The most rewarding trail

So I'm riding this trail.  It's a wide trail.  Mostly flowy.  The gowing is easy.  Somehow it seems to be primarily downhill.  There are few technical sections.  A lot of people are riding the trail.  Some pass me by, so I seem obliged to pick up the pace.  I notice a trail marker but I'm going to fast to read what it says.  I keep pedaling.  I wonder if I'm passing more people than are passing me.  I pick up the pace.

I stop for a moment to get some hydration.  Someone stops with me and says something about a  different trail.  A trail that is for every bike.  That doesn't seem right.  I'm  a CAT 1 Cross country racer.  I'm not interested in the downhill stuff or silly jumps.  I pedal on.

There's a trail marker up ahead.  Looks familiar.  I'm going too fast to tell what it says.  I pedal faster.  I think I'm doing well.  I seem to be traveling faster than most.  I wonder if I'm going fast enough.  It's tough to tell.  I feel pretty good. 

While taking a moment to recover, a rider pulls along side me.  There's something different about him.  He tells me something about another trail.  He says it's better than this trail or something.  I don't really understand what he's saying.  Besides, I'm really starting to get good at this trail.

There's that familiar trail marker up ahead.  Could it be the same one?  I slow down.  I think it is.  Have I been riding a loop trail?  I stop at the trail marker.  This new trail looks different.  Someone stops and explains to me that this optional trail is called "The Way".  That it would take me where I'd never been, that anyone could ride it regardless of experience or ability.  It sounded too good to be true.  None-the-less I decided to try it.  Something inside of me longed to ride something different. 

I push off, onto the new trail.  It's super sweet.  It's kinda narrow.  There are uphills and downhills.  There were plenty of technical sections.  Some things I didn't think I could ride, that were beyond my ability, but somehow I always managed to be able to ride it.  There were mile markers on this trail.  I was actually going somewhere. 

There were places that I somehow managed to get off the trail.  But inevitably I'd end up in the briars or loose rocks and I'd get scraped up before I'd realize that I had gotten off of "The Way".  So I'd make my back onto the trail.

"The Way" is difficult, sometimes steep and a bit scary, sometimes twisty, always narrow.  But it is the sweetest trail I have ever been on.  I don't ever want to get off of it.  It feels like it was made with me in mind.  It has been an amazing ride to this point.  I don't know how far I'll go or where it ends but it is very rewarding.  Always challenging.  Never easy.   

And I remember that I found this trail because someone took the time to tell me about it.  It would be selfish of me not to tell others about the most rewarding trail ever.  Anyone can ride it.

The Bible says:  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NLT)

and
 

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV)

and, of course:

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17 NLT)


Want the most amazing ride of your life?  Ride "The Way".  Want more information?  Read the Bible book of John and start your journey.


See you on the trails!  ...and on The Way!

The Shootout on Angler's Ridge: Feeling Blue

The 10 deep podium for the Pro race (11 if you count young Conner Bishop)

Round 2 of the Southern Classic MTB Series was at Angler's Ridge in Danville, VA.  The race also doubles as the Virginia Cross Country MTB State Championships.  Over 300 racers turned out for a shot at a medal and a share of the generous payout.

I had never been to the trails at Angler's Ridge before, so I opted to do my Saturday four hour training block on the race course.  It would be a good chance to shake down the new Blue FS Carbon and learn the trails at the same time.  It didn;t take long to figure out that the 26" FS was the way to go for the race.  With super tight twisty sections and lots of short, steep climbs the Blue was in it's element.  It accelerates and changes direction very well.  I had some pretty light weight, fast rolling Kenda tires on that I was a bit concerned about, but they held up well, rolled fast and stuck pretty well to the sandy/hard pack trails.

On race day I was pretty used up from the hard ride on Saturday so I took my usual starting spot at the rear of the 20 racer field.  The race started with (surprise) a gravel road climb leading to the single track.  It amazes me that no matter how wide the trail (or road) leading to the singletrack is that racers still find away to completely block it from side to side.  This race was no exception and there was nearly 2 crashes while jockeying for position.  I mostly just rolled to the singletrack and still had to stop until everybody got single file for the Enchanted Forest Section.  We only did this part the first lap, and it was the only soft, loamy dirt section of the trails.  The trees were small, but very close together making it difficult to carry any speed.

The trails were marked every 1/2 mile with the number of miles to the finish.  A nice touch.  It made it easy for those of us less familiar with the trails to remember what was ahead.  Most notable was the climb to the mile 4 marker where volunteers were faithfully handing out cups of cool water to all takers.  As an aside:  Don't pour it on your head while wearing sunglasses.  They get wet and the dirt and dust stick to the lenses making it difficult to see.

Also of note was a sign appearing at about the 2 1/2 mile marker indicating a Strava section of the trail.  Of course this was a mostly climbing section.  I did take the time afterward to download my data to Strava

The climbs at Angler's aren't exactly technical, but you have the choice of either a rooty line or a sandy/gravelly/loose line.  I always opted for the smoother line, but it meant being very mindful of front/rear weighting to maintain traction and keep the front on the ground.  If the rear ever did spin it was tough to keep it going up the hill.  Several racers ended up running some of these climbs.

The last half mile of the trail was super flowy and hardpack which means really, really fast.  This section dumps you out into the parking lot for either a pass by the feed zone or the the finish line for the final lap.  CAT 1's did three 8.5 mile laps.  I think the pro winning time was 1:50.  My time was a lot less pro at 2:07ish - but good enough for 8th in my class (CAT 1 40+).

It's easy to look at the results and wish to have done better.  I guess it's human nature to always want to do better, go faster, etc.  But when I look back just a very few years I can remember getting passed by Cat 2 (Sport) racers and thinking I could never hope to be that fast.  So, now as I embark on my first year as a CAT 1 racer I can honestly say that I am truly amazed and thankful to be racing as well as I am.  And although I work hard, it's with God-given gifts, opportunity, friends, family and His blessing that allow me to do what I do. 

See you on the trails!
I'll be doing my best to race and ride for His glory!   

XC Season begins: Killer 3!

The Southern Classic XC MTB season kicked off today in Sumter, SC.  This was my first time on the Killer 3 trail.  I gotta thank team mate Chase Dickens for recommending that I bring my Solis.  This was definitely a 29er hardtail trail.  The race was a long one, with the CAT 1's doing three ~14 mile laps.

My goal was to ride Tempo for this race so that I would be ready for some specific training for my goal events coming up in the near future.  I fell into the back of the pack for the start.  The trail started with some fresh cut trail that was pretty soft and still wet from the rain the night before.  This proved to be the only real sketchy part for my Vee Rubber V12 tires.  This was the same set-up I raced at Southern Cross last weekend.  As the race went on, I worked my way through the field a bit.  I was pushing it a little harder than I intended, but there were racers in front of me I just had to reel in...

By the end of the seemingly endless first lap I had ridden all the twisty corners, all the soft sandy parts, all the super hard pack parts, the 2 mile fire road and was handed a water bottle by team mate, Philicia Marion (Thanks!).  Lap 2 was a good lap.  With a bit more confidence in the grip level of my tires and knowing what was ahead on the trail I was able to get into a rhythm.  I chased down some of the pretty speedy guys and we worked together (more-or-less) for the rest of the lap. 

When we hit the start/finish/feeding zone (thanks for another bottle, Philicia!) I made an effort to get back into the single track first as that was where I struggled the most.  I got in 2nd of our group, but was waved by.  The new soft trail was a bit drier and packed down so I was able to go a bit faster than the previous 2 laps.  Before long I realized I had a gap and I picked up the pace a bit.  When they still didn't seem to be catching me I made it a point to get out of sight.  You know: "Out of sight out of mind."  Soloing along the 2 mile fire road for the final time was made even harder by increased headwind.  I put my head down to get more aerodynamic and read the verse on my handlebars: "In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall."  I managed to stay away and finish at 3:19 for a 5th place finish.

Next week, another wall to scale:  Angler's Ridge Southern Classic XC MTB race.

See you on the trails!

Southern Cross, Sort of.

For me, "Southern 'Cross" was "Southern MTB".  It was a great opportunity to dial in my new endurance racing bike before 6 Hours of Warrior Creek and Cohutta 100.

Southern Cross is a 50 mile Ultra Cross Series race.  It is primarily gravel and fire roads with some pavement and traditional Cyclocross course stuff thrown in.  We left from the beautiful Montaluce Winery and Estates at 10:00am (ish) in sunny, cool conditions (I would later see a frozen puddle at the top of one of the climbs).  The course begins with a traditional 'cross course, complete with run up and a fallen tree dismount.  It didn't take long until we were out on the road, the road turned to gravel and pointed upward.  There is basically 2 big, big climbs with a rest area (the same one) at the top of each climb.  Somehow I missed the first one.  No big deal.  I carried enough stuff with me that I was prepared to skip it.  Lot's of descending goes hand-in-hand with lot's of climbing and Southern CX doesn't disappoint.  It was the one place I had an advantage on the MTB.  I could bomb the descents and not worry about pinch flatting or if my brakes were gonna be able to slow me down.  I saw a lot of CX bikes with mechanicals along the way.

The 2nd climb was a little more gradual, but that only made it longer.  This time when I got to the top, I did stop at the aid station to refill a water bottle.  I've been passing people all day long, and going back and forth with some of the fast single speed guys.  By now there aren't many MTB's around and the competition is a bit spread out.  I take every opportunity to make up time where I can.  Pedaling the descents and standing on the climbs.  When we hit the road I managed to pass a few more riders, but a MTB is not a good match for a CX bike on pavement and I did get passed by a couple of riders.  After 5 or 6 miles on the open road we turned off into Montaluce again for more agony on the cyclocross course.  I crossed the Start/Finish line at 3:28 which beat my goal time of 3:30 and was good enough for 6th place in a deep 40+ field.  Not bad for a MTB in a CX race.

The bike performed flawlessly.  From the Rotor rings to the Hayes Gram brakes everything worked awesome.  The Vee Rubber V12 tires worked great and rolled super fast.  I think this is the set-up I'm going to use at Warrior Creek in a few weeks.

See you  on the trails!

Road Racing = Not MTB Racing

Today was a good reminder of why I have no road racing goal events.  Oh sure, the weather was beautiful.  It was a great day to get some miles on the bike.  I got some great power data.  It's very colorful with all the riders in their new kits.  Plus there is no mud, no trees to hit and no constantly being pounded by the terrain.

There were also no climbs, no descents and no technical sections.  In fact I spent all of my time swimming in a school of fish that all wanted my spot.  And unless I wanted to keep wedging (weaseling?)  my bike into position, I would just keep getting pushed to the back.  I guess there was about a 10 rider break judging by finishing position.  I never saw it.  Guess I was too far in the back.  The first lap was kind of hard - or maybe it just took me a while to get up to speed.  After that it was just riding around in a tight back trying to get positioned for the sprint.

I got to the front a couple of times, but I guess I wasn't aggressive(?) enough to stay there.  My only choice was to wait for an opening in the wall of cyclists in front of me then sprint like crazy.  Which I did and finished about 13th in the field sprint.  I did another lap to get some more miles in.  Tomorrow will be a long ride in preparation for my upcoming endurance races.

Southern Cross is next weekend.  The 50 mile 2011 UltraCX season ender/2012 season opener.  I'm still up in the air on whether to race my single speed CX bike or my sweet, new Solis Pyrolite 29'er hardtail.  There are 114 entries in 40+, only 28 in single speed.  Decisions, decisions.

See you on the trails!

One for the road

This weekend it's off to Greenville, SC for the Hincapie Spring Training Series.  It'll be a chance to get some real race condition  power numbers to help my coach keep me suffering appropriately.

I love this time of year.  I've worked in NASCAR since 1995.  Every year, every team I have ever been with has a "Daytona thrash".  It's lots of work to be done in a short period of time.  Or maybe in a long period of time because I'm at work pretty long.

With the extra hours of work, racing every weekend and getting in base miles, well... not everything gets done.  January is the time of year to get priorities straight.  Some things are just not going to get done.  It's a reminder to consider the things that you could/should be doing instead of what you are doing.

So, maybe I'm not at 100% at the early season races, and maybe the yard is a wreck and the vehicles need maintenance.  But I'm making my training hours count.  I'm at work when I'm at work and I'm at home when I'm at home.  And I'm at home when I'm on the bike hammering!

So, maybe this was an early excuse for a future poor result at Greenville.  But, I'm there to get power numbers.  I may as well get the best ones I can.

See you on the trails! (after Saturday)

Up next: Southern Cross!

...actually the quest to borrow a cx bike may be up next

Winter Short Track Series #5. Debut of Stealth

I skipped Winter short track Series race #2,  So race #5 marked my fourth race of the series and 4th different bike raced.  Like all the other bikes I raced, I had never raced this one before either.  In fact I had just picked up the bike from CycleWorks in Mt. Airy and it was too cold to do much test riding.  Which was my excuse on Sunday.  I did manage to get a test lap in before my race.  It was one of the laps where you can't help but smile.

This was my first time racing on my new American Classic 29er Race wheels.  They are a bit wider with a redisigned a beed lock.  The are super light and snappy.  The extra width of the rim allows the tire to conform to the trail a bit better - making my Vee Rubber V12 1.95 tires grip like wider tires but still roll super fast. 

The bike itself weighs in under 21lbs. in full race trim.  The stealth color scheme, offset by the white cables, white Hayes Stroker Grams, and RavX seatpost and stem drew many compliemts.  The bike just LOOKS fast.  ...until you pick it up.  Then it looks and FEELS fast.  ...until you ride it.   Then you know it's fast!  I can't wait to race it for what I built it to race: 100 mile NUE races like Cohutta and Shenandoah. 

Next weekend, it's off to Greenville to mix it up with the leg shaving crowd at the Hincapie Spring Training Series.  How does it go from being winter short track racing one weekend to spring training the next?  ...I'll let you know.

See you on the trails! (except for Saturday when I'm in Greenville)