Pre prologue. Tired. Heavy legs. Nervous. Why? Don’t know. What you scared of? Don’t know. Actually not much unless I’m nervous. Belly full of nerves. Here for fun. This isn’t fun. This is nerve racking. Soaking up all my energy. Instead of into the pedals it’s into my head. Want to be here until I’m here. Then it’s easy to be somewhere else in my mind, but not physically. I need to be here now. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. For me. For Cissy. It’s dangerous not to be here. I’ve checked out. Gotta check back in by , when the race starts. Then we have minutes before Cissy and I start our prologue. I’m racing against nobody but my head. Basket case. I’ve raced 100’s of times. Nothing on the line. This is supposed to be relaxed and easy. I’m so nervous I almost wish I was working. Gotta break through this nervous energy before it consumes all my good calories and mental energy for the prologue. This is what we do. Why? I guess it’s what we know. I’ve raced in this area twice. The wilderness 101 goes through this area. We rode the prologue yesterday so it’s not like I don’t know what to expect. Beastie Boys just rolled on my mp3 thing. That helps a little, “cause I am most ill and I’m rhyming and stealin”. Feel energy turning. Turning into leadership. Gotta lead Cissy through this race. She looks up to me. Why? Sometimes I’m uncertain. But I do believe this is where I shine…on the bike. It’s where our relationship also shines. We work well as a team, now an opportunity to test it on unfamiliar ground. Let us shine. T69 minutes till race start. Peace.
Warm it up Dave. I’m about to.
A billion butterflies later and I’m back. No…I’m back! Thanks to the prayers and faith in what I am and what I’ve done in this life. Cissy and I both stepped it up. About two seconds after the starter said “go”, I forgot every bit of jittery BS that had been in my mind. What fun. The beginning of the course was newly cut single track around the seven mountains boy scout camp (race venue). This stuff is similar to a wet day in the Pisgah woods; slick roots, twisty and some rocks. We circled around then went out of the camp on some gravel, then to awesome fern forest single track, crested a mountain, descended through about 10 brazillion blueberry plants, back down the mountain, through a Pennsylvania bog and back to the start/finish. There was some sweet rocky single track and some fun descents. The best part was watching Cissy kick it through some swoopy, loamy, rocky single track. She kicked it up about 150% and rode so smooth I just had to yell “woman, yes!” to which she later responded “I couldn’t talk because I thought I was going to throw up the whole time”. Awesome!
We finished with a strong, all out team effort. Tomorrow is billed as the toughest day. 42 miles and some very rocky schtuff.
There were only a handful of “duo” racers so the promoter lumped the "all-male" teams and "coed" teams together under one “duo” category. We finished second behind some dudes from Mass.
TSE 2011 prologue
2nd place duo
1400 ft climbing
TSE Day 2 - Welcome to PA’s finest.
Today hurt. 43 miles, aw shucks - that’s not so far! Well heck, I can ride that far at the drop of a hat... but not on rocky Pennsylvania
Overall, the day seems less evil the more time separates my memory from the pain. By tonight, I’ll have forgotten most of the pain and will be looking forward to tomorrows 40+ mile stage. Today was supposed to be the hardest day, so I look forward to not suffering as much tomorrow.
We did our best. The leaders had several hours on us but who cares. We finished and we’re still smiling and still planning on getting married eventually. All is well in our world.
Peace.
From my bike computer:
44.26 miles
8.6 average speed
30.5 max speed
Now I know what it feels like to be the weakest link.
TSE Day 3 – Gravel, gravel, gravel.
We rode a lot of gravel if you didn’t infer that by the title of today’s review. Our plan was to start slow and maintain a good pace then go faster if we could. Again, I was the weak link, but not as bad as yesterday. The heat is beating me down. I poured every third bottle of water on my head and neck to try and keep my temperature down. It helped a bunch. Bla.
What we saw today came straight out of an issue of National Geographic. Green everywhere. Solitude in the forest is what we witnessed as we climbed for a total of 5300’ in 49 miles. It was hard to imagine how some of the climbs kept going. We’d round a turn and think we were at the top but the next turn revealed more up. It seemed to never stop. Most of the climbs were along mountain streams. We also had quite a bit of shade (thank God). Some of the streams were misting upwards towards the road bed and you would occasionally get a cool treat from the water. The route took us through Coburn, PA and almost to Woodward , PA
I’m beat and my imagination sweat out of me somewhere on the course today.
We gained a little bit of time on the male duo team who is winning our class and getting all the daily swag. We have four more days and tomorrow is supposed to be fun rolling man made “for biking” trails.
Hopefully it won’t be hot enough to melt my helmet to my head.
Peace. DJC
10.7 Avg
47.9 miles
Max speed 40
TSE Hump Day – Day 4.
It was day 4 of 7 today so only 3 stages remaining. Once again, as predicted, we gained on our sole competitors. Our course today consisted of Tsali like trails mostly on contour following the edge of Raystown Lake Dupont State Forest
The race started with a controlled start from a paved road at lakes edge. We had to pedal about ½ mile up an 8-10% grade then into the single track. Cissy and I started a little too hard and had to back up off of it for just a tad. We shortly got into a good rhythm and started to gain on who ever we saw ahead of us. There was only one aid station today and it was located at mile 9 of the course. On our second lap just as we were approaching the aid station, I noticed the leading team in our class just up ahead of us. I was psyched. I had been telling Cissy that we were gaining on them since the second day. Finally, what I had been whining about came to fruition – our competitors wearing thin and in our sites. The aid station had tape set up to guide our path into the open field that was now a bike race aid station. When our competitors saw us they switched out some empty water bottles for some full ones and kept on. We did the same. Now we were right on their tails with 13 miles of race remaining. I thought since we had caught up to them that they were worn out, but they were evidently discounting us. Needless to say they picked up the pace. We could see them in the opposite side of the coves on the trail, just a little ahead of us then their gap kept growing. Finally they were out of sight, but not out of mind. Cissy got up to my wheel and I told her we were going to have to grunt out every hill in order to catch them. “Just look at the ground and pedal. Don’t think about nothing else except pedaling as hard as you can”, I told her. We employed that specific idea and cranked as hard as we could. I was a little sad that our competitors had gotten out of sight but I did not give up. In a race this close anything could happen. If they had a wreck or any mechanical snafu, we would catch and pass them. Not that we would wish misfortune on any team, because we wouldn’t, but we just wanted to catch them.
We kept pedaling, madly. Cissy is a stronger climber than me and she would catch me on the climbs, so I was letting it go on the downhills. We kept at it and suddenly up through the woods I caught a slight glimpse of our competitor's orange kits. I told Cissy to stay on my wheel no matter how hard. We sneaked up behind them and caught our breaths just enough to make our move. They had not noticed that we had caught back up so when I passed the first guy he yelled to his partner “I’m not behind you any more Andy, you gotta pick it up”. There I was positioned between both riders with Cissy behind the first place team’s second rider. Now it was Adam, Me, Adam’s partner then Cissy. At this point we had about 1 mile of course remaining. The four of us were flying, cranking for all we were worth. I was hoping for one more really steep long climb but from here on out it was a pure power move to get to the finish line. Adam was hurting but we were determined. Our frantic foursome approached some stray riders who obviously heard us working hard and just moved out of the way to let this freight train roll by. It was like we were creating a breeze that surprised and made each person we passed lean back away from the trail with an expression showing amazement and excitement for a close race.
Cissy and I held with them as long as we could. In this race, there is a 30 second rule. As applied to the duo team category, it means that you can never be 30 seconds away from your partner. While I was cranking and keeping our competitors team split up, I was also yelling to Cissy to see if she could pass but the guy behind me was just too fresh and we had to let em go.
They beat us by 22 seconds.
We will be at the starting line again tomorrow and I will not give up.
I forgot to put my computer on the bike this am so these stats are from Cissy’s ride.
42 miles
31.5 max
6300’ climbing
Avg 10.1 ish
TSE - Day 5
Today was four short xc style races formatted in a rolling ride. All racers rolled out of the staging area at a slow pace until we got to the start then each group raced a short race to the next finish. After all the racers finished, we rode together to the next start and did it all again. Four little races in one large rolling group. Total miles were only 28 or so. It was a very relaxed stage and most of the lead riders sorta took it easy. Since the individual races were so short, most leaders didn't have to worry about losing much time in the overall standings. It was a fun format.
Cissy and i did our best in the rocky terrain, passing a lot of people who obviously don't ride Pisgah or Pennsylvania R. B. Winter State Park Lake , beach, pavilions, camping sites etc.
Not much more to say other than our legs are tired and only 2 days remaining in the race. Tomorrow will be another long day in PA. We should see some good views as we will be riding a ridge line trail for quite a ways.
Peace.
DJC
28 ish miles.
top speed ?
avg ?
legs: tired
belly: bloated
eyes: heavy
TSE Day 6
It was actually cold this morning as opposed to the 93 degree heat on Monday. The race start began about 4 miles from the race headquarters base camp. All racers left the base camp and did a slow ride to the start.
The race director said “go” and we went. Cissy and I stayed on the wheels of our only competitors for the first hour and twenty minutes then they pulled away from us on a long downhill. We saw them at the end of the race. Only one of them had taken off their helmet, so we weren’t far behind. Actually, we were only 10 minutes behind…so not too shabby!
The trails today were mostly rocks and some rocks and then a few more rocks. After the first trail of rocks, there were more rocks. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the rocks? The rocks were rideable though and it took fierce concentration to navigate the smoothest line.
We started on a gravel road and quickly entered a forest service road which evolved into double track then single track and finally hike a bike. The hike a bike was not too long and we were rewarded with a beautiful overgrown single track descent in which your front wheel had to part its way through the blueberry bushes covering the path. All you could see was a narrow strip of dirt so you just hoped that there was not a big rock or downed tree that the person in front of you just happened to miss and leave there for you to hit. After the narrow path through the blueberries, the trail turned into an old double track road that descended for about 3 miles. This part of the trail had a creek running through it for a while so by the end, we were wet and muddy. From here we pedaled gravel roads, hard pack and some more single track.
The day ended with a grunt up a wet, sloppy section of single track and a quick descent to the finish.
Overall, Cissy and I put forth a huge effort today. We were both “on” all day long. We worked it like we know how to do. When I was tiring, she’d pull up and take the lead, then I’d return the favor. We both agreed that the four hours plus in the saddle today seemed to go by quicker than any of the previous days. We put forth a huge team effort and were rewarded with knowing that we gave it our all, and worked well as a team. Cissy stepped it up through the last rock section and over a beautiful ridge on Tussey Mountain
One more day.
39 miles
30.5 max
9.2 avg
TSE Day 7 – the final day
“I think we worked perty well together”, a quote straight from Cissy. Yeah. We finished. We’re bad. Oh yeah! 7 days! We made it. What an accomplishment. I feel great and I don’t want it to end. It was painful during the entire process but now I want it to continue. I want to have to wake early in the AM and hop on the bike on my sore arse and ride 40+ miles of difficult trails and spend 4 hours suffering. I want to do it again. What in my genetic make up makes me crave such suffering. Why do I enjoy punishing myself? What aspect of suffering gives me pleasure? Don’t know. Uncertain. I do know that I’m in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
Peace.
DJC.
Official finisher of the 2011 Trans Sylvania Mountain Bike Stage Race co-ed duo team.
Word.
Cissy Fowler's Race Repot from The Transylvania Epic
Stage 1: Bald Eagle Prologue 12 miles, 1400’ climbing, 1 hour 17 minutes
Bald Eagle Prologue! Today's (Sunday's) Stage 1 of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic was a fast 12-mile time trial on mixed surfaces. We bolted out of Seven Mountains Campground, up into Bald Eagle State Forest, through lush fern-covered woods with high canopies, and around a lake. PA has been blessed with plenty of rain this spring so the forest greenery is brilliant. The booming chipmunk population created two near-misses with adorable, miniature obstacles. Some singletrack sections were loamy-smooth, some rocky, and others boggy. David and I finished in 2nd place in the 3-deep Duo category. Shout out to Austin in the Sycamore Hendo shop for getting our bikes ready to race.
Stage 2: Rothrock Cooper’s Gap 43 miles, 5300’ climbing, 5 hours 44 minutes
Rothrock is the name of a huge State Forest in Central Pennsylvania. The “rock” syllable in Rothrock is key to understanding why the race organizers billed this as the most difficult stage of the Epic. Pennsylvania is infamous for its rocky mountain biking trails. The majority of today’s 43 miles and 530’ feet of climbing was on that classic PA rocky single track. These trails demand constant, focused attention.
“Look at the trail! Don’t look at us,” shouted a group of local hecklers who were stationed on a rock face overlooking an incredible view.
The group of fellows caught me glancing over at them to find out what the PA cowbell ringing mountain bikers look like. Do they look like Shrimper or Jonathan? I didn’t find out because I trusted their advice so I wouldn’t miss a necessary pull-up on or grab-tight of the handle bars.
A querky trait of these trails is that none of them are marked with signs showing their names. I’ve figured the names of the trails from comparing the race route maps to the Purple Lizard Rothrock State Forest map. These catchy names deserve to be etched on signs: Shittaka, Pigpile, Old Lewistown Pike, Stone Mountain, Flat Road, Sassafras Spur, Sass-xx, Deer Tick, Beautiful Chicken Peter, Chestnut Spring. Oh, dear Pigpile. ‘Ppreciate the challenge, Stone Mountain.
Stage 3: Bald Eagle Coburn XC, 47 miles, 5100’ climbing, 4 hours 28 minutes
“Controlled” start at TSEpic means 15-20 mph which, for me, on a mountain bike, feels way to fast when the upcoming route includes 47 miles and 5100’ of climbing. The climbs were dispersed into 6 big climbs plus lots of bump-ups. The whole route was much faster than the previous days’ even though the distance and elevation were similar because the terrain was mostly gravel road with a sweeping section of pavement and three or four short single track sections. The pavement led us out of Poe Valley State Park and into Coburn, just past the start for Wilderness 101. Feels surprisingly comforting to intersect the Wilderness course which we have done already lots, although in many cases in the opposite direction. My favorite parts of today’s course were Old Mingle [Gravel] Road, where we coasted the descents and pedaled the flats with Penns Creek rapids on our right, and the 2nd checkpoint at miles 33 where we could look, from the top of the mountain, about 1600 feet down into the Penns Creek valley from which we had just climbed out of on rutted out Poe Paddy Drive. Seemed like lots of casualties suffered today – people who dropped out because of stomach distress, broken bikes, etc. – but we finished strong and ready for more.
Stage 4: Cross Country at Raystown Lake, 42 miles, 6500’ climbing, 4 hours 4 minutes
Twenty-two seconds. That’s the most revealing part of the figures from today’s stage. Twenty-two seconds behind the only competitors in our category. This was the first stage where we actually had them in sight…twice. The first sighting was just prior to the checkpoint at mile 29. We snuck up on them and planned to just grab water bottles from the (fantastic!) volunteers and them pass them at the checkpoint, but they saw us approaching from behind as they passed through the chicane. They took off! We kept rolling through the aide station as we grabbed our bottles and took off chasing them, right back into the single track. The race was on for the remaining 11 miles. David was setting the pace and we were truckin’! We caught them again with about 1+ miles of single track left before the very short paved downhill to the finish. David attacked, shot in between them and those three guys took off dropping me like the A group at the county line sprint in Tuesday Worlds. I had to call David back because the penalty for duo partners gapping more than 30 seconds apart is a big DQ. David was crushed because he wanted that win so badly. I was psyched because we finished so close to those two super fast guys. And, more than anything, I was thrilled that we rode so incredibly hard, giving it our all, and still had fun.
Yes! Fun, fun, fun! The Raystown Lake course was a hootin’-&-hollerin’ 20 mile loop of smooth, single track. The 6500’ feet of climbing was disguised by the gazillion whoop-dee-doos. Although I was trying to keep both wheels on the ground (unlike David who was catching air left and right on purpose), I popped at least several nose wheelies. Bottom line is I’d love to ride these trails again and highly recommend them to everyone who is willing to make the trip to Central PA.
Stage 5: Mini XCs at R.B. Winter State Park, 28 miles, 2200’ climbing, 1 hour 9 minutes
Mini Super Ds would be more accurate than Mini XCs for the title of today’s stage. R.B. Winter is, according to the elderly couple who helped me rescue a bullfrog from the bathhouse, “the most beautiful state park in Pennsylvania,” so they prepared me for an enjoyable day in the woods. The Park route was especially innovative. The entire group of racers rode together from the Start, past a group of fishing Mennonites who were quite puzzled by us freaks, along trails and roads, into a sunny meadow where we lined up moto style: elite men on the front line, women on the second line, 40+ & 50+ & team & duo on the third. We were off in 30 second waves, up through the meadow, onto the gravel, into the single track grotto, and down some treacherously rocky path. A couple of miles down, the finish line was crowded with people changing flats, tightening rear derailleur bolts, and assessing bodily traumas. The race organizers (Ray serving as Lead-out, Mike playing Sweep) rallied racers into a pack and we rode off again, pros and amateurs together, up the trails, along roads, into the next sunny meadow. I was fortunate enough to ride with Amanda Carey long enough to share some personal information and talk about our lifestyles – her as a pro mountain biker based in Victor, Idaho and mine as a professor somewhere along the state line in South Carolina. We lined up again in the same order for the second Mini XC, straight down a creek bed, along a mucky rock bridge to the finish. Segments 3 & 4 followed the same routine: group rides towards screaming downhills followed by assorted bike repairs and wound lickings. Super D is not my forte (now, that’s an understatement), but I stayed on my Santa Cruz Tallboy full-suspension 29er bike which performed as though it were in its element and worked on my skills. David was laughing wildly as he sprinted towards each single track section and barreled down the rocky descents, flying past lines of racers, only to have to stop to wait for me. So great to see him excel in the crowd of incredibly talented cyclists! The most enjoyable aspect of today’s stage was chatting with the girls and guys who I’ve been wanting some one-on-one time with like Karen Brooks, (Dirt Rag’s editor), Laura (one of Charlotte’s DirtDivas), and Vicki Barclay (Freeze Thaw Cycle’s LFG [Local Fast Girl]). While the Mini Super Ds were intense, my biggest thrill of the day was the extremely close face-to-foot encounter with a big-headed, fat-bodied copperhead.
Stage 6: Rothrock Tussey Mountain, 38 miles (plus 8 mile roundtrip ride to start/finish), 5300’ climbing, 4 hours 19 minutes
Queen Stage. Now I get it. The Queen is the stage whose status is elevated above all others. TSE’s Queen has a regal route highlighted by the aristocratic views from Tussey Mountain Trail. Tussey Mountain Trail follows the 2000’ AMSL ridgeline right through, to my delight, the regrowth from a wildfire that burned the area in 2006. The white wood of the stark, barkless, leafless trees contrasted sharply with the crisp, blue sky above and the sharp, green blueberries afoot. “Queen” also signifies supremely technical terrain. The royally rocky single track sections were relentless, like Tussey Mountain Trail which is cut through rock gardens punctuated by innumerable rock ramps ascending up and over downed trees. John Wert Path too, at the foot of Thickhead Mountain parallel to Sinking Creek, and Longberger Path, connecting Bear Meadows Natural Area with Thickhead Wild Area, are each >2 mile-long rock gardens capped by three wooden bridges plus a massive boulder field. David received everything the Queen had to offer with ultimate grace and I took as much as I could handle with a smile and a curtsey.
Andy & Liz's SERC #4 race report: Winder, GA Race Report
Looks like a hat-trick of perfect weather for my third race of the season this year! Liz and I headed down to the Peach State Saturday afternoon and managed to get a good pre-ride in before dark. After that we headed to Athens to carb load and crash at a friends place. A nice early start found us back at Fort Yargo State Park with a prime shady parking spot. After kitting up and taking a spin around the park to get the juices flowing, Liz found herself on the start line with the menacing vengeance of a rabid wolverine also known as pre-race girl talk, which when you think about it, is neither menacing nor rabid... just silly (see: “Girl, I love your pink cable housing!” and “Omigash good luck!!!”). But really though, I'd suspect she was a little nervous, but mostly excited, as this is her first USAC race since a short collegiate stint in 2008. At the sound of the whistle she was off in a blur...
There were 18 of us total – a pretty good showing, I think. Unfortunately, the promoter announced a “Holeshot” Award right before blowing the whistle, sending slower racers speeding toward the front, only to be passed 100 yards later after a premature bonk. I started out 5th, slowly working my way through the women ahead of me and ticking off half a dozen Clydesdales and Grand Masters that had started before us (Brrrrring, Brrrrrring! - “Chick-ed” Bell). I settled in 3rd, catching #2 on the climbs, then falling away from her on the flats (She must be a roadie, I thought). We passed one another a couple times before she finally disappeared in the woods ahead of me. Suddenly, I saw a speck of orange jersey and pushed to catch her, settling in on her rear wheel for the last 2 miles. “That's #2 Liz – Attack!” I heard from the side of the trail... I chased hard into a sharp left turn and tire-kissed her twice in the following rock garden before finally cutting her off in a turn in the last half mile, ultimately beating her by 20 seconds.
As for me (Andy), the podium eluded me once again but not to any dismay. The course was fast and fun even if it was our longest one so far and I managed to maintain a pretty fast clip through out the race grinding in my third ring as often as I could. Feeling strong after the first lap I kept hard on the pedals and caught one guy on a nice wide section of trail. Somewhere around the 15 mile mark my lower back started to stiffen up costing me time on my descending and allowing a gap to close between my assailant and me. He never overtook me, however, as the latter part of the trail contained the small bit of sustained climbing that the course demanded, and luckily for me the other guy...doesn't ride in Pisgah. After the climbs I didn't see him again. I crossed the finish line and was greeted by my lovely wife with a hug and a peanut butter & banana sandwich, so whether it was 1st or 7th, didn't really matter much, I was stoked!
A ETSU State Championships report from Dan Ennis
This weekend a crew of us packed up and made the trip to Johnson City, Tennessee to try our hand at the state championship DH and slalom races. Always a fun event, ETSU carried a bit more importance for the few downhillers in the PAC because DH Natl champs are going to be at Beech Mtn this year, which is less than a 2 hr drive away. A state championship event is a qualifier and ETSU is the closest by 6 hrs. Standing in the registration line you could feel a little bit of an edge in the air as everyone wants to qualify. The Dh course is a very fitness based track and being this early in our season it really shows who's been doing work this winter and who's been at the bakery eating scones. While the top half of the track is tech with some decent elevation drop, the second half is flat to slightly uphill for about 40 seconds with a heinous rockgarden finish. Equipment choice is critical with most riders choosing their trailbikes over the full blown dh rigs. Danny Cesare opted to put his faith in the jesus wheels and rode his I-9 equipped Stumpjumper FSR 29er to a solid 5th place finish despite some bad luck with a photographer standing in the course and in his way. I opted for the 26er I-9 equipped Stumpy and had a little better luck and managed a 2nd place finish. I'd like to attribute it to the very awesome prototype PAC daisy duke shorts I was rocking that allowed for maximum pedaling efficiency on track. Both of us secured a place in the natl champs DH race with our finishes. I'd also like to congratulate local high school kid J.T. Linville on his win in the juniors dh class, besting the powerhouse GROM racing squad all while proudly rocking the Sycamore Cycles skinsuit from years past.
Next up was the slalom race, which is always a highlight for us and a discipline Danny and I generally do very well at. With a storm looming we ran through the qualifying rounds quickly and began racing. Danny ended up getting knocked out in the round of 8 and I had made it into the round of 4 when they had to call the race because of lightning. I'm not sure about the final results but we should be good to go for natls in slalom as well as we were in the top 8 when they called the race and top 10 qualify. After the lightning started we quickly loaded up and made a beeline for S.E.I. team member Andrew Muellers house in Asheville for much needed Busch Ice recovery drinks and mexican food. After recovering heavily all night we woke up bright eyed and excited early the next morning ready to get some much needed time on the man's bikes. It was time for Windrock Dh park, located just outside Knoxville,Tenn. Known throughout the east as having some of the gnarliest terrain around, Windrock is not for the faint of heart or 29er lover. After a long day of smashing rocks and shitting our pants at least once a run, we had our suspension dialed for the year and had gotten a little more comfortable in the big terrain that we just don't get to ride here in Pisgah. After a few Busch Ice recovery drinks the weekend was done and much fun was had by all.
Till next time,
Dan Ennis
Art Odell's Report from The Assault on the Carolinas
Cookie Time In the Carolinas
It’s always nice to have teammates in road cycling. The recent Assault on the Carolinas was no exception. With over 800 cyclists primed for the start of the 40, 60 and 100k events one can’t help to be a little nervous about making it through the first few miles unscathed……especially when you factor the number of inexperienced riders who want to be in the thick of the action. But this IS quite normal for a “cookie” ride. Of course this isn’t any old cookie…….this is our own Brevard cookie with hills and mountains baked right into this delicious course. Needless to say, I was training hard for this and was feeling good, but I expressed to Wes a couple days prior that I was feeling uneasy about the in town start, the early turns, the narrow roads and the number of riders. Wes’s reply was that he would take care of having us (PAC) at the front for the start. This idea definitely helped my nerves.
Mayor Harris started us off on our way and with Wes and the rest of the PAC leading the way through town we quickly negotiated those quick turns and tight streets cleanly. In an attempt to warm us up and keep us out of trouble, Wes pretty much powered the entire field through the first mile. After a short respite and a downhill pull from none other than Jeff Parker, Wes went back to the front and kept the pace high to discourage and craziness from the Canadians. Jeff Bergmark made some big pulls too with PAC continuing to show their colors at the front of the main field. Everyone was thinking that Walnut Hollow was going to see some fireworks, but Wes decided to pull the group completely up the climb at a decent pace. With maybe 50-60 riders making it onto East Fork together the pace leveled off with only a couple of flyers from various teams which were easily nullified by Jeff, Jeff, or Wes. For the first time in my life I was feeling like a protected rider! This pattern continued into SC as PAC riders would assemble at the front for all big descents (cue Parker) to stay out of trouble. Route 288 and 8 stayed somewhat calm so that left just Caesar’s Head and the run into Brevard to sort things out with those remaining. At the base of the climb Chris St. Peter shows up out of nowhere with a huge grin on his face. I ask him where he’s been and he just smiles and says, “in the back resting.” So I figured he was ready for some climbing too. The pace started steady on the climb and pretty much stayed steady. No attacks were made except from the eventual winner who calmly accelerated about half way up never to be seen again. Four of us worked together for most of the climb and into town. We were successful in fending off the hard charging St. Peter group, but we just couldn’t reel in the lone break away guy who strongly rode solo into town. Our 4 man sprint and weave to the line through multiple cones, 40k riders, 60k riders, and a recumbent bicycle put me in 4th overall. I’m pleased with my result and thankful for all the hard work from team members.
Thanks and congratulations go to Jay Coan, John Felty, Todd Brahnam and the rest of the volunteers and sponsors who worked hard to make this edition of The Assault the best one yet. The new location downtown, Poppies food, Oskar Blues beer, music, and vendors were a welcome addition. I’m already looking forward to next year!
Julia Tellman's Race Report from Hobby Park:
hobby park, first real-ish xc race of the season. yes, i promise i am retired, but despite that i keep finding myself filling out waivers, kitting up, standing on start lines. an unpleasant but short winter has meant a lot more time on the trails this year, and while i'm not IN TRAINING (this is always italicized and in caps in my head), i've put in a lot of fun hours with the baby dino, who is really maturing into a lovely little Era.
after a chill start i trailed Fast Anina for awhile, knowing that she wasn't working too hard to hold me off. i caught phantom glimpses of her through the trees but worried more about Tenacious Bonnie, who stayed a minute off my back the whole time. at first i was terribly irked because if there's one thing i hate in bike racing, it's having a pursuant...or being in pursuit...or being alone...
eventually i realized that while i couldn't widen the gap, she also couldn't narrow it, and i let it motivate me. i pushed the big ring as often as possible and stayed smooth on the bike. and admired the toadshades popping out of the leaves.
it was way fun, which is not an adjective i associate with racing. this bodes well for the season (which of course is not really a season, you know, because i'm retired.)
Another Race Roport from David Cook, check it out:
3/5/11
Snake Creek Gap #3
33.18 miles/Max speed 43/3.55 time/8.5 avg
Race review
*Big props to Austin Parsons for keeping my mountain bike in top notch shape! Not one occasion of chain suck in 34 miles of sticky, all encompassing, North Georgia chocolate. Thanks Austin!
My hopes and dreams of Pinhoti trail in pristine form washed away thanks to 12 hours of pre-race rain. Muddy was the trail but not soggy as one month prior. In February’s race the snow and ice melt had settled into the first few inches of soil creating a spongy type surface…much like wet sand. In yesterday’s race there was only an inch of slop atop a solid base of Northwest GA soil. The conditions, although undesirable, were not quite as miserable as a month ago.
My goal for this race was to knock 30 minutes off my previous time. That may seem like a lofty goal but considering my lack of training for the first race it was obtainable. With four semi-dedicated weeks between races, there was enough time to shed a few pounds off my “winter sofa”, gain more fitness and attend four more indoor trainer classes at Sycomore-Hendo. Also thrown into that mix is some coaching from a coach formerly associated with an organization not to be named that was affiliated with some dude who won a big race over the pond seven times. I have not completed much training under the newly hired “coach” but I am looking forward to it. So far he’s been more of a person to answer to and that alone has kept me more focused than usual.
Thirty minutes. An episode of Family Guy, a meal at Waffle House, an easy crossword puzzle, intimate interaction with a friendly TSA agent…the list goes on. I knew I could do it but only with focus and determination. I couldn’t joke around at the sag stops. I couldn’t chill behind people maintaining an easy pace. I’d have to push it with some reserve so I didn’t explode and lose all the effects of my coffee doping (they don’t test for that yet).
The Snake Creek Gap TT is divided into two 17 mile sections, each similar in terrain but with the second section having a little more climbing and enough rocks to make a person think they were riding an easy trail in West Virginia. The first half was basically a warm up for me. These over 40 quads need a L O N G time to warm up. Thanks to the recent indoor trainer classes, I’ve reconnected with spinning and spun the first 17 miles but noticed I was not that tired and not very winded at the mid-point rest stop. Emcee extraordinaire and friend Bruce Dickman laid his charm into the microphone and publicly ribbed me with threats of telling my woman how lazy I was and how slow I was and how I must beat a time of 4’06”. I thought about the time and wondered its significance then Bruce said “that’s my official best course time”. Beat Bruce’s time? Ha! I must! Instead of relishing in the pleasure of the warm coffee poured for me by the kind volunteer, I set the half drank cup down, grabbed my hefty pack and bolted up the trail. All the while, fading in the distance, was Bruce threating tales of slackness being told to my woman.
I had a goal of 30 minutes off my prior time, but now I had a goal to better Mr. Dickman’ s time. I re-focused and suddenly realized I hadn’t been breathing hard for most of the race. I shifted up to my middle ring and started laying on the power, rolling in a groove I’d been waiting for to show up. I put my head down and did what I love to do most. I entered a silent world of concentration, Zen you could say, where my only thought is to roll forward. It’s this state of mind that keeps me on the bike. It’s a certifiable drug. It’s my own personal Charlie Sheen, and like his, it is not FDA approved.
I found great pleasure in the middle ring. My quads rejoiced as the additional warmth generated fed the feel good engine of my Zen state of mind. The extra effort made me faster. The rocks came and over them I rolled. With years of Pisgah as my playground I found much pleasure navigating the technical sweetness of jagged granite. A fit looking skinny fellow passed me but i came back up on him some time later. He was pushing up a steep rocky section. I decided now was my time. I sucked it up and grunted up the granite laden hill filled with awesome pain and pleasure. The skinny dude cheered me on as I passed by and he even gave me a little push. This is my element. My peace. Where I love life the most. A simple 30 seconds of simultaneous pleasure and pain. At the top, I was spent but kept going because I couldn’t shake echoes of “4’06” in Bruce’s most recognizable voice in the forefront of my consciousness.
The next few miles seemed to go on for hours in my mind’s eye but it was only around 30 minutes. I wanted to clear the entire rock garden with no dabs but exhaustion set in and claimed the win. Finally the radio towers appeared in the fog and pure relief came over me since this indicated the end of the race. It was all downhill from this point. A super-fast descent to the finish. I looked at the time on my odometer and smiled. I’d beat Bruce’s time, and make my goal with a few minutes to spare.
As I write this, I think of the fun I had yesterday, the 10 hours of driving, money spent, pain endured and wonder “when do I get to do this again?”
Peace.
David Cook's Race Report from the Snake Gap Creek Time Trial:
Snake Gap Creek time trial – race 2, Feb. 5, 2011
First race of the season, and I hurt. It’s been a long comfortatble winter……on the sofa. “On the sofa” can be used like “between the sheets” in fortune cookie lingo but it’s not a good phrase to describe your fitness.
This race made me feel as if I were “just off the sofa”. At least I’m headed in the right direction.
Snake Gap Creek is run on the PInhoti trail in Northwest Georgia. Being from GA I’ve ridden most of the trails, but not the Pinhoti. It opened up after I fled for WNC (Western North Carolina) in 2004.
The route was a 34 mile point to point race with about 4,000 feet of climbing, per some unknown rider on the bus who seemed to know what he was talking about with exception of the rocky section of trail near races end.
As a self designated “seasoned racer” I leave my mind open to all trail suggestions, hints, pointers, etc. however, I put those pointers in the back of my head until I get to the spot referenced then I make my own call on the particular spot. This occasion was no exception. On the bus ride to the start I heard so many descriptions of near death experiences on this “rocky section”. Also, it covers the last 6 or so miles of the course. I arrived at the rocky section and was thankful for my Pisgah home. Much gratitude went out to countess efforts on Pilot Rock Trail, Laurel Mountain Trail., Squirrel Gap and Farlow Gap Trail. The rocks were tricky but didn’t hold a candle to the Pisgah trails mentioned above. These trails prepared me well for this North Ga. Adventure.
I was uncertain how my legs would react to 34 miles of North Georgia trail. I’d only been on the mountain bike one time this year and that was a brief jaunt at Dupont State Forest. Thank heavens for the Tuesday/Thursday training classes at Sycamore in Hendersonville.
The race went well although it felt like I was towing my sofa. I guess in a way I was. It was just a smaller 15 pound version attached to my belly.
Hopefully I’ll make it to the March race, ten pounds lighter and with race ready legs.
The Pinhoti is a lot like 34 miles of Laurel Mountain Trail in Dupont State Forest. It was muddy and soggy on the day I raced but if it’s dry…hold on! The long drive is worth the effort and the race promoters do an excellent job.
Peace.
