It’s been a hot minute since the race, and anyone who follows me on Twitter or Facebook already knows at least the important part of the story- I finished 3rd place. The combination of rain from a Wednesday morning thunderstorm/deluge, a little extra rain/snow Wednesday night, and the hundreds of people who raced on the course immediately following that, turned it into a total mud bog.

Ryan and I pre-rode on Wednesday at lunch before his heat race. At that point, it was sloppy, but less damaged, so it was nicely difficult- some deep, power-sucking mud, and a lot of slick, tricky mud. I felt great about it. However, between that time and my race, the course conditions deteriorated dramatically. The grass, mud, and water was so churned together that the course turned incredibly slow, and pedaling felt like trying to run and fight off an axe murderer in the throes of a nightmare- the type where you can neither run nor fight because your body feels like it’s moving in slow motion, no matter how much effort you extend.

This year’s field was a little more serious than last year- not that last year’s competition wasn’t tough, but this year, the field size doubled, and included the current National Champion. The stripes made it easy to pick out who to follow when we were given the signal to GO, important since I hadn’t done any e-stalking ahead of time, so I had no idea who was “fast” (other than myself, of course… hehehe)

The start was fast as usual for any very competitive cross race. That was about the only thing that was fast, though. As soon as we were off of the solid start/finish area, everyone dumped to the small ring, and we were racing our asses off… at an average speed of 6.5 miles per hour. Going that slow means that bike handling won’t be a determining factor in the outcome of the race. So, it boiled down to a 3 lap, 40 minute power test with 2x per lap bike exchanges thrown in for good measure. Ryan, who was working the pit for me, had his work cut out for him, repeatedly running the mud/grass-caked bikes to the powerwasher for the big stuff, then finishing the drivetrain cleaning off with most of a can of ProGold Blast Off that Bruce Dickman gave me just before the race. If it weren’t the good pit work, I would have been dead in the mud.

Off the line, I was on the wheel of Kari Studley, the National Champion. I didn’t look back, so I had no idea how the race was unfolding behind me. Kari would periodically pull away then come back, and I decided that, along with her, I’d pass the pits the first time. I stayed behind her like a slinky until finally imploding somewhere after the 2nd time past the pit- during which we both took a clean bike (I exchanged bikes 2x per lap following that). She began to pull away, and I worked on recovering enough to minimize the damage.

(photo courtesy of Debbie Baker)

In the meantime, Brianne Marshall of NoTubes was creeping up behind me. She passed me somewhere during the 2nd lap and seemed to dangle just out of my reach by about 10-15 seconds before pulling away in the 3rd and final lap. She tended to run more of the worst mud sections. I decided not to run- I made the switch from Crank Brothers to SPD pedals a while back, and they were NOT the best pedal in the deep mud because they clogged up every time I got off of the bike. I don’t really consider it to be a deciding factor in my situation, but Crank Brothers pedals would have been one less thing to worry about being affected by mud.
Kari, Brianne and myself finished spaced out about a minute or so of each other, but well ahead of the spots off the podium.

So, this third place was a lot better than last year’s third place, where a stupid mechanical for which I take full responsibility (rear skewer rattled loose) took me out of the 1/2 contention. I think that Thursday’s race through the mud bog could have been contested as a 40 minute power test on trainers with the same outcome. Not as fun as a high-speed, running/jumping/sliding race, but it’s the hand that all of us were dealt, and we made the best of it.

 

We arrived in Louisville yesterday afternoon, dumped everything into the hotel room, and went out for a quick spin to look at the course (it was closed, so we really did just go and look at it) then stop by registration and get back to the hotel before dark.

(insert obligatory “blurry phone photo from the riverfront”)

Once we’d cleaned up and had dinner at a nearby brewery (OMG @ the local/grassfed burger, gluten free when served minus bun), we went to Whole Foods to stock up on groceries so we wouldn’t constantly be in search of a healthy place to eat meals (actually not too hard in LV, but the kitchenette is a sure thing).
When we arrived back, I took half an hour or so to unpack my clothes into drawers and re-arrange the kitchen cabinets to hold the groceries and other food I’d brought. It can get a little tedious, but settling in and nesting in such a way makes the remainder of the stay a lot more “normal,” something that can be hard to maintain when you’re living in a 250 square foot space for 4 nights. Getting a room organized and making yourself at home is some of the best advice I can give to anyone aspiring to make more than 1-night road trips to bike races. It also keeps you from searching through luggage/grocery bags looking for an apple or arm warmers.

This morning, a giant storm front passed through (it went through Memphis last night, and I nearly worried Poolboy Matt to death doting over the fate of him and the dogs if there were a tornado). We slept through most of it, but it ended up flooding and blowing down parts of the race course, so the start of everything was delayed. Luckily, the schedule is staying the same from afternoon pre-ride on to Ryan’s heat race.

I was super happy with our choice in groceries yesterday, because when we went down to the complimentary hot breakfast, my food snobishness came out in full force when I got grossed out by the slimy-looking “scrambled” (powdered) eggs. I got a spoonful of the baked potato wedges and went up to the room to make my own bacon/potato/cheddar/egg hash. It was one of the most delicious things, ever.

 

Now, we’re just hanging around until the noon open course time, when we’ll go get covered in mud then scramble around to get Ryan’s bike back to “perfect” for his 3:30(ish) heat race.

You’ll notice the hipster/instagram flair on that one. Yesterday, on the 6ish hour drive here, I got bored and started a social media side project. Based off of richkidsofinstagram.tumblr.com, I started uppermiddleclasskidsofinstagram.tumblr.com. Hopefully, it’ll catch a little traction with the target audience and get some good submissions of the fun, occasionally expensive hobbies of people with a little disposable income. You can tag photos on Instagram or Twitter with #umckoi.

 

My experience with Pisgah riding is minimal- aside from 1.5 ORAMM races, I’ve never gone there. I’ve always had a few friends in the area, though, and I get to read all about their adventures via Facebook, blog, and oral history. It sounds like a fun place to ride- very much like Syllamo, except on a more grand scale.

I’d mulled over the idea of going to the Pisgah 111k instead of Syllamo’s Revenge. All of my Memphis friends go to Syllamo, and it’s my “home court.” However so, I feel drawn to the idea of a new race on unfamiliar trails. Then, to sweeten the pot…

A series of Pisgah Productions races that includes Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race,  Pisgah 111K M, Pisgah 55.5K, Pisgah Monster Cross Challenge, and Pisgah Double Dare (dates, etc. are on the Registration Page). It sounds like a bunch of fun, and the races fit into my schedule well.

The big thing that’s keeping my finger off of the registration button at the moment is lack of a partner for the two “Adventure Race” events (PMBAR and Double Dare). I would love to partner up with a local(ish) person for those two races so I could complete the entire series. I don’t have a preference of male vs. female partner as long as it’s a tough person. Tough can make up for a healthy dose of speed (though a combination of both would be nice).

If you (or anyone you know) would be interested, click on one of those social media links over in the right sidebar and let me know.

A lot (ok, like, 5) people have been asking what my race plans are for next year, and I’ve generally thrown out some sort of roundabout answer that really means, “I’m not sure, but it won’t be 100’s.” When I finally asked this of myself, I figured it was time to come up with some sort of loose idea of what the 2013 season will look like.

The 100% “yes I want to do these” races:
2/16: Southern Cross
4/7: Ouachita Challenge
4/26-28: Whiskey Off-Road
5/26-6/1: TSEpic
7/6: Marathon Nationals
8/11-16: Breck Epic

Then there’s the “Race of Interest” list:
3/9: Sub9 Death March
5/4: Pisgah MTB Adventure Race
5/18: I don’t know if I want to do the Pisgah 111k or Syllamo’s Revenge. Probably Syllamo
6/2: Bump & Grind (if, for some reason, I don’t do TSE)
6/22: Hilly Billy Roubaix
7/18: XC Nationals
8/4: Tahosa (in CO the weekend before the Breck Epic starts)
9/14: Pisgah Monstercross
9/something: Pisgah stage race

That’s prettymuch all I’ve got for now. I’m wide open to suggestions. Requirements include “not a 100” and “competitive women’s field.” Bonus points for equal payout to such a field as well as a high DNF rate. The high DNF rate is likely to tempt me more than anything else.

The State Championship Cyclocross race always brings the power riders out of the proverbial woodwork- there’s always at least one or two women who haven’t raced a single Tennessee cyclocross race all season who will show up to take a shot at the jersey. This year was no different. The night before the race, I checked the “registered riders” list and saw Kim Flynn Fasczewski (AKA Kim “Flynnski”), who, as far as I knew, was undefeated in State Championship cyclocross (possibly all Tennessee races?). She’d kicked my butt on many occasions, but she’d also recently started a PhD program and hadn’t had as much time to train. I knew that she, along with all the rest of the horsepower in Tennessee (including Kat Williams, who, a couple of years ago, beat me on my own bike I’d let her borrow), would be incredibly tough competition.

Sunday morning, I woke up with a nearly sickening case of nerves. I knew that Kim and Kat could win (not that the other women couldn’t, also, but those two, in particular, had laid waste to me in the past). On the drive to Nashville, I was mentally preparing and reconciling with myself the possibility of placing off the top of the podium. However, I had a tiny, insistent voice in the back of my head that, no matter how much I kept telling myself “any placing is good as long as I race as hard as possible,” just kept whispering, “Screw that. You can win this.”

We arrived early so that Ryan could race the Master’s Race just before mine. I did my best to hide my nerves from everyone as I changed and prepped everything so that I could watch the start of Ryan’s race before I left to warm up. After some riding around on the road, his race was over, and I pre-rode the course. It was a demanding mix of power and handling. Both dismount sections were uphill. I practiced that at home, so I was happy to hear everyone else groan about them.

Race time. We line up. I look down at my heart rate- 124 bpm standing still.

When we’re finally off, Kim takes the holeshot, and I fall in one rider behind her. Kim, who, on top of being strong, is also an amazing bike handler, quickly puts a gap between herself and the rest of us. I jump around and get on her wheel, and, within a few turns, we’re gapping the other racers. I followed her for a lap, and, realized within a minute or two that I was very comfortable with her pace. So, at the single uphill barrier near the end of the lap, I ran past her going up the hill.

Feeling well warmed-up for it, I flew through the second lap like a madwoman. I knew I couldn’t overbrake for a corner, so I floated around them and powered up every single hill. I built about a 20 second gap during that lap, then held at 20-30 seconds for nearly the remainder of the race. Every time I wanted to rest in a less demanding section of course, I’d yell at myself in my head and, instead of shifting to an easier gear, throw in 5 hard pedal strokes. On the sections of course that doubled back on each other, I watched as Kat inched her way up towards Kim. I didn’t know if she’d catch/pass her then keep coming after me. Getting tired and slowing down wasn’t an option.

Finally, the bell lap. At that point, I just wanted it to be over. I rode it out with what I had left, and gave the most tired, relieved victory salute of my life. Ow. Looking back at lap times, I “won” the race on the second lap with a time fast enough to be near (but not on) the front of the men’s 1/2 race. I had a couple of other laps that were close to that time, but most were in the 5:40-6:00 range.