Blood, Sweat and Gears

The lo-lite: It took me 30 minutes longer to finish the route this year than it did 3 years ago (the only other time I’ve done this ride). The hi-lite: I totally killed the Snake Mountain climb!

100 miles. 13,000+ feet of climbing. 1,250 riders. This is “Blood, Sweat and Gears,” a benefit for the Watauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross. I was feeling good about this ride. After all, I’ve trained more in the mountains this year than all my previous years combined. Plus, I’ve got a couple 100 mile rides in my legs already this year. I was convinced I could better my previous time of 6 hours and 19 minutes; I even went so far as to think I could possibly break into the 5 hour mark. I was wrong on both counts.

I lined up 30 minutes prior to the start so I was pretty close to the front. Christina and Dirk were ON the start line and there were maybe 100 riders in between us. I was already feeling good. I could just sit in with a large group and let them help me better my time. Unfortunately, the drive train on my bike had other plans.

50 yards down the road, my chain would not stay in a single gear. It just slipped and grinded. Finally the chain fell between the spokes and cassette forcing me to pull over. I watched nearly 1,250 riders pass me as I fought with my chain. Once I got the chain unstuck, I ran through the gears. I’m not exactly sure why or how, but the derailleur limits were off as well as the gear indexing. I did not have a tool to set the limits, nor did I want to take the time in doing so. I resided myself to tightening the derailleur cable to fix the indexing – but would have to pay close attention to which gear I was in or I’d lose my chain again. I only had 100 miles left and almost the entire group had passed me. Great!

I sat in with people where I could but, I estimate I spent at least half of the ride by myself. Still, I thought I’d be strong enough to have a respectable finish. I was feeling good up the first climb, Shull’s Mill, and was finding my climbing rhythm fairly easy. I tried to pace myself knowing what lie ahead, but looking back, I could’ve done better with that. A detour over a gravel road didn’t affect me. I had lots of food and plenty of water. The weather was cooperating, for the most part, and as I hit my one rest stop (at the bottom of Snake Mountain), I was feeling good about myself given my crappy start. A small aside – next time I’ll know to plan my pit stop at the TOP of Snake Mountain so I’m not carrying so much water and food with me on the climb. But, even with 2 full water bottles and a couple of frozen “Smuckers Un-crustable” PB&J’s in my back pocket, I slayed that climb. All the people that had passed me on the lead up to the hill were walking their bikes up the climb. I’d say, including myself, there were about 5 people still on their bikes riding the 20% grade and about 30 off their bike walking along the side of the road. With grades that steep, you just turn your pedals and think of how gnarly the descent is gonna be. And it was. And I slayed that, too, reaching speeds up to 50 mph. I am so impressed with myself, I thought.

And almost as soon as I had the thought, my legs drained. All of a sudden every little incline in the road was a major climb. I looked at my odometer. 65 miles. Sweet, I only had 35 miles of absolute misery to look forward to. I found a small group that was going a good pace and sat in with them for a little while, but I lost them just before we hit the George’s Gap climb. I was toast. The people I had passed on Snake were now exacting their revenge on me. The last 15 miles of the ride were nearly unbearable, but how could I not finish after suffering for so long?

As I hit the last little kicker hill on Mast Gap Road, a lady on the side of the road started yelling, “You can do it! Only 2 more miles and most of it’s downhill!” All I could think was, well the next 50 meters isn’t and I’m dying right now, but thanks.

I’m not sure of my official time yet, but when I crossed the finish line, the clock said 6 hours 51 minutes. Disappointment overcame me as I sat in the shade for a minute with some pizza and a Coke. I was drained. I was dizzy. But, I was still proud for finishing. I got back on the bike and headed back to the car when I heard Christina call my name. Her and Dirk were already in street clothes, sipping beers and eating cookies in the shade of a tree. They both finished over an hour before I did. Ouch.

Back at the cabin, I had a little nap before heading out with Jill, Christina and Dirk to dinner at Black Cat in Boone (delicious, by the way. Highly recommend it). My spirits lifted and with a good meal in my tummy, I allowed myself to start planning for next year.

A Plea to Race Promoters and Organizers

I have mentioned CAT 3 limbo multiple times on this blog. It’s the “no-man’s-land” that women racers fall into once they leave the ranks of CAT 4 racing and begin lining up in the Pro 1 2 3 field. Some riders make the transition without problems, but I have heard from many women who have found the transition to be somewhat demoralizing.

I’ve thought a lot about why the transition is so hard and what can be done to ease it a bit. Of one thing I am sure – we all want to see more women racing. Leaving race after race in a constant state of frustration doesn’t bring women back to the sport. The way I see it, there are numerous reasons so many women fail as a CAT 3 and one very simple solution to prevent it. Here are just a few reasons why we fail:

1. Racing legs don’t happen over night – it takes years to develop a good base strength and power output.

2. Racing smarts don’t happen overnight – racing is not as easy as it looks on TV. One wrong move can ruin the race, which makes newbies hesitant to try new tactics, which in turn prolongs the learning process.

3. Over training and burn out happen easily when you want to do well – in an effort to keep up with the “big girls” a lot of women increase their training time, get burnt out, quit riding for a few months and then find themselves back at step one.

4. Moving up from a CAT 4 to a CAT 3 is relatively simple - the requirements for the upgrade are minimal and if you race consistently for 1 year, it’s most likely you’ll make the upgrade.

5. Racing is mentally draining – nobody likes to fail at something they work so hard for. You spend a lot of time training only to get dropped in the first few laps of a race. You begin to believe you’ll never be good at this. Why bother?

So basically, women need a more nurturing racing environment in which to grow. Men’s racing has many separate categories to accomplish this. But, there are so few women racing, that breaking up the categories is simply not feasible. I can accept that. So here’s my suggestion – most events already offer a Women’s CAT 4 race and a Women’s Pro 1 2 3 (or OPEN) race. I propose simply turning the CAT 4 races into a CAT 3/4 field while still offering the Pro 1 2 3 (or OPEN) field as well. I have a few reasons why I believe women will succeed in this set up. When you’re not worried about getting your butt kicked by racers much stronger than you, you can:

1. Test your legs on a breakaway to check your fitness against others of your own ability. And when you feel confident about your fitness, give the OPEN field a try to gauge your progress.

2. Try new tactics. The fear of trying any kind of tactic is greatly reduced when in a field of your own ability.

3. Stay mentally positive. Even sporadic success in a 3/4 field will be enough to keep you coming back for more which means more women staying in the sport.

4. CAT 4’s benefit from racing with riders slightly more experienced than themselves.

5. Gain more experience. Because it’s relatively easy to meet the requirements for an upgrade, riders suddenly find themselves among racers who have considerably better skills then they do. Someone who can’t handle their bike or freaks out easily is going to cause problems for the Pro 1 2 3 field. It’s safer to have a separate field to learn those skills.

6. Upgrade your license with confidence knowing you’re not instantly being thrown to the wolves.

7. Create the opportunity for more riders to “double up” on the races, which means more race entry fees paid, which means more money for the event. Every little bit helps.

8. Integrate racing into your life easier. Some of us don’t have 10 or 15 or 18 hours a week to train in order to be competitive with Pros and Cat 1’s once we’ve upgraded. Some women are happy just racing at the competition level of a CAT 4, but are forced into a CAT 3 upgrade if they have a little success. This way, despite an upgrade, they can stay at a level comfortable to them given the amount of training time they can find.

I have been in races where the USA Cycling Official stands at the start line lecturing the Women’s field; criticizing us that more women don’t race. But I have yet to hear of any solutions or see any changes to bring more women in. That burden is dropped on the shoulders of those who do show up to race week after week - us. There are a lot of groups out there promoting women’s cycling and working very hard to grow the sport. We just need the Organizers and Promoters to help out.

I would encourage you to consider this very simple solution in an effort to grow the sport we all love. Thank you.

If I Didn’t See It, It Didn’t Happen

Saturday morning’s ride ended in a bang. Well, more like a bang, a pop, a crack, a squeal and a thud.

Let me set the scene for you. It’s the end of the ride. We have about 2 miles left. About 20 of us are riding down Park Road Extension behind Carolina Place Mall. There is a BJ’s gas station on our right. There is a beige Lincoln MKZ approaching us in the oncoming lane. It merges into the turn lane to enter the gas station. That’s when I found myself screaming before I even knew why.

“CAAAAAAAARRRRR LEEEEEEEEEFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTT!” The driver had turned into our group.

Bill was first in line. He did some fancy riding swerving and hopping the curb to avoid the car. Shane, the guy behind Bill, had his wheels taken out by the front end of the car. His bike is destroyed, but somehow he came away with barely a scratch. Hal, third in the line, hit the front side panel of the car, endo-ed into the windshield, cracking it, slide across the hood and landed in the middle of the road. I was behind Hal and was the first one to reach him. He lay in fetal position breathing heavy in a state of shock until paramedics arrived.

I’ve witnessed several bike accidents in my years of riding. Generally, what I’ve found happens is half the group of riders surrounds the fallen rider to keep him/ her safe from more traffic while assessing the damage and calling 911. The other half of the group surround the car and driver so he/she doesn’t leave the scene (you’d be surprised how often people just try to take off – I’ve witnessed that, too). But this driver, an 80 year old male, did not try to escape. Instead he got right of his car and informed us that he “didn’t even see us.” Of course that set off the cyclists who start arguing, “How the hell did you not see a group of 20 cyclists?” I mean, at that point, we’re a bigger entity than a Ryder Truck.

Pineville Police were on the scene about a minute and a half after the accident. Paramedics and Pineville Volunteer Fire Department arrived a few minutes later. Hal was coherent as he was put on a stretcher and loaded into ambulance. Officers talked to all of us. Shane reported that the driver was looking over his own shoulder; not even looking in the direction of us.

Although there is animosity between cyclists and motorists, I have to believe that MOST motorist really do not want to hurt other people. The driver was visibly shaken. Literally shaking. I felt bad for him, too. He must have realized his mistake. He stood over Hal with a deep look of concern in his eyes. I don’t even recall him walking over to look at the damage to his car. It was just a bad situation for all involved.

Regardless, the accident was still his fault so there was no doubt in my mind that he would be ticketed. I mean, with all those witnesses, how could he not?

Here’s how. That little statement, “I did not see them.” That’s what the driver told the officer. Apparently, in NC, those 5 words keep you from being cited. It seems like a grave injustice for cyclists and pedestrians alike that there’s not a better law to help protect them from blind motorists.

Hal was released later that day with only scrapes and bruises, which is unfathomable to me given what I had seen. But, still, I'm grateful that my fellow cyclists were able to walk away from this one. Too often, that's not the case.

Lights OUT! Guerilla Radio!

A debate has been reeling in the cycling world for several years now as to whether or not race radio takes away some of the sporting elements of bicycle racing. With very little or no evidence to show otherwise, the Tour de France organizers have stepped in with what could produce the evidence necessary for the ban.

For those that don’t follow pro cycling races, let me explain. All riders in the races wear earpieces that connect them to their team director who is driving in a car behind the peloton. The Director “directs” the riders on tactics – when to attack, when to sit up, time gaps to breakaway’s, when to start chasing, etc. The Directors know almost down to the second exactly how long it will take to chase down a breakaway. It’s become formulaic and we see it happen in race after race. A breakaway goes clear several kilometers into the race and only to get caught 150 kilometers later when they are within 1km of the finish. On the plus side, though, the Directors can warn the riders of obstacles on the course up ahead.

This year, the Tour de France has proposed banning race radio for 2 stages of the 3 week race. And I’m all for it! Let’s finally see if the riders are just as tactical without being hand fed the information. Let’s race the old fashioned way – on instinct!

At the Tour of California this year, bad weather conditions knocked out race radio communications and it sent the peloton into a frenzy. No one could figure out who should chase the break or when. It was quite comical to see the racers looking at each other like they had no idea where they were. Chris Horner was pleading with the group to start chasing but by the time they finally listened to him, it was too late. The break stayed away and it nearly caused disaster for the race leader. THAT’S the kind of drama that makes people watch a sport.

Why should I bother sitting through 3 hours of race coverage when I can write the script for the first 2 hours and 55 minutes?

A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a...Drug Trafficker?

Missy “The Missile” Giove hasn’t made headlines in the cycling world since the mid and late 90’s when she was dominating the World downhill mountain bike scene. As a young cyclist just getting into mountain biking back then, I identified with her and she quickly became a hero of mine. She remains so to this day.

So imagine my excitement when my ex- Sister in Law called me from Suffolk, Va., to inform me that Missy Giove came to speak in my niece’s Women’s History class and that she lived in town. Next thing I know, I’m invited to a cookout that Missy Giove is invited to as well. I am beside myself with excitement. That BBQ is to take place in a couple of weeks.

Missy, having been retired from cycling for several years now, has drifted into anonymity with regards to cycling news… until this morning. I start every day with my daily check of cycling news websites. I opened Velonews.com this morning and the word “Giove” instantly caught my eye on the homepage. But, it wasn’t good. She had been arrested with 2 others in New York transporting 400 pounds of marijuana. Maximum penalty: 40 years. Minimum: 10.

I’m so pissed. Does this mean she can’t make it to the BBQ?

One more thing, quickly. Apparently one of the DEA agents was testing lines for Law and Order when he allegedly, knowing her Championship background, felt the need to insert himself in a move of classlessness by stating, “drug trafficking can lead you downhill fast.”

*Cue theme music …roll the credits…and, fade to black*

A Cyclists Nem"R-SYS"

According to the manufacturer of this wheel, its shattered appearance is a result of rider error.

The rider, Ben Delaney, who happens to be a journalist for VeloNews, wrote about the failure of his $1400 Mavic R-SYS wheelset and the article has gained a lot of exposure on FaceBook and in the blogosphere among other places.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole ordeal to me was Mavic’s conclusion that the shattering was a result of rider error. Rider error? He was turning left. Are these wheels only made to go straight? It had nothing to do with the fact that these wheels use hollow carbon spokes that employ “wagon wheel” style lacing? And Ben’s wheel was a “post recall” version. Why was there a recall on the original? Because they had the tendency to shatter. By all accounts I've read so far, there seems to be a flaw in the design of the wheel.

Ben Delaney states that his confidence in Mavic has not been thwarted, but I cannot say the same; not until they take ownership of their failed technology. A shattering front wheel is downright dangerous for a cyclist and just throwing your hands in the air and blaming the rider is not an acceptable response from Mavic.

Ease Up There, Buck-O

I was scanning the “Bikes” section on the Charlotte Craig’s List site today, as I normaly do, when I ran across and interesting listing. Here is the content of that listing, word for word, exactly how it appears on Craig’s List:

“re: WTB TREK ad (China)
Reply to: see below Date: 2009-06-10, 7:32AM EDT

Hate to break the news to you. But...... All low end Treks (basically anything below $2K) are made in the same factory as Specialized & Giant in China or Taiwan.

Heck.... I wouldnt be surprized if you added Huffy, Schwinn and Murray and other Wallmart bikes to that list. It is obviious that you are attempting to be brand loyal (you should try being bike shop loyal instead). and I can respect that.

But ask yourself a few questions.....

Would you really care about Trek if it werent for Lance? Are you truly a serious enough cyclist to be consious of the subtle differences between these low end frames? Do you really need to pay a premium for the same old stuff?

(Example....my Wife goes to the Farmers Market in January for tomatoes. It is pretty obvious that none of the produce is grown locally , rather they come from the same fields in Mexico, Does she habitually go to the same stand each time and deal with the Venders in broken english even though their Mexican tomatoes are $1.29 /pound when she go five feet away and get them for .99cents? No.

My suggestion is to keep trolling Craigslist like we all do and keep your eye open for a well equipped used buke that fits you and forget this whole Trek thing.

Or..... you can go to Wallmart and pick up a Next Mtb for $69 load it in your car and go to Hobby Lobby. Aisle 12 is the decal aisle. Pick out a set of decal letters that closely match the Trek Logo (oh yeah...dont forget numbers...enough for 3700 or 4500) Go home put the decals on and ride.

VIOLA! A BRAND NEW TREK 4500! Just be sure to re-assemble the bike and make sure all the nuts and bolts are good and tight (Doubt the High school kid in Wallmarts backroom did a very good job)

Good luck on your Quest......Hey Quest?? Thats another one coming off the same assembly line as Trek!”

Whoa! If you’re like me, your first thought was something like, “Holy cow, what did the dude wanting to buy a Trek say to this dude to get him all riled up?” So, I went and looked at the original post. Here it is word for word:

“WTB Trek Mountain Bike - $1 (University)
Reply to: mailto:sale-wkgze-1214328929@craigslist.org?subject=WTB%20Trek%20Mountain%20Bike%20-%20%241%20(University) [Errors when replying to ads?]Date: 2009-06-10, 6:43AM EDT

I am looking for a TREk mountain bike that is in very good condition. I would like a mid-level bike (3700 or 4500) that has been taken care of. Please let me know what you have available and the asking price and also include picures if available. corey_mackinnon@yahoo.com Thanks"

The audacity of some people.

Do You Like Apples?

I won. How ya like dem apples? And I’m not gonna lie, it feels gooooooood.

I was abnormally nervous this morning prior to the race. I have not raced a mountain bike in about 4 years and was unsure of what to expect. I decided my best race would be a tactical race. I was confident in my fitness so I took the beginning of the race to size up the competition.

I had great help from my teammate, Leah who took off from the start and got into the singletrack first. I was third into the forest, but having my teammate leading took a lot of pressure off me for the first part of the race. I really did need a little time to remember what this kind of racing was like. A couple of riders tried to overtake Leah, but she’s pretty quick up the hills so she was able to regain the front spot rather easily. I sat on her wheel and let her take me through the first part of the course. Her effort whittled down the field to 3 of us.

Now it was time for me to employ some tactics. I didn’t know the strength of the girl with us and so I had to test her. I came around Leah and made a small move on a downhill. I dropped the girl briefly but she fought her way back. Then I tried again on a steep uphill. Same thing, I temporarily dropped her but she fought her way back. I’ve always been a technical rider and so I decided to use that to my advantage.

When we got to the first technical section, I hammered it down the hill. At the bottom I looked behind me. I had opened up a pretty good gap. The problem was that the following section was flat and wide open. I didn’t want her to see me ahead of her cuz that causes a “chasing the rabbit” sequence that usually gives the chasing rider more motivation to ride harder. I attacked as hard as I could on a sprint hoping to get to the next curve before she could see how close she was to me. It mostly worked. I could still hear her in the distance though which kept my stomach uneasy.

The move that put the nail in the coffin for the rider behind me was a very technical, steep, rocky and root climb called the Billy Goat Trail. I knew this was where my big move would come. I killed that climb. I went up it so fast I surprised myself. By the time I hit the top, the girl chasing me was no where to be seen. And I saw no one (save for a bunch of guy racers that I was passing) for the rest of the race. I kept the pace steady, not overexerting myself. I felt no pressure on the second lap and once the win started to become inevitable in my head, I was extra cautious. No need to lose the race at this point because of a stupid crash or something of the like.

As I exited the singletrack into the grassy area that led to the finish, I took several looks behind me…just in case. One last look over my shoulder with the banner in sight and I let the elation overtake me. I threw both hands in the air (not necessarily an easy thing to do while riding in the bumpy grass), patted the logo on my chest to thank my sponsor and enjoyed the moment, as brief as it was.

Leah came across the line to snag 3rd overall and 1st in her age group.

I’ll be honest. I like winning. And I also happen to like apples. Especially when the apples come with a side of a first place Giordana-Clif Bar ass kickin’.

Pahoehoe = Lava, Which Means I’m HOT!

I haven’t ridden my mountain bike in over a year. I haven’t raced it since God knows when. My mountain bike is 10 years old – it’s practically a classic. The wheels don’t match and the rear derailleur has been replaced. The bar ends are 2 different colors and the chainstay is wrapped in rubber with zip ties holding it on. But there is one thing that makes my bike inherently better yours – glow in the dark decals.

Yes, my mountain bike is mostly unimpressive to look at; no where near the caliber of my road bike, but for some reason, I still really love the thing. Since my foray into road cycling started 4 years ago though, my mountain bike has been sorely neglected. Well, that’s all changing this weekend, people. The silver bullet is back! The ole Kona Pahoehoe is tuned up (kind of) and ready (I guess) for its racing re-debut (God, help me) as we make our grand comeback (what exactly am I thinking?) at this weekend’s Catawba Riverfront Classic (really, what good could possibly come of this?).

Me and my Pahoehoe are gonna make like lava and scorch this race, baby! (My overconfidence is purely tactical, not deserved.)

400 Miles Later...

Jim O’Brien wanted me to ride 200-300 miles with my new fit and let him know how I feel. Well, Jim is in Pennsylvania right now helping out with the Pro races up there, but if he were around right now I’d let him know that I’ve seen the light.

Never did I think it was possible to do a 100 mile bike ride and feel nothing but a small soreness in my neck (I mean c’mon, it’s 100 miles – you’re gonna hurt a little). The Saturday after my bike fitting, my buds and I attempted our first 100 miler of the season. I was somewhat scared cuz earlier in the week I had felt weird on the bike, but I’m weak when it comes to peer pressure so I went. The first 20 miles or so I didn’t feel so hot and I began to wonder if I was in for a rough day, but shortly after I had that thought, everything fell right into place and even at the end of the ride, I was still feeling very strong. I felt like I could keep going forever, but I was ravenous and so I went with the plan that took me and my buds to Big Daddy's Burger Bar instead.

The following weekend (my birthday weekend) we decided to do 100 again. I was determined to prove to myself that last week’s breakthrough was not a fluke. On this day, though, the temps were 10 degrees warmer. That wouldn’t have been an issue for me normally, but one of my buds had a crash during the ride and I had used my water to cool her down as we waited for her boyfriend to come pick her up. I ended up a bit dehydrated toward the end of the ride. My head was in a fit of dizziness for the last few miles and when I got off the bike I was unsure if I’d be able to get off the floor to get burgers.

Alas, I made it off the floor and felt a lot better with some fluids and air conditioning. Otherwise though, my body felt fine; very limited soreness if any at all in my back, shoulders and neck. As far as the bike fit goes, I think Jim hit it spot on. The prior week was not a fluke.

So in the 2 weeks since the bike fitting I’ve put about 400 miles on the bike and I can’t wait until Jim returns so I can sing his praises directly to him. I can’t say it enough – go get fitted. Right now.