Knees and Trees

Just about every mountain bike race I have been in this season I have managed to whack my knees and have tried to take out some trees. One race I even slammed my knee on a tree. So now I sport a perpetual bruise on each knee. Oh what to wear with purple and yellow?

Anyhow, this past weekend was the grand Apple Blaster Mountain Bike Stage Race. It was three events taking place in two different states – no not delirium and panic, New Hampshire and Vermont…jeeeesh…. Saturday’s events were the short track and hill climbing events. We drove in that morning and arrived just in time to wait for the promoters to set up. For some reason these New England events tend to have livestock on the premises. The start/finish area included some chickens. Yup, we were in the sticks.

The short track course was already taped off so I took a test drive. This was the longest short track I have been on yet. We wound through the apple orchard and barreled down the other side of the hill to climb bit of dirt road and then we were launched into some single track steady technical climb that kept everyone honest. My first practice run through I endo’d over the last ditch before the start/finish. That is were I tasted a couple of trees - saplings so they were tender and pliable and did not leave much of a mark.

For the actual race it was so cool to see a whole line-up of racing women! We actually got our own start and the official gave us our last three laps off our own race leader instead of being tossed in with the guys! Outstanding! During the race I was on fire and inspired. I was doing pretty well on my first lap until I hit the technical jog through the rocks and roots and lost my chain. I clamored back on the bike and hustled around the turns and up the hills to regain position. But no such luck. On the gravel left turn up the dirt road I laid my bike down and had a complete water bottle yard sale and chain drop. Ooops! I got back on and hammered my way through again, tasting a little puke from the effort. I finally got a few laps in without incident. Coming around for my last lap I was so excited that I endo’d off a pyramid of logs in the mud. I finally finished upright and dirty and in 2nd place.

Right after the short track race we had the hill climb time trial. This hill had some 6-10% grades up some old logging road – for you west coast folks this means fire road. It was shale and gravel with a lot of spring run-off troughs. I think I was the only person who hit the only puddle in the road on the way up. I zoomed my way up and came close to winning – I could almost taste it, but 11 seconds too short off the winning time. Not bad and another 2nd place finish.

The next day we were in Putney, Vermont for the cross country race. It was sure a beautiful venue. The day was warmer too. I took a chance to do my warm-up on the race course instead of sitting on the trainer. Riding the fine line between a predictable consistent warm-up and getting a pre-view of the course made me wary of how I would perform during the race. I took a chance to check out the course and found myself gasping for air on some of the climbs that I got off and walked. I was not sure I was going to make it back for the start in time. It was swooping single track roller coast trails in the trees with no let-up. During my practice run I missed a shift and slammed my right knee on my handlebars climbing a switchback. Ow! Fortunately, I made it back just in time for the start and a quick pre-race pee break.

At the whistle, I stomped off the start line. I am not sure where the energy was coming from because my pre-ride/warm-up did not feel good. I was racing between controlled and ohmygodiamgoingtoofast speed on the descents. I found the sweet spot on the switchback climbs and tight left hand S turns. I went a little too fast down one hill that my bike hopped straight down parallel to the hill. I managed to keep upright and keep going hoping to remember not to do the same scary move for the rest of the laps.

Hammer, hammer, hammer. I raced steady staying consistent with each of my five 4.3 mile laps. Every cell in my body was smiling. I was having a wonderful time. I grabbed a juice bottle from my doting husband in the feed zone and went out for my 3rd lap. It was getting toasty warm and I was thirsty. I ended up losing the bottle about mid-way through the lap. At first I thought it was a stick trying to take out my rear derailleur. For the last two laps I kept my race pace trying to ride as fast as my legs would go without cramping. No crashes or mechanicals I found myself at the finish in 3rd place. Shazam! It was a major racing breakthrough. I am getting back on track – physically I am stronger and mentally I am ready to race.

Humbled….

A week ago Sunday we headed for Dalton, MA for a XC mountain bike race put on by none other than North Atlantic Velo. What a swell team! The day threatened rain, but we danced between the clouds and basked in the low 60’s.

The venue was really interesting, with pigs and chickens next to the port-o-potties, mosquitoes the size of helicopters, and a super fun technical figure eight race course with an over-under bridge. The pro women were designated four 8 mile laps of grueling mud, tricky climbs and troll harboring tree roots. It was going to be a war of stamina.

This would have been a great race course to pre-ride, but with the major moving transition going on in our lives it was not a possibility. I did ride the first mile of the course for my race warm-up. But it did not help me very much. After we were sent off the start line, I stumbled my way through the first mile causing some pile-ups. Too much adrenaline and the first time this season I was mentally checked in to a race I was bouncing off everything and taking bad lines and clogged the trail. I professed numerous apologies and was having flashbacks of getting frustrated with people who have done the same in front of me at races. Very humbling….. Anyhow, I finally finished the first full lap doing a lot of self-cheering and managing to ride things I would not have attempted a few weeks ago-like taking root-filled descents at crazy speeds and kicking my back wheel around some hair pins.

The second lap was much easier. Mary Lynn, one of the other racers, and I were frequently swapping places. I am enjoying meeting the east coast contingent of racers. These ladies are no slouches. I kept a steady pace and was actually glad that this was a longer race. After hopping on for my third lap and scrambling my way up the greasy root laden hike-a-bike hill, Mary Lynn was not to be found. Alone, I was talking to myself like a newly discharged mental patient without meds. I knew I needed to maintain a good pace because it is easy when I am on the trail all by myself to kick back and just take in the day and forget that it is a race. Steve was at one of the turns yelling to me, “Last lap! You’re doing great!” I guess I forgot to tell him that we were doing FOUR not three laps. I caught up with some other racers struggling up the grassy hill. One guy said, “You’re almost finished!” I am not sure if he was talking to me or himself since he was walking his bike. But I hope I made him feel better when I told him I had another lap.

As I rolled through to take my fourth and final lap, I felt that pang in my stomach when I am about to bonk. I was nervous. I knew I could maintain my consistent pace for the last lap. The growl in my stomach grew to a roar. I was becoming delirious. I could not remember if I had been through certain sections of the race course or not and I started bouncing off of roots again. Thankfully, the feed zone was at the mid-point of the lap, so I was able to snag some juice and a gel to tide me over. I gobbled my sugary snacks when what I really craved was a sandwich. I kept it moving and rolled across the finish line before they packed up the official’s tent.

I came in fourth place. And I later found out that racers were being pulled if they did not complete laps in a certain time frame. I was so jazzed that I did not get pulled. Woohoo! I have deep pockets of endurance – now I need to add some speed to the equation.

Breakin’ Stuff

So every time I have come back from a ride or a race, Steve asks, “What did you break now?” Last week I snapped my chain off my mountain bike. This week I flatted in a XC mountain bike race on a tire I have ridden on three times and I snapped my road bike cable shifter thingy during a “recovery” ride. I think I need to become a product tester because it is apparent that companies are not using the same protocols or environment I am encountering, such as thighs of mass destruction and “just riding along” power.

In any event, these last three weeks of racing have been tough - not so much physically as mentally. Last year, my husband and I made a huge life change and moved back to the east coast where we are both from to seize an opportunity of a lifetime. For a variety of reasons it did not work out. So now we are back in the throws of changing our lives again. I am very thankful for biking even though I am frustrated to have had to reduce my season goals to finishing a race unless the bike is completely trashed or I am carried out on a stretcher, and have as much fun as possible. So here are the highlights of what has been going on in the race scene:

Plattekill, NY XC

The race series is shortest distance from my house – only one hour in the car on windy country roads that leave me wobbly carsick. And inevitably the drive includes getting behind someone who is afraid to use the gas pedal and go the speed limit.

After warming up in the parking lot on the trainer, we took the chair lift up to the start line. I rode up the lift with my eyes closed and a tight grip on the safety bar. The warm-up was lost to a sudden drop in temperatures and my poorly acclimated blood to the northeastern weather. The course was rough for these California sand trap rattlesnake riding legs. My legs tightened up and my stomach was having a fit out of the gate. I tip-toed the first lap trying to feel out what lines to take – a pre-ride would have been helpful. The next couple of laps I got faster, however, I dropped my chain and a sapling branch twisted itself between my spokes and rear disc brake rotor requiring me to stop for a bit to make my bike rideable again. I finished 3rd.

Coyote Hill, VT ST and XC

This was the first short track event of the season for me. I forgot how much I missed racing short track. I cannot explain my love for 30 minutes of shear suffering and pain. It is so satisfying. Sure the east coast short track race series do not pull the same amount of competition as do the NORBA national events, but they are just as fun. It is cool being sent off with all the men and trying to match their speed or have them try and show you how tough they are before they blow up on a hill trying to stay ahead of a chick. Nice. So we raced around a grassy hill in Vermont. I placed 1st for the women and still held off some of the guys.

I was thankful that after the short track race I pre-rode the XC course. It may have not been the smartest move on my part in preparation energy-wise for the XC race, but remember my new goals. It was a really nice rooty technical trail with bouts of mud that were dragged about to make some sections really slickery. I forgot how to ride technical trails after moving to California. This trail beat the snot out of me. My arm muscles are growing by the race with all the bike handling skills I am reforming.

Anyhow, I was miserable for the XC race. I was full body tired. It was tough to haul myself to the start line. But I did. Why? Because this physical activity keeps me from going insane. After one of the laps Steve asked me if I wanted a water bottle – I shook my head “No” and gave him the cat claw. I had fantasies of a DNF. What would it feel like to willingly quit a race? It is a slippery slope and there is no crying or quitters in bike racing. During the last lap I finally started picking off some racers, but it there were too few laps in the race to keep up the good work. I managed to pull out a 6th place finish with a nice wreck and chain shifting issues in four laps of muscle rattling moves.


Channel 3, CT ST and XC

AHA! I figured out the reason why more chicks do not show up to short track in this series…they are either too scared of my huge thighs full of raw power or too scared they will use all their matches for the XC race the next day. BUMS! Call me a sucker, but I like what I like and short track is awesome! It was the coolest most technical short track race I have ever competed in. I lapped the chicks in this race. Even better I had my own personal fan club cheering for me on the course. It was so energizing. 1st place feels good too.

Yes, I burnt some matches in the short track event, but not all of them. The XC course was pretty technical with some killer logs in the middle of the trail that required super-bunny-hopping skills or psycho-cross dismount-remount skills – none of which are currently in my repertoire – I often took the weenie-bout, the little off-shoot trail to go around the log. I managed an OK run on the first couple of laps only to acquire a flat just as I was heading out for a third lap. Time taken for a tire change meant lost spots in the race. I also had some huff-daddy ram his handlebars up my bum trying to pass me in a rocky slippery mud section. Whatever. But on the last lap I was able to catch and release 3+ racers that had passed me. I was getting faster each lap after the flat change. I can only hope that I am getting stronger with each event. Surprisingly I was not DFL (Dead Freakin’ Last), but 7th.