Vail Rec District XC #1, at my 'home course' in Eagle Ranch. Warmup wasn't going so well...pretty tired still from Sunday's Palisade Classic (more on that later). 'Pizza Legs' as my coach calls them...
VRD races are possibly the hardest hour of racing in Colorado. Heavy hitters - some of the best riders in the state - ramp the pace up to unbelievable speeds on short courses, creating a "hold on or get left" tempo.
This first local race of the season proved no different. The race course sets up as a good early season test of where a racer's riding is at: checks the power with some steep but short climbing, checks the handling with fast darting singletrack, and checks the overall fitness by offering no place for recovery.
Race started with Pros and Experts in one big group. Hot right off the start, and I couldn't muster the legs to go with. Did what I could for the first two laps, just hanging onto give myself a chance.
Someone in front of me stacked it up (i.e. crashed) on the first lap, and the leaders of my race were long gone. Sucks.
Second lap had me falling further off the pace, with no juice in the legs, falling back to 11th or so. The climb up and over Bailey's reaches grades that force you up over your front wheel to keep from flipping over backward. This one REALLY hurt. Good thing it's only a couple minutes long.
Legs opened up a little for the last lap, and was able to catch up to fellow Bach'er Tim Mt. Pleasant, put a good move on him, and work my way back up for a 7th place finish, with Tim following up closely thereafter in 8th.
Next up is Teva Mountain Games race next Saturday (we all hope?), with VRD #2 the following Wednesday at 4Eagle Ranch.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone4...what!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Get Out Expo
Hey Kids!
If you're in the area, come on out to Eagle Ranch Village today to the Get Out Expo! Bike demos from local shops, group rides (one of which led by yours truly), clinics, and all sorts of other outdoor related shenannigans!
If you're in the area, come on out to Eagle Ranch Village today to the Get Out Expo! Bike demos from local shops, group rides (one of which led by yours truly), clinics, and all sorts of other outdoor related shenannigans!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Race Report...wha???
Well now.
It's been a while since I've actually done up a proper post. Call it laziness, or lethargy, or being busy with other things, or training, or whatever.
Anyways, I'm a solid three races into the mountain bike season, so I figured I'd spill it all and summarize how things are going so far. Let's do this one race at a time, and since one is pretty fresh, we'll hash it out in reverse order.
This past Saturday was the Front Range 60 MTB race, put on by Warriors Cycling. Known in the past as the "Battle of the Bear", the race is typically a early season race around Bear Creek Lake State Park in Lakewood, CO; this event always brings a number of people down out of the mountains to get some training in as well as thaw out from the long winter.
This was my first year racing the event. I signed up for the "half-marathon" - a 30-mile shorter version of the FR60. After pre-riding the course on Wednesday evening, I knew this course set up well for my strengths: a lot of flat, fast, sandy singletrack and doubletrack trails, with 5 different punchy climbs mixed in, for a 10-mile lap that was challenging and tactical enough for pro racers, and simple enough for beginners to enjoy themselves and the competition.
Fellow Bach racer Tim also came down from Eagle to race the 30 miler, as did fellow valley residents Jerry Oliver and Tyler Eaton to race the 60 miler earlier in the day.
I realized when I was warming up for the race that there were a number of guys in my age group that actually race in the Pro field for the Mountain States Cup series...there were no "ability" categories. Mens Half-Marathon, 30-39yrs old. Yikes...going head to head with some of the fastest guys around.
The weather was amazing all day, with temps starting on the warm side in the morning for the 60-milers. By the time we got lined up for the 30-mile race at 2pm, temps were pushing 90F in the direct sunlight, with very little breeze. My body was loving the heat, thawing out from 8 months of winter. Line up, with Elgee on the mic, and off we go...
Pace was fast and heavy right off the start. I sat in the group to try to get comfortable and get my heart rate and breathing plateaued off as soon as possible, rather than spiking and trying to hold it. Our group was split up within the first 10 minutes of the race - the fast Pro guys off the front, and the rest of us just left in a wake of splintered up crap after trying to hang.
About two-thirds of the way through the first lap, the largest climb on the circuit hit like a wall. While it was only about 300 ft of vertical, and just barely had to drop into the middle ring to climb it, it was in direct sunlight, and completely protected from any breeze there was. All of a sudden, I'm overheating...no bueno. Only having a bottle of Infinit drink, I had nothing to effectively cool off. Fought through being on the verge of passing out, and descended the other side to finish off the lap.
Second lap was really good effortwise - I kept a solid spin going up all the climbs, and was doing work on all the flats, hammering out in the big ring. Third lap started off well, but heading into the big climb again, my left hamstring started to twinge a little. By the time I was on the homestretch back to the finish line, my right quad was about ready to sieze completely. Put the rest of the drink I had in me, limped up the last climb of the day to the finish line, and crossed the line.
Since we were so splintered up, it was difficult to tell where I placed. I felt like I had a pretty good day on the bike. I was losing about 5 minutes a lap to the guy who won our group, but kept it relatively close to the bunch in front of me. Ended up finishing in 2:05:58, which was good enough for 13th in our group of 25. Didn't quite hit my goal of a Top 5 finish, but given the pros racing in the field, I'm OK with it. After seeing the halfway times of some of the 60-mile racers, I also set a goal for sub-2:00, which I came close to, but ultimately, the overheating on the first lap and the cramping on the third lap kept me from getting there.
Overall, the course was kind of boring but super fast, so it was fun from that regard. Not every day you get to big-ring almost an entire race. Lots of good competition showed, and the event overall was very well organized, run, and sponsored. I mean, cross the finish line, pound some water, then Oskar Blues Brewery is handing out free Mama's Little Yella Pils, Gordon's, and Dale's Pale Ale? Come on...not going to do much better than that.
It's been a while since I've actually done up a proper post. Call it laziness, or lethargy, or being busy with other things, or training, or whatever.
Anyways, I'm a solid three races into the mountain bike season, so I figured I'd spill it all and summarize how things are going so far. Let's do this one race at a time, and since one is pretty fresh, we'll hash it out in reverse order.
This past Saturday was the Front Range 60 MTB race, put on by Warriors Cycling. Known in the past as the "Battle of the Bear", the race is typically a early season race around Bear Creek Lake State Park in Lakewood, CO; this event always brings a number of people down out of the mountains to get some training in as well as thaw out from the long winter.
This was my first year racing the event. I signed up for the "half-marathon" - a 30-mile shorter version of the FR60. After pre-riding the course on Wednesday evening, I knew this course set up well for my strengths: a lot of flat, fast, sandy singletrack and doubletrack trails, with 5 different punchy climbs mixed in, for a 10-mile lap that was challenging and tactical enough for pro racers, and simple enough for beginners to enjoy themselves and the competition.
Fellow Bach racer Tim also came down from Eagle to race the 30 miler, as did fellow valley residents Jerry Oliver and Tyler Eaton to race the 60 miler earlier in the day.
I realized when I was warming up for the race that there were a number of guys in my age group that actually race in the Pro field for the Mountain States Cup series...there were no "ability" categories. Mens Half-Marathon, 30-39yrs old. Yikes...going head to head with some of the fastest guys around.
The weather was amazing all day, with temps starting on the warm side in the morning for the 60-milers. By the time we got lined up for the 30-mile race at 2pm, temps were pushing 90F in the direct sunlight, with very little breeze. My body was loving the heat, thawing out from 8 months of winter. Line up, with Elgee on the mic, and off we go...
Pace was fast and heavy right off the start. I sat in the group to try to get comfortable and get my heart rate and breathing plateaued off as soon as possible, rather than spiking and trying to hold it. Our group was split up within the first 10 minutes of the race - the fast Pro guys off the front, and the rest of us just left in a wake of splintered up crap after trying to hang.
About two-thirds of the way through the first lap, the largest climb on the circuit hit like a wall. While it was only about 300 ft of vertical, and just barely had to drop into the middle ring to climb it, it was in direct sunlight, and completely protected from any breeze there was. All of a sudden, I'm overheating...no bueno. Only having a bottle of Infinit drink, I had nothing to effectively cool off. Fought through being on the verge of passing out, and descended the other side to finish off the lap.
Second lap was really good effortwise - I kept a solid spin going up all the climbs, and was doing work on all the flats, hammering out in the big ring. Third lap started off well, but heading into the big climb again, my left hamstring started to twinge a little. By the time I was on the homestretch back to the finish line, my right quad was about ready to sieze completely. Put the rest of the drink I had in me, limped up the last climb of the day to the finish line, and crossed the line.
Since we were so splintered up, it was difficult to tell where I placed. I felt like I had a pretty good day on the bike. I was losing about 5 minutes a lap to the guy who won our group, but kept it relatively close to the bunch in front of me. Ended up finishing in 2:05:58, which was good enough for 13th in our group of 25. Didn't quite hit my goal of a Top 5 finish, but given the pros racing in the field, I'm OK with it. After seeing the halfway times of some of the 60-mile racers, I also set a goal for sub-2:00, which I came close to, but ultimately, the overheating on the first lap and the cramping on the third lap kept me from getting there.
Overall, the course was kind of boring but super fast, so it was fun from that regard. Not every day you get to big-ring almost an entire race. Lots of good competition showed, and the event overall was very well organized, run, and sponsored. I mean, cross the finish line, pound some water, then Oskar Blues Brewery is handing out free Mama's Little Yella Pils, Gordon's, and Dale's Pale Ale? Come on...not going to do much better than that.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Snowpack
It's May. The snowpack up here is unreal this year.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone4...what!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone4...what!
Finally...a Nice Day in the Rockies!
Getting the chauffeur treatment on way to Lakewood - Bear Creek Lake Park for Front Range Half-Marathon race. Should be a good day; 80s and lots of sun. Looking forward to thawing out.
Still lots of snow up here in the mountains, but warm temps and blue skies make it OK.
Ri is just illin'. She loses interest pretty quickly on road trips.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone4...what!
Still lots of snow up here in the mountains, but warm temps and blue skies make it OK.
Ri is just illin'. She loses interest pretty quickly on road trips.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone4...what!
Friday, May 6, 2011
National Tuba Day
According to a co-worker, today is National Tuba Day.
Like there's any other clip to show...
Like there's any other clip to show...
Thursday, May 5, 2011
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