Thee all day thing. It's what I'm about. When I first started racing mountain bikes I thought the world was flat and that 1-2hr efforts were all I'd ever do. I remember when my friends and I used to park a car at each end of Chubb in order to avoid the dreaded out and back. Then one day I did it, and it wasn't too bad. As a matter of fact, it was kind of easy. Before long I was doing bigger and bigger rides, and finding that I felt better and better the longer I went. In 2006 I was riding the Syllamo Trail in Ark. when I found out a/b Syllamo's Revenge. It was a race that traversed all 50 miles of trail that it just took my buds and I 3 days to cover, all in one whack! 50 miles!!, my friends thought it was crazy long. It sounded like a ton of fun to me, so I entered it. A few months later I showed up to the race, 30 minutes after the start b/c I overslept. I grabbed my #, put it on my bike and took off into a vast National Forest without a tube, multi tool, or a pump. All I had was a camelback full of water, a small bottle of endurance mix that DB gave me, and 4 gels. But, it was all I needed. I was smiling, doing something I'd never thought I'd do. I ended up getting serious cramps halfway through the race, but I didn't quit. I managed to finish 37th out of 150, and I started 30 minutes after everyone else. It was my first all day thing, my first Epic. It planted a seed in me that hasn't stopped growing since, and there's no end in sight. I love long, point to point races. I think it is mountain bike racing at it's best. You have to be fit, technically sound, prepared, and hard as fuck to do these races. Crank it up a few more notches if you want to do them fast and shoot for the podium. The weak need not apply.
It's important to set goals if you want to race bikes. One goal I had this year was to compete in a big time, national caliber endurance event. My aim was the Lumberjack 100 in Michigan, sometime in July. I knew I had no shot at real results, but i just wanted to line up w/ the big names, the guys w/ huge engines and balls like the bull. I wanted to mix it up, place 50th, and come home feeling like a stallion. I didn't do it b/c of the money that it would've taken and I've regretted it ever since. But, on Sunday at the BT Epic, I felt like I got a pretty good taste of what it's like to compete in a real deal mountain bike event.
I didn't know how I would feel after taking a full week off the bike to recover from the Burnin' 12hr. To my surprise, the sun was out and the legs felt snappy as I put in a 2hr hard effort the Wednesday before the race. I took thursday off and only did a short ride on Friday and a quick hitter on Sat. True to form, it had to rain for 2 days before the race; some 2+ inches. But, for some reason I didn't care. I was really excited a/b doing this race, and it was the last one I'd be doing for awhile so I figured "what the hell"...just do it. I left the morning of with a clear goal... try to catch "the feeling".
As I lined up for the start of the race I looked to my right, there sat Steve Tilford and Garth Prosser, two guys who have made racing bikes their jobs. Dwayne was in front of me, chomping at the bit to do a 55 mile race on one bottle of water and no food. Matt Keeven too, looking like a man who had been saving himself all season for this very day. I looked to my left and saw everybody's All-American, Eric Pirtle. He was flexing for a squirrel, and talking a/b how he was going to ramp off the makeshift bridge the promotors had set up for us in a swollen creek just off the starting line. I believed him. Everywhere I looked, I saw fast people.....Mitch, Van Deven, Best, Shottler. The list was long. But, oddly enough, as we started, who did I see going full tilt for the whole shot?? Zdenek fucking Palecek!! Way to go man!, you're a maniac.
So as we started things strung out a bit. Those of us who didn't catch the front were thrown into a serious log jam on this trailer that served as a bridge over some waist deep water. I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit when one dude fell off and was instantly engulfed by a fast moving current. I bet it was even funnier watching a bunch of dudes in spandex shorts standing nut to butt on a trailer holding their bikes. The locals would've loved it, cattle too. I just watched as the leaders left us, and waited my turn to exit onto drier ground. Once I did, I mounted up and started up a long gravel climb. My legs felt good, but once again, I was amped way up and had to slow my cadence to avoid total system failure. One by one, other riders passed me...Mitch, Sandknop, and Stitz not far behind. I kept it just under the red line, but entered the singletrack out of the top 20 and looking for some recovery.
I struggled with the first part of the course that took us down to Brazil Creek. I hadn't ridden there in 5 or 6 years, and the trail was covered in leaves, covering rocks and other things that can take an unfamiliar rider to the ground. I tried to concentrate on feeding regularly in anticipation of a long day, all the while pacing a small group w/ Scott Peipert and a super strong pro lady, Catherine Walberg. After some yo-yo action I was able to get away and hook up w/ Bryce Lawrence and Mike Barro for the descent down to Brazil Creek and the first check point. At the first check I heard someone say that EP had a bad crash and was getting medical attention. This was bad news b/c I was really hoping that he would win, knowing that it was his only real goal for the season. Get better soon, fucker.
After the first check point, we went up some pavement and quickly dipped into more rad singletrack for the second leg of the race, 11 miles to Berryman Campground. Our group of three went to 2 when Barro lost us on a long climb. i was riding well while following Bryce. His tempo on the climbs was just what I needed to kick start some real fitness, and he was big ringing the flat stuff, making good time. He was fine with setting the tempo, so I just sat and chilled in my comfort zone until we reached the Campground for a bottle switch and more fuel. I ditched the arm warmers but opted to keep my waterproof 50 degree gloves on because of ominous skies and a wet course. The conditions were what you dream about....for a CX race! Lots of leafy bog and black quicksand. Almost all of the long climbs consisted of what I call "guttertrail", deep wet roots with a lot of exposed rocks. It's technical to climb and treacherous to descend, but makes for great racing. I was having a great time racing my bike.
We left Berryman Campground, and started a 16 mile loop that, after a long stretch of gravel roads and pavement, would lead us back around to BC. Bryce stopped to have a pee and i sped away with good legs and sweet riffs pounding in my ears. I started feeling really good, knowing that every long climb would be followed by a descent to recover on. I whipped through the singletrack, picking up and dropping a few riders along the way. When I popped out for the road section a volunteer told me I was sitting 21st. I have to admit that I was a little discouraged because I was humming pretty good and thought I might be closer. But, in reality, a top 20 at this race, with this field, was good for me so that became the goal. I kicked it into the 44 and pretended to be Jens Voigt. It wasn't long before the kickin paid off and I caught Jeremy Bradshaw on a climb. I rode his wheel until we were about to crest, then jumped on it for the descent and opened up a big gap. The racing within the race is what I love a/b the all day thing. Even though I had just cracked the top 20, I felt like I was off the front.
By this time "the feeling" had set in pretty good and I was looking for my next carrot. Up out of the saddle, shock locked out, I managed to pick off 4 more riders on the road section back to the aid station and check point 4. I stopped again for 2 more bottles, and some more fuel since I was losing one gel from my pocket for every one that I ate. I also lost a tasty, high end piece of bread that I was saving for the right moment. Huge loss for me, but a nice find for Zdenek, I'm sure.
I left the final check point thinking that if I could keep pushing the way I was, a top 15 finish might be doable and I could reward myself with a backwoods blizzard from DQ. I stayed after it, lost in the course and thoughts of how cool it was to be a part of such a bad ass race, and feeling really good doing it. The more I ride my bike, the more I realize that "the feeling" is what I'm after more so than the podium. Results, at least for me, are relevant to who shows up to the race, and some luck. But, finding that sweet spot on the bike is what really blows my hair back. Once I'm there, everything else seems to take care of itself.
All these good vibes were getting me a little misty, and breaking my concentration, so i slapped myself real quick and refocused on the task at hand. As I powered through a long section of black, soupy mud I noticed Bob Arnold just around the bend. When I came around he was straddling his bike, talking to Sandknop a/b getting flats and cramps. I was more interested in getting on the T-shirt so I didn't waste much time trying to put distance on both of them. Bob quickly latched on to me up a long, steep climb to the last stretch of gravel before the finish. He told me he was racked w/ cramps so I didn't think much about him being there. But, once we popped out onto the road I dipped into my jersey to have a gel and he jumped. I was pretty spent by this time and could not close the gap. His big wheels were doing their thing and he was on a good gear, up out of the saddle. I pressed on, but nothing changed. He had me, so I started to look behind for chasers, none in sight. Where I was is where I would finish. The last stretch of gravel was brutal. I did it in the big ring when the last thing I wanted to do was push a big gear. It felt a lot longer than it was, but was a fitting way to end what, to me, was the coolest race of the season. I crossed the finish in 5:20, taking 16th place. No t-shirt, but i couldn't ask for a better way to end mtb-r '09. I found the feeling, that's good enough for me.
What a race! Some things we talked a/b afterwards:
The Promotors....Scott and Ryan. you guys are no fools. Thanks alot.
Shottler.....young, just graduated college, just beat Tilford. I know what my next move would be!
Steve Tilford....Amazing! The guy shows up and races w/ reading glasses, and smokes dudes half his age. He gets 4 flats and keeps charging, missing the win by 3 seconds. Lots to learn from this guy.
Dwayne....had an awesome race, and picked up some cash for his new biz. Great job!
Mitch.......Mr. October. Six trophies from Burnin and now 2 t-shirts.
Keeven.....good to see you at a race, my friend.
Garth Prosser....Breslin would love this guy
EP....scary stuff, glad you're o.k.
Zdenek....your an animal. shave your legs, give up the cigarettes. You'll win some races next year, buddy.
