Lets HTFU & do a Metric Century...

O.k., how about we HTFU and ride a full Century!

So it is that time of year to build up miles and saddle time for the upcoming endurance season.  In the distance is PMBAR as well as the Burn24 and at least one Hundie (to be determined).  I will usually have a few Metric Centuries out of Old Reedy Creek Rd (ORC) that involve at least 18-38 miles single-track and 22 to 42 miles of hilly double-track.  Only once have I had the stupidity mental fortitude to ride nothing but Umstead for 62 miles.  That time may come again next week.  Still I am hoping for some single-track to mix it up...or maybe even a greenway ride out to Ben & Jerry's...god I love their ice-cream.

So, before I even post up the Metric Century, Mark (of Farnsworth Engineering) tells me, "How about an HTFU Century ride.  Well, I took that as a challenge, and I am not one to walk (or ride) away from a challenge so it is on!  Somehow, someway, we are going to come up with a 100 mile route around ORC that will see us riding ~35-40 miles single-track, 35-40 miles double track, and ~25 miles greenway.  The Greenway is necessary to get to Jimmy Johns for a mandatory pit-stop and also to, of course, Ben & Jerry's for Dessert. :)  I am now very interested to see how this ride may unfold (or unravel).  Stay tuned!

WARNING, TMI: My Arse Hurts!

Funny, the picture is spot-on!

Really?  I pride myself on not using Chamois Cream, Bag Balm, Butt Butter Butt Lube...you get the idea.  Butt (couldn't help it) after the most recent HTFU ride of ~52 miles, I find myself with a sore saddle.  I once gave a hard time to my buddies who use Butt Creams as I was proud that my butt could take an all-day pounding, lube free (insert your own joke you sicko!).  Now I may need to join the crowd of riders that lube up before each ride, or at least I will may need to lube up for the long, hard ones (get your mind out of the gutter).  So, what is next?  Shaving my legs, wearing a kit and riding gears?!?  H-E-double hockey sticks, No!.

FWIW I use the Nashbar R2 Saddle.  While the current saddle on my bike is relatively new (6 weeks), I have used this saddle since I started riding in 2008.  I do have a Terry Fly in the parts bin I could try, but I might just chalk this up to my first long ride of the year.  OR I might over-react and purchase a Specialized Phenom (white, of course) that I have had my eye on for a while.  Stay tuned.

Bushwhacked!

The First Ever 2012 Bushwhack Mountain Bike Race...Brrrrr!

Sunday brought the first ever Bushwhack Mtb Race, put on by the Bushwack Adventure Racing. And let me tell you, this ride as a true HTFU ride!  The course was not too daunting:  ~6 miles of Crabtree, ~19 miles of Umstead double-track, finishing with a 2^nd ~6 mile loop through Crabtree.  The kicker is that the race time temperature was ~27° F, brrrrr!   Naturally, there were several no shows…well they missed out.  The course was fun, yet challenging and the riders and volunteers alike were spirited and encouraging.  While there were no categories for this ‘open’ event, the start was staggered by expert, sport and beginner categories starting 1 minute apart.  I planned on running 32:18, much steeper than my usual 32:20, but it was a shorter event than what I am use to, so I was hoping I could pull more speed and yet not cramp up…ended up wrong on both accounts.

Glad to be ahead of the Tandem going into single-track!

My strategy for the beginning was not to get stuck in a Crabtree backlog.  The race started with a long out and back on the road to spread out the group before hitting the single-track, I did my best to spin near the front for two reasons.  First, it sucks being stuck behind a large group that want to go slower than you.  Second, when it is that cold, and you know you still have 30+ miles left, it is easy to talk yourself into accepting a slower, more comfortable pace at the start.  Letting the momentum of faster riders carry me through could be a difference of up to 5 minutes.

After rolling through Crabtree at a pretty good pace we hit Umstead.  To my surprise, who should come up behind me but Mark Farnsworth himself, Mr. Fe bikes, on the twenty-niner he recently built for himself.  I knew he had been doing some major Umstead riding and would likely go through at a fast pace…so my goal, stick with him!  I felt this should not be a problem as he was running 32:20 to my 32:18.  Wrong!

Goal for lap 1: Push it!

We did stay together for much of the ride, which went as follows:  Drop gearies on climbs.  Gearies catch us on flats and down hills.  Repeat!                                                                         

The difference came on the very last climb, the short, but steep Cemetery (or Graveyard) Hill.   Mark and I were pulling away from the rest, but I was having a tough time keeping up with his pace.  We both stand and power up the hill…ouch, the cramps are starting.  My 33:18 did not help me climb any faster as I had to climb gingerly to fight off cramps.  When we reached the top, I was beat.  Mark started to spin along with another single-speeder, and I started dropping back to nurse my legs.  I did not want to lose sight of the two riders in front of me so I started spinning with all my might.  I knew that with all things being equal, if we both spin 110 rpms, my gearing is going to allow me to go faster.  Well, apparently Mark was spinning at 150 rpms because I was spinning as fast as I could and they were pulling away from me.  By the time I entered the gate at Crabtree, they had already take the turn to the single-track.  My goal, just keep the legs going.

I'm to the right, behind Joe (in yellow). Cleared it!

Cruising to the 1st real Umstead climb. Crushed it!

Amazingly, before we arrived at the top near the parking lot, I had caught Mark.  He said something about how he had crashed as I went by.  I thought, that sucks to come this far and wreck.  Found out later he meant his body crashed (bonked), but hey, it happens.  I just kept moving, trying to go as fast as I could where the trail would allow it.  It was pretty muddy and sloppy on one of the last loops before the end (loop 5 maybe?) and I did slide into a tree, but only hooked my bar end and dabbed.  I quickly hopped back on the trail and carefully road through the freshly thawed, slippery mess.  Luckily, at this part of the trail, I could look back and see there was no one in sight.  This information allowed me to pick my spots and fight off cramps that became really bad by loop 2.  The race ended with another out and back on the road.  Luckily there was no one right behind me, as I would not have been able to hold anyone off on a long paved section with my legs cramping.  I rolled across the finish spent, but stoked.  No categories, so I do not know where I came in amongst the other SS'ers, but it looks like I came in ~25th overall (~2:29) which is great considering two weeks ago at the JMM I think I came in 67th (both races wtih ~100 riders).  Regardless, this really was a fun event.  After the usual hanging around and B.S.’n with different riders, a bunch of us headed off to Rally Point Sports Bar for some delicious spaghetti, salad, and $2.50 pints of one of my favorite beers, Natty Greene’s Old Town Brown!  Good ride, good people, good event…good times!

Photo Credits: biketriad.com (on the left) and Rob Ward (on the right).  Thank you so much for capturing these for us...it means a lot! 

2012 January Mountain Bike Marathon

So here is the format.  Ride one lap through Governor's Creek (~5-6 miles), then hit the road (mostly gravel/dirt w/ paved connectors) for over ~31 miles, then back for one more lap of Governor's Creek.

Unfortunately, I had only been on one mtb ride in 13 days.  It showed (I have more excuses, but will save them for later).  I geared my bike with a 42x21 ratio (geared for the road) and off I went.  Inspite of starting at the bottom of a hill ~1/4 mile before the single track, the bottleneck trail of bikers was long and thick.  I found myself too far in the back and was stuck with a bunch of guys that were only going to slow me down, but this early in the race, I did not care.  A few guys made efforts to pass, which I found comical considering how crowded it was.  As two guys tried to squeeze past I gave them room and when they said "thanks" I simply said, "I'll catch you later." And I meant it.  It was funny when things finally stared clearing out, I came up on one guy who was walking his bike in the middle of the trail and as I approached, he made no effort to move, he just said, "Go ahead", I shouted, "Go where?" as I rode off the trail and had to dismount to avoid a wreck. "Oh, sorry dude."  "Yeah, well screw you, you trail hogging son of a ...." is what I wanted to say, but instead I said, "No harm done" as I ran my bike past him, and was on my way.

The 'road' portion of the ride.

Exited the woods and hit the pavement with a couple gearies, and we pace lined to the first dirt road.  Unfortunately my odometer was not working (turned out my sensor had slid down my fork), so I had no idea of our speed, but we were moving.  Eventually caught an old Irishman on a SS and he joined in for a few minutes before pulling away.  I moved with him and off we went.  He said that it was nice to leave those geared riders behind.  I said, yeah, unless they catch us.  He assured me they would not (he was right) and off we went.  I lead him onto the next road section and started to pull away before I heard a yell.  I turned back to see him turning right onto a gravel road. Doh!  I turned around and finally caught him.  We continued to ride together at a solid pace, picking off some riders and picking up others, until we came across a group of ~5 riders (including my buddy Steve Rodgers).  Funny, but at the starting line I pointed at Steve and said, "I'm gunning for you Rogers", now I literally was.  He and his group picked up the pace and so we two SS'ers joined the pace line.  This all went well until one of the last big climbs on the 2nd to last gravel road.  As we started going up, (as always happens on a climb) the pace line started breaking up.  I knew this was the moment to go for it.  Though my legs were screaming, I started doing the Contador Dance up the hill and dropped everybody.  I kept pushing, wondering when the peleton was going to regroup and close the distance.  I kept pushing.  Eventually I started looking back.  I could see no body.  Oops, I missed another turn!  It was the last turn onto the last set of dirt road that would eventually lead straight back to the trail.  I fought up the initial small ascent and started feeling cramping in the legs.  Dang it!  I kept pushing, but my left leg was starting to cramp, so I had to ease off.  I knew I was slowing down.  I looked back again and saw my SS brothers red and black jersey in the distance.  He was gaining on me.  By the time I reached the hill at the start, he was upon me.  As I entered the single track, I knew this is where the 42x21 gearing would hurt.  Still, I pushed through and passed a few people.  Some who passed me back after I cramped and had to dismount.  Three times I had to dismount a walk a short section due to cramping in my left leg, and three other times I dismounted on a short accent just to avoid a sure cramp.  Still, I passed more than passed me, and kicked it in near the finish to take another rider before the tape.
Two years ago, in muddy conditions, on my 26" single speed (with 44x19 gearing) I won the SS division.  This year, I was 6th (one place behind the same SSer I rode most of the race with).  6th was also DFL for SS'ers (62nd out of 106). The difference was that there was a VERY strong field this year (including SSer extraordinaire Kelly Klett, whom I talked into the race the day before).  Funny, but I always seem to do better in the races without a strong field, hmm.
Anyway, I cannot brag about the result, but I am proud of the effort, and surprised considering how few miles I have ridden this month (fewest in nearly 2 years). Also, I have dropped ~5 solid lbs over the month of January (thanks to a healthier diet), so as I increase my miles and decrease my weight, I will be on track to be where I need to be for the important races: PMBAR and Burn24.  What makes them so important?  I am on a team and cannot let down my team mate.
Now stop reading this, put down your beer, and go plan a ride!

Niner Time!

No, not the S.F. 49ers (the city of my birth) but Niner bikes.  After switching to 29er several months ago, I have ridden or owned several frames.  Some I liked (Misfit, Soul Cycle...) and some I did not (Trek, Salsa...) for various reasons, usually a combination of fit, feel and placebo (knowing a frame is a Tank made me less fond of it, even if it rode o.k.).  So, with everything I have taken in, I have decided that what I want...no, what I need is a Niner One 9 and a Niner Sir 9.  The One 9 will be my racing bike.  It will be light with the Crossmax wheelset and Ikon tires.  The Sir 9 will be built as a 1x9 for the wife.  It will be a respectable weight, with nearly identical parts to the One 9, but with Stans Arch w/Hopes combo and likely Slant Six tires or Racing Ralph's.  I will occasionally ride it as a SS.  Now, all I need is to find a couple of good deals on these frames.

One 9, Ultra light and Fast!

SIR 9, Smooth and still Fast.

***NOTICE: I will offer a finders fee of the 6 pack of your choice for any person who finds me a deal that leads to the purchase of my new frame(s).  So, stop sitting there reading this...go and find me a frame!!!

EDIT: Many tips came in through trianglemtb.  Ben and Kip ultimately provided the winning tips leading me to the frame(s). Thanks everyone!

Confessions of a Serial Mountain Biker

A recent thread on TMTB has inspired me to come clean and confess to some little known (and often, things you don’t want to know) truths in my mountain biking past.

_ _ it happens.

• Once dropped a deuce on my favorite numbered trail…hey when you gotta go, you gotta go.

• My first time riding Uwharrie, dropped a deuce  in 30 degree weather.  Some walkers passing by politely pretended they did not see me as I squatted against a tree.

• Dropped a deuce (#3 really) on Black Mountain…then again, who hasn’t?  It was my first time there (PMBAR preride) but sadly, I had it coming out of both ends.  Not a good day.

I know what some of you are thinking, maybe I should just list the trails that have not been fertilized with my waste product, but rejoice, only the three above mentioned trails have been blessed.  On a side note, I guess when people say I am full of sh!#, they are indeed correct.

On with the list.

• Yes, I work Umstead into my riding plan for two reasons, one, it is a great workout.  Two, eye candy galore!  Confessing here, not apologizing.

• I don’t like riding “Rocky” trails.  Why?  I don’t like getting hurt.  When confessing this to a fellow rider recently, they inquired, “So, you get hurt every time you ride that trail?”  I answered, “No, just every other time...” I just don’t like those odds.

• I would really like to be one of the top 40+ guys in the area.  Unfortunately, my desire for ribs, beer, salty snacks, ice-cream  (you get the picture) out-weighs (literally and figuratively) my desire to do what it takes to step up to the next level. L   

• I like riding my road bike.  I do not like riding the roads of North Carolina; however in California, where the shoulders are wide and the bike lanes are plenty, I will be on the road again.

More confessions coming as I recall them.

HTFU Uwharrie Style

Spent a nice Saturday with some fellow riders hitting the new and improved Uwharrie Wood Run trails.  The first and only time I had visited Uwharrie was almost exactly one year ago...went with a couple of guys for a group ride on a cold (high 20's low 30's) January day.  I remember riding double track up to the top of Keyauwee and then some single track and double track on the way down.  Unfortunately the guys I drove with, while both good guys, were ill prepared for the cold temps.  After one 7 mile loop they were done. :(  So, a four hour round trip for 7 miles of riding led to me feeling not that impressed after a negative experience.
That has all changed.
The new and improved Keyauwee is now worth the trip.  With Rich A. navigating, we hit the new connector trail up to Keyauwee and then headed up the trai (cw).  Nice switchback and groomed turns made for nice climbing.  At the top we headed into Supertree and then down White Tail and back up Supertree (ccw).  Then back down Keyauwee (ccw) the opposite direction (did kinda a figure 8) before meeting up with a larger TORC group...then up the double track and back down Keyauwee (ccw) a 2nd time.  Nice to have Bobby set a blistering pace on that last run...caused me to work harder than I would have by myself and we ended up losing everyone in spite of stopping twice.  Ended up with ~34 miles at ~9.5mph running 32x20 on the Misfit Dissent.
Really looking forward to going back soon.