Mooch Short Track Race Recap

The countdown to surgery continues but I refuse to sit and wait. I've finally been back on my bike without discomfort and the doc says it's great to keep my muscles strong before surgery. Perfect. So with the last couple of group rides I've been on I figured I'd try to put down some power to see how the knee felt. When it did it felt surprisingly good. Not perfect but I was really happy with the way it was performing. So why not try a race? ;)

This past Sunday was the MTBNJ short track. I signed up a few days before knowing I was completely unprepared for this - but what the hell. I have the fat, out-of-shape, and injured trifecta going on so at least I'd have a lot of excuses. So I packed up the bike rolled around and got to the starting line.

I came off the line slow towards the back of the starting field and began to ramp up to speed. I got out of the saddle and pedaled hard and the knee felt good so I went with it. I passed a few going into the first section of singletrack but definitely wasn't going to be towards the front of this group. I was riding pretty well but definitely with a lack of confidence. I got caught in traffic a few times and had to clip out once and I was very tentative jumping back on the course and lost a few spots. That left me to chase those riders that passed for the next few laps. I did finally work my way back up to and through them - completely out of breath and hoping for much more fitness that I should have at this point in the season.

The race continued and the knee felt good. So I kept on it feeling better and better and just aiming to catch whomever was in front of me. I saw a guy way in the distance and used him as my carrot for the remainder of the race as I had 3 laps to go. By the time I had 2 laps to go I was only 20 feet behind him. I figure I can get this guy. Ride up to his wheel and then when there is one lap to go then give it all I've got and I could open a gap in the singletrack and get past him. Plan worked like I'd hoped and rode his wheel to the turnaround where I would make my move. Only problem - we got passed by the leader so the turnaround was now the finish line. By the time I had realized the race was over I had no time to pass the rider in front of me which I could have easily. Ooops. Live and learn. I finished 22nd of 35 racers.

The best part about this day was that my knee felt awesome. I felt like I was my old self again. Not as fast or skilled with my forced time off but at least in the ballpark. Mentally it helped so much knowing that I basically came off the couch with a bum knee and did pretty well. It's not a result to boast about but the fact that I had no body or mechanical issues makes it a great day. So much so that I might have to do more of these before surgery. There are 3 more left that I could do...

2016 Has Started Off with a Much Bigger Challenge

After the Fat 50 I was feeling good about the season and trying to ramp up the training miles and really start to get the engine going. As usual I was bouncing back and forth between my training and my job as the assistant ski team coach for my high school. A month and a half ago I started out practice by going for a warmup run before the kids were ready and slid on some ice and fell and got my ski caught underneath me feeling a sudden pop. I had a good idea of what it was but after some doctors visits and having a bunch of blood drained from my knee it was evident. I completely ruptured my ACL. Damn...

So after a few more visits and lots of ice and rest my knee is starting to feel better but in 3 weeks I am going in for surgery. This puts the season on hold big time. I am doing pre-surgery PT to make sure the knee is in good shape before surgery. I am still riding my bike but definitely unsure of it's ability and have to scale my riding back a bit for the sake of the joint. This is the last thing I want to do. So at this point I'm trying to get back riding consistently before surgery - as the doctor said it's really good for the knee.

The doctor said that I'll be back on the bike in 2 months, running in 3, training by 4, and back to full ability in 6 months. I am hopeful with this timetable but of course I"m also hoping that I'll be back to racing before 6 months. My rehab and time will tell.

And...2016 has begun.

Yesterday I took a short drive from my home to give the fatbike a little workout. Or rather have the fatbike give me a workout. I know it's early in the season but I want to give this season a little more of an effort than last year. With a little luck I think it could be the best season I've had in the past few years. Last year's accident and moving are all behind me so I'll have less excuses as to why I haven't been pedaling that hard. So onto the race.

Yesterday was Marty's Fat 50 and what a good early season event. The turnout was amazing and very well organized. Beer and pizza at the end were key! That's what I was dreaming about the entire time I was racing. I was even asking people on course if they knew what beers there were waiting for us for a little encouragement. Now for the race.

Before we got to the line we were waiting at Marty's store and someone notices my tire was going flat. Great... I rode to the car to swap the tube. This morning in the garage I blew the same tire off the rim. Riding around at the venue I bunny hopped a puddle and blew it off the rim, and now it was flat - great. I was thinking my race was over before it even started. The tire just didn't want to stay mounted. The last time I put it on I let the wheel lie on the skewer in the hop that it would seat properly without any issue. Thankfully I got the new tube in, hoped it was seated and had five minutes left before the gun went off. Rushed back to the starting line to settle in and wait for us to go.

I lined up in the front with my teammates Steve, Mike and Greg. It was a controlled start for the first 2 miles or so over to the trailhead. The race was neutralized and then final race instructions were given, then we were off. I knew there was some good firepower out there and I wasn't looking to stay in the lead group. We all rolled together for a while but it was obvious the group was going to split. My thought for the day was to get a good workout in and maybe finish in a good position. I wasn't willing to dig too deep and burn all my matches this day. By the end of the first rail trail, the West Morris trail, it had split up a bit and I was in the second chase group. We chased over 206 and up the next pavement climb to the singletrack which was starting to get wet and greasy. I had to take it easy to not blow my tire off and thank goodness it survived! Knowing that the tire mad that decent made me a bit more confident but still weary that it may have an issue. As we got back to the next rail trail the group I was with earlier regrouped and we were off on the grind all the way to high bridge.

The group was pretty steady for the most part. I tried to stay consistent and ready for surges. The group would slow for a road crossing, hiker, sign post, or whatever and then surge hard to get back to speed. I tried not to get too excited and as the others were sprinting up to speed I would just push a little harder and let the gap in front of me close. It seemed to work as I felt pretty comfortable up to the half way point. The only problem with the rail trail itself was that there were metal posts at each of the road crossings. It was important to call out the posts so the others behind saw them coming. The group was rotating pretty well and at one point we cycled through and it ended up that I was at the front. I kept it steady and called out an upcoming post at a road crossing and then heard a loud bang. Behind me I looked back to see riders separating around two cyclists that went down. At least that's what it looked like to me. We neutralized the group to give them a chance to get back on. We put our heads down once again and kept on it. We made it unscathed for the remainder of the 25 miles to the turnaround point in High Bridge.

Coming back there was a bit of an uphill out of the gorge and the group shattered a little but was able to regroup and made it to the singletrack climb and I was cramping hard. I could tell it was coming as my legs were starting to fade in and out. The next climb would either be good or terrible. The cramps took me off balance a bit in the super slick uphill grind and I had to walk a section then jump on and ignore the cramps. I lost the group there and just hit the road and wanted to see the finish line. I got caught at the light crossing 206 so I unfortunately had to wait. A few racers caught me there and I was hoping we could work together to get tot he finish and maybe catch some others. My legs weren't great so I wasn't hoping for much. As we were approaching the last rail trail to the finish I started working together with Selene and Ben to try to get to the line. We pulled and rotated and caught a few getting to the line. Unfortunately as we passed people they jumped on our train. As I started pulling hard to get to the line I got swarmed by a few riders and 2 from my group finished ahead of me. I finished in 20 something place. Felt ok for racing 50 miles in January. I know what I need to work on to get the engine really firing. Good work to all the racers out there!

It was a fun event for a winter race with no snow but I'm longing for the big singletrack races and not so much gravel. The tire held on, my legs held on, and I was happy with a good solid effort on a day I would probably have ridden an hour+ on my local trails. Instead I got just over 3 hours of steady pedaling and some motivation to prep more and train harder for the upcoming season.

Looking Ahead to 2016

As 2015 comes to a close it's the time of year to start filling up the calendar and start laying out a plan for the next year. At this point I've been perusing the NUE, H2H, MASS, and NJ Fatbike Calendars. The only thing certain at this point is that I want to have a better 2016 than 2015.

It seems more than likely I will be starting off with some Fatbike, some short track, then some 6 hours, then xc then NUE. Or something like that. There is something to be said about racing yourself into shape so that maybe part of the strategy. All I know is that I'm spending any downtime now prepping the bikes for next year and trying to lay out the next few months. I'm trying to throw a training camp in there and just lots of good miles and hours. Depending how this winter goes will dictate how my 2016 goes. Either way we are very close to daylight becoming longer and that's a good thing.

I'm registered for one race, waiting for registration to open on another race...and still waiting for my feet to thaw out from this weekend's riding.

Wrapping up 2015

This was a crazy year for me. To not be too long winded...here's the jist.

After being hit by a car there was a ton of rehab and the shoulder finally feels good. I don't have to think about it for 95% of the tasks I do.

I did basically fall off the map as I moved from Bloomfield to Denville and that was an insane undertaking. Not only did I have to move all of my and my wife's belongings, but once we did make the move it was a few months of nonstop fixes, updates, and improvements to make life normal in the new house.

I did some racing here and there with the Wilderness 101 being the scariest race of my life. Since the move I rode close to 3 hours in the month during/after the move and left me woefully unprepared for the race. I got to the line and prepared to curl up into a ball on the first climb and weep for hours. Somehow I actually rode my bike, got up the big hills, broke my chain, converted it to a singlespeed, rode the last 30 miles wishing for gears and actually had a good time and decent result for what could have been a disaster.

The next notable race was the Shenandoah 100. This has been my nemesis and I was still unprepared for this one but at least I had a few weeks of solid rides under my belt for this. Unfortunately I knew I would need to take it easy to finish this one and it hit hard mid race. I remember going over the climb between aid 3 and 4 and just wanting to ride back to the start and end the misery. But I couldn't... I kept on - had an ok day - and finished up almost walking the final climb and being thankful that the last race of my mtb season was over.

Inconsistency was the name of this season.

I tried to get my mind wrapped around CX but I had more issues with this. My first practice I rolled a tubular. Tried a race and then rolled another. Tried the new Mariposa tape and that stuff is garbage. Gave up on tubulars. I used my backup bike for a bit with all kinds of shifting issues and got fed up with that. To tell the truth I was just having more fun riding my mountain bike then trying to get myself in shape to try and not throw up for an hour.

With the CX urge fading I did the next best thing. Get on my FAT BIKE! I have resisted the trend for a long time but I see what people are boasting about...somewhat. I still stand by the fact that snow riding sucks. Unless the trails are groomed. But for dirt riding the fat bike is a blast. With that I did some CX racing on my fat bike since it was much less of a headache and actually a lot of fun to race.

I competed in Hippo CX and Westwood CX on my fat bike and went 1st and 2nd respectively. What a great way to cap off the season.

For the off season I'm enjoying being fat. Weight wise - not bike choice. But with all this nice weather I'm starting to get a good game plan as to what is coming up for next season. Looks like a pretty diverse season with some fat bike, mtb, and cx races starting to fill up the calendar.

Accident/Racing/Life Update

March 26 was my accident with the Lexus and today is June 8th. 10.5 weeks later the shoulder is progressing but as I feared, the MRI I had 3 weeks ago affirmed that I have a tear in the rotator cuff. I've been working hard at PT and getting more range of motion out of it. I still have a reduced range of motion and some pain and I hope in time it's going to work itself out. My orthopedic surgeon said that in 3 more weeks he will evaluate it and then recommend surgery or not. I'm praying for not. I've heard the recovery is about 4 months or so of restricted movement and PT. That's not something that I want to go through if I don't have to. So for the time being I'm putting my effort forward to work the shoulder out through therapy and hoping for the best. The worst part is feeling that I'm behind in my training for the year because of the accident and it has changed what I expect from myself and what races I originally planned on competing in this year. I'm being optimistic but I'm hoping for some good times on the bike regardless if I can race to my potential for the year.

As far as racing, since my last update I have competed in a few races. The Allamuchy 4 hour race, the Tour de Lake road race, and the Mohican 100. For each I've gone in behind schedule and hoped that I could have a good time, gain some fitness and try to work the shoulder back in to normal function. With limited success, I completed each but hope to get better in the coming weeks. Here was the breakdown:

Allamuchy 4 hour: For this race I took off hard with the eventual race winner Leo. We hit the trail first and it was really just us for the first lap with a rider in 3rd trailing behind and no one else in sight. At the end of the first lap Leo took off strong and that was the last I saw of him. I hit the next few laps hard but towards the end of lap 4 I was feeling I was cooked. It was the first hard effort that I've really done at a race this year and I felt it. The legs were tired, the body was heavy and I just tried to preserve. On lap 6 of 7 I was passed by the racer who was trailing in 3rd and I had no response. I just had to get to the finish and end the race. I finished in 3rd place, happy but exhausted. The shoulder held up but it was definitely fatigued from the race. That and the rest of me. It was great to be out but a good marker to remind me how behind I was for the season. I'd usually have more top end and endurance than that, but it was just not happening. Maybe the next races would go better.

Tour de Lake: This race was 2 weeks after the Allamuchy race and after a fairly heavy workout week as I've been trying to play catchup of course. I headed in being happy if I stayed with the group to Edison road. We fired out of the lot pretty hot through the first few corners and the pace was pretty steady and fast around the lake. We got to 181 and made the left up the hill and I felt the legs starting to give way. I was trying to use as little energy as I could to stay with the group. I wasn't feeling fresh by a long shot and the pavement was sketchy at best after the hard winter we had. So I kept up the tempo and stayed with the group down the Glen, then over to Ogdensburg where the legs were burning and I knew Edison was over. I wouldn't be able to hang with the group. I told my teammates to go as I was cooked and wouldn't you know it, that's right when I got a flat tire. I nursed it up to the aid station by the lake that like just ahead. I chatted with the guys at the station, put in a new tube, a tire boot from a granola bar wrapper, saw a few guys pass and jumped back out to latch on. One of the guys who passed was my teammate - so my strategy was to catch his group and pull him away so we could work together and finish strong. It worked, I got him away and we used each other to finish the race. Unfortunately there were some confusing arrows and all the racers got lost so the ending order was jumbled a bit after a few hard efforts. I think I was still 16th or so for not feeling well and getting lost. It was a fun day on the road with great people.

Mohican 100 - is by far my favorite race of the year. I always like for this to be a peak of my season and from a training standpoint, it wasn't by far. For this race I didn't really prep well with so much going on in life. Buying a new house, a couple of funerals, and the craziness of life got in the way. So I headed out with 2 teammates and did my best. I completed the first 3 hours or so pretty well and was in the fight for a while. On the initial road climb I felt like a dog and barely got over the hill. I entered the singletrack in probably 60th position overall and just hoped to get by a bunch as the race went on. I rode the singletrack well with the eventual master's winner but he ran away literally on the first hike a bike. So on to the gravel roads I had been feeling well and staying on top of nutrition and hydration. For once I focused on this primarily hoping it would be the key to success in this race. It worked well but still wasn't enough for the heat and humidity. It was in the upper 80's all day with very high humidity. I started cramping around 4 hours in and that would continue most of the day. With the cramping the power dropped and made for some fun later. The new singletrack that was added was greasy too and added a few too many hike a bikes to be enjoyable. I could have done without that. The rest of the race was in conservation mode and just setting a steady pace when possible. I finished in 8:44, very happy with a sub 9 time with the given fitness I had. Under normal circumstances I would have finished in the low 8's for sure.

So all in all not too bad on the racing scene even though I've been doing less than expected. It's been great to get out and ride and compete and keep myself sane. I have a few more races coming up but nothing set in stone. More to come.

How to Total a Lexus

March 26th accident - at approximately 7:15pm with cool and damp conditions. I was traveling southbound on Broad Street passing the side street of Chittenden. As I was crossing the intersection, a driver traveling northbound on Broad Street turned into Chittenden and did not see me crossing the side street on my bicycle. I remember seeing the car coming at me knowing that I was going to be hit. He did not slow in any way - so I braced for the impact. I jumped up to avoid the bumper and remember crashing onto his hood and then going off of the driver side of the car onto the ground. It was unpleasant for sure but somehow I never lost consciousness.

I was rolling around in pain from the hit and was immediately checked on by some witnesses/bystanders. I was told not to move as they we afraid my neck and back were injured. They threw coats and blankets on me to stay warm as the road was cold and wet. Since they covered me up so quickly I did not get to see who hit me or what the damage was to the car, the bicycle, or myself. The one thing I noted was that the driver never even said sorry for hitting me. Nothing... I only remember the nice words of those helping me and those that were nice enough to call my wife.

I was then placed on a backboard as the police and paramedics arrived on the scene. They loaded me in the ambulance and we took off for St. Joseph's hospital. They informed me that my wife would meet us there and that I did some major damage to the car. The hood and windshield were smashed and the car had to be towed.

At the hospital they brought me in to be evaluated. I complained of widespread pain in my left wrist, left elbow, left hand, both knees, left shin, and right hip. They evaluated and x-rayed everything and I was released hours later with a few scrapes and bruises but nothing broken - that they could tell. I was told to follow up with an orthopedic as the hospital wanted to make sure my scaphoid bone(wrist) was not broken and that any other issues could be addressed.

At the time it wasn't too bad but I could tell from the soreness that the bruising would be huge. A few days later it looked like I had been hit by a car. My right hip had a huge eggplant colored bruise on it from landing on the pavement as well as the inside of my right thigh from the top tube of the bike. The blood pooling there in both places was setting the stage for some really nice colors in the weeks to follow. The gash in my shin was particularly pretty as well. They said it didn't need stitches but I bet that was a close call as it was pretty deep. For my hand/wrist as well had some good bruising as I'm not sure what it made the biggest impact with, the hood of the car or the pavement when I landed.

I followed up in Monday with my orthopedic doctor to look at my wrist and my shoulder. My shoulder was really hurting after the accident as I could not lift my arm. They were both looked at, and my wrist didn't seem to worry him but my shoulder needed to be addressed. He told me to seek physical therapy and try to heal it that way. If it didn't get better in a few weeks then it may be a torn rotator cuff and need an mri. At this point he suspects it is just a sprained rotator cuff.

After that appointment I kept self evaluating and felt my face, jaw, and side of my head were sore. Currently the face and head pain have gone away which leaves me with the nagging jaw pain. It's been coming and going but it seems to be getting better overall with time. At first it was hard to properly clench my jaw but now it seems to work better but with discomfort when I have to open my jaw wide.

7 days after the accident, on the following thursday, I was finally able to pick up my bicycle and police report from the Clifton police department. That was a whole other ordeal to just get that released. They said they were just holding it for me but since the report wasn't closed it took many extra days and 4 days of calls and visits to the police station to finally get it released. From both sides of the page with the report and the bicycle, the result of the accident was shocking.

The bike was smashed. It's a total loss. It's a wonder how both legs were not broken in this crash. My crank arm took the brunt of the hit as it is bent inside my frame. My front wheel was ripped off the bike from being smashed so hard and the frame is completely bent and broken in multiple places. My power wheel was smashed, my computer doesn't work, pedals broken, rear light broken, helmet smashed, and my clothing was destroyed. It's very sad to see that much damage and I'm glad I was able to walk away.

On the police report side there were a couple of things that stood out. The first was that the report indicates that the 74 year old man who hit me with his Lexus was inattentive and didn't see me in the intersection. The least he could have done was to come see if I was ok and apologize, but there was none of that. And secondly, that there were no tickets issued to the other driver? How is that even possible??? I guess in Clifton it's ok to mow down a cyclist with your car and just say oops...sorry. Oh yea that's right - he didn't even say sorry.

Currently it is three weeks after the accident and I'm feeling much better, but not 100%. My shoulder is still messed up. I had an orthopedic appointment today and although I'm regaining better range of motion, he still thinks it's partially torn or there is inflammation that may need treatment. An MRI is the next step to assess the damage and go forward. There is a possibility of a tear that requires surgery and that would be 6 months of surgery, rest, and physical therapy. I'm praying that is not the case...

Mtbnj's Short Track Adventure

This past Sunday was the first time I have raced on dirt this year. Well dirt is a loose term for the actual surface I would be racing on. There was probably 50 feet of actual dirt and another mile of ice, snow, and slop to get through before hitting the start/finish and doing it all over again. The race was supposed to be a 45 minute race and it ended up being just about that.

We took off from the start and I was in the third row of 24 people. The racers in front of me cleared out and gassed it and I jumped on their wheel. Up the pavement climb it went hot and not something my body was used to. I have done close to zero high end efforts this year and I felt it. My body was in shock. I ignored it and pressed on harder to pass a couple on the second lap but then my body was telling me to slow down. I had to. I had zero warmup and I was actually happy to go as hard as I did for that long. So at that point I settled in and tried to get the diesel going - which is the wrong type of motor but it's what I had. The worst part is that with each hard effort I could feel my worn cassete misshifting and not letting me use the gears I needed. Frustrating to say the least. Then my chain dropped. Ok - so it was a day to shake the bugs out.

In the end I kept the motor going but still finished pretty well. I was 8th of 24 and pretty happy with the result. A rider came up on me hard in the last lap but I rode steady and smooth to keep him from passing as I charged to the line just ahead of him. I know I could have done a lot better if a few more things came together but it reminds me that I still have the drive and legs to be competitive out there even in early season form.

Day #8 - Training Camp Weekend

Each year I try to get in a training camp to kickoff the season. I attempted to do this back on President's weekend in February but that was a flat out fail. #1 was that it was an absolute arctic weekend and would have made any riding very miserable, and #2 I was sick as a dog. Ok I don't get that cliche since my dog is happy even when she feels bad but I had zero energy and it was hard enough to leave my bed, never mind the house to go for a long bicycle ride. So I chose this weekend as it's a few weeks before my first hard test of the year - the Michaux Endurance race.

In previous years I've been part of a group that rallied together to go to some nicer weather regions and get some miles in as a collective and supportive unit. Blacksburg VA was one year, State College PA was another, and Flemington NJ was the last. Each year it seems to be ranging closer to home with more riders having family obligations and really not able to pull the trigger and get away. As I get older and more responsible I face the same dilemma, and it's really a good one to have. So I didn't get to go ride in AZ or FL and get a sunburn on my training camp weekend, but I'll make the best of what ever I can put together and help prep myself for a hard season ahead.

This weekend started out with a 2.5 hour ride Friday, a 7 hour century+ ride Saturday, a 4+ hour ride today and a 2 hour ride tomorrow. Each of the days searching out some nice steady hills to get the body ready for long days in the saddle and some tough consecutive days as well. Friday was a nice loop around my local area that included a few moderate hills. I felt pretty good but definitely reminded myself that there were a lot of miles to go this weekend. Saturday was the century ride so I aimed for the Tour de Lake race loop and then more. The TDL loop is 40 miles with some extensive climbing, and I know it pretty well. The day would prove to be warmer then Friday but only in theory it seemed. It was like the arctic tundra riding around Lake Hopatcong. It was frigid. The sun tried to fool you by looking warm, but the high winds coming off the lake said otherwise. It was great to get that loop over and then run for cover in some of the other areas that made better use of the sunshine. Today, Sunday, was another good few hours in the saddle and a test of how the legs felt after a 7 hour ride the previous day. They felt better than expected. A little tired here or there but when I needed them to punch of something steep they answered. Power was pretty steady and generally felt pretty good. The weather was more pleasant today too with warmer temps - warmer than any of the previous few days - but some mysterious rain showers that were not forecasted as well. They were just showers thankfully, so they just dissipated and moved on.

In general I'd call the weekend a success. I got to do a lot of great riding, and ride with a few teammates that I haven't seen in a while. Most of this winter I've been suffering alone, and it was great to torture - I mean ride with some others with similar goals. That alone was worth it. So even though I wasn't riding somewhere exotic, I got to do my riding and see my wife and dog which is great to come home too after putting so much physical stress on my body.

Also an update as today being day #8 of no crap in my diet. It's generally going well. I've been avoiding sugary drinks, and all the cookies and sweets that I normally consumed during the winter. It's been hard - but I can see the end goal. The winter is always hard as I think humans in general put on some extra pounds, but it's how you respond to it that makes the difference. I'm not putting up with this and by honing my diet it'll get me to where I want to be performance wise and weight wise. As of today I've lost 4 pounds or so and getting closer to the 160's again which I haven't seen since November. I'm dealing with the wonky feelings that come with kicking sugar and it can be rough but knowing that I'm cleansing my body and dropping the weight helps give me motivation to keep going. The biggest marker is hitting the scale each morning. That's what really keeps me in check when I have those hunger cravings.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not doing some anorexic diet, I'm substituting my normal cravings with smarter, healthier choices that serve more of a purpose than feeding my sugar cravings. The more I get away from sugar the easier it is. Hell yes do I want to make a batch of brownies or cookies and eat the whole thing. But that's not what is going to help me in the long run. Cleaner, more nutritious, and more variety is what I'm going for to make it a sustainable habit and I'll see where it goes from here. The goal would to be mid to low 160's by my first big race the 6 hours of Warrior Creek in April. We'll see...

I've Declared the Winter Officially Over...

As of March 1st the winter is over. I don't care what the calendar says or some stupid groundhog, it's done. It's probably more because of the face that I've been so busy this past winter that it's been really hard to stay on top of riding and preparing to race. December through February I've been preoccupied with coaching my high school ski team and it takes soooo much time and effort. I love it. It's something different and the kids really enjoy it. Plus I get to enjoy a lot of days on snow each winter. This was year 3 of coaching and I still can't seem to get the hang of riding and skiing through the winter. I've been left with the thought of consoling myself with the idea that I am still keeping in shape while skiing, even though it leaves less time to ride. That sounds good until I ride and can definitely feel my fitness lagging a bit - even if it's only a bit. But then, even if there was no ski team I think my riding would slow a bit just because of the whole daylight savings time. I think it effects more than most but it's just hard to stay motivated this time of year with less daylight and the cold temperatures. The best we can do is just endure and take advantage of the better condition when they come...any they are just about here.

I have a full schedule on the calendar and a few of the early season races to kick me into high gear so to speak. Once I feel the tension of race pace it usually helps to springboard me back into some fitness and better racing form. At least the good part, if there is a good part of gaining weight, is that even though I didn't watch my nutrition too closely, that it plateau'd and didn't really get ugly. With that being said - it's just not acceptable to be at my current weight and thinking of maintaining this AND having a great race season. Last season I raced in between 162-167 with pretty good results, although I knew they could be better. I had a few good race seasons racing at 155-157 and wondered what it would be like to get back to that. Well it's time. With the help of a buddy we talked a lot about March being the month to really focus on getting in shape and also testing our bodies out a bit.

So as of March 1st I've agreed to cut the crap out of my diet and aim for that 157 race weight. If I can maintain that this season, it would really help me get to the form I know I can have and hopefully piece together my season with some better finishes this year. I want all the pieces to come together. New coach, light weight, good training, and a desire to hurt myself could help put me in the place I want to be at some of my favorite races. I'm gonna give it my best shot.

Today it's day 2 of no crap. This means no chocolate that I love, no cookies, no refined sugars, just good natural foods. I've already gotten rid of soda - 2 months with none is a great start. So why not cut the rest of the junk. I've done this plenty of times before and it really does help once I get over the first couple wonky days. It's good to test the body and see how it reacts. When I sit down and really think of some of the foods that I eat, it's not horrible but it could definitely be better. That's the main point. I don't want to eat less, I just want to eat the right foods. So this means stocking up on the good stuff. Lots of chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, fruits and veggies. I'm also trying to limit the amount of cheese I eat too as that's always been a staple of my diet but that's got to go as well. I won't say I'll stop eating it altogether but limiting it will be a big plus. It's all part of the master plan.

The start of my race schedule will begin sooner than I can really fathom at this point. The next few weekends I'll probably jump in a few crits or short track races to feel out the legs and then use the 4 hour Michaux race to help prep me for the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek. All of this will be preceded by the big weekend that I am setting up for myself this coming weekend. I wasn't able to get my training camp weekend done in February since I was sick so now this is the next best thing. Plus the weather will be MUCH better. I can't wait. Time to catch up a bit and look forward to those longer days and lots more daylight.

Welcome to being Fat...

Feb 7th was Marty's Fat 50 race in Morristown NJ. Originally meant to be a 50 mile race, this course had to be shortened with the recent snowfall that buried the entire course. There were sections of the course that had 1-2 feet of fresh snow on it that left untouched would have made for an unrideable course. Thankfully for the riders, someone broke through with a snowmobile and packed down 80% of the now 50K course and made conditions MUCH nicer.

At this point I should probably mention that for this race, I had just received my fatbike a week prior. My Mukluk was picked up the previous Friday and with a few miles on it I thought it would be fun to see what happened for this 50K race. This was literally my 4th day on this bike and the setup seemed dialed and all I had to do was pedal and go right? ...right. I wasn't exactly sure what pressures to run since I had very little time on it and didn't even have a working gauge to set my pressure anyway. So I was running a bit blind but I'm ok with a little mystery now and then.

This off season has been crazy as usual with my ski team coaching, which leaves narrow windows for training. I always need a few early season kicks in the pants to get me motivated so I figure this was probably a good one. With no expectations except for finishing this race I set out with 44 others and hit the trails. The snow was packed but pocked full of holes from the hikers and dog walkers in the first few miles. This was fine and it kept things interesting until the first big road section. I was in the lead group of about 10 riders up to this point. On the road everyone was still in sight but the next loose climb was looming ahead. It was good and fairly rideable but a few sections were torn up and a quick hike had you jumping back on the bike to ride again. At one point I was having a hard time climbing and had to stop and adjust my tire pressure. It was just way too high and this let one rider pass through. The one section I was dreading was the railbed that was a mile or two before the half way - turnaround point. I descended to the railbed and started to make up some time on the rider that had passed me in the previous section of trails. I thought for sure I could put down some power and get back to him but to no avail. The previous tires had started to punch through the snowmobile tread making a 4" wide tire track that was like riding a balance beam. One wrong move and you were off, stopped, and had to start riding all over again. This was not pleasing.

So after 2 miles of this we reach the steep hike a bike and I see the rider that was in front of me crawling to the top as I start up the bottom. He wasn't too far ahead. Actually at this point the leaders should have been at the turnaround point so every minute I didn't see them was good as they would be coming right back past me. I got to the top and headed the last mile to the turnaround and saw the leaders coming back. They weren't too far ahead but definitely had a 5+ minute gap on me. I got to the turnaround and said hi and started on my way back. I was just over 2 hours in and the trail back to the start were more downhill than on the way out so it should be quicker. I headed out happy knowing this.

Then reality sunk in. That horrible rail trail was even more horrible now. The rut that the tires were creating was deeper, looser, and more tricky to ride. I was so frustrated that the course had deteriorated that I had to tell myself to relax and enjoy the ride. The meaning of this "race" was a good early season effort to help springboard training. That's all it was and that's how I had to treat it. The conditions were so bad that it crossed my mind many times that it would be so tempting to take the road back, but I couldn't. I will not let a race course beat me. I will do whatever it takes to get to the finish line. If that means carrying my bike the entire way so be it. So I kept on pedaling in misery and just wanting to get to the finish line. At least the rest of the trails would be even more packed down and the ride back should be quicker. It couldn't really be that bad could it???

Yep it could. The rest of the trails on the ride home were now not even packed down any more. They were all blown apart by the racers that couldn't ride the trails. The snow was so dry and powdery that if you stepped on the packed snow it didn't support the weight and broke apart the nice groove that was worn in. So that gave me the new fun part. Walking downhills...yup. That was killing me. At that point I knew it was just going to be a nice stroll in the woods walking my bike down the tranquil snowy path. I sure couldn't ride it so why bother. It was just futile. I was so frustrated that all I wanted to do was ride my bike and I couldn't. All I could do was keep walking with the bike - so that's what I did. I didn't care about the race, I didn't care about anything else but eeking my way to the finish so I could end the misery.

Finally back to the road section I was approaching patriots path towards the Lewis Morris section. That was well worn in and would be a nice section where I could actually pedal back to the finish and make some time. Well yes and no. Some parts were great and others had deteriorated again so that there was only that 4" wide tire print to ride in. I was so sick of seeing that rut that I'll probably be having nightmares of that for weeks. Through the last few road crossings I finally approached the river and knew that around the last bend would be the finish line. I crossed, threw my bike on the car, and was ready to get out of there. I was so done with this event. Frustrated to say the least but at the very least it was good training. Had this been an A race of mine I would have been REALLY upset. But it was training.

Looking back it was a well run event. Marty's did an amazing just setting up, supporting, marking trails, and having a killer vibe. It really was top notch from everything they had control over. Mother nature on the other hand decided to put her two cents in and really make it miserable for everyone out there. I give a lot of credit for those that perservered through the conditions and somehow found a way to enjoy the race. As for the rest of us out there suffering, it's just another day to either put in the memory bank or push it out and move on. Bike racing is a crazy thing. We all know that sometimes a given race won't be as advertised, but you need to make the best of it.

I found out later that 21 of the 44 starters finished. I was 7th overall and pretty happy with that given how much I pushed my bike that day.

Back again! Fall Updates

The last update was September...wow! I guess I've been busier or at least lazier the past few months. I was recently reminded that some people actually do enjoy reading this blog so that gave me the motivation to come back and do some more recapping and try to stay more current with the season behind and look ahead as well. Thanks Norm for the reminder and I hope I can entertain you with some of the madness that goes on or goes through my head. Anyway I have to see where I left off.

In a nutshell the fall was good and ok. When I last posted I was looking forward to the cross season ahead and I had a few longer MTB races up my sleeve as well. Crossnado, Cxmeur, SCCX, VT50, Grapes of Wrath, Wilkes 100k, and the 6 Hours of Cathedral Pines were all lined up for a good season end. The problem, like I mentioned earlier is that since I had surgery I felt like I was just behind in training. I put on a few pounds and I never really felt like I was riding well. This beat me up mentally as I just knew there was more in the tank but just couldn't put it all together. CX was good as I could still put together short hard efforts, but it's hard to mix that with my heart in the endurance game. Those two disciplines are just really hard to bounce back and forth between. My sights were set on the long MTB game and if the cx efforts suffered so be it.

Crossnado, CXmeur and SSCX all went reasonably well. Actually better than I thought they would go. Considering I had very little CX prep leading into the races I was pleasantly surprised with how I did. 9th of 14 at CXmeur, 7th of 10 at Crossnado, and 12th of 19 at SCCX. The first two I was putting down a good effort I just wasn't in cross form. The mindset was good as I tracked down people throughout the races, I was just too heavy and too out of practice to do much better. I knew I could have had much better placings if I actually focused on the CX game.

For the MTB game, I was much more focused but still not at the race weight I wanted which always left me wondering what if I was really in top form. The VT50 was going well and I had fun but that race just drains the energy out of you. Put that together with a bad decision...to run a single 36 tooth 1x10 setup was a total mistake. That gear was so rough, I had to walk a few of the uphills and really started to drain me towards the end of the race. That upsetted me as early on I knew that would play a major factor in the outcome of the race. I still finished well but not as well as I could have. 23rd of 65 in my age group and 60th overall.



The Grapes of Wrath race was a battle of attrition. Upon arriving at the venue it was already pouring for the last couple of days and I knew it would be horrendous conditions. I decided to give it a go anyway. It was a 6 lap race, with each lap consisting of 3 smaller loops. So by completing 18 loops you would finish the race. This was absolutely grueling. Each loop started with a steep climb that would just shred your legs apart all day long. Like I said before it was wet and greasy everywhere else. On a dry day this place would be pretty techy in spots, but then at the grease on top of it and it made for a super hard course to ride. Off the parade lap at the start I took off and put my head down to see who would chase and come with me. I could see a few others at the top of the first lap pretty close and I needed to keep the pressure on. I rode steady and consistent and didn't look back. Towards the end of the first lap I couldn't see anyone but I could still hear the clanging of bikes on rocks so whether it was myself playing games or someone not too far away, I didn't want to worry. I kept my head down and kept pushing myself harder and harder. 3+ hours later I came across the finish line and never saw another soul near me for the entire race. I had won it. It was a great feeling of accomplishment and a very proud moment as I sat on the finish line and it was a while until the next rider came through. I found out later that I was the only rider to have finished 6 laps. Everyone else either quit or had a mechanical. That blew my mind...and made me ever more proud of what I had just accomplished.

The Wilkes 100k was a great excursion as I traveled down to Wilkesboro NC with a teammate of mine - Tom Kruse - and we geared up for the event. It was on some of the trails that I know very well in the Warrior Creek section of Wilkesboro. It also traverses the nearby Dark Mountain trails and would prove to be a demanding day. The start was crazy cold. It was below freezing at the start but we knew it would be close to 60 by race end. That's not exactly the ideal situation that you want to race in but we made the best of it. From the neutral rollout it was clear that an early jump would be very beneficial to whoever got in the mix. Tom and I had a plan to go for the holeshot and get away clean. We wanted to make the winners pass us and earn it - really we just didn't want to have to wait in line if someone botched the narrow entrance to the trails. So into the final turn that was about a mile before the narrow entrance I punched it and attacked the front of the group. Tom came with me and so did 2 others. I pulled up the hill on the entrance to Bandit's Roost campground and then Tom pulled through. Just before the entrance one of the other guys jumped ahead so we hit the narrow entrance #2 and #3. That was just as it had been planned. I felt good going through the system but then started to feel a bit wonky going up Dark Mountain. It was steep and relentless. I didn't know what the issue was but my legs just didn't seem to have the juice to really lay down the pressure. At this point I was sitting 8th or so. So I dialed it back and just tried to keep the lead I had built up if any. I knew riders were close behind. Back through the OVT up the paved climb on the backside I tried not to die. It was steeeeeeep. I was on the verge on cramping but I made it work and headed down the backside only to cramp on the next steep singletrack up. Ouch. I still had another 15 miles to go and my legs were falling off. I pushed as hard as I could and enjoyed riding the WC loop backwards from all the other times I had ridden it. Finally I got to the finish line to cross in 6th place open men and 11th place overall. That was satisfying to finish that well but again knowing that if I was a bit stronger then I would have placed a few spots better.

The 6 Hours of Cathedral Pines is a great race. Plain and simple. The issue with this one is it's usually the last race in a loooooong season. So who knows how this one will end up. It started out super cold and it was hard to figure out just how to layer with the temps getting slightly warmer. The previous year that I did this race I finished well but had no power for the last 2 laps or so. I really suffered. For this race I concentrated on putting down a solid race and not falling flat the last 2 laps. I did pull a really dumb move but it worked in my favor for a bit. I was second into the singletrack after the long drag race to the woods and took advantage of an early mishap. The rider directly behind me tagged a tree and I heard some commotion behind me. I took this as a sign to attack and take advantage of a gap. The rider in front of me was a team rider and I just stuck to his wheel and we killed the first lap. He pulled away towards the end of the first lap and it was me leading the solos into the second lap. I kept is steady but heard the train of riders steadily approaching. 3rd lap early on I was passed by 2 riders that were moving fast and charging through. I knew I had no hope of keeping their pace for long but I rode the rest of that lap with them in my sights. The remainder of the laps I rode steady exchanging places with another rider. We were both riding the same pace and I knew that a mistake here or there would be the difference between us. On the last lap he bobbled behind and I lifted the pace and was able to stay just enough ahead of him so he couldn't sneak past me. I finished up satisfied with a hard workout and a race that was pretty consistent as the last laps didn't hurt as much as the previous attempt. All in all a fun race.

Recent Races and Updates

Ok so it's been a while for a new report. Let's see...


The last few races I did were the Stoopid 50, Summer Sizzler, Stewart Six Pack, High Cascades 100, and Nittany Lion CX. Some were good, some were not so good, some caused me to stay off the bike for a while. Here's how it went.

Stoopid 50 - Still an amazing race. Felt decent but not overly energetic racing so soon after the Mohican/Bearscat double. I rode hard and solid until the aid station at mile 32 or so and then fell apart. Lost a few positions riding to that line at the end and finished 8th place. I'll be back for more at this one.

Summer Sizzler - Fun MASS series race that I have never done in Sewell and after I got accustomed to riding the sandy corners I had a blast. I finished mid pack in the pro field and really enjoyed the xc format as opposed to the endurance stuff I'd been doing.

Stewart Six Pack - I had high hopes for this one as I've done well in the past but I also raced the Sizzler the week prior so I didn't know how I'd feel. I went out hard and was comfy in the lead group of 8 or so for the first few laps. It then dwindled to 5 and then after 5 laps it shattered apart. All I knew what that there were 3 guys ahead of me and I put down all I had to the end. I never felt super good but I was consistent and riding hard. I finished 3rd only 15 seconds or so behind my teammate in 2nd place. So all in all a great effort even though I wasn't feeling super fresh.


High Cascades 100 - Oregon is absolutely beautiful!!! What a great venue and just amazing scenery and beer everywhere. The downside...the dust! Holy hell was it bad. The first 10 miles of dirt was horrendously dry, dusty, and loose. I stuck with my brother for the first 40 miles or so into Aid 2 when I realized that he just wasn't keeping pace. Something was off with him. So I said gbye and kept on rolling to see if I could get into the finish in under 9 hours. I did well and put in some hard efforts when I could, especially up to the never ending snow fields...there had to be 40 of them. Some small, some not so small, and some bridging across rivers. Once my feet thawed out I kept moving noticing the 9 hour mark was approaching. I got to the road at the end and absolutely crushed myself trying to make sure I'd cross before 9. I did just that 8:46 was my finish time in 26th place. It hurt bad but I'd met my goal and got a medal for making it in under 9. Part of me wonders just how much extra time I could have cut off if I decided to leave my brother earlier but that was part of our agreement. Overall it was fun, well marked and some great trails but that moondust was horrible.

As a results of something going wrong at the HC 100, I had to have surgery. I think the issue was that my saddle had slipped backwards and canted up a bit. Causing me to severely irritate some tissue under my sitbone that needed to be removed. It was so sore after the race I couldn't even sit down. The couch hurt - nevermind a bike saddle. I still tried to do my recovery ride and that was severely painful. But I pushed on through it.

After the HC 100 I did stop by the MacKenzie River Trail and ride that - what a killer ride! That's definitely a must do if you are in the area. The only problem was my sit bone was so sore I had to ride the entire 30 miles of trail standing up. Good thing the majority of it was downhill.

So with 7 weeks of irritation and the effects of surgery I was forced to cut down my training hours and what I could do - I mostly had to stand. It was aggravating but who knows maybe it will be beneficial somehow. I'm still debating this.

So now being on the upside of surgery I raced the Nittany Lion CX in Trexlertown PA and tried that going fast in grass circles thing again. There were 80 something riders in the field and we had a hard, clean start for once. Towards the end of lap 2 I wanted to vomit but I stuck with it and hung in there forcing myself to go as hard as I could and just get the workout in. I did just that shedding riders and passing when I could and I think I had an ok race. No real mechanicals and I forced myself to go pretty hard. I know I definitely wasn't 100% but it's part of racing my way back into fitness.

Up next a few more endurance MTB races and some CX races. Oh yea and I'm fat so I'm working on that. Stay tuned.

Despicable Double - Part 2

On to day 2 was the Bearscat 50. With no sleep, lots of soreness from the previous day at the Mohican 100, and for some reason a lot of motivation I lined up for the start. There are a LOT of racers on the starting grid and I had 90% of them beating me this day. I figured that riding hard for 8 hours and the overall fatigue would leave me with nothing from the start and stay that way, or become worse as the day went on. I had visions of curling up into a ball and crying in the woods before even finishing the first lap. Who knows what would actually happen. So at the starting line they had signs for anticipated finish groups and what the hell, I put myself in the first group. If I was fresh I belonged there but I had no idea what the first hard pedal stroke had in store for me.

Off we went. The horn sounded and I put the pedals down hard and cleared the first couple tight turns clean and ramped it up. To the point where I was passing people, and more people, and a few more before the first tight singletrack. I actually had some legs - really?!?!?! Through the first trail I was probably sitting in the top 20 and happy just to be there and pedaling. The really rough stuff popped up and I rode it clean and was feeling good. Much better than cramping and vomiting like the day prior. I figured it wouldn't last so I'll keep on the gas and see when I completely crack. It had to be soon. I went back and forth with a couple of riders but hit each hill hard and drilled each somewhat flat section. What the hell I still had some energy... Finished lap 1 and then had the realization that I might actually finish this race. The first lap didn't hurt that bad but I figured the second lap would be much worse.

On to lap 2 I pedaled steady and rode some of the sections better with less traffic this time. All along still waiting for my legs to literally fall off. I was still riding well and feeling decent but the wall was dangling in front of me that I was supposed to hit. I just wanted to get to the end of this lap so I would be finished. Then I could eat, drink, and get off this stupid bike. 150 rough dirt miles in 2 days is a hard thing to agree to in theory, but it's even harder to actually get on your bike and complete. As I feared the legs were achey but every time I dug deep, they kept responding. Wow...I was really impressed. The last section I dreaded was a washed out, baby headed climb that was a couple of miles before the end. If I could clear that the race was pretty much done. It's not super tough but it required that you dig deep and punch through it. If I was going to cramp or crack this was it. I see the section just ahead and even better, I see a fading rider just starting it. He bobbled, I rode steadily past him and then punched it over the top and kept on it. I did NOT want to leave this to a sprint finish. My legs would definitely not have that in them.

The effort worked as I killed the last downhill and drilled the pavement to the finish line. The rider I passed was not in sight and I didn't have to sweat out a sprint. I pedaled as hard as I could to cross the finish line in 4:28 and end the hardest weekend of racing I'd ever done. 100 miles of dirt in 8:09 followed by 50 miles of bumpier dirt in 4:28 the following day. It was a feat that I didn't know was possible and am very proud that I completed and actually did pretty well. I was 17th in the Mohican 100 and 14th in the Bearscat 50. Two top 20's in these races back to back really reminded me that my body can perform pretty well in some pretty demanding circumstances. What a weekend and it would be more than a few weeks to recover from this one.

Mohican 100/ Bearscat 50 Despicable Double - Part 1

Yes you read that title right. I don't do smart things too often so why stop the trend? When the snow was still falling I contemplated doing both the NUE and MASS series and this was one of the major conflict race weekends. They are both great races so what was I to do? Yes...race both of them.

Now I will admit, in the weeks since I decided I would do it, I have wavered a few times. After I had registered and it sank in for a while once I pulled the trigger, that it was just plain stupid and I wasn't going to attempt the Bearscat, but rather donate my reg fee to the Black Bear cycling fund and be happy with a charitable donation. Nah, that's pretty weak... So I'm gonna do it! Maybe...

So after a bunch of repetitive cycles of this, the races were within a week away and I was determined to try the double. After all I couldn't do any reg transfers so it was either do the race or donate the money. The main issue being that I would need to leave pretty soon after the M100 was over to tackle the almost 9 hour drive to the park for the BS50. So after the M100 finish I would make the big call - go or just relax and stay in Ohio and do the normal thing and drive to NJ and collapse when I got home.

Fast forward to the day before Mohican, I jump in the car that morning and head out to meet up with my buddy Dan Rapp for the trip. It's always better to have two drivers, plus he was my ticket to actually getting some sleep in the event I tried to pull off the double. I mean racing a 100 miler, not sleeping, and then a 50 miler is suicide right???
So we drove out uneventfully and got to the venue with enough time to check in, preride, setup camp, and chill. The fun would begin the next morning.

At 7 am we were at the starting line in Loudonville OH and it was on. The gun went off and we were flying towards the first paved hill out of town to begin our long day. We kileed the first hill and flew past what used to be our turnoff into the singletrack approach. Thanks to some toolbags that upset the landowners we were not able to use that entrance and instead had to deal with a much longer road section to start. It steadily rolled allowing many more riders than usual to stay with the lead group. I just rode steady hoping to get into the woods in the top 20-25. This usually sets up for a nice, traffic free route through the opening singletrack and it worked.

The first 30 miles flew by and it went well. I rode the trails fast and smooth and thought I stayed within my limits. I kept watching my timeframe to see if I could him my predetermined aid station times and realized I was almost at aid #2 which was 3 hours in and I had not eaten. I had been drinking but not eating. So I took my multi hour bottle and emptied it into my stomach to try to catch up and stay on target. What a rookie mistake... I was in and out of the next aid station and on track but my power just started dying. I thought it was dehydration but I was drinking well. I kept on the pace but then I started cramping. It was too early for this!!! I knew something was wrong but in typical fashion I just pushed on through the cramps and was still making ok time.

Then the fun REALLY started to begin. As the cramps were coming and going, I started vomiting. Yup. Vomiting. It seems that trying to force 3 hours of food in is not the best idea. My stomach wasn't having any of it and it was obvious. Power was dropping, I was barfing, and I was cramping. Perfect. I still kept on. I don't know how to give up at one of these races. I always know that I WILL get to the finish line at some point - whether in the 7 or 15 hour range...I'll make it. So rinse and repeat this for the next 60 miles. I just had to hang on and try to get it to subside. By the last 20 miles or so it let up enough where I could ride well but definitely not the top of my game.

For about 10 of those last 20 miles I got to ride with Dan as he was coming back through after a snapped chain. I used him to help pace me and keep me company as I was suffering. The hills are not long but they are relentless. They just keep on coming. We hung together until aid 5 where it was all singletrack to the finish. He had some juice and I couldn't match for sure. I told him to go and I'll see him in a few. I wasn't too energetic but I did get some extra juice from knowing that I was so close to the finish. I rolled into the finish at 8:09 with Dan finishing at 8:08 and happy to be done. I had never had the vomiting issue during one of these races and it was not all it was cracked up to be. I was happy to still finish in the top 20 having all these issues. 17th was not too shabby. It seems the course was about 20 minutes longer with the new hike a bike, new singletrack into aid 3, and the new starting section as well. So comparatively it would have been well under 8 hours which I was pissed about missing. It just keeps me coming back for more.

So after all this being done and being exhausted. I got changed, beer'd, food'd and started to feel better. With that was the thought of the Bearscat in only a couple of hours. We had to wait for Dan's podium as he finished 5th on the day in the SS group, then we would start our drive back. Dan was hesitant as it always is a great time after these races but he agreed if I wanted to do the race the next day he was cool with that. Awards were at 7 so that's cool I'd be home at 3 grab some sleep and head to the race venue. Well then we hung around a bit. Then we went to dinner with Trevor and Dan's brother, and then wouldn't you know it. It was well after 9pm. Crap...

With a late start we headed home and Dan was the man. He kept it going through the dark windy backroads while I kept him company in the passenger seat. I was hoping to use this time to get some rest but between being uncomfortable, being afraid that Dan would fall asleep, and trying to keep the caravan of Dan and his brother who was following us together, sleep didn't happen for very long. Maybe an hour total of sleep. Ouch. I rolled into Dan's place in PA at 4:30. I was out of there by 4:45 and it was a 2.5 hour drive home for me. The math was not looking good at this point. That puts me at 7:00 to arrive home, and yet the venue is 30 minutes from home. Yup so 7:30 arrival for the 9am race was plenty of time.

Arriving at 7:30, registering, putting on my gear and saddling up I was sitting on the line ready to start my next race with little to no sleep and it just happens to be that it's not a very smooth course. My head was spinning about the infinite possibilities of what would come once the gun went off.

To be continued...

Cohutta 100 Race Report

It was hot, hilly, hard, and humbling. I had a lot of reservations going into this one. It was my 5th attempt at this race and 2nd on the new style course. I was hoping to best my previous attempt since I had felt awful and had a flat but this one would prove to be even harder. The biggest issue seemed to be the fact that I was only 3 weeks after the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek Race and the week prior to this race I had trained and beat myself for 18 hours of fun. Not the best in planning for a big race but it was early so what the hell. To top it all off I hadn't put any serious regular miles in until March 1st when I actually had time to train.

So as the siren went off I headed up the road with the big mass of riders into the first 2 mile paved hill. This is usually a great indicator of how the day would go and true to form it was - and not in a good way. I turned the pedals hard but just couldn't get to the lead group. I was dangling off the back thinking that either the group was going really hard or I just wasn't all there. The latter seemed to be the answer in hindsight. I just held my positions staying calm and riding within my limits. I figured even if I was out of it now I could claw my way back in.

The first singletrack was amazing and within no time I was at the bottom of the paved descent and onto the river trail where I ran into the log jam of riders. This was actually good since I was back to the main field and taking advantage of the roots and rocks to shoot past a bunch of riders. We kept on it and up and over the first few climbs and I felt ok but not great. Then the gravel started.

Once the road section started I knew what would lie ahead and I dread that section every time I do this race. It seems like the same climb over and over. So I put down a good pace and caught a bunch of racers and was feeling ok. I knew that wouldn't last forever though. Once I got to aid 2 which is 2/3 of the way through the initial climbs I was starting to feel my efforts and the pace was slowing. I kept riding hard to crest the last climb before the descent into potato patch and that's where I knew my energy was going down big time. So I did what anyone would do. Instead of conserving energy I had as much fun as I could and shredded the singletrack at the end of the lollipop loop and had a blast. Those trails are so fun and flowy - it would just keep my mind at ease before the 2500 foot climb back out of potato patch which would be my undoing...

On that climb I just felt the power drop and I resorted to granny gear. It was too hot, I was behind on my nutrition and hydration and just felt naseaus. I felt like I was going to pass out a couple of times so I had to do all I could to keep going forward and not stop. I thought many times of selling all my bikes and taking up lawn darts but I just kept going. If nothing else this was a big training race. And that's exactly what I did. I just kept going. Not too fast. As steady as I could push but still moving forward. Fending off cramps and dehydration I put in whatever food and fluids I could and just wanted to get to the finish.

Into the last singletrack I was so excited yet hesitant because I know there is more climbing in there than you think. Of course, just as I entered the singletrack a guy comes up on me from behind and asks me if I'm in the 100 mile or 62 mile version. There was an awkward silence just before I answered with the 100 mile and it was on. The next climb I put down EVERYTHING I had to get away and it was working. I had nothing to give but something was letting me claw away. My goal of at least finishing sub 9 was gone so this was my last battle. I drilled it everywhere I could - for as much as I could and put over a minute on him to the finish. For whatever it's worth, that was the shining moment of this race.

Another good hard effort to land me in 23rd in the open in 9:10. That was a long hard race and one that I said I would never do again if the course doesn't change. It's just not interesting enough to invest 13 hours of driving and all the effort to ride relentless, mindless gravel for that long. If things change I may be back but if not consider myself retired from the Cohutta 100.

6 Hours of Warrior Creek - Round 4

Last weekend I visited the wonderful town of Wilkesboro NC and was hoping for a nice respite from what would be an abnormally snowy and cold lifestyle of riding in NJ. This year it didn't disappoint. The forecast called for showers all the day before and we were lucky to walk away unscathed with no precipitation on the course. I think there were maybe 2 damp spots on the course and they only lasted for the first two laps. Conditions and the prospect of a good hard effort for 6 or maybe 6+ hours was all I needed to lure me into this early season opener.

So as usual for this race - the race was to get to the line first. I saw the herd going over and jumped in as fast as I could and got to the front row of the race and all ready to line up...a full 30 minutes ahead of the start time. WTF??? Yup - the warming up that I had done would be for naught as we just sat there and chatted for 30 minutes not willing to budge. So at 10 am with cool but sunny skies the race went off. The only thing I wanted to do the first lap was not to go too deep to early on. So I stayed reserved and let people go when they wanted and passed when I could. I tried to be very aware of my efforts and monitor it the best I could. Lap 1 was uneventful and seemingly solid. Lap 2 went just as well - very steady and smooth. Starting to enter lap 3 I thought I would open it up a bit and see how I felt stretching the legs. I hit the climbs hard - went super steady - and rode the lap 4 minutes slower. I thought I was doing well as I did sense some cramps were not too far away so I had to meter my efforts. Maybe that was enough to slow down the lap or it was just my old friend fatigue setting in.

Lap 4 was steady and lap 5 was a little more spirited as I got to grab a half can of coke and head out knowing it would be my last lap. It went well and solid but throughout the race as well as I thought I was doing - I had so many people passing me that I thought for sure I was probably in 20th place. The one problem with this race is that if you don't have any support watching the race, as a solo you have no idea what place you are in. No leaderboard, no intel, nothing but a gut feeling for how well you were doing. At least those that were passing were passing very quickly and were out of sight in a few seconds. That made me at least hope that they were from the duo squads and weren't in my category.

Overall I felt like I was way slower this year compared to last and hoped I would be in the top 10 as I was 3rd last year. After I crossed the line I got cleaned up and checked results to see I actually finished in 3rd yet again!!! I couldn't believe it. No way did I think I was anywhere near the podium. After seeing that I felt great about not giving up and putting in a solid effort but I really wanted to see the lap data to see how I faired. I was 4 minutes slower than last year and that might have been attributed to the new lap/pit scenario or maybe that the course seemed just a tough rougher and eroded than last year. It's anybody's guess but I was happy with the situation and how I finished. I was 19 minutes out of 2nd and there was no way I was closing that gap.

To top it off when I got finished I found out that my teammate was taken to the hospital when I was still on course. At some point he was pushing the edge and found it. His front wheel washed out and drilled his right shoulder straight into the ground causing him to break his collar bone and crack the 2nd rib behind it. Ouch... He was ok but definitely in a lot of pain. I had just enough time to run to the hospital to get him and return for the awards ceremony and the prize raffle. Afterwards we settled into camp to let the days events settle in and for him the Percocet to settle in. We'll both be back for more.

Tuscarora Endurance Race MASS #1

I awoke this morning with my hips aching, the back of my neck sore, my back sore, the pads of my feet swollen, and my lungs feel like it's a little hard to breathe. If it weren't racing season, I'd be sitting here thinking what the hell just happened to my body. Oh yea. It's mountain biking season...

Yesterday was the Tuscarora Endurance race as #1 of the MASS Endurance Series. It was a good day at the end of it all but it was a bit of a kick in the pants. I usually am down for a nice hurtful early season race but this was brutal. I started to think the past few weeks that the course would be atrocious so it would make more sense to race my singlespeed than to ruin a good race bike. So I found a suspension fork to replace my rigid and swapped over my race wheels. Thought about the gear ratio a bit and took my best guess and headed out to the hills of PA with good thoughts in mind.

As the race went off I hit it hard and started the climb second wheel as I just wanted to sit there for the time being over the ice and snow on the first corner to stay out of trouble. As I was racing an SS in the open field I knew the first climb would be tough so I did my thing and kept to the side to let the others crank by. One by one they came and my strategy was not to blow up on the first hill but ride conservatively and see how I could ramp it up later on, if possible on this non-shifty bike.

I was sitting in 9th at the top of the hill and thought that was ok for how I felt and how strenuous that initial climb was but I was curious of the mud and treachery that lie ahead. It wasn't as bad as last year but on the SS that next hill was a walk and the hike a bike was MUCH longer. I was getting pretty upset knowing that I could ride a lot of this stuff on the geared bike - which I did last year in worse conditions - but with the SS I had to walk. I was even geared pretty light 34-20 and still had all I could do to ride some of it. Thank goodness I didn't reach for my 18 tooth cog.

So through the first lap I got over the walky stuff and finally got to the rock garden that I love. It's hard - but great. I had to wait in line for some riders to clear but once it opened up I had some nice flow going through the bumpy slow stuff. The end is still tricky as hell but that's nothing a dismount and some hoofing couldn't fix. Rolling again I hit the next steep up and it was doable but not worth it. I walked it. Again this was killing me as I know it's a hard but easily ridable section on the geared bike. So I just rode as hard as I could when I was on the bike.

The next downhill and remaining fireroad was a blast but even things like being able to pick a big gear and mash the flat or stuff that pointed downhill was sorely missed. It doesn't seem like a lot but I just knew I was losing time. So I basically forced myself to forget about the other side and just ride. I finished my first lap in 40 minutes which wasn't too bad so onto the next.

The next lap was a little bit more free and I actually cut a negative split with a 39. I was rolling well but I could tell those hills were going to hurt my legs and fast. I did all the same but just tried to stay consistent and last through the hills. This worked until lap 4 when the temps went up just a bit - enough to start turning that initial climb into some slimy goodness. There were a few climbs that just turned soft and made it very challenging to turn the cranks over. At this point I was just hoping for the end and with 4 laps in I knew there would only be two to go.

For the last two laps I rode steady and went over the bars on lap 5 in the rock garden. It had to be done at some point so I was lucky to not hurt myself or really impede my progress. I hopped back on and continued to ride the rest of it, but the end was near. I kept using that as hope and I knew I could finish well. I still had some energy but the single gear was just using it up quickly.

I rolled into the finish at 4:20 for 6 laps completed. It was a great feeling knowing that I rode as well as I could on that horrible contraption and thought that I was 7th or maybe 8th in the open. I didn't ride well, I didn't ride fast, but I was consistent. As a matter of fact I cut another negative split from lap 5 to lap 6 so you could tell I wanted it to be over. I warmed up and cleaned up to check results that were posted to find that I actually came in 4th. How the hell did that happen. I guess I was pretty consistent. The 5th place finisher was 18 minutes behind and 3rd was 6 minutes ahead. It was just a good hard day in the saddle and a good lesson at what I really like to do on a bike - that is to pedal consistently and have gears to change that ratio appropriately.

Thanks to Zach for an awesome race and hopefully this will be a start to a great season. I know I have a lot to work on and it keeps me hopeful for what I can still accomplish with a little blood, sweat, and tears.

2014 Season on Paper Looks Good

I'm in the middle of breaking out of the winter funk and so far so good. With the conclusion of February I am done with my ski team coaching and can refocus again on cycling. The team was so hectic with races and rescheduled races that I had to be ok with not riding for days at a time and meager 6 hour weeks. This was really hard mentally coming from a training standpoint where I like to see no less than 10 hours a week but I digress...

So with my schedule all cleared up I put in some long miles my first full week back and I'm already feeling a LOT better. I rode for 14+ hours and threw in a century as well and feel good. Hopefully this is a good sign of things to come. The main focus right now is mileage, some focused intensity, and getting down to race weight. At this point the heart of my season is a couple of months away and that's where the focus is. I'm not worried about the early season as I know I'll be in a deficit given the hard winter I've had. But in 2 months I hope to be flying.

Up on the calendar first is the Tuscarora 4 hour, Michaux 4 hour, and then the real challenge - the Cohutta 100. Either way these races have been great and although I haven't done the Michaux race I know the terrain out there and it should be some great early season training. I just want to get on some dirt and get to mix it up again. I'm hoping Tuscarora has some time to dry out before race day.

New Season Coming SOON!

It's still all snowy and dreary out but the new season is quickly approaching. I am focusing more strictly on endurance races this year and I have a bunch on the calendar at this point. It's not set in stone but it looks pretty busy. I'll be visiting a bunch of familiar states but I'm still looking to sneak a new one in there. Looks like 4 NUE's and a bunch of MASS races with a few others thrown in for good measure.

The winter has been pretty hectic with ski team coaching but with the conclusion of February, the ski season will be over too and it's back to biking full time. I've been getting limited training in but more will come once my schedule clears up. Practice and racing almost every day takes it's toll after a while. So I'm excited for the dirt and long days in the saddle.


More to come...