed warm up the gun was fired and we were off and racing. The first mile was slightly uphill leading to the "tech section". The guys at the front were extremely fast and I lost contact falling back to the group of locals I know from the previous races. Speeds were high enough that I was able to draft and work with some of the other guys on the first lap. I turned an extremely fast first lap compared to my practice times and was suddenly feeling optimistic.

Well into lap 2 of 4 I was feeling ok and probably somewhere near the top 5 when I hit the bedrock on a fast G-out and heard the too familiar hiss of air from my rear tire. I rolled on but all the air emptied and I was forced to put a tube in























The rest of the race was spent playing catch up and battling lapped traffic on the course. On my final lap I began to feel the fatigue from the previous laps but still managed a top 10 finish...barely.

The next morning was the first Kenda Cup West Race near San Diego. As I drove into the mountains just outside of the venue I was shocked to see snow everywhere, icy roads, freezing temps, yikes! Arriving at the venue was more of the same, snow and mud and a bunch of mountain bikers.

The xc course was covered in 6 + inches of snow and the organizers decided to close the course, and instead have an abbreviated course around the parking lot. The course layout was lame, but I think the organizers did what they could considering the conditions.

Arriving on the start line late I was again offered a prime starting position right up front and happily inserted myself there.
















Bang we were off and racing! I actually led the pack down the first quarter mile of road before they swallowed me up so that was completely unexpected and kinda cool...until we hit the water crossing. As the officials re routed the course all the snow up in the mountains was quickly melting and flooding the stream we would cross five times during the race. This was possibly the deepest water crossing I have ever experienced in an xc race. Completely rideable but freezing cold and extremely deep.

















By the second lap every wave of racer had been sent out onto our short track cyclocross mud fest! So besides the river and giant mud bogs I was now battling 400 racers all on a single 5 mile loop. In all my years racing I have never done anything like this in my life.




















I think the pics from this race tell the real story. Basically my bike stayed together, my body failed, and I finished near the rear. Not my best results but a very fun weekend of racing anywho and a truly crazy race experience.

Next weekend's race in near Tucson on a military base, rumor is it's the funnest course on the circuit!

MBAA race #2 "The Hedgehog Hustle"

The Arizona State Championship Series Race #2 is in the books!

I had heard bad things about this course. The competitive track at Estrella Mountain, rumored to be the most technical course on the circuit, had everyone in a huff. "its too hard" "its too dangerous" were just a couple of the excuses I heard from folks who swore they would never race there. So of course I had to get out there and see what the fuss was about.

The race course is pretty straightforward...it's hard. Big boulders, rocky climbs and descents, sandy sections, loose corners, cactus hanging over the trail, sharp edged boulders....wow this was going to be interesting. Logic told me I would need to finish the race to place well. In order to finish the race I would need to prepare....as preparedness is my racing theme for 2011.

I fished my fattest racing tires from my tire box...Bontrager 29-3 in a 2.25 width inflated to only 15 lbs of psi. I reasoned these tires would keep me from flatting while absorbing the great amounts of shock from all the boulders. Also the low pressure and liberal knobs would provide exceptional traction and flotation on the sandy and gravely corners. The extra weight and rolling resistance was sure to penalize me on the few smooth climbs and on acceleration from corners but finishing the race trumps speed every time!

Race day was on Saturday and I was shocked to see how few of the Pro's showed up for this race. There was only a handful of us but I was happy to see my new rival "Titus Man" on the line. This Ohio native beat me by seconds at the previous race (and least technical course on the circuit) so I was looking forward to competing with him on more technical terrain. Everyone on the line was on a full suspension bike.



We agreed on a "gentleman's start" where we would all work ourselves up to speed slowly. (much less painful) But when the Euro fellow from USA cycling sent us off it quickly turned into another sprint immediately into the first climb of the race.

I settled into second place and remained there for the entire race but Titus man was hot on my heals! For over two hours I concentrated on riding on the edge of control and killing every inch of the racecourse .... only to realize I could not gain any time on this guy...he was constantly yo-yo ing between 10 and 50 seconds to my rear. As we entered the last 10 miles of the trail the terrain became very very technical. See the pics above? Those are average conditions for the technical loop....this went on for 10 solid miles! The whole time I was thinking no way is this guy going to catch me in this terrain but he actually gained time on me! Nearing the last 5 miles I was giving up every molecule of glucose I could muster and started losing control of my bike. Brushing some kind of cactus along the trail my forearm was impaled by dozens of needles. Immediately I experience a painful forearm "pump" that has yet to go away. It was a distraction I did not need as I could see Titus creeping up my rear.

With a little luck I was able to hold him off by only seconds and finish the race in 2nd place which is my best Pro XC finish to date!

I think my tires made all the difference and it was a nice way to be reminded that proper preparation can make a big difference. When I got home I ordered a pair of new Bontrager 29-2 tires made for loose conditions.The hardpack specific tires I was accustomed to in Ohio are less than ideal in these new racing conditions. Every course I have raced on so far has been a totally new experience and I feel like I need to adapt my riding style and product preferences to stay at the top of my game.
I think my next race is at White Tanks...another competition trail in the Phoenix area. I have yet to check it out.
action photos by Barry Hart Photography

McDowell Senoran Challenge

The McDowell Senoran Challenge was an event, an event like no other event I have done. It was advertised as a 20 mile "challenge". Not a race, not a time trial...ok? So preriding the course the day before revealed this challenge was not on traditional mountain bike trails or even road but on motocross trails.

Motocross trails translates into; Whoop followed by whoops followed by whoops, berm, sand pit, whoops whoops whoops, doubles you could triple if your were traveling more than 7 miles per hour...whoop, berm, rock, whoop sand....you get the point.

There were no climbs really except one short steep one up and impossible grade of slickrock which was cool. The endless traction and low gearing made it feel like I was defying physics as I rode up it.

Arriving at the "challenge" the disorganization was evident. this was a charity "challenge" by the way and organized by volunteers who obviously did not have experience organizing events. This was just to aid a good cause while competing for fun.

I quickly learned this was a time trial format and there would also be runners and hikers on the trail.

We were off and after passing a handful of guys I was all alone for the remainder of the event. The course was unlike anything I have ever competed on in my life but fun for sure. Not often I get to use my pump track and berm skills during a race...er challenge!

About halfway through I made a wrong turn at a 5 way intersection and lost several minutes while I backtracked back to the trail.

Sprinting down the dirt road to the finish I was weaving in and out of runners and trying to warn them as much as possible that I was coming fast, it was a mess.

Luckily there were no collisions and I finished in second place overall so it was a good day indeed. I received a cool trophy made of a rock and some permanent marker writing and drawing on it, simple but cool and again...unusual.

What a weird weekend.

Arizona Race #1

The first race of the year is finally out of the way!

Last weekend was MBAA Race #1 McDowell Meltdown .
The morning of the xc race I was feeling rather stimulated. After a loooong break from racing I was excited to get back to what I love best...RACING MOUNTAIN BIKES! Yee Haw! During the hour long drive to the venue my adrenaline level continued to rise to an intoxicating level.

What is desert racing like? How fast would the local Pro class be? Was I going to do something stupid again?

I was about to find out.

Lining up for the start was...interesting. Most times everyone fights for a top spot on the starting line. This time however, even though I showed up somewhat late, the best spot on the line was left wide open. Of course I slipped right in : ) I was feeling confident and rested and was aware of my autopilot kicking in. After so many races the starts just become automatic.

Then the countdown...5...4....3...2...Go! We were off and racing and I was instantly glad the waiting was over. I grabbed a great start leading off the line and for the next 250 meters or so.

Approaching the singletrack I was ovetaken by two other races and glad to let them ahead of me. The next mile was an easy but steady uphill into the wind and I was happy to be in their draft but still near the front....so far so good. The pace was hard but not too hard was we climbed and climbed. Finally as the grade leveled of the pace increased dramatically and I was in a full panic trying to keep up.

These guys were FAST! Extremely skilled riders as well and I was having difficulty staying in contact. Riders behind me were trying to pass and intimidate me into moving over but I stoked the fire enough to catch back up and maintain 3rd for the next 10 minutes.

I was redlined, maxed out, drooling, panting, sweating and then we hit the next big climb and the pack splintered. I fell back to mid pack along with two other guys and the leaders started to gain distance. I had blown up and was forced to slow up and recover. It took nearly the rest of the lap before I felt myself again and was able to put the power to the dirt.

I traded places with a few guys and chased and was chased. My focus was on and the only thing on my mind was the job at hand. It felt really good to be back racing again.

Finally I crossed the line in 6th place only seconds off of the podium. This is the result I expected so I was not disappointed considering my limited training up to this point.

I headed home to rest up for the next days short track and super D races.

The morning of the short track was very windy. The course was a 1 mile loop with dirt road, and a short steep singletrack climb and double track downhill. The race was 20 minutes plus one lap, and there were only about 9 guys there.

Immediately our group of 3 was off to a good lead and we traded the lead for the next few laps.

Coming around for the 3rd to last lap I was leading and moved over to let the next guy take over...but noone did, there was an argument about who's turn it was and then for some reason I decided to take over again....big mistake

Now two laps to go I move over once again, tired from pulling two laps, and the bastards attacked....I should have know.

I chased hard now putting in full effort for 3 full laps and just as I predicted they attacked again just as I caught up and we began the last lap. I chased again except this time nothing happened, my legs did not respond and I watched helplessly as another rider passed and I got 4th to 3 teenagers....sheeeit....big disappointment. Off the podium again by one place.

Immediately after the race was the super D which consisted of two 5 minute time trials and one 2 minute time trial all going downhill.

The course was so fun and included the best downhills from the xc race the day before. I just had fun with it and did my best without crashing and finally scored a 3rd place and got on the podium. Not a bad first weekend of racing.

Tomorrow morning I am racing at the McDowell Senoran Challenge which is essentially just an annual charity event for fun and training. I rode the course today and was dismayed to discover it is a 20 mile loop on a motocross trail. 20 hellish miles of sandy whoops...this is gonna hurt.

Arizona

The new year has brought with it some major changes. Gary Fisher has been absorbed by Trek essentially making Trek bikes the undisputed leaders in technology, performance, value and variety of choice under one brand.
My new home town is Maricopa, Arizona which is like being on another planet coming from Ohio. The riding is so much different here, I am not sure what to expect come race day.

After many years of racing occasionally some lessons need to be relearned. A very hectic 2010 reminded me just how important preparedness is. I was unable to finish so many races because of preventable mistakes. Eventually my lack of preparation caused me a bad crash and some broken bones. Another lesson is that occasionally life has to take precedence over racing. Sometimes there just is not enough time to fulfill my obligations AND train while maintaining my carbon superbike.

In 2011 I vow to be prepared, to finish every race, to carry at least one tube and a mini tool at every event. I vow to clean my bike and keep my tires freshly slimed.

There...it's in writing now.

My first race of the year is in one week. Also my first race in the desert! MBAA Race#1
McDowell Meltdown~! I will be competing in the 28 mile xc race as well as short track and super D events.

Today I tuned up the bike with a fork rebuild, headset bearings, new shock, grips, cables and housing, chain, cassette, crankset and bottombracket, new pedals and cleats, two new tires and new brake pads. That is prepared in my book!