Last November I was sitting on my couch, watching some basketball when my phone started vibrating. I saw that I had a message from Cap Carter, who is an official for USA Cycling. Since I won the Fall TMBRA Series, he suggested I should move into Cat 1 and start racing with the big boys. My win in the series had more to do with the fact I showed up to every race than my actual race ability. After about a 30 minute conversation, we agreed I would move up and give it a shot.
On Sunday morning, I showed up for the first race of the Spring TMBRA Series. I was talking with Josh De Boisblanc. The conversation turned to the strong headwind on the start loop. He jokingly asked me if I would lead him into the wind. I laughed it off, but I figured I didn't have a real shot at winning the race so if I could help some one out, it would be a good built in excuse if I fail miserably. As we made the right hand turn into the wind, I made my move. Coming from the back of the field, I made my way to the front. I rolled up to the front and told Josh to grab my wheel. We made our way around the pond and as we approached the woods Josh passed me and hit the singletrack first. I figured everyone else was right there and would pass, but no one else was there so I went in second. I wanted to ride the single track near the front to get and idea of the trail speed of the fast guys. When we came out of the trail and headed toward Gas Pass I was sitting in 4th place. Then it all fell apart.
Going up the climb to Mule's Trace I attacked the back of the pack and stayed there. My race was pretty uneventful from there until the end of the 3rd lap. I started catching 2 riders in my category and we started yo-yoing. I couldn't catch either rider but I was keeping them in sight. As we finished the 3rd lap, I wanted to make sure I held my position in the race. I was keeping one of the riders close and as we exited the front singletrack I was able to close the gap. At this point, I knew I just needed to keep the hammer down. At the top of the Palisades climb, I was passed by Chauncey Deller and lost a place but since I made the earlier pass, my goal was still intact. I finished out my final lap and promptly collapsed to the ground. My back apparently didn't like what just happened. I was lucky enough to have some friends around to babysit me. Darryl was nice enough to get me a couple bottle refills.
So looking back at my race I feel like I met most of my goals. My 3 lap time was considerably faster than last year, 8 minutes to be exact. I didn't want to get caught by a few friends in the age groups that started after me and none of them caught me. I beat people that actually finished.
So I rode 4 laps in 2:12 with a 1:35 3 lap time. I was 9 out of 13 riders
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tortoise and the Hares
This weekend was the 2nd/3rd/2nd round of the TMBRA Fall Series. The race was in Abilene, TX which is of course named after Abilene, Kansas, which is where I was born 28 years ago. Paul and I showed up on Saturday afternoon to preride. Looking foward to an easy 9.5 mile ride we started into the trail and after about an hour of extremely fun riding, we were done. The course, while extremely rocky was no where near as technical as it appeared at first glance.
I lined up on Sunday and saw only 6 other riders. Cap Carter, local TMBRA official informed us that we would be racing against a girl and if she chicked us, he would give her 20 bucks. I hope he made good on his promise. Actually, he owes her a bonus because she beat more than half the field. So the race starts and of course 2 guys go off like rockets. I saw their pace and said screw that and rode my own pace with another guy. If those wanted to ride that speed, good for them. We dove into the single track and I was sitting in fourth place and I was happy where I was. The course was smooth, then rocky, then smooth, then rocky............ Many of you know I don't like technical rocky trails, but this course so well laid out that my bike was rolling over the rocks without too much finese.
After about 10 minutes, I was sitting very happily in 4th place and I saw the first of the fast guys walking his bike. He appeared to have a flat. It was most likely caused by one of the millions of cacti that lined the course or a pinch flat. So I rode the rest of the first lap in 3rd. About 1/3 of the way through the second lap a good friend of mine in the 30-39 group came by about the same time I noticed 2nd place was not too far ahead. So I jumped on Chris's wheel and let him pull me up to the other guy. After sitting on Chris's wheel for a while, I lost track of him and came across the guy who was leading. He was sitting next to the trail with a broken chain.
So here I am, I am sitting it second place, about 15 seconds off of first and I have a 3 mile rock garden in front of me. I also have about 2 miles of open single after the rock garden. I had to pick my way through the techy stuff as smoothly and as quickly as possible. I would lose a little bit of time in each rock garden and then I would close the gap between the gardens. I was confident I could catch the guy in the open area. Unfortunately, I didn't get to beat him straight up. As we came through the last rock garden, the other dude flatted. When I saw that I knew I needed to keep the pressure down and stay smooth. After 3 or 4 minutes, the course doubled back and he was still fixing his flat. At this point I knew I had it in the bag.
After a few bad races last year it is great to finally have a good race where the luck actually goes my way.
I lined up on Sunday and saw only 6 other riders. Cap Carter, local TMBRA official informed us that we would be racing against a girl and if she chicked us, he would give her 20 bucks. I hope he made good on his promise. Actually, he owes her a bonus because she beat more than half the field. So the race starts and of course 2 guys go off like rockets. I saw their pace and said screw that and rode my own pace with another guy. If those wanted to ride that speed, good for them. We dove into the single track and I was sitting in fourth place and I was happy where I was. The course was smooth, then rocky, then smooth, then rocky............ Many of you know I don't like technical rocky trails, but this course so well laid out that my bike was rolling over the rocks without too much finese.
After about 10 minutes, I was sitting very happily in 4th place and I saw the first of the fast guys walking his bike. He appeared to have a flat. It was most likely caused by one of the millions of cacti that lined the course or a pinch flat. So I rode the rest of the first lap in 3rd. About 1/3 of the way through the second lap a good friend of mine in the 30-39 group came by about the same time I noticed 2nd place was not too far ahead. So I jumped on Chris's wheel and let him pull me up to the other guy. After sitting on Chris's wheel for a while, I lost track of him and came across the guy who was leading. He was sitting next to the trail with a broken chain.
So here I am, I am sitting it second place, about 15 seconds off of first and I have a 3 mile rock garden in front of me. I also have about 2 miles of open single after the rock garden. I had to pick my way through the techy stuff as smoothly and as quickly as possible. I would lose a little bit of time in each rock garden and then I would close the gap between the gardens. I was confident I could catch the guy in the open area. Unfortunately, I didn't get to beat him straight up. As we came through the last rock garden, the other dude flatted. When I saw that I knew I needed to keep the pressure down and stay smooth. After 3 or 4 minutes, the course doubled back and he was still fixing his flat. At this point I knew I had it in the bag.
After a few bad races last year it is great to finally have a good race where the luck actually goes my way.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Camp Eagle Race Report- Keeping Air in the Tires is a Good Thing
So the hot summer has finally gone away and the humidity has dropped quite a bit. A few days ago we turned the calenders over to September which means two things 1) My birthday is only a few weeks away(28th if you would like to drop gifts of at the shop.) and 2) The TMBRA Fall season opener at Camp Eagle.
So here's the deal Camp Eagle is an awesome place, but skill wise it is way beyond my comfort zone. Also, last time I was there, I had a major mechanical malfunction about 3 miles into the race. This year, I was finishing no matter what. I was fully prepared to walk the entire course. i don't however know if my ride was prepared to wait for me to walk 18 miles.
I prerode on Saturday and had a good ride. My confidence was pretty high on Sunday morning and we arrived about 2 hours before the race started. As I pulled the last of my gear from the car, a motorized cart came by with a rider sporting a brand new neck brace. CRAP!!! Racing is fun but paralysis shouldn't be part of it. I started my warm and tried to block all that out of my mind. Then the helicopter came.
So the gun went off and it was time to race. The course started off with a 3/4 mile open start loop. I can best describe the start of our race as courteous. We entered a long climb to start the race. I was very comfortable with the start but I was going to get too froggy because of all the technical crap ahead of me. So we get to the top and get going on the hard stuff. Still fine. More single track, some berms and a rock drop or two. Feeling great.
Then the bad stuff started. There was a small ledge that dropped down onto some rocks. One of the rocks punctured my rear tire. uGh, not again. I heard the air and the STANS rushing out of the tire. The Stans sealed the hole but not before too much air got out. I have never had to deal with Stans in a pressure (ahahha get it) situation but I knew the basics. Hold the cut low, cover the gash and so forth. I added some air and the added pressure broke the seal but not too much. So I let it sit for a few seconds and hit again. It took a few more attempts before I was satisified and back on the course. Back to "racing."
At this point I am in last place and I start riding again. I have some air in my tire but not a whole lot. Not good for a big guy on 2.0 tires. I am bashing my rim on everything. With every thuck and thud, I figure my race is over, but I make it through the river bed in 1 piece. I start into the north loop. The North loop starts with a nice run along the river with plenty of places to bang the rim. I made it through started up the long and actually passed a guy. Yes, I passed a guy climbing. So the North Loop is fun, abit hard in places but you have to fight through it. I passed another cat 2 19-29 guy walking the other way with a puncture.
I come around to the North/South loop transition area/feed zone and grab a new bottle and proceed. This starting climb is a lot harder than I remember, but I make it to the top and get back to the river bed. I some how manage to be smoother and faster through it this time around. Finally, the finish line is in sight and I finish off with a nice little "sprint."
I had no idea how I finished, but I knew I wanted water. Luckily, I had friends around and I was taken care of. After a few bottles of water, I started to feel much better. Then the results got posted. After being solidly in 4th flatting and having to nurse a half inflated back through 15 miles of rocky single track, I finished in 4th. I was only 2 minutes out of 3rd place. Excellent. A great way to start the season. next up is Palo duro.
The bad news is I will need a new rim and tire. I see a Stans Arch in my future.
So here's the deal Camp Eagle is an awesome place, but skill wise it is way beyond my comfort zone. Also, last time I was there, I had a major mechanical malfunction about 3 miles into the race. This year, I was finishing no matter what. I was fully prepared to walk the entire course. i don't however know if my ride was prepared to wait for me to walk 18 miles.
I prerode on Saturday and had a good ride. My confidence was pretty high on Sunday morning and we arrived about 2 hours before the race started. As I pulled the last of my gear from the car, a motorized cart came by with a rider sporting a brand new neck brace. CRAP!!! Racing is fun but paralysis shouldn't be part of it. I started my warm and tried to block all that out of my mind. Then the helicopter came.
So the gun went off and it was time to race. The course started off with a 3/4 mile open start loop. I can best describe the start of our race as courteous. We entered a long climb to start the race. I was very comfortable with the start but I was going to get too froggy because of all the technical crap ahead of me. So we get to the top and get going on the hard stuff. Still fine. More single track, some berms and a rock drop or two. Feeling great.
Then the bad stuff started. There was a small ledge that dropped down onto some rocks. One of the rocks punctured my rear tire. uGh, not again. I heard the air and the STANS rushing out of the tire. The Stans sealed the hole but not before too much air got out. I have never had to deal with Stans in a pressure (ahahha get it) situation but I knew the basics. Hold the cut low, cover the gash and so forth. I added some air and the added pressure broke the seal but not too much. So I let it sit for a few seconds and hit again. It took a few more attempts before I was satisified and back on the course. Back to "racing."
At this point I am in last place and I start riding again. I have some air in my tire but not a whole lot. Not good for a big guy on 2.0 tires. I am bashing my rim on everything. With every thuck and thud, I figure my race is over, but I make it through the river bed in 1 piece. I start into the north loop. The North loop starts with a nice run along the river with plenty of places to bang the rim. I made it through started up the long and actually passed a guy. Yes, I passed a guy climbing. So the North Loop is fun, abit hard in places but you have to fight through it. I passed another cat 2 19-29 guy walking the other way with a puncture.
I come around to the North/South loop transition area/feed zone and grab a new bottle and proceed. This starting climb is a lot harder than I remember, but I make it to the top and get back to the river bed. I some how manage to be smoother and faster through it this time around. Finally, the finish line is in sight and I finish off with a nice little "sprint."
I had no idea how I finished, but I knew I wanted water. Luckily, I had friends around and I was taken care of. After a few bottles of water, I started to feel much better. Then the results got posted. After being solidly in 4th flatting and having to nurse a half inflated back through 15 miles of rocky single track, I finished in 4th. I was only 2 minutes out of 3rd place. Excellent. A great way to start the season. next up is Palo duro.
The bad news is I will need a new rim and tire. I see a Stans Arch in my future.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Comfort Race Report
Bike racing can be a lot of fun. This weekend was a good example of that. As you may recall, a month and a half ago the Miles of Discomfort race was the most disgusting and brutal race I have ever done. I now had to return to the painful hills of Comfort, TX. Not very comforting(HAHA get it, it was a play on words)(sorry, that was horrible, no seriously, I shouldn't have done that). I showed up for the race on Saturday and pre-rode the lower half of the course. It was a lot of fun.
The race started how I expected it to. I attacked off the back which seemed to be a good call. It allowed me to not waste a bunch of energy trying to win. I found a good rhythm and settled in. That place has a lot of fun descending and some fun climbing too. I had a couple of pucker moments on the rock ledges but managed to stay upright. Then I got to the upper loop. That was when all the climbing began. That went well for awhile. Then I started a short descent with zero technical features and fell on my right side. The entire right side of my body lost skin. I go in for a skin graft on Thursday.
I finished the 23 mile race in 2 hours and 13 minutes. It was my first finish west of San Antonio. It was nice to get that monkey off my back. Erique Williams came along and he beat me soundly. Phil Teitel also came. He beat me too, but not as badly. See you next time.
The race started how I expected it to. I attacked off the back which seemed to be a good call. It allowed me to not waste a bunch of energy trying to win. I found a good rhythm and settled in. That place has a lot of fun descending and some fun climbing too. I had a couple of pucker moments on the rock ledges but managed to stay upright. Then I got to the upper loop. That was when all the climbing began. That went well for awhile. Then I started a short descent with zero technical features and fell on my right side. The entire right side of my body lost skin. I go in for a skin graft on Thursday.
I finished the 23 mile race in 2 hours and 13 minutes. It was my first finish west of San Antonio. It was nice to get that monkey off my back. Erique Williams came along and he beat me soundly. Phil Teitel also came. He beat me too, but not as badly. See you next time.
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Warda Race race report
Yesterday the 2010 Spring TMBRA series started of with a bang, literally. (Get it they used a starters pistol.) (Sorry aboot that.) While early in the week it was looking like we would be racing in mud and muck, the course conditions took a turn for the better. On Saturday, the local forums were filled with rumors of packed sand and fast cornering. Awesome!!
My race started with a half mile loop around to the barn and included my only mistake of the race. It took me about 30 seconds to get clipped in but once I found my pedal, it was on like Donkey Kong. I started gaining ground and passing a number of people and found my rhythm going into the single track. I passed a couple single speeders and continued through my first lap which was pretty uneventful.
My second lap was just uneventful with the exception of one guy who yelled at me to get out of his way on the Palisades. I don't know why he yelled at me, considering there were 3 people in front of me blocking my way, but apparently the 10 seconds he lost on climb will now prevent him from feeding his family. I would like to take a moment to talk about false flats. To me, false flats are God's way of poking fun at mountain bikers. I hate them because you are looking at it and it doesn't look like you should be struggling, but you are. Bluff Creek Ranch has three of them and they all suck.
My last lap actually included a little bit of racing and strategy. After the Palisades, I noticed a guy in my category sneaking up behind me. I knew he was going to catch me but I held him off until the false flat just before the BMX track. He went around me and built a sizable gap. Luckily, I have the BMX track and Roller Coaster dialed in and I know all my lines. I closed the gap on the track and started to reel him in on the Roller Coaster and then disaster struck. On of the younger lady racers was just coming around to finish her second lap and the guy I was racing got around her was pulling away. I calmly told her I was racing the guy that just went by and she immediately got over. She needs to be the one teaching racers etiquette. Once again it was just me and him. Coming around the last pond, I was 10 feet back and happy to stay there. Just before the finishing stretch there is a short little crap hill. I always see people mess up on it or brake too much to make the corner, so I back off the guy in front of me and then blast the hill. He braked for the corner and I by giving myself the gap and attacking the hill, I managed to pretty much even up with him. From there it was a sprint to the finish. He was in the wrong gear so I beat him relatively easily.
Well that's my race report. I finished 14/23 in 1:46:06
We had a number of customers come out to race and they all did well in their respective divisions.
My race started with a half mile loop around to the barn and included my only mistake of the race. It took me about 30 seconds to get clipped in but once I found my pedal, it was on like Donkey Kong. I started gaining ground and passing a number of people and found my rhythm going into the single track. I passed a couple single speeders and continued through my first lap which was pretty uneventful.
My second lap was just uneventful with the exception of one guy who yelled at me to get out of his way on the Palisades. I don't know why he yelled at me, considering there were 3 people in front of me blocking my way, but apparently the 10 seconds he lost on climb will now prevent him from feeding his family. I would like to take a moment to talk about false flats. To me, false flats are God's way of poking fun at mountain bikers. I hate them because you are looking at it and it doesn't look like you should be struggling, but you are. Bluff Creek Ranch has three of them and they all suck.
My last lap actually included a little bit of racing and strategy. After the Palisades, I noticed a guy in my category sneaking up behind me. I knew he was going to catch me but I held him off until the false flat just before the BMX track. He went around me and built a sizable gap. Luckily, I have the BMX track and Roller Coaster dialed in and I know all my lines. I closed the gap on the track and started to reel him in on the Roller Coaster and then disaster struck. On of the younger lady racers was just coming around to finish her second lap and the guy I was racing got around her was pulling away. I calmly told her I was racing the guy that just went by and she immediately got over. She needs to be the one teaching racers etiquette. Once again it was just me and him. Coming around the last pond, I was 10 feet back and happy to stay there. Just before the finishing stretch there is a short little crap hill. I always see people mess up on it or brake too much to make the corner, so I back off the guy in front of me and then blast the hill. He braked for the corner and I by giving myself the gap and attacking the hill, I managed to pretty much even up with him. From there it was a sprint to the finish. He was in the wrong gear so I beat him relatively easily.
Well that's my race report. I finished 14/23 in 1:46:06
We had a number of customers come out to race and they all did well in their respective divisions.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The TMBRA Spring Series starts this weekend
Sunday marks the start of the TMBRA Spring Series with one of my favorite races of the year. Bluff Creek Ranch is located about 10 miles north of LaGrange. BCR has about 7 miles of fast flowy single track that makes for a fast race and over all fun time. With the impending blizzard/ snowstorm/weathapocalyspe/ .5 inch-1 inch of snow, it's looking more and more like a muddy race, which I think will suit me after the race 3 weeks ago. Bring your mud bike and a towel.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tallboys are flippin' cool
So we got a couple Tallboys in yesterday and they are all built up and ready to roll. I would like to take a moment to apologize the potential buyers of these bikes. Unfortunately, during the build we couldn't control our drool. I promise the frames are clean now. After they were built we started noticing some of the cool features on the bikes. Some were obvious and others took a little more attention to notice.
The first thing we noticed was the tapered head tube. This is becoming more and more common. The over sized bearing and head tube allow the rider to maintain more control over the fork and front wheel. You can also use 1.125 stems that are available everywhere.
The cable stops are also molded into the frame instead of riveted on. This is a benefit on two fronts. Firstly, they won't break off. It doesn't happen often but it's a pain in the butt to fix. Also, when the stops are molded into the frame there is less likelihood of flex. This will guaranty accurate shifting everytime.
The last thing I will talk about is the grease zerk on the lower linkage. This allows you to push the old nasty grease out and have fresh grease to keep you bike running smoothly. This user servicable feature on the Tallboy is also available on the Blur XC and Blur LT. Santa Cruz is even nice enough to include a grease gun with each frame.
I told you Tallboys are cool
I told you Tallboys are cool
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