Greenbriar Mtb Race Report

What was I thinking!?! Greenbriar on a single speed? 735 feet of climbing per lap? Here it is straight from the website:

"The race course is 5 miles (8 km) long, with 735 feet of climbing each lap. Trails are heavily wooded, approximately 60% old narrow double track, 40% single track, with the start/finish alongside a beautiful lake. Climbs are moderate, except for one steep climb, and are typically loose and rocky. 80-90% of the trails are well drained and rocky and remain fairly solid in wet conditions, although some mud may be encountered on the newest single track and stream crossings during wet weather. Dry weather brings fast, rocky trails."

If I had read this before the race no way would I have ridden the single. I should have gotten a clue when I went to register and they told me I was the only one in the female ss category. Surely, I said, others would show up. They just laughed at me and said the "others" were too smart to ride a ss at Greenbriar. I have never ridden Greenbriar and was totally misled by Sonja that I would be fine. Oh well, I can't complain. I had the absolute best time out there and all I had to do was FINISH and be in the $$$. DCVeloBella has a fine description of the course and I will just add that there were 2 significant climbs, both of which I had to walk. The rock gardens were really bad especially so because I am used to riding my squishy Santa Cruz and not a hardtail. Today I feel as if I had a total body workout. One advantage to the ss was clearly the fact that I did not have to worry about shifting issues with all the mud.

And now for some pics...

Normally I am smiling in my mtb race pictures. Not so in this one.
Photo courtesy of j|d Galleries.

Podium shot. I borrowed Betsy's dog.

The women's pro podium. The dog was a fixture on the podium yesterday.

Spaznogle!

Weekend Full of Bikes and Dogs

The Goat and I were lucky enough to have the Best Dog Ever, aka Maya (sweet as apple pie-ya), for a couple of days while her people were up in NYC.  We throughly enjoy her company and take every opportunity to take her hiking and swimming.

The B.D.E.

But first things first, we had a charity ride to attend to Saturday morning.  Sonja and I had volunteered to be ride leaders for the Pedaling for Peace, a ride to support the William Penn House.  We were set to lead the 40-mile "spirited" ride leaving from Capitol Hill and riding out to Great Falls and back.

Gathering at the William Penn House

Poops got a kick out of the fact that Sonja and I were leading a "peace" ride.  In his own words... "Doesn't Sonja like to rip the legs off people?"

Poops is the man with a wrench and CHB's mechanic extraordinaire.

Our instructions were to keep the group together until McArthur, then let it rip and whoever went with us, went with us.  We had other ride leaders back in the pack to look after those that were not up to the pace.  It wound up being an extremely fun ride with a great group of people.

After the ride we took Maya hiking on the Potomac Heritage Trail and discovered several new swimming holes.
Maya is a funny dog.  Most retrievers will get the stick and bring it right back.  Maya, however, likes to swim just for swimming's sake.  She will intentionally circle around the stick several times before snatching it up in her jaws then take the long way back to the shore.

We had to return Maya Saturday evening.  We were sad to see her go but it did lead us to the grand idea of my racing the single speed category at Greenbriar on Sunday.  Initially I was going to race my normal category of sport (with my geared bike!) which started at 11:30.  Sonja's pro race was not until 2.  With the dog, having different race times is good because one of us can always be with her, but with no dog, the prospect of more sleep won out and I decided to race the SS category which went off at 2 as well.

Alabama Cycling... A Photo Essay

The Goat and I spent a few days down in Alabama visiting the folks. We also got in some awesome cycling.

Ready to head out for a ride up Keel Mountain.

The Granderkitten.

No mistaking what's in store when you ride up Keel.

This is Alabama after all.

Some sections on Keel are 19%. How do you get up a 19% grade?

With circus peanuts, of course!

More inspiration towards the top. BTW, the descent off Keel is a blast.

(These next few shots are for CK's redneck blog.)

West Virginia or Alabama?

Love the stop sign.

Fire pit.

More flags. This one incorporates the Alabama state flag.

Pet goats.

The Pig Wig.

The nice flat stretch home.

Fairhill Race Report

Sunday morning, the Goat, K-Lo, and I headed up to Elkton for what promised to be a fun-filled day of mountain biking at Fair Hill. K-Lo and I were set to race at 10:30, but after waiting in line 45 minutes for my number I was glad to hear they moved the start back to 11. I didn’t get much of a warm-up in… I’m bad that way… I just rode around on my bike until I heard them calling for the Sport riders to report to the line. I was amazed at all the women, close to 45 of us lined-up. I was also happy to see some new faces on the mountain bike scene (Harlow, Estes) as well as the familiar ones (Monkey, Donna, Fetrow, Peg).

Harlow.

I knew nothing of the course, just that it started with a small gravel road climb over a bridge, then down a gravel descent to a nice dirt road. I had no idea where the “hole shot” would be but thought that some rider’s comfort level with the fast gravel descent would be tested and that was probably going to work to my advantage. (I’m not saying I love loose gravel, but all my WV riding has helped tremendously with my ability to ride that stuff without burning up my brakes.) I wanted to be near the front so that when the single track began I was not behind too many riders.

The Sport ladies lined-up for the start.

As luck would have it, they started the “young” sport riders first. This left me on the first row of “old” sport ladies so things were looking good. At the starting horn I had no intention of going too hard up the climb… I just wanted to keep up with whatever pace the leaders were setting. When we hit the gravel descent, my suspicions were confirmed as most riders hit the brakes and I was able to pass everyone except for 2 ladies. At this point, right before the single track, some one announced that she was “making her move!” I thought that was kind of funny, but when she went whizzing past me I got on her wheel. She blew up shortly after the single track began, probably not even 2 miles into the 7 mile lap. At that point I passed her and was now in the lead with one other lady in tow. I went as hard as possible but couldn’t shake her, but at least opened up a gap to the rest of the field. We rode like this almost the entire first lap, even thru the technical section of the course. I could tell she was a much better technical rider than I am and asked her several times if she wanted to pass. She did not and remained glued to my wheel. At some point, no where memorable, I crashed hard. Joanne (I now knew her name) stopped to make sure I was ok. (In reality, she HAD to stop as I was spread out all over the trail tangled up with my bike.) As I was assessing the damage she just stood there waiting for me. I told her to go on, I’d be ok but needed to back off the pace for a bit to shake off my crash. And that’s how the first lap ended.

The gap after the first lap. The leader (Joanne) and I'm right behind in the chute.

The second lap I started to recover but try as I might I could not catch Joanne’s wheel. She was super smooth thru the tight, twisty turns (not my strength) while I would gain ground on the climbs and power sections. Nearing the end of the lap (and the race) I got caught behind a couple of guys that Joanne had easily passed, taking my time gap up to 23 seconds in the end. You can always tell a good mountain biker by how well they pass riders on the course. Joanne high-fived me at the finish and we talked for a bit afterwards. We both agreed that it was nice to have each other out there, pushing each other to our limits. So my first mountain bike race of the year is in the books with a second place finish.

The Goat also had a great race. Hopefully she’ll blog about it.

And finally, I want to thank my mountain bike team, Bean’s Bikes. You guys are great. Case in point:

• At the start line, Wendy comes running up to me to see if I need anything… do I need food, water, her to take my warmers. Just so nice and caring.
• During the race I hear so many people cheering for me (Go Beans!) I hardly know anyone on the team, but that doesn’t matter… you have the kit on, you are family.
• After the race, Sean pulls out a wad of cash and gives me back my entry fee.
• Not to mention the free beer from Victory Brewing at every race and my cool new Victory Brewing T-shirt.
• Plus the best lube from our sponsors, Pro Link.
  

What a great day. In the end I walked away with lots of cool stuff but even better memories.

Results here.

Pictures here and here.

Life is Good

I had a great week and capped it off with a fantastic race at Fair Hill. Yes, the weather gods cooperated and I got to get dirty!

A brief synopsis of my week…

Wednesday evening was the now infamous Arlington Hill Ride with the boys. The Goat decided to join us so the hammer was put down! She blogged about it over here so no need for me to repeat.

Thursday evening we had dinner with some friends that I don’t get to see often enough. Darlene and Pilar literally live right down the street but with work (and work-out) schedules I’ve been bad and not made the time. I don't think I've seen them since Christmas, or if I have, it's been in passing. You see, I "stalk" their dog Maya, aka the Best Dog Ever. I go out of my way on my commute home to ride in front of their house just in case Maya happens to be out. And yes, maybe I'll get a chance to see the girls too. Anyway, I can't believe it's been so long since I've sat down and had a conversation with them. Dinner was great, as usual. Darlene and Pilar, on top of being fantastic people are some of the best cooks in the kitchen. And for the big news... Gabriela can expect a baby sister in about 4 months!

Darlene, Pilar (opening the vino), Gabriela and I.

How kids eat corn.

Maya is very protective of Gabriela.

Friday evening was happy hour with the Enforcer, Madge, and Jeff. I'm not posting pictures because none of them are suitable for publishing. We tried out a new place, Vinoteca, and I’m jealous that Artemis has them as a sponsor. They have one of the best happy hours in town. I’m just amazed that all these clubs have such great sponsors, which brings me to Sonoma and the Women’s Clinic that we held on Saturday.

About 20 women attended the clinic, which was surprising considering the questionable weather. Again, the Goat is supposed to blog more about the clinic, but I'll just say this... it was so nice to give back and hopefully inspire some of these women to just get out and ride their bikes. I'd also like to say what a great person Eli Hengst is... not only for his sponsorship of several cycling teams in the area, but also for his support of the women's clinic. Not only did he provide the space for us to meet before and after the ride, he provided all the attendees with appetizers and an open bar.

Saturday evening the news couldn’t be better. My incessant checking of weather.com has payed-off as I receive an email that the Fair Hill race is a go...

Agitation

I just finished reading CK's weekend race report and I completely understand her bit about agitation. I'm suffering from it right now, obsessively checking the weather report for this weekend. I am scheduled to race the Fairhill mountain bike race on Sunday and can hardly wait. I have not raced my mountain bike since August and I'm chomping at the bit to get dirty. Unfortunately, the weather gods are not cooperating. Some mtb races run rain or shine. It all depends on the sensitivity of the trails to water damage. Fairhill is one of those races that will not go off in the rain.

I love my mountain bike. It's the first bike I had custom built. Well, the frame is a stock size, but every single component on it was specifically chosen by me. Everything except the carbon headset spacers, that is. The Colorado Cyclist tossed their house brand on there just to remind me where it came from.

I also love my mountain bike team. I race for Bean's Bikes out of Paoli, PA. I don't get to spend near enough time with these awesome teammates. It doesn't hurt that we are also sponsored by Victory Brewing who graciously donates a keg or two to the team for each race.

Here's to sunny skies and dry trails for Sunday.

Weekend Race Report

First of all, I'd like to say sorry to anyone that I offended this weekend.  Yes, I was in a crappy mood about to be visited by Aunt Flo and therefore suffering a severe case of PMS and poopie pants.  No, not an excuse for my behavior, but I promise to work in it in the future.  So this is a very brief report of how the racing went down this weekend.

Walkersville W 1/2/3 race:

2nd lap (out of 6) and I was ready to drop out.  I've never considered dropping out of a race before, but I was feeling poopie.  Janet O rode up beside me and encouraged me to stick with it, which I did.  At the start of the 3rd lap there was a split in the field.  At first I thought I was just at the back of the pack and had gotten dropped.  Janet O was once again there to assist me and we started chasing.  I was about to pop and sat up.  At that moment about 20 riders went around me.  I was startled, not realizing all those people were behind us, and said some things I'm now regretting.  Anyway, we were able to reconnect with the group in front of us and, after all that effort, the following few laps felt easy.  In the final lap I was once again separated from the front group but the Goat helped me out a bit and I was able to have a good finish (14th overall and 5th in the Cat 3's).

Note of the day:  Superstar CK went on a solo break for almost all of lap 2.  We caught her somewhere during lap 3, but then she took off again, only to be caught at the finish, eventually ending up 2nd.  Like I said in my Jeff Cup race report... when I grow up I want to be like CK.  Lorena (Rockstar) won once again.

Tysons Corner W 1/2/3 race:

For this race I was not feeling as poopie but I was definitely more nervous.  This was my first 1/2/3 crit/circuit race (whatever you want to call it) with the big girls.  The start was crazy with a fast and furious pace and people riding all over the place.  After about 5 laps things started to settle down and I found my groove.  At some point with a break up the road, some people tried to bridge and I went with them.  We were not able to bridge, but Jen C laid down a beautiful counter and bridged-up to the break.  I was now in the hurt locker, but once again Janet O to the rescue.  She got in front of me and pulled me back up to the pack which I had lost contact with.  The rest of the race seemed easy from this point on.  With 2 laps to go I tried to stay on Jeanette W's (the eventual winner) wheel but lost it with about a half-lap to go to the finish.  I was in horrible position for the sprint but was able to pass a couple of people for 17th overall and once again 5th in the Cat 3's.  During the sprint I was behind some riders that decided not to sprint.  My fault and I should have handled it better than yelling an obscenity.  I believe it was GD so extra sorry about that one.

So that's the weekend in a nutshell.  My sincerest thanks to Janet O.  I owe you big time.

Remind me to keep my mouth shut next time

I usually don't post about mid-week rides/training, but last night's workout is one for the books. On tap from Coach Auer were 2x12 LT intervals. I stupidly headed to Hains Point after work to complete said workout. Yes, that Hains Point, aka Cherry Blossom Central, where every touron in town wanders aimlessly around staring at trees and even worse, the cars. It was bumper to bumper and at best my workout would have consisted of short bursts of speed while breathing exhaust fumes from the endless stream of cars and tour buses. I bumped into some teammates that were headed out for an Arlington Hills ride so I decided to join them. My second stupid moment of the evening... announcing to the group that I really needed a workout. This group consisted of...

Mike E (Cat 3 BAR Champion and newly minted Cat 2)

Scott C (Cat 4 BAR Champion and newly minted Cat 3)

Jesse L (winner of the UMD Cat 3 race this year)

... along with some other R1V strongmen. Mike said we were just going to chill on the way to Arlington then hit the hills hard. Well, I was already at LT pace heading out and things got ugly once we hit the hills. Although I did not technically do 2x12 min intervals, I assure you I got my workout. In fact, looking at my power file, I spent over 45 min at LT pace or higher. Damn, i love those guys. But next time I'm going to keep my mouth shut. Trust me, they don't need incentive to put the hammer down. In fact, their easy pace is just about LT for me. Thanks again guys. Fun times.

Some images from Jeff Cup weekend

We got to see Rena and Bill.

Our cabin at the KOA... an upgrade from sleeping in the back of the truck ala Jeff Cup 2006.

Gourmet breakfast consisted of a chocolate muffin, boiled eggs (prepared in the tea kettle), and cowboy coffee from the French press.

Sonja made fun of me for putting my stool in the back of the Elephant (used to reach the bike racks), but I think she found it useful in the end.

Jeff Cup Road Race

What an experience!  I survived my first W1/2/3 race, although it's taken me a couple of days to digest everything that happened (and possibly to come down off my high from actually surviving).  I can't say that I was nervous about this race.  I had zero expectations.  I was going into it with only one goal... race respectable.  Here's a very quick "executive memorandum" of what happened.

I had a hard time of it the first time up "the hill."  Though I wasn't quite dropped I was struggling and Ilana Iguana came to my rescue.  After the hill, she came whizzing by me and motioned for me to get on her wheel.  In no time, I swear it was the blink of an eye, we were back with the pack.  I tried to work my way forward and settled on Jen Ras's wheel, but when she moved to all the way to the front, I wanted no part of that.  I quickly found Sue H's wheel and what better place to be?  That is, unless you are going uphill.

The second time up the hill I quickly lost Sue's wheel and found myself dropped from the main pack but in a wonderful group of chasers that included Ilana Iguana, Carol E, Mandy L, and Christine W along with some other strong women that I didn't recognize.  We quickly organized a chase and eventually caught the main pack right before the start/finish.  Mind you, this was after an entire lap of chasing.

Third time up the hill and none other than the Goat decided to attack hard and the same 6-8 people (minus Mandy but plus Melanie) that had just chased back on were left staring at each other.  We were once again off the back and did not have it in our hearts or legs to chase back on this time.  We did organize a good paceline to keep others from catching us but didn't have the same urgency as before.

Bell lap and 4th time up the hill I took it easy.  I had thought of attacking but honestly I would never have gotten away from this group.  We were all evenly matched and it was just too much fun riding with them anyway.  Being so thrilled with my race, coming into the stretch to the finish, I announced that I was happy to lead out and that's exactly what I did.  I punched it after the turn to the finishing stretch and must have done a good job on the leadout because no one came around me until after the 200m to go sign.  I came in 27th and honestly wouldn't be much happier if I'd won.  I had such a blast and big thanks to Ilana and Carol.  It was so much fun racing with you guys.

So really I can't say I made any mistakes.  Maybe I should have had better position in the turn to the hill, but honestly, I can't climb with those girls.  Yes, I like climbing, but more the 10 mile long drags uphill... not these 2 min power climbs.  They kill me.  So some people may see 27th and think I had a bad race but I am thrilled.  In the end, it's all about having fun anyway and fun was definitely had.

Results here.

Another race report by Anna.  Seriously, read her report.  She has pictures and is a much better writer than I am.

And the winner's blog... rockstar Lorena, although she has not written a race report as of yet.

Jen Ras and Sue H are part of HPC, the best women's cycling team around.

And even though I didn't see much of her during the race, I still want to be like CK when I grow up.