Trail Spinners Fair Hill Classic

Race #6 in the series and I finally found the podium!  My first podium - I will be smiling for a week!  :-D

 

Cat 2 40-49.  3rd place in a field of 36.  Billed as a 20 mile race but came up as 17.5 on my GPS.  Fields are getting smaller compared to first few races but, again, all but one of the regular "fast guys" showed up to race so competition for me wasn't going to change much - it was going to be another tough day.

 

Rock You Like a Hurricane

I felt tired all week so I didn't pre-register for this race.  It was going to be a game time decision.  With a day off work Friday, (after the epic last show ever by the Scorpions and righteous meet and greet), I had plenty of time to rest and relax.   By the way...the Scorps were kick ass.  Some of the first songs I learned on guitar were Scorpions tunes - they are a bit cheesy but I dig a lot of their tunes and I have a soft spot for the different guitar duos that set the standards for stadium rock in the 80's.   They are awesome.   

Great seats for the last ever Scorps concert!

 

Bad Boys Running Wild

By Saturday I was feeling a little better so I did a road spin to see how I felt and to wake up the legs.  I threw in a few sprints to get some pain going.  Felt good.  Race was on.  I felt really good overall this morning - I slept good and ate a good breakfast.  Once again my legs felt like rubber waiting to stage but I could tell it was just nerves - I'm always nervous for some stupid reason.   I think it's getting better as I meet more guys and we chat it up at the line.

I got a terrible spot during staging - there really is an art to staging.  I came out of the gate around 20th but I wasn't overly concerned...the prologue includes at least a mile of double track.  This is a point to point race so no laps - the prologue just means the course passes by the spectator area after about 3 miles.  Working through traffic on the double track was tough and I went into the single track around 10th or 12th.  I've made friends with some cool guys this season including two of the fastest guys in my class.  I was glad to see Scott Slimm as I picked my way through the prologue and then Dan Vickery passed me.  I figured if I stayed with these guys good things would have to happen.   We were chatting it up a little and I think that set me at ease.  Suddenly the rubber legs were gone and I just felt strong...like I could ride through everyone.  I had Superman legs.  This happens sometimes on training rides.  I was more than stoked.  Scott made a mistake and I went around him and got on Dan's wheel.  I heard Scott crash behind me about a mile later...but I would see him again near the end of the race.

I followed Dan through the prologue and we emerged in 7th or 8th or so.  Dan was a real technician...picking through slow SS traffic and our own class as well.   I stayed right on his wheel and piggy backed on almost all his passes.  I was going pretty hard for the whole race so a lot of details are pretty foggy.  At some point on a climb we passed good old John Bobb...the 220 pound downhill wonder that descends like a runaway train and ascends ...well, not so fast.  But fast enough to place top 5 routinely and kick my ass in 3 races this year.  Dan and I talked about this after we passed him and Dan knew the drill as well.  It wouldn't be long and John would be buzzing our tire on a downhill.  It took him a while but he was back.  There is a section of killer downhill that leads to a right turn and more downhill that runs along the Elk River before the course takes a turn into the Up Crackhead Bob section.  John was on my wheel.  There is almost no passing in this area with a cliff on your left and steep rocks on your right.  I have to do better about not letting guys on my wheel get in my head.

 

The Zoo

There is a flat rock positioned to let you ramp or jump up over a big root a little before you turn up to Crackhead Bob.  Today it was in a different spot.   It was moved to the right maybe a foot...right in the middle of the trail.  "So what," I thought..."I always launch off this rock."  I have no idea what happened but suddenly I was laying on my side and John Bobb was running over my wheels.  Shit.  I hopped up pretty quick.  "Haven't we done this before I said".  John laughed and pushed on by.  I jumped on my bike but the chain was dropped.  I jumped off and fixed it.  I lost a spot to John and one other...and I no longer had Dan's wheel.  Fuck.  Fuck, fuck, fuck.  Having Dan's wheel was working really well.  I got a little negative.   I found myself all alone on Crackhead...passing SS'ers and the tail end of the younger classes.  I started daydreaming and would catch myself just thinking about shit...different rides, other stuff.  I was not focused.  I had lost Dan's wheel...I knew where Dan was heading - to the front.  I thought I might catch John Bobb because of all the climbing on Up Crackhead.  But John is so good at technical bike handling that he was gapping me.  I had him in sight for awhile but when I came out of Crackhead I actually had a guy from my class burning my wheel.  He stayed behind me piggybacking on my passes for the next few miles through the Five Bridges and South Park sections.

We were now in trail sections that I know well and really like.  On Five Bridges and for most of South Park I was pretty solid.  I would lose the guy on my wheel whenever there was a little climb but then he was back.  I wish I was faster on downhill.  Just going to take time I guess.  I crash enough as it is.  I really didn't know what position I was in at that point...I kind of thought I was close to the top 5 - but I was actually more like 9th or 10th at that point.

I made a mistake and hit my bar end on a tree near the end of South Park.  The guy behind me got around.  I had traffic to pass coming out of South Park but managed okay and I could see the guy ahead.  There is a short but steep climb headed back to the double track away from South Park.  I caught the guy there and blew by him like he was sitting still.  I was just flying up this climb.  I realized I still had the Superman legs - they were feeling just awesome.  Nice!  Then I saw David Fitzpatrick ahead.  Now my spirits really lit up.  I had caught David...definitely one of the faster guys in our class.  I gotta be in the top 5 right?

Dynamite

Four days earlier I had taken 2nd Overall on the Strava segment for Roller Coaster.  I like the climb and I know how to handle it.  David was leading me into Roller Coaster.   I passed David in the first 200' before the inital tight switchback.   I was gone.  I looked back once and he was nowhere.  I caught up with Jim Thistle with Action Wheels that I seem to be racing all the time.  I couldn't get to him before the end of Roller Coaster.  I don't know the trail names very well, but there is a steep double track downhill through a creek then straight up a 10 or 12 degree climb on double track.  It leads up to the start of Drunken Sailor.   I always do well climbing this in training rides.  I caught Jim and passed him coming up that climb.  My Superman legs were still feeling invincible.  I was getting my second wind.  Maybe I was outlasting these guys.  I wonder what position I'm in?  I gotta be top 5, right?

I worked through Drunken Sailor without incident and the Sport course then takes you back across the Elk River and toward a section called Two Fields - it pretty much signals 4 miles to go or so.  On my way to Two Fields I hear, "Left side".  It's Scott Slimm.  He comes right around me climbing up.  Seriously?  I hadn't seen him since the Prologue. 

 "Where have you been?" I said. 

 "Chasing you, man.  You're killing it today." 

 "Well, why are you passing me then?", I said.
 "Just come on."  He said.

Blackout

I started to get on Scott's wheel.  Uh oh.  The Superman legs weren't responding.  Oh shit.  I think about this for a minute as I grind my way up the climb...Scott is riding away.  They were so fresh five minutes ago!??   I think about this.  Shit, when was the last time I took a drink from my Electrolyte Fizz?  Oh man, way back after Five Bridges.  I had opted against the pack today and the trails were too technical to reach for the bottle.  Same for the Gu pack in my shirt pocket.  Gotta make it to Two Fields.   Fortunately Scott was not familiar with this section...and it is pretty technical.  You can endo in heartbeat coming through the downhill section that leads to the Two Fields climb.  I almost caught Scott starting the Two Fields climb but there was no way I was going to close the gap let alone pass.  My legs were screaming and I was maxing my heart rate.  I start chugging from the Fizz bottle and chased it with some water.  I let out a big burp and then I heard, "Nice, dude" as Jim Thistle went by.  Shit.  When did he get his second wind?  At the top of the climb I grabbed a cup of water from the aid station and chugged some back.  Now David Kirkpatrick went by.  Shit.

I was feeling pretty positive just a few minutes ago and, somehow, that feeling was kind of carrying over making me feel like this was not a big deal.  "I got this", I thought.  "These guys have to have blown themselves up running me down - I was busy recharging with Fizz and water and they were killing themselves up this hill.  Meanwhile, Scott Slimm had all but checked out.  I didn't think I would see him again.

Now...I have no idea how fast 1/4 bottle of Fizz and a few gulps of water can really restore...whatever it restores in your body.  But by the bottom of the downhill that follows the Two Fields climb it was either confidence or Fizz or pure will.  My superman legs were back.  I took David on the first climb.  Now we were doing long rolling quasi double track climbs back to the start/finish.  I know these trails well.  I took Jim on the next climb...and was stoked to see John Bobb up ahead spinning his cranks like 120 revs per minute going up a steep climb.  You cannot imagine the feeling of accomplishment I had at that moment.  I knew I was going to overtake John and I knew I was going to hold him off.  I went by John and wisecracked through my gulps for air, "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll crash in a minute."  Now I know that is extremely bad karma but it was pretty damn funny at the time...given our history in races.

Coming Home

As I crossed the field to the last bit of singletrack that leads to the doubletrack finish I saw Scott Slimm entering.  He looked like he was soft pedaling and unaware of my approach.  I stood up and got myself spun up as fast as I could then got back in the saddle and found a good gear to really mash it.  I went by Scott just rolling.  There was probably no way he could react.  He shouted something congratulatory which made me feel really good.  I came out on the blacktop road just flying.  I was riding scared.  I didn't know if John Bobb or David or Scott...or whoever was back there.  But I wasn't going to look...I was going to go as hard as I could go.  I was out of the saddle now, sprinting hard.  I just kept going...up over the bridge.  I was running out of air...I felt a little suffocated.  I didn't care...only 150 more yards and I could collapse on the grass.  I saw a rider up ahead.  My class?  I mashed harder and I could tell I was going to catch him before the pavillion.  It was going to be close but not that close...as long as he didn't look back.  He looked back.  He got up out of his saddle.  He was going to be too late.  I went flying by him into the pavillion and through the finish a couple bike lengths in front of him.  The spectators must have thought I was a crazed maniac.  Everyone was just dragging ass back in and I was coming through like I was being chased by Satan himself.

It was a good thing I made that last pass work...that last pass was for position.  The guy was in my class.  I won my podium spot by 1.136 seconds.  Kick ass!

I have two more races this season to try for a win...but I don't really care.  Winning this 3rd place....reeling in 5 fast guys with 2 miles to go....that was just awesome.  It will be hard to top that experience.  The four guys behind me were all within 20 seconds of me.  To once again quote Fatmarc, "Racing is rad."   It totally is.

Strava ride.  I got the Extreme Sufferfest rating again for keeping my HR pegged.  Guess that's what it takes.   http://app.strava.com/rides/13476156



Finally!

 

Why does the 3rd place finisher look so much happier?  He might be a little nuts.