Mem Park Crits

New camera. Proper DSLR. Took some shots at the Weekly World Championship. A few highlights...





















Still learning the camera. Made a few mistakes with the hardware, that were result of operator error. That said the Nikon 80-200 2.8/D lens ideal for shooting cycling. My panning skills are rusty. Looking forward to more shooting.

The rest of the 'keepers' are [HERE]. Man I tossed a bunch...

A Top 10 Finish

A ninth-place finish for the Piney Hills Classic. Very apprehensive about this race after Saturday's pre-ride. In short, this course is everything I'm not good at. A lot of down-and-ups. On these you have to really work the descent. No brakes. Gathering as much speed as possible. At the bottom hit a narrow 3-ft. wide bridge at nearly 30mph, so you have enough momentum to make it up the steep backside. Do it right, and it's an exilerating blast. Do it wrong and it makes for a lot of hike-a-biking. Being a flat-lander these are not strong parts of my skillset.

On my way to the start area I noticed a lot of Cat 2 folks exiting the course at the road crossing. DNF'ing. Not encouraging, as it had rained a bit. With no expectations I arrived at the start area, wondering where everyone was. The turnout was really small, compared to most XC races in Texas. I kept waiting for a horde of riders to turn up to stage. I went to the chute, and Cap got us lined up and off we went.

The first third of the race went better than expected. I could see peeks of the lead group as four of us fell back. Then four became two, and finally on one of the jeep roads I found myself alone. Strangely this felt good, as this was to go from racing to training in a hurry.

I missed a chunk of the course on my pre-ride. It was closed for the short-track and time-trials. I didn't get to ride Tomac hill. This is something special. As I rolled up... I understood why people talk about it. I was too gassed to give much pause and down I went. Fun, fun, fun. Did not know a MTB could go that fast. Went nearly as fast on the fenceline hill, and nearly biffed the yump at the bottom. Landing front-wheel-first at 30ish is not a good feeling.

This was definately the hardest race I've ever done. It's a hard course, but a do-able course, that rewards good descending skills and punishes mistakes. Maybe that's the cause of the small entrant field? At the same time... the course is one of the funnest I've ever ridden. Seems like the sort place that would make a good rider into a great rider. It certainly exposed my weaknesses and gave me a lot of concepts to focus on for the spring season.

I want to come back to ride without the pressure of a race before the spring season begins. The park is beautiful and the facilities are great. Very, very nice venue.

Oh, and about that top-ten finish... ummm... yeah. There were only nine entrants in my category. ;-)

Fun Week

An easy one this week. Nothing too heavy before Saturday's race. Tonight some isolated leg pedaling and core work. Oh... pics from last weekend...

I Feel Good Again!

It doesn't feel like race day until you get your number!

Today was my best race to date in terms of execution. I arrived at the venue well rested and calm. Registration as always with the TMBA crew... simple and quick. What made today different was my pre-race routine was good. I've struggled with this, and never really gotten it -right. Today I nailed it.

It started last night. After some experimentation I've learned how to make rice using my Jetboil. I can't stand re-heated rice. Nothing like good fresh rice.

About 2hrs before the race I made my rice, mixed in some canned pineapple chunks into a vat of carbo-nutrional-gastro-goodness. Jane says rice is the perfect pre-race food. And I think she's right.

I warmed up adequately this time. I've either under or over shot the warmup. Today... I recorded it using the PowerTap. Now I've got a good template to follow. Bon.

I timed arrival at the staging area as I like. I hate waiting around to stage. I'm not usually nervous. But others' nerves are contageous. I showed up just in time to stage toward the back. *pow* We're off!

The start is easy. I'm tempted to move up, but resist. It's especially tempting as the dust is super bad. I get a surprise in one of turns. This section of trail is usually hardpacked gravel. It was completely sandy and loose. I wasn't expecting that, and almost take a digger under two minutes into the race! So much for home trail advantage.

I stay comfy thorugh the first part until the first road crossing by the Nature Center. It was on this first climb after the NC that I crampped up and blew sky-high last year. I begin to get apprehensive. I keep the pace sane. Maybe a bit conservative. I treadle the effort and... I get thorugh this section fine. I pass several a few folks in my cat. So far so good.

One guy has stuck right on my wheel so far, but has not asked to pass. The first long bridge has a sandy approach. Miss and, and you can't steer onto the bridge. Since this is my home course... I nail it. The guy on my wheel... doesn't. I don't see it. I hear it. The thud of bike and body are unmistakable!

Before I know it... I'm on the false flat to the spillway. Still feeling great. I'm way deeper into this race than last year. Knowing the fenceline climb is coming up, I milk the little bit of downslope here. Up the fenceline climb and I'm starting to hurt. Bad. I stall out, dab and like 4 people pass me. Ooops. I get to the top and I'm cramping a bit. Realizing what's going on, I decide it's survival mode from here, and use the downhills to rest. It's slow, but not as slow as having to stop for puking.

As I near the end, I'm completely disoriented where I'm at on the course. I'm thinking it's near the end, and it's time to turn up the wick. Hmm... I did that last year and I was further than I thought... I hold off. Until I round a corner and there's the finish. Dang. I dump the chain and get in the big boy gear for a sprint to the finish. Done.

Not sure where I finished. Back third? But... atleast they weren't picking up banners and course markings like they were last year ;). By my clock I shaved 20min off last year's time.

Still a long way to go, but progress is the focus...

Weekend Roundup

Fueled with Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a breakfast taco, Saturday finds me driving down TX 71 west of Austin...

I turn off of TX 71 onto Paleface Ranch Road...

Then a quick righthander at the George Jones Donkey Farm...

It's not until checking out minidonk.com that does the realization that "George Jones" is the name of one of the stud miniture donkeys. Not the owner of the ranch! Miniature donkeys are an odd phenomena. I suppose everyone needs a little ass in their life. *wink* Following the road I arrive at....

Todays mission... tempo or better paced trail ride, three to four hours. First lap is more recon than anything. I've never ridden here before. The trail comprises some nice single track...

Some fun rocky climbs...

Some rock gardens that challange...

And Some I don't master this day...

And a gravel pit of doom where you can sink almost ankle deep in rocks...

I'm not happy with the first lap. I'm timid and hesitant. Not riding with any flow. I hike-a-bike a lot of the trail. I'm fighting the trail with the bike, which never works. The trail is winning. I return to my truck, collect my thoughts. Consider becoming a rhodie for a few moments! HAHA! I reassure myself that it was just a recon lap. Unfamiliar trail. Next presentation will be easier. I conclude it's worth another go. This lap is far, far better. Over 20minutes faster, and I didn't press the effort. I ride all but a few spots. And at least one was because I blew the setup, not that I felt incapable. I go out for a third lap... but take a fire road bail out. I'm getting sloppy on the bike because of the fatigue in my legs. Met my goal, and then some. Now it's time to cool off.

Fun place to ride with a lot of variation. Most of the trail is under tree cover. Important for a warm day like this. This was the perfect place to ride for a flatlander. It's got all the features I'm weakest at. Slick limestone. Loose rocky climbs and descents. Rock ledges and stair steps. Hills. But it's tame enough that I can clean most of it. My focus next time: clean everything, then add speed as I gain skill and confidence.

Sunday finds me with fried legs. I have soreness in places I'm not used to being sore in after a ride. Hills are hard! So today's ride is a recovery ride. Slow, steady, and easy pace. I ramble around Austin while working out the creeks in the legs. It helps. But the fatigue remains. Monday is a day of power resting.

I need more riding like this. There's just no way to simulate this type of terrain, or improve my trail skills without actually riding it. There is no substitute. Not to mention it's way more fun! Access to good trails is a huge advantage, and the best way for me to improve my skill set. Measurable improvments just from this weekend. I need to make some hard sacrifices to ride more in the Austin/Hill Country. I guess I'll just have to travel there more. Darn. HAHA!

Mourning.

http://www.desertsportstx.com/masomenos.php

It is with a heavy heart that Desert Sports must announce the cancellation of the 2010 Starlight Theater Mas O Menos 100k Moutain Bike Fest.

It's been a great ride, since back in teh day (way back i n'04) when we first convinced the fine folks at the CASI site that this whole mountain bike thing was a possibility. We had visions then of how great it could be... but we never truly imagined how fabulous it would turn out! Dancing! Riding in sixty foot rattlesnakes! Racing! Eating!

CRAP! This is my favorite race of the year. There's nothing better than getting away from the cold, rain and spending a wonderful week camping out in the desert!

It was a festival-like atmosphere in one of the most unique places I've ever been. I've been excited about going back since I turned north on Hwy 118 last February. It's the perfect way to light the fires and kick start the spring season. Alas, it will not be... and. I. am. sad.

Fall Race #1

I jinxed it. About 40min till start I checked the Blackberry. No rain on the screen. I mentioned it to the guy parked next to me. And within a minute... it was pouring! It poured up till the start.

It's hard to think of a lap around Huntsville as epic, but this one had it all. Rain, a cramp, a fall, a mechanical! Yeeha!

I didn't pre-register. First time that I didn't pre-reg and it sucked. I pre-staged in the back. At the start, I was dead last. Just before the single track narrowed, I realized there were only 4-5 in front, then a gap... I decided to try to move up. I picked up a couple of spots, but *poof* blew up by the first road crossing. Crap. After the short climb I got a cramp in the outside of my left leg. Ugh. Nothing to do but spin through it.

I started feeling better. And remade contact with my group around the spillway. After sliding down the trail at that point, my right cleat was no longer working. (It wasn't until cleaning up at home I discovered a cigarette butt of all things caught in the cleat!) The long CCC climb was supertough without being clipped in. I thought about stopping and cleaning the cleat. BUT! I wasn't about to try to get restarted in the silty-sandy-clayey slop. By the time I got back to the Chinaquipin cutoff, I managed to get clipped in YEAHHA!

From here, I was alone. Knowing I wasn't going to catch anyone in my class, I simply enjoyed the ride and intensity of racing along the trails.

I haven't seen the results. But I'm sure I was way OTB. I'm a bit frustrated. I ridden way faster on that course. Today was slow for me. I'm capable of better; I've done better! It was raining, afterall. Maybe that made some difference. But honestly, the rain packed the sand down. And I don't remember being that bothered by wet trail. The grip was amazing in most spots.

All of this isn't to say it wasn't a fun ride. It was an absolute blaaast! The most fun I've ever had at Huntsville! And definately top-five all time cycling experiences. Those trails got better with the rain!! The holes filled with sand washed; and the sand packed in. The turns burmed up, too. Just wish I'd had the motor to do it all justice!

One dirty bike! I'm still flossing sand out of my teeth!

Hypoxic Thoughts...

I practiced race starts for today's lunchtime ride. Simple plan. Come to complete stop, foot down. Take off. Full 1min maximal effort then settle into another 5min right at threshold. Recover. Repeat until you see stars. These hurt. But so do actual race starts. It's critical to be able to start fast, then throttle back and "recover" back to a sustainable pace. That strategy is faster overall than overcooking it at the start and then having to slooooww way down to recover. The trick is knowing how hard you can go before blowing up to an unrecoverable level. Thus, this workout is as much about learning pace as building fitness.

As my heart pounded, my legs burned, and my lungs singed... my thoughts turned to delayed gratification and it's necessity in training. It's not the physical pain that makes training so difficult. I've been hurt far worse than even the most difficult training days. The true pain of training falls to those days that it seems no matter how hard you've worked... the results aren't there. Those are the most difficult training days. That was my day yesterday. But...I've done this long enough to know the gains will come. Often all at once! Keeping the faith is something worth getting better at, I think. It's a new bullet point for me.

Waco Postponed = Gumbo

Texass has been in a drought for months. Camping has been difficult because you can't build a fire. Burn bans are everywhere. Now the other extreme has hit. Rain.

This weekend was supposed to be the Waco race. The venue's been hit with over 6-inches of rain in the last two days. Typically, races are rain-or-shine but apparently this one was too much.

I hate to admit this, but I'm kinda glad. I was on the fence about even going. I love riding at Cameron Park, but I'm not sure I'd have much fun racing it. A mud race would have been fun though. I like rooting in the mud. Brings many fond memories of being a kid to light.

The net result: It's cold. It's rainy. I've got some time. I'm making gumbo tonight!

Put a 1 in front of it...

The trip to Terlingua was indeed long... but with views like this...

This...

This...

And this...

Totally worth it! (Keep in mind I suck at scenics... these pictures don't begin to do the place justice)

You can't call what I did in Terlingua racing. I walked outta there with a few bruises and undetermined injuries. Hopefully all recoverable. Otherwise, I'm trying to put this one in the past and not agonize over it too much.

Truckin'!!

There was lotsa this...

Some of this...

A bit of that...

And almost zero of this...

It's great to be out of the city! Phish's JazzFest '96 show was a perfect complement to a great day...

Gone!

My stack of countdown cards is almost gone!

Fail.

What a diaster... The race started well for me. The start was down a hill, and was fast-fast. The cow sh*t was flying and so was I! I expected to get spit out the back, but to my surprise, I was mid pack going into the single track section. That was the end of the good! There was a a bit of climbing form here. I had zero, nada, zip power in the legs. I blew up. I couldn't get my breathing under control, and I faded off the back. It sucked because there was some FUN single track after the climbs. I just couldn't enjoy it as gassed as I was. I was too busy trying to recover.

The start loop came up a climb back upto the start/finish line. I considered taking a bottle hand-up but passed by. After this is the big climb. I was gassed. I hit the granny gear, but the legs couldn't spin the cadence. Uh-oh. So I dabbed to push and almost fell over. I knew I was in big trouble. As soon as I did the unmistakable symptoms of impending expulsion hit. I felt flush, a splitting headache, and the mouth was salivating. After a brief shouting of my bib number to a marshal, I went to find a quiet place to puke!

I DNF'ed. What a crappy feeling. It was a long drive home. Just me and my thoughts.

Don't misunderstand, I had an incredible fun out there (except for the pain of withdrawing). I'm wanting more. But I'm not going back until I can finish the job.

GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER
I was ill-prepared for the pace. I rode harder than ever before. It's good that I dug for it. But it's bad that I've not seen that level of intensity in any of my training - never. I'm doing enough volume of training but the intensity isn't there. That's the most important lesson of today. I need to recalibrate what a hard-effort really is.

Tomorrow will be a time to reflect on the lessons of today, and plan a path forward. I've got some serious gains to make if I'm going to salvage anything out of the spring season. EK we have work to do!

Made It To Bar-H-Bash

Before leaving Houston on Thursday, I dropped by the annual rodeo kick-off bar-b-que. Everyone says I don't have any pictures of myself on the blog...luckily, I'm borrowing these wimmins to pretty up my picture! These are some former co-workers and friend! Look at all those beers they drank!



This pretty much summarizes the drive out to Saint Jo, TX. It's pretty country up here. Funny to see dead grass. Where I'm from the field grass stays green the whole year!



Bar-H is a working cattle ranch. It is a crappy venue... literally!



That ain't mud! They park you in the middle of a working pasture. I looked for a cow pattie-free spot, but there was none around. Oh well...

When I stepped out of my truck I heard a dog barking. Not just any dog barking but the distinctive barking of a Boston Terrier who was pizzled off. How did I know it was a Boston? I used to have one. They bark this certain way when having anxiety that's immediately recognizable. It is just short of a screaming child. He was already getting hoarse. Sure enough, I found him across the pasture, dilligently gaurding his territory as if he was 150-lbs. Nervous Boston's have no fear!



COURSE PRE-RIDE
After unsuccessfully trying to pet the Boston, and signing in, I pre-rode the course. It's kind of like a recce lap during a rally! I should probably call it a pre-walk, because I did a LOT of walking. Partially to save the legs, partially because I set out without water, and hungry. But mostly because the course is difficult for a flat-lander like me.

Here is a descriptive picture...



Steep, gravely, slippery. I'm not used to hills. I'm not used to gravel. Roots and sand, I'm OK with! Man, rocks are slippery and I don't have a great method of keeping my wits on them.

There are some nice overlooks. Bar-H is on the bluff to the Red River valley. The change in topography from one side of the ranch to the other is really spectacular. The grassy picture (4 pics up) is about half-a-mile from the ranch. It's rolling grassland. This is the other side of the ranch...



No time to look at this stuff tomorrow, so pics from today...



More hills and gravel...can you find Waldo in this picture?



A fast, sharp switchback...



This course is an eye-opener. The climbs aren't super steep, or long. But the downhills are short, too. There's no place to "recover" on the course. Pace will be important. You are constantly on a descent that lasts 10 seconds or a climb that lasts 30 seconds. The place requires a lot of burst power and focus on gravely-traction. I'm probably going to wish my shoes were more comfortable to run in!

Going To The Darkside

Blogs are good for confessions. I've bought a chi-chi bike. An 18-pound, skinny tired, plastic, fragile, roadie bike. There was a lot of indecsion in this purchase. I (still) want a hard-tail mountain bike. I also want a cross bike. But in the end, I figured I get the most use out of a roadie bike.



Yes, I need to de-sticker it! I'm not becoming a roadie. I promise, it's just for training. Although, I may do a few crits between the spring and fall mountain bike seasons.

I'll do a more detailed reveiw when I get more time in the saddle...

UPDATED SCHEDULE
Speaking of racing seasons, I updated my spring schedule. TMBRA canceled the Tapitio race. I'd also planned to volunteer/spectate the Ouchita Challange race, but I've got a conflict that weekend. Still going to be a fun season!