As bad as I thought my race went Saturday Travis’ race was even worse. He forgot his size 13 shoes at home on Friday and didn’t realize it until he had an hour until the race. Do you know how hard it is to find a size 13 shoe at 7 AM? As it turns out its imposable. He had to wait until 9 when a shop opened and then he went ahead and bought a new pair, threw on cleats and rode out at 9:15 AM and still came in 117th place.
Never underestimate the power of an angry gorilla. He did get the above picture and video of the start though; this angle shows how many people showed up to this event. I have said it before and I will say it again but I think these types of races are the future of American mountain bike racing.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Well my results from the Whiskey off Road did not come out to what I would have liked. I came in at 4:17, 8 minutes faster then last year but still slower then my best time. Even with the faster time though the field this year was stacked, I guess having Floyd Landis out last year was all the reason everyone needed to show up this year and give it a go. With a faster group I came in a disappointing 39th, as you can see from the video though the group was freaking huge.
The great thing about this event is that it gets bigger and bigger each year. I could tell it was on from the start though as when the pavement ended I looked back and saw the majority of the field split, once we where on single track it thinned out more. The one down side to the first section of single track is that there are huge log water diverter things in the trail. You hit the first ten of them alright but after that they get tougher and tougher to get over. Finally I got up and over one with so much momentum that I went right off the trail falling and shoving the seat in my butt as hard as it would go. A great way to start off the race.
Eventfully I got going again and found a rhythm going up the first fire road climb to the aid station where you either make the big drop into Skull Valley or head back for the 25 mile ride. It seemed like I was in and out of a climbing rhythm all day, I would feel good for a few minutes and get going, and then slow down again. With 7000 feet of climbing that lack of consistency ended up hurting me as I made the big climb. I didn’t start feeling great until I had made it back up to where the 25 mile riders where feeding back in, then I had people to chase. It’s amazing how much better passing some one, anyone will make you feel. The ride back down the mountain was a breeze this year, the last couple years I was so cramped up by that point that going down was no fun at all. Yesterday though I was rolling and the time went by fast.
The funniest thing I saw was as I got back down to the pavement the trail was in and out of a creek bead. One section went up hill to the right getting very narrow as it rises about 15-20 feet above the water. This guy a few feet ahead of me must have bumbled his peddles because he went off the bike and then off the embankment into the water. Mostly he slid on his belly the whole way down but it looked rad, I am sure he was dumping a load in his pants about that though.
Once I hit the road I was all alone the whole way in, when I rounded the corner to the finish line I saw some one out in front so I pored it on to catch them, it was only until I was a few feet back that I realized it was a chick in one of those cycling skirt things. So here I was looking like a douche beating up on a chick in a skirt who had most likely done the 15 mile fun ride. I kicked her ass though so at least I can feel good about that.
All in all it was a fun day on a bike and hanging out with friends. While I am disappointed with the results having come in 17 minutes behind my time goal there is not a whole lot to do and complaining sure as heck won’t help. Get back on and ride again its all for fun anyways right?
Shiz has been so busy the last couple weeks that bloging has had to be put to the side for a few. Riding however has not because on Saturday it is time for Epic Rides Whiskey Off Road, that’s right 50 miles of suffering is on tap for everyone. With the way this event grows each year I am sure that the competition will be even more stiff this year. As for myself I have a personal vendetta with this event. In 2007 I did it is 4:08, and then in 2008 I came in at 4:25 and suffered big time. This year the goal is to do it in under 4 hours. We will see how well we do with that idea though. The place to make the time as usual will be the big climb out of skull valley, isn’t that a great name? Skull valley, we know how to name things appropriately here is AZ.
I have been getting a lot of clicks on this blog so here is an updated review of the Pearl Izumi SL mountain shoes. Check it out and feel free to ask any questions.
I got home today from work to find a box from Pearl Izumi on my porch. I have been waiting for this box for over a year starting when they teased their new high end mountain bike shoe the Octane SL and then quickly took it down again. See I have been wearing the same pair of Sidi’s for over 5 years and while I new it was time long ago for a new pair of shoes I just couldn’t bring my self to drop $300.00. At Interbike The Guys at Pearl said they would be coming out around Christmas so I waited even longer. Today the wait is over through. These shoes are so cool they come with their own bag, and what could be inside? That’s right a pair of the most pimp shoes ever, come on out and play friends. At just 320 grams they are by far the most blingy shoes I have owned, and will I am sure the carbon sole will be muffed up by the end of Saturday I am just pumped to have some new kicks that I don’t have to make excuses for. As for the Sidis, they will be retired to a place of honor in the house where we can talk about old tomes.
Whoever said that shaving your legs makes you faster is full of crap. I shaved my legs the other week for the first time in a year or so and then went out and got my butt kicked yesterday. Sure it could have been the 40 degree temperatures at 8 AM at 6000 feet elevation. Maybe the fact that my legs had no protective layer of hair was why they felt like a solid back of cement for all 40 miles and every foot of the 5500 feet of climbing. No matter what the reason everyone got a peace of my ass yesterday.
I love the course up there in Prescott; it’s a fun course but is actually a 4 wheeler track and keeps you on your toes all the time. There is one climb that allows you to get into a rhythm, but that only lasts for a quarter mile if that. With the cold temperatures in the morning no one was excited to get going when the gun went off; it was no joke probably the slowest race start I have ever been in.
I thought maybe my legs would warm up after a few minutes but it didn’t work. First one guy passed me, then another and then another. Soon I lost track of where I was in the group but I was well aware of how much life was sucking for me. At about lap three of seven I started contemplating good excuses to drop out but I couldn’t come up with anything.
So I stuck it out, I figure I have to have at least one horrible race a year and I guess this had to be the one. Three weeks from now though will be the Whiskey off Road Epic Rides event so this made for some good elevation training. Also next week Travis and I have a big 70 mile training ride planned at elevation which should help out as well.
Regardless of the out come it was fun as hell. Isn’t that strange? I paid to get physically destroyed and suffer. Why do we do this to ourselves? No one paid me and I lost big time. Yet three weeks from now I will be doing the same thing.
The other week when I was sick and didn’t ride for a few days in a row I got to feeling down and slow. So I shaved my legs again to make myself feel faster. While I can’t say that I am faster I noticed two side benefits that I like #1 they feel great when I climb into bed between the sheets. #2 after shaving my pants feels cool. Other then that not much of a difference. The other day was the first weekday ride in months in which I got the whole thing done in complete day light. This time of year is perfect for AZ riding, temperatures in the 70’s sun light until almost 7 PM. It just doesn’t get better then this. I have a race this weekend up in Prescott, this is like the 8th complete season of racing I have done. At what point do you stop getting nervous about a race? I have had some big races in the past so I try to tell myself it’s not that big of a deal but I still find that if I think about it too much I can get worked up. I saw a sign in a bike shop the other day that said “lance is back on the bike. Are you?” and I thought to myself “screw Lance Armstrong.”
I am not one to jump on a band wagon for a cycling products. With my own cycling gear and nutrition I always stick with what has proven itself to me over an extended trial period, to break into the Hosman circle of trust is a hard thing to do. With nutritional products it is such a crap shoot, the stuff is expensive and seems to do no better then a simple and cheap Fig Newton so why bother blowing the extra cash for day in day out training food? This brings me to Fluid Recovery. Evomo picked up Fluid this year on the recommendation of one of our team guys who used it last year. After getting into contact with the guys over at Fluid I found them to be a really cool bunch of people, totally into sports nutrition and most importantly cool laid back people that fit the vibe we where looking for as a partner for the Evomo team.
The product itself I started using at the beginning of the year and now after a couple months of use I can recommend the product 100%. I wont try to explain how the product works and will just let you go to their site to get the whole low down. The important facts to me are that it is a 100% natural blend of complex carbohydrates and natural flavors. I use it directly after each ride to speed recovery for the muscles and belive it or not have actually noticed a difference in the speed of recovery as well as the way I feel the next day on the bike. As my season advances I double up on interval days doing two hard day is a row. That second day can be tough to get motivated for little alone have the strength for but with Fluid my muscles do feel noticeably more lively on day two. The motivation position unfortunately it does not help with though, maybe they could add some crack or meth to help out with that? While I don't intend my blog to be a non-stop shill fest I do have to say Fluid does work. Spending money on nutritional products is a hard one for me, we can spend so much money on stuff we just poop out anyways so spending my money wisely is important to me. If your going to try something new for recovery check it out, if your not doing anything for post ride recovery you need to, it makes a huge difference but I am not a coach and cant help you with that.
As bad as I thought my race went Saturday Travis’ race was even worse. He forgot his size 13 shoes at home on Friday and didn’t realize it until he had an hour until the race. Do you know how hard it is to find a size 13 shoe at 7 AM? As it turns out its imposable. He had to wait until 9 when a shop opened and then he went ahead and bought a new pair, threw on cleats and rode out at 9:15 AM and still came in 117th place.
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