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BMX Training

Yesterday Sean and I decided to take the big bikes down to the Gilles Creek BMX track. We figured that pushing our mountain bikes around the course would be a challenge in both skill and endurance, and it's definitely more fun than a road ride.



A few of our buds that ride BMX were down there when we arrived. They were surprised to see us with our bikes and immediately wanted to give the track a spin on our heavier, longer, and springier bikes. The result was the same for everyone - one lap around and the rider would return to the start line gasping for air and laughing at the inefficiency of our bikes on that course.

We stuck around for a couple of hours and shot through the track as many times as possible. As the sun began to lower over the horizon we headed back to our homes. The last challenge being the climb from downtown to the Fan District. I was completely drained by the time I reached Belvidere on my 43-pound Glory and have a feeling that the month of April will be a very productive time, assuming that I follow through with this ritual at least two or three times a week.

Time for arm warmers..almost

As the team old guy I can say it's true - Time just clicks on by faster each year.
This season is no exception. The air is getting crisp and Summer is officially off the back. Putting on cool weather gear the other morning felt strange, yet welcome, and many folks already have cyclocross racing on-the-mind.
Looking back over August and Sept, I can say that it was full of good times with a focus on a few long, long races. Jason and I had a great time racing in the Duo category at the 18 hours of Scout Camp. Sleep deprivation is always a sweet variable to throw into an endurance race. This was my first time racing this venue and night racing on singletrack doesn't get much better than this. This 9.5 mile trail has textbook flow and is over 90% singletrack. Just fantastic.

We held our own overnight with only some minor stomach issues to speak of, including Joe, who was racing in the solo category. He logged in quite a few miles before his stomach left the building. At sunrise, Jason and I discovered that we'd moved up to 2nd place. This was good news to a couple of spent racers. After Jason's stomach decided to rejoin the race, he scorched a super fast lap and then I followed up with the final "seal the deal" lap. We had 2nd place in the bag before my last lap but when your muscles have leveled off to a "comfortable" fatigue, what's one more! Thanks to Paul L. for the conversation making it around that last lap! It was tough to get around the loop one more time after so many miles logged. The bikes performed well and the lights fulfilled their one and only duty. A round of applause to Cycles Ed and the volunteers for such a fine event that I am still thinking about. Looking forward to next year.

The Shenandoah 100 was up next on Labor Day weekend.
This race is no joke and the 18 hour was nice prep considering the
mileage we racked up. To make a 100 mile story short, everyone cashed in a strong finish. Joe was our top gun coming in at 9:41. After numerous flats, Dennis pulled an 11:31, all while keeping his suffering team mate (me) company on the "soul crusher" climb up to checkpoint #5 @ mile 75ish. On his wheel, Jason rolled in at 11:32 and I made it in at 11:51. A good day for the team. Too many stories and fine folks along the way to list here. You all know who you are and how it happened. A great time indeed. The cherry on top was the large Richmond crew out there to help swell the ranks of 450-500 racers. Our hometowners never pass up an opportunity to get some epic elevation gain. The SM 100 dishes out close to 14,000 ft of it. A special mention is due for Chad R. He displayed an act of hard-core-ness that would even make Clint Eastwood flinch. At mile 20-something, he crashed and split his knee wide open. Open enough to require numerous stitches by a Doc at the nearest checkpoint. While most of us would take that as a sign to hit the kegs, Chad felt the need to continue and finish the race in a solid 11:12. The HardArse Award to you man... And another round of applause to Chris Scott and his army of smiling volunteers for putting on such a top shelf event.

Now we look forward to one more race in the Virginia Off-Road Series on Nov. 9th. Thanks to Jared, Woody , all of the overworked race promoters, and everyone else involved in the VOR series. It's been a nice shot in the arm to the mtb racing scene around here. By the way, our man Greg is all over the US of A racing elite cyclocross. Keep an eye on results. He's even faster on his cross bike...

2008 Battle at Burke Farm

This was another great event put on by Konrad (Fred Events). I arrived in Culpeper on Friday with the family and did a little sightseeing before hittin up a lap late in the afternoon. I was surprised that no one else was riding at 4pm, although I did see two cars when I left. I flatted on my pre-ride lap which forced me to hit up the Bike Stop before the race.
Saturday rolled around and it was time to race. I was not sure just how I would perform as I had taken the entire week off the bike after my debacle at Camp Hilbert. Since the start shoot was fairly tight, it was Steve, Ken & myself right on the front line. I tried to pass on all the info I gathered from my pre-ride. Then it was on. I am pretty sure they both intentionally slipped their pedals so I found myself up front right off the bat. I eventually let Ken and Steve by while trying to catch my breath from the start. We started to come up on slower traffic by this time and it is where I started to lose sight of Ken and Steve.
Normally everyone in mountainbiking tries to make room for you when you come up on them and call out to come by. Today , this was not the case. There were three of us trying to pass 'slow guy'. The first rider asked four different time to pass, each time 'slow guy' tried to find some speed to keep him from passing. As I lost sight of my competition, I also lost my patience with 'slow guy'. After the second time the front guy asked to pass, I yelled from the back to let us by. By the fourth time the front guys asked to pass, I was not happy at all. I yelled up again for 'slow guy' to pull over as he was holding up three riders. Normally when I am on someone's wheel or coming up quickly on them, I will ask them to let me by when they get a chance and then thank them on my way by. I did not thank 'slow guy' as he was cursing at us while we were passing him. I never cursed at 'slow guy' but I never said please, either. At least this is far from the norm and only the first time it has happened all season.
By this point Ken & Steve had gapped me and it was time to settle in for the rest of the race. I would catch glimpses of Steve coming through the fields, but could never quite make it back up to him. He clipped my by 18 seconds or so. Ken once again rode a great race and put us both down by 3:30+. I was happy with third place after taking the week off.
Joe & Roger made it for this race, it was nice to have more team members there. Joe got 2nd in expert and Roger got 4th in expert vet. Joe was riding really well and ended up passing me on the 2nd front lap. He asked me "what the hell happened to you" (mind you, I am currently in 3rd place in my class), I replied "10 years and two kids!" He laughed as he rode away from me like I was standing still. I did not even try to keep his wheel for ten feet.
It was a great venue, I just wish we could have done two laps of the expert section and only one through the fields. I just may have caught Ken & Steve if that were the case.

...Jason

Camp Hilbert #3

I have to say that I really get up for the Hilbert races since the course in only 10 minutes from my house, but I have yet to get a solid result at any race there. This race was no different... We all lined up at the start and talked about the VORS points chase that we were all in together and how we expected some tight racing for the day. I finally met Steve Tolley, who is leading the points series. I was second in the series before the Hilbert race, now I am in third. Ken Tankersley has now grabbed the second spot, which he definitely earned at this race. I think he wanted to prove a point after the R.R.R. the previous weekend where I put a decent amount of time on him. He returned the favor in full at Hilbert.

There were four of us who hit the woods first, I was in the third position. after about 1/2 mile Ken changed that as he blasted by and took off with Scott Stahl. As I was making my way back up to them, I slid out in a corner and got passed by two riders, Steve being one of them. I was working to keep Steve in my sights as we were only on the first lap. this was not to be my day, though. I was getting passed and there was nothing I could do about it. To top it off, I flatted, putting me even more behind. I ended up 9th and totally out of the points for the series. So now I sit in third with 4th place Paul Leeger only two points back.

I am hoping for better results at Burke Farm this weekend. It will be nice to have more of the team at that race, after two weeks of flying solo.

...Jason

2008 Rappahannock Ridge Rumble (R.R.R.)

This was my first time racing this event and Iwould definitely recommend it to anyone. There was not a huge turnout, but as usual, Sport Vet seemed to be the biggest class there. I pre-rode the course on Saturday where I met Konrad the promoter of the race. He offered to ride with me once he got his gear, but I was just coming off a lap and was done for the day. On to relaxing with the family who made the trip up for the race.

On Sunday, we all made our way down to the course. I was glad to see the large contingent of Richmonders at the event. We learned at the pre-race meeting that the sport class would be running one full lap and a shorter second lap for a total of 11 miles or so. I knew it was going to be a sprint at that point with the race hopefully being less than 90 minutes. The course started on a gravel road before hitting some super tight single track before hitting the first of a couple climbs. The rest of the course is a lot of flowing up and down trails. This would include the 456 logs which would await us on the course. I actaully enjoyed all of the logs as Icould take most of them at speed like they were not there.
I moved to the front of the line once they called out that all sport riders would be starting together. We all hit the gravel road hard and it almost came to a quick stop as we rounded an inside corner and there was a huge hole in the road. The quick reshuffle put me into second place on the road. That is before Ken Bell (I wish I knew who he was before the race!) ripped past everyone on the left and hit the singletrack first. I went in third, later wishing Iwould have went in second. Ken had totally checked out by the time I got around the leader of our chase group. Once around him, I pulled away from the group and only one of them eventually bridged up to me. We rode the rest of the day together. I tried to do my best, calling out all of the logs while he was on my wheel. I made visual contact with Ken, but could never really close the gap. He finished 1:18 ahead of me. I ended up 2nd at 1:14:42. I even got to sprint to the finish line with a SS'er that I caught right at the end. I hit the gravel road right on his wheel and I took the inside line, then we both started to sprint. I cheated and shifted up a couple of gears to clip him at the line. I know one thing, next time someone shoots off the front, I will try and be right on their wheel. Live and learn.

Fun race, good atmoshpere & food, plus a shirt that you can actually wear in public! Nice.

...Jason

2008 Urban Assault

Well it has been a week since the race, so I figured that I might as well post something about it.

For me, the race was all about the team pitching in and getting it done. It started when I blew the seals on my fork Wednesday before the race. Dennis fortunately just replaced Mike's seals, had two sets left. One was destined for Joe's bike. Looks like I lucked up and get the last set of seals Rowletts had in. I picked my bike up Friday before the race and went for an easy lap of the course to test everything out. All was well again. Then I somehow managed to forget my gel flask and could only scrounge one gel from the back of my car. This is where Joe came in, he hooked me up right before the race with a shot from his flask. Next it was Mike's turn. He was having asthma issues which forced him off the bike for a few minutes. This allowed me to catch and pass him right before the trip down the stairs at the 42nd street bridge. Next thing I know, he is right back in front of me and pulling like a mad man! He pulled the entire gravel road and then told me to get it up the stairs. I did not see him again until the race was over. He later told me that he gave it all he had down the road - figured his lungs would hold out at least that long. He was my UA domestique, for sure. Then lastly Greg met me at the finish line with two ice cold waters. He grabbed my bike as I came across line and took care of it while I wilted onto the ground. It turns out that all the team work paid off, I placed first in my class and had the fastest overall time in Sport class.

Greg ended up 2nd in Pro and Joe 3rd in expert (even after breaking his chain). Great results for the team, once again. Greg, did you ever get your medal back??? haha...

Jason

2008 Hoo Ha

I have to say that the Hoo Ha is by far my favorite race of the season. Maybe it is because it was the first MTB race I entered 7 years ago. That and the fact that the trails are a blast to ride. It was a bit different of a ride from last year when I was on an Independent Fabrications fully rigid 29er. This year I am sporting the Anthem Advanced thanks to one of our sponsors, Giant. We also had rain the day prior to the race and not the day of. Last year was pretty wet. The rain definitely slowed down the first big climb from the week before when I did my pre-ride. The climb was even slowed down further by the starters letting all the sport women and Clydesdales go in the wave ahead of sport men... I had a strong start and was climbing with the lead group of sport riders. We passed all of the Clydedales as well as the sport women before the climb was over. I even caught a glimpse of Dennis, because he flatted, but then Iturned around and he was gone again... I did catch site of Roger just before jumping onto the pavement (I paced him until we came around to the pavement for the second lap). Then it was on to the Ridge which leads to the super sweet downhill. It is like a downhill BMX track. I think I picked off 8 more people on the ridge and the downhill. It was pretty steady from there until the finish line. I did hit a little wheelie coming out of the woods when a saw the photographer. I must have done something right because I made it into the featured photos on iplayoutside.com. Mike called me from the shop and told me about it.

It is cool because every year at the Hoo Ha we (my wife and two daughters) spend the weekend in Harrisonburg for the race. This year the family actually got to see me come by half way through the race. Mason, my oldest, got to hand me a bottle as I came through, so that was fun for both of us. The only problem was that I pretty much forgot to drink from that bottle for the next half of a lap! I did manage to bridge up to Roger on the second pass of the pavement. It was great to ride with a teammate. We actually rode the pavement under cloud cover, so that was awesome. I also want to give a big shout out to the guys handing out water as we came onto the pavement. The 'headshot' on the second lap was nearly the best part of the day. This was followed by the lowpoint of seeing a rider taken off the ridge on a backboard. Then we were off again blasting the downhill. Once that was over, my body started to realize that I had not taken in enough fluids. Both hamstrings started to cramp and I had to let Roger by to finish up solo. I ended up losing 10 minutes to him in the last 5 miles because of the severe cramps that set in. It was not pretty. I saw all my hard efforts ride by for the last 5 miles of the race. I just worked through the cramps each time they hit me and ended up finishing 8th. Not what I hoped for, but I will take it given the circumstances.

I believe that Greg came in 8th in pro and Dennis in 9th. Roger was 10th in vet expert, I think. It was great racing with him, too.

I want to give some props to one of my old riding buddies from NOVA, Brian Ulbrich, who took 4th place in beginner. I gave him non-stop grief until he signed up for the race and then we thought his race was over when he broke his frame a month ago. I loaned him my spare bike which he rode for the first time a week before the race when we pre-rode the course. After completing the course on the pre-ride and wondering whether or not he made the right decision to race, he believes now.

I also want to give a shout out to Anna Kelso, who I just met a few months ago. She graciously let me by on the first downhill. I tried to return the favor about 1/2 mile from the finish line when I was on the gound with dual thigh cramps trying to figure out how to actually get back up off the ground and how to move my bike out of the trail without triggering more cramps. That may have been the highlight of my day. I could only watch as she zipped by. I did make it back up and almost caught her at the line...

Good times... Jason

Fat Tire Frenzy

Another bus trip began bright and early as we rolled away from downtown at 7am on our way to Bedford, VA. The drive was along 360 and 460, a great improvement from the usual route of interstates 64 and 81. Two and a half hours just felt like a short jaunt as stories and rants bounced around the bus, mainly from Greg as he retold his experiences as a middle school teacher.

Anyway, we got there, unloaded the bus and saw the usual curious eyes as a schoolbus with zero schoolchildren emptied into the parking lot.

At the start line we had five racers in various classes. Greg and I were the only Rowlett's Team members and we were the first class to leave the start area in the Expert Class (18-29yrs). When we entered the woods I was 5th out of 8 riders and Greg was somewhere around 3rd. The course was punishing. Without much true altitude change in the park, the trail criss-crossed back and forth to create its length and a bit of challenge. Unfortunately I discovered the trail lacked even a brief moment of good flow. It was just an incessant up and down with no room for recovery and certainly no long fast sections to reward your hard work. The fastest and smoothest sections were open fields that linked different areas of the trail. It was a challenge though, so I'll stop my complaining there.

By the end of the second lap I had reached fourth place and Greg yelled to me that third had crashed as he passed me on one of the switchbacks. I knew that he was far ahead, even though the switchbacks made it seem he was merely feet away. I decided to pick up the pace as best I could, but to remember that there was another lap left and eight miles ahead of me. I pushed through those last miles as quickly as I could, passing hordes of riders from other classes, and came close to reaching third place. At the finish Greg told me that I was probably less than a minute behind third place (25 seconds actually), but I was happy with my spot in fourth. Greg got second though, a very respectable result when you consider that first place went to Matt Bailey, a pro rider.

I'd also like to mention how impressed I was with the event's organization and support. Registration was reasonable, the event rolled on without a hitch, prizes and cash payouts were ample, and they even had a lunch for riders after the race. Even as I cussed and moaned to myself about the course, I kept reminding myself just how pleased I was with every other aspect of the event. I'd suggest any of the deRailer Series races to another rider/racer based on what I saw. The next event in their series happens on June 1st at Peaksview Park, but the team will be racing at the Massanutten HooHa!

Camp Hilbert #2

Great race!

We were all moaning just before the start. Wondering whether it was too muddy to run or if we were perhaps a little burnt out from all the wet racing. Luckily we picked up our number plates and sucked it up - the race ended up being pretty enjoyable anyway.

For some reason the expert field at Hilbert is always stacked with top competitors. I didn't think it was considered a top race during the season, but apparently many do. Last time Jeremiah Bishop showed (and blew us away) and this time we were faced with Justin Raynes and Matthew Bailey to contend with. At the start I got a good jump and entered the woods in third. The pace was ridiculous and I let a few riders through as I decided it was best to be realistic about my abilities. I settled in somewhere around 8th in line and kept myself at a fast, but comfortable speed. I had learned at Douthat that I can sometimes push my legs to crank a larger gear than I'm used to, so I used that strategy again, grinding through the twisty singletrack with a strong, solid cadence. Within the next two laps I passed a couple of riders and built a strong distance between myself and them. I knew that some pretty impressive riders were ahead of me and I felt comfortable knowing that they were probably too fast to catch. I kept myself hydrated and fed in order to keep the pace up and challenged myself internally to keep the speed as fast as I could.

There were a ton of other riders from the enduro class to pass along the way and it somehow helped relieve the monotony of the last laps. I enjoyed spotting one up ahead and catching them quickly with the pace I'd set. One of them was a friend I'd recognized, Kevin Dillard. He's usually at these events snapping great photos of the action, but once in awhile can't help but jump in the mix (check out his page here).

The end of the race didn't include a sprint for one last spot or anything exciting, but it was a great relief to see the finish line. I discovered that Greg had nabbed fourth when I pulled up and the next rider in was Joe in seventh place, just behind my sixth place spot. The team's really been doing well this season, despite the fact that it's our first year together. We've been focusing on riding the races that we'd most enjoy and have therefore missed out on some of the Va Series races, but our standings as a team have still been fairly impressive.

Middle Mountain Momma

It's official. Douthat State Park is my new favorite ride in Virginia.

On Saturday a group of friends assembled at my apartment. We loaded up the schoolbus and headed for the mountains. The drive was great as usual in the bus. We hit a parking lot of traffic just a few miles before our exit, but decided to make the best of it. We hopped out of the bus and took a break on the shoulder. Soon the rest of the cars in the jam did the same. We noticed that we were in a valley, bordered by some 45 degree hills on either side. I immediately decided to ride down one side which provided some much needed entertainment for the crowd. The trickiest / scariest part was the ditch at the bottom. I had the brakes on during the entire descent, but hit the ditch going 20mph easily. My fork and rear shock did their jobs though, and the crowd breathed a sigh of relief with me. I even got some video footage from one of the bystanders.

Anyway, we got to the park, set up our camp, and headed out for a ride. We had a chill ride and saw that the trails were going to be super-fun on raceday. Back at the campsite we hung out, made some food, and hit the hay for some much needed rest.

The next morning was sunny and hot - much better than the chance of rain that was predicted. Three from our party went to the lake and the other three headed to the race. I got my numbers and met up with the rest of the team at the start line. I wasn't sure how many were in our class since all categories of expert/pro were lined up together, but it seemed like a good turnout. We began with a dusty sprint up a gravel road that led to rocky singletrack and a creek crossing. I was able to slide into the front section of the pack before the creek and wasn't held up by anyone dabbing in the water. The climb started immediately and I tried to find a calm rhythm to control my heart rate. The course had a great flow, alternating between mellow and brutal pitch until it reached the ridgeline. Once there, the singletrack sped up and got REAL FUN! I could see Greg ahead of me before the descent and expected to catch him on the downhill, but caught a flat and had to dismount and fix that. Several riders passed as I pumped away on the new tube. With the tire back to normal, I jumped back on the bike and tore down the trail, this time a bit more careful not to smack the rear wheel on another rock. I caught a few of the riders that I'd seen fly by me, but never saw Greg again. Joe was one of the riders that slipped by during the repair, and he was also too far away to catch.

The rest of the descent was great. Super-fast with rocks and switchbacks to look out for. Once at the bottom of the mountain, the course took us through a campsite, onto the main park road, and back into the woods. Another climb awaited us there. This time the climb began mildly and eventually turned into a much steeper, but shorter climb to the top. The downhill afterwards was reward for the hard work. Once I began to cross streams again I knew I was close to the bottom of the trail. It spit us out onto a suspension bridge and then onto a trail that ran parallel to the road. On the last section of trail that took us to the start/finish line I was passed by a rider that had been near me for a large portion of the course. We rode together through the rocky section just before the end of the course, but his bars buckled on one of the large boulders and he went down. After asking if he was okay, I continued to the finish line and was able to keep my distance ahead of him. At the finish I learned that Greg had taken a wrong turn just before the last section of trail and was still on the course. Joe had come in about four minutes before me in 3rd place. I was the next rider after Joe, grabbing 4th. Kyle, the rider that went down just before the end, netted 5th place and soon we saw Greg roll in. He was obviously pretty frustrated with his 6th place finish since 3rd was in the bag. Considering the circumstances, however, we fared well as a team and were happy with the showing.

Greenbrier Challenge MD

By 8:30 am Sunday morning I found out I would be heading up to Greenbrier State Park by myself. I hopped in the car, picked up a spare tube from Mike and headed on my way up 95 north to 495 then over to 270. Made it to the park without any problems. Before I left Mike mentioned something about that area receiving an inch or so of rain the day before. As I was walking to registration it was apparent it had rained. The beginner and doubleXX guys were on the course and they were coming across the start/finish line covered head to toe in mud. I got myself registered, dressed, and to the start line.

We were lined up 5th to go right behind the expert women 17 and 18 year olds...that's all I'll say about that. Slowly in 2 minute intervals the riders in front of us went off. As I've learned over the years it's always worth your wild to show up to the start line early to get on the front row. We're off.... Cyclocross has helped perfect my starts and I was 2nd wheel going into the first turn which quickly turned into a 200 meter slow gravel climb. A few guys went around me with a few more passing me on the descent following the short climb. I'd say I was 7th or 8th wheel going into the real single track followed by a 100 meter technical rock garden. The course opened up onto some jeep trails where there were some deep watery mud sections and a deep stream crossing. I was still in 7th or 8th. We then starting climbing. The first climb was a rocky, gradual climb that flattened briefly before it started right back uphill. I was able to get by a few riders on the climb and false flat sections of the first lap. You then had a nice descent to catch your breath. Eventually you climbed up to very rocky technical climb followed by an open downhill to a very muddy, rocky, technical downhill. I felt great after the first lap and figured out I was somewhere in the top 5. The race started getting really spread out on the second lap. I was starting to catch the fields that had started ahead of us. Half way through the second lap I was riding with another rider in my category. A friend of his on the course said we were riding in 2nd and 3rd. This got me going. I pushed the pace for the rest of the 2nd lap and may have paid later for that move. Going across the start/finish the announcer confirmed that we were 2nd and 3rd. We started into our 3rd lap. I took 2nd wheel and held with him for a 3rd of the lap before he slowly pulled away from me. I settled into my own rhythm and cruised into the start/finish still holding onto 3rd place. As I entered my final lap I saw a rider in my field about 45 seconds back. I rode into the final lap strong but was caught a fourth of the way into the final lap. I stayed with him for a few minutes until he pulled away from me. I kept moving forward. On the final descent I could hear someone behind descending quickly. I rolled my eye's in the back of my head and took the technical section as fast as I could. I hit he final flat section with everything I had. I looked back and I could see someone trying to chase me down. I kept on the gas and was able to hold him off. Finishing 4th out of 26 expert racersn (19-29yrs).

After 5 races I can feel my form starting to come on. I can't wait for the middle mountain momma this Sunday... Lets hope the rain stays away!!

2008 Twisted Tire Spring Mudfest

Somehow I find it a bit silly that I actually envy Mike for getting a couple of laps in when the conditions were decent - after all, he suffered for five hours while I for only half of that. Like most everyone else I could not believe that the race was not called for weather. I am starting to feel a bit of remorse for having ridden on the trails in those conditions. Now on to the race report.

I started the day wanting a top five finish. After taking first place up at the Blue Ridge School just a few weekends ago in a limited field, I knew there would be more competition at this race. I was right. The field was a bit deeper; not like it would have been without the rain. My goal was to enter the woods in the top 5. Since we started with the 19-29 sport class, I am not sure what place I was within my class, but I was in 6th place as we hit the woods. I instantly realized my goal of being in 5th as the rider in front of me went left into the woods and never made the immediate right. I could not believe how much mud there was within the first 20' of trail. We all settled in to the front section of trail knowing that it was going to be a long day in the saddle. I picked up two more spots within the first mile of trail. One while running (ok, jogging) up one of the unrideable hills. Then I was off in third place - or what I though was third. The guy who won Sport 19-29 crushed it, I never even saw him...not even at the start line.

I made a wrong turn coming up the back section of trail and was surprised to see riders coming at me. One of the riders let me know that missed a turn just back down the trail. I headed back in the opposite direction and was on my way again. I actually missed that same damn turn on my third lap but recognized my mistake instantly. Then I was trucking down one of the hard paths and went to duck into the trail pushing through a puddle at speed. What I failed to notice, because the puddle covered it, was a huge hole with a huge root on the opposite side. Needless to say I met the ground rather quickly. It ended up being my only crash of the day so I am happy about that. The rest of the lap went without incident. I did find out that I was in 2nd place after the first lap.

Second lap I was feeling like I did not drink enough during the first lap, so I tried to make up for it whenever I could. I did get passed by two riders in my class on this lap. It is amazing how fast people can go by you before you know it. This lap was really event free, I even made the right turn on the back of the course. I was entertained for a mile or so by a rider with no brakes. He was going pretty fast, but overshooting a lot of turns. I Came out of this lap in 4th place.

Last lap and I thought I was in 3rd place behind the two guys who had passed me, so I was feeling pretty good about my race. I was definitely passing a lot more people on the 3rd lap than in previous laps. I passed one of the guys who had passed me earlier on the second lap. I think it was when he had a stick lodged in his drivetrain. I thought he would stick to me like glue, but I never really saw him again until after the race. Then I caught a glimpse of the second rider (really the first) who passed me on the 2nd lap. I figured that since he was within sight I could catch him before the end of the race. I kept a steady pace through the middle part of the course, hoping not to cramp my thighs in the process. I was catching him and made up the most ground when I hit the gravel road before the last flats. I told myself not to use my brakes at all through the back flat section - yes, I was fortunate enough to still have full front brakes and half of my back brakes at this point. Every time I heard his brakes squeal, I knew I was gaining ground. I caught him on the last straight before hitting the tight, twisty, pine straw section before the finish. This was my goal as I did not want to pace him through this section and then sprint through the field, which would have triggered a cramp for sure. I ended up putting around 30 seconds on him through the last section. I tried to catch a SS rider just for fun, but he still got me at the line by a few seconds. I made him work for it at the end, though.

Overall it was a good race and I am stoked on 2nd place, especially given the conditions. Congratulations to all my teammates for their great finishes as well. I am dreading the trip to the bike shop - I do not want to know what my total will be. I am expecting new pads, chain, cassette, middle chain ring and possibly rotors. All XTR to boot...and I thought the $40 entry fee was expensive. At least Rowlett's is one of our major sponsors.

Roger Sattler post race at Poor Farm

Dirty mouth? Try Orbit gum.

Enduro POV

Dennis summed the race up pretty well. I just wanted to put in my point of view from the enduro event. We all lined up waiting to go, standing in the rain started getting a little cold. We see a guy running out to us with a few jackets for his teammates and tells us they are going to cancel. Then we hear 5,4,3,2,1 GO! Someone made the decision the race was on. Heading into the woods all you could hear was the squealing of wet disc brakes, which was pretty funny. The first two laps were a lot of fun. The ground was pretty hard with plenty of puddles to splash through. Once the other classes started the conditions deteriorated pretty rapidly. Not to mention that it still had not stopped raining! Where there had been puddles were now thick mud and the sound of squealing brakes were fewer and fewer as people dropped from mechanicals. I knew from the start this was going to be a hard race but I just kept thinking of what Jared told me at the start "everyone is out there suffering with you," and keeping that in my mind I was really able to push myself.

Poor Farm Spring Cup

Brakes? Anyone?

Wow! That race was rough! The lightning and thunder began right after I woke up. I remember breaking an egg over the pan when I saw the bright flash, followed by a deep rumble and the pelting rain. It didn't stop either.

I think most of the racers were pretty shocked. Not just at the rain itself, but the fact that we'd be racing in it. That the trails would be decimated and that it would be a gruel-fest. Something about the $40 registration kept reminding us, however, that we'd not be skipping this one. We all just hoped that the event organizer, Laurie of Richmond Multisports, would cancel the race. Word even got around that they almost threw in the towel just before the start of the enduro class. Apparently someone just yelled "three, two, one, GO" and it was settled...the event would go on.

So anyway, onto the race. The first thing I noticed (along with everyone else) was the brake fade. It was early in the first lap actually. I remember moving my knuckles to the edge of my bars to allow the lever to be pulled all the way to my grip. Eventually that didn't work on the rear, so I began pumping up the pressure before [and during] a hard braking. Wouldn't you know, even that stopped working by the end of the second lap. Okay, well, at least I had a front brake...sort of.

Oh, right, I almost forgot! On the first lap I took a wrong turn and ended up completing a 10.5 mile loop instead of a 7 mile one...great! I was in third place before that mishap. Anyway, my front brake was losing touch and I was seriously losing my nerve after the excursion on lap one coupled with a serious lack of control for the duration. I decided to call it quits after the third lap. It turns out that was just the right time. As I passed the start/finish line I grabbed the front brake to get off the bike and DNF, but I kept rolling. Oh. What's this? Nothing up there either. Well, I guess it was good timing after all.

The rest of the team fared well, even with similar brake issues: Greg WON the expert class; Mike came in second in the enduro field (six laps); Roger grabbed second in expert vet; Jason got second in sport. Mike was wise enough to spare his brakes from complete failure for five entire laps. The last one, though, was entirely without them. Apparently he'd damn good at stopping with his feet.


Here's what my pads looked like when I was done:

Team Bus

My main project for the summer is the team bus. When I totaled my Jeep Cherokee in February it seemed like a good time to get something that I could run on biodiesel/vegetable oil. At first I looked at getting a Mercedes Benz wagon, but changed my mind and went with something with more capacity...lot's more!


Phase I: The Bus

Bought a '94 E-350 School Bus. Fixed a leaky injector line and dropped $1,800 on a steering system rebuild, alternator, two batteries, and state inspection.

Phase II: Interior

• wrap-around seating up front
• storage rack along the ceiling and in the back of the bus

Phase III: Exterior

• Graffiti with sponsors' decals on both sides of the bus.

Phase IV: Veggie Oil

• Waste vegetable oil filter and storage system with auxilary tank and heating element.

Dragonsback - 04/06/08

The weatherman predicted light clouds and a high of 55, but as we drove to Roanoke it became clear that he was wrong. Our bikes were glistening by the time we rolled onto service road 224 from the pelting rain, but our cars were full of mud as we slid to the parking area (the shoulder).

I was stoked! Just the conditions I love!

We registered and lined up, heard some last minute details, and were off. The mud flying into eyeballs, gooey ground grabbing at our tires, we piled into the climb. Just about the time my heart came through my chest, we hit the leaves. Piled a foot high and slippery as hell, the racers were forced off bike and onto foot for a considerable amount of the climb. Once atop the ridge we raced on flats before blasting down the side of the mountain to the original fire road. The downhill was hairy with patches of leaves again hiding the rocks beneath and rendering brakes useless. I fell several times, but hit the ground laughing. It was a blast!

The second lap was a repeat of the first climb, which felt like a calm walk with sections of pedaling before reaching the summit for a new route down. This time the flats were super-technical over long rock gardens. The challenge was plenty to keep my mind off the actual soreness in my legs. Every obstacle cleared without a dab felt like a second gained on the riders ahead. The descent was smooth and fast, except for the brake-mashing, sliding skid before each switchback. Each switchback offered a new challenge too. Some were filled with leaves, others made entirely of rock steps, and others simply lined with broken pieces of slate that slid on each other as they threw you off the line and down the hill. At least ten trips over the handlebar on this descent had me grinning from ear to ear, amazed that my bike was able to merely pop back up and continue on.

Once back on service road 224, one last spin through the mud dumped us out at the finish line. I passed Greg as I approached the end and later found that he had placed 2nd in the Pro/Expert class. To my surprise, I had nabbed 4th place in the same class. Mike was 9th, while Roger got 3rd in the 30-39 expert category. We knew Joe must have had some problems and eventually saw him delivered to the cars by Search & Rescue (although he rode out his injury back to the main road). A gash on his knee would need stitches, although his main pain was forming a massive bruise on his thigh.

Greg and I let the race organizer know we'd have to skip the podium and we set off, to the hospital and home.