Season Re-Cap
By Hillary
A glimpse into this spring’s world of downhill and dual slalom racing. Or at least mine. This year is one of the first years to mark the shift of racing from west to east coast.
So, I went to Sea Otter. Holy mud! I think next year they should hold a mud wrestling festival instead. If any of you have ever been there, you have seen the XC style Dh course they have. I rode that, as well as the slalom on my 6 inch Prophet. Many shoes were lost that weekend. Races went ok for me. Our strip mall style motel had a celing light mounted on the wall that looked like a giant illuminated boob. At least there was a kickin dinner across the street, and some good industry parties.
Massanutten was next. There was actually another pro women there! Lisa Myklak, who I’ve seen drop a 20 footer and usually makes podium, was there with team Moorewood. Before practice on the first day I got my gear on, stepped out of the team trailer, and onto a small round rock which rolled by body off of my ancle. After spending some QT with my foot in a friends cooler of ice, I wraped it up and it continued to swell through practice. I was walking, which hurt much more then riding, like I had a peg leg. On race day…I got a flat at the top! I pulled over, let the next pro women go by, and realized I still had enough air to ride. At least enough not to destroy the rims on my already sold and awaiting shipping as soon as my new bike comes in bike. I got back on and closed the gap between the next rider. If only I hadn’t stoped, I might have gotten 2nd instead ot 3rd. Oh well, still the hardtail class. Probly not so good for the cankle, but I wasn’t about to miss it. I had a good start, but then guess what! Flat! I walked back to the lift and that was that. My ankle is still not recovered.
Then there was the US Open. Huge race, tons of pros and top amatures from around the country. It rained, the course was very rocky and steep. I was riding ok, but my bike kept dropping the chain. It had been doing this for a few weeks, and the fix required some major rearrangement. Not something I wanted to do to a bike that just needed to last till my new Cannondale Judge came in. In my race run I dropped my chain half way down and had to pump it out the rest of the run. Oh well. Still had a great time riding some of the other killer trails and seeing some friends from out west. Plus there was a sweet pool at the condo the team got. Although once in it I realized it was doubling as a bath for some dudes.
NORBA National at Sugar Mtn NC. My new ride had just come in from Cannondale and it was ridin nice. The kind of bike that makes you giddy to get out and tear it up. I needed a new bike bad. The course was scarry hard. I had never been down to the Smokey Mtns before, they’re so beautiful and jungleous. Rooty and rocky. It rained. Hard. The roots were slippery. Two of the pro women didn’t race. It acctually dried enough to be really fun by race day, and I was feeling good even after 3 day of practice and slalom. I crashed in my race run in a steep shoot that ended in a slow turn. The crash pinched my front brake line so it locked up. No front brake. I took it slow and made it through. Bummer. Tracey Hannah, Mick Hannah’s little sister who RIPS, finally turned 18 and Pro. She took the win by beating reigning world champion Sabrina Jonier, as well as a few other world champs in her first Pro race. For me on the other hand, slalom went great! Although I couldn’t manage to wipe the sand out and hit the double on the course, I still took 6th place!
That brings us finally to Whitetail. I feel like I should just start talking nonsence and cursing cause there’s no way anyone is still reading this. Anyway. As you know from my previous longwinded post about Whitetail, I had ridden the course for a few weekends and was having a blast on it and on the new Cannondale. Just what you want before a race. Come race weekend though, I just wasn’t feeling it. I guess we all have those days. It poured on race day and the lifts had to shut down. This ment I didn’t get any pre-race practice. I kept crashing in my race run, so I decided to just make it down safe. Slalom was another story though. There was one other pro women there, thats one more then usual. I had been getting her in most of the runs, and the final race was just going to be one run. We were given the choice to do two out of three though, and I took it. I was worried I would regret this, but one run just left too much to chance. The first round went well, I got her out of the gate and held the lead till the end. Wishing I settled for one round, we loaded in the gate for two. We were neck and neck out of the gate and through the first series of poles. I was feeling the heat and went down hard. It knocked the wind out of me and I hit my head hard. For a moment I lay there in fear that I might be hurt and unable to finish. I got up after a minute and was able to ride out the course. At the bottom we loaded our bikes onto the Mule and were back at the top for round three. We were back to square one, except now I was sore, tired and my confidence was a little shaken. In the gate I tried to focus and stay calm. I had a good gate and was out in front, maintaining speed through the poles, but she was close. Through the whole round she was close, but I managed to keep ahead. My first legitimate win in pro dual slalom. On the podium I got a big huge check! No really, one of the big cardboard ones. All in all I came home with $700 for first and second!
gary’s images from WAW #1
photos by gary
gary’s wakefield images
wakefield results
24 Minutes of Big Bear
The 24 Minutes of Big Bear 2006
Here is an image of Mountain Bike Hall of Famer, Laird Knight, giving my older son Dean a high five after he finished 4th in the 6 and under category. Laird brought the same amount of energy and focus to the kids race as he does to the main event. His contribution to the sport of mountain biking changed mountain biking and my life for ever. The 24 Hours of Big Bear ROCKED! I loved every minute of it… putting the event for next year on my mental calendar.
RACE REPORT: 24 Hours of Big Bear
Race Report: 24 Hours of Big Bear 2006
by Joel Gwadz
A week ago at this time I was loading up the Honda Element so that I could head west through Maryland and onto West Virginia for Granny Gear’s 24 Hours of Big Bear. I was loading the car while I should have been driving the car. But gathering all the gear for a 24 hour race and the camping that surrounds it can be a great task…. especially when there is the comfort of my wife and children involved in the packing process. There was lots to remember on the mental check list, there were lots of things to assemble… third tray on the Element, drinks and ice in the coolers, lights, chargers, walkie talkies (that never got used), power inverter (which never got used), bug spray and citronelle candles and torches (which never got used) There were a number of things that I felt I must have… much of this stuff never got used.
Once packed I drove out of town solo planning on intersecting with fellow DCMTB/City Bikes/Metro Gutter team mates Kent Baake and my brother Marc Gwadz. Once on Interstate 270 I made the call… they were just 15 minutes ahead of me on the road. We established that we would meet in Hagerstown for a late lunch.
The drive was moderately uneventful. There was the fast moving bumper to bumper traffic and the intermident rain. The rain did bother me a tad, but I did not think that the weather paterns of western Maryland would really be a good indicator of what would be happening miles ahead in mountains of West Virginia. Yet,the thought of rain and mud was not something to get enthusied about even if rain and mud have been a trademark of the Granny Gear events in West Virginia in years prior at Snowshoe and at Caanan. Some may have thought that mountain bike hall of fame member and 24 hour mountain bike event creator, Laird Knight, was cursed.
(more…)
Race Report: 12 Hours of Lodi Farms 2006
Race Report: 12 Hours of Lodi Farms 2006
by Joel Gwadz
The soreness from the race at Lodi Farms is gone, but the poison ivy still remails. Before the itching leaves me along with the memories I will try to get out a few words…
As per usual, I was not well prepared for this event. The weekend prior after the race at Greenbriar I had the opportunity to snag fellow DCMTB fast guy Kent Baake. But for some reason I held out. As I wanted to try and find another Clydesdale on a Single Speed. By Monday night Kent was drafted by another team, while I was till dreaming about this Clydesdale on a Single Speed. Somehow I managed to maintain this dream until just hours before race time as I arrived at Lodi Farms to meet up with my friend and rival, fellow Clydesdale, Chris Redlack.
After a short social loop around the campground with Chris I resigned myself to racing Duo. I had tried to psych myself up for this in the days leading up to the event. While packing earlier that day I was conviced enough that Duo was my destiny that I packed away enough gear for 6 laps; 6 fresh shorts, 6 City Bikes shirts, an assortment of socks…. gloves, shoes, glasses and helmet would have to be reused. At the registration table we were asked to present our names…. being more literal than creative I called us what we are… RIVALS AND FRIENDS. We walked back to the camp and got ready to race. (more…)
some of Gary’s Photos at Lodi Farms
Poolesville Pain
by Evan
Well you got the jist from Eric’s and Chris’s reports. Attacked, decided to stick it out - a move that was a lap too early and proved fruitless. Lesson learned. Sat up, but when two riders bridged decided to stuff myself back into the hurt locker. Things were looking good, especially since one of my break companions was NCVC and there were 12 more back in the pack, presumably working for him. When he flatted, the game was up. My other break partner just had more energy and pulled away slowly after the dirt section. In hindsight I should have buried myself and stayed on his wheel….because he won. Still pisses me off. Oh well. That’s racing - lesson learned. Thanks to Eric and Judd for helping launch me and suffering to keep me away - for whatever it was worth - at least the majority of other roadies think were f*ing crazy - especially with the Lodi double up…
Army of Two: DCMTB/City Bikes Tackles Poolesville Road Race
by Eric
Poolesville was almost over for me with in the first 15 minutes. We got to the hard right onto the gravel road and I took a horrible line, way left into deep gravel. I couldn’t pop out of it with out losing control of the bike, but staying in it was going to put me into a ditch.
Not a good place to be.
Coming out of the gravel we hit smooth road. A gap had opened from the main group. Looking around I knew that most of riders around me were going to get dropped their faces were flush and few of them were completely punched. Sitting in was not an option. I bridged up bringing a few riders with me. I was safely back in the pack.
I spent the next lap moving up, keeping safe and looking for Evan. The plan was to attack and counter-attack until Evan got away. Hopefully with a member of one of the larger teams so they would be forced to work the front and keep breaks from forming. Instead, Evan launches a massive counter off and early attack. It was meant to soften the pack, but he got away…
You gotta take what they give you.
Thinking the break may not stick I continued to move forward. I wanted to attack when Evan was reeled back in. But after a half lap Evan was still away. The situation was not ideal. It was a small break, no big teams and it was early in the race but we had to make it work.
Soon, the small break turned into just Evan and I had to go to work. I made a big move to front and stole third wheel. Never pulling, I kept the pack from forming an organized chase. “Easy enough” I though I could keep this up all day.
Then solo attacks starting going off the front. I was forced to cover making one of two things to happen:
The attacker would bridge pulling me along with him, putting Evan and I in the break together.
or
The pack would respond and pull attack back in.
Either way… Evan stays away.
Later Evan told me and extra rider or two in the break would have helped, but nothing goes to plan. We are not pros. No radios, no director and no team car, you do what you can and try to have fun in process.
After about a lap of covering attacks, I crack. If you only have so many matches to burn in a race, I had used the entire book and lost the cute girls phone number scribbled on the inside. I drift to back to try and recharge for the sprint.
Evan still keeps away for another half a lap. His effort is huge. Unlike anything I have seen in Cat 4 racing. Breaks almost never work and no one stays away for over twenty miles.
It just doesn’t happen.
During my hiatus from the front, two riders bridge to Evan. One attacks form the break and gets away. Evan is caught 2 kilometers from the line. I slowly work my way to a good spot for the sprint. But a crash from the master’s race causes a shuffle and I am pushed deep into the pack. I pinball my way to line hoping for a top ten but only manage 22nd. Evan holds on for 12th. Not the result we were looking for but representing DCMTB/City Bikes on the Road as a legal team.
Lodi: the Branch and the Log (aka Double Trouble)
by Chris
My story begins at 6 am on Saturday as I roll out of bed and begin getting ready for the Poolesville Road Race, a mere appetizer for the 12 Hours of Lodi Farm. The good thing about having two events in a row is that I was more focused on just completing them than worried about results. I probably wouldn’t have considered doing both races if Joel Gwadz hadn’t planted the seed at a particularly debauched team meeting. Evan Ellicott and Eric Welp apparently suffered from the same poor judgment as I because they readily agreed to take part in this hair-brained scheme. Like many an ill-considered adventure, it sounded like a good idea at the time.
I picked up Eric Welp, made the obligatory stop at Starbucks, and soon we were cruising. My 42.5 mile race in the 40+ age group consisted of long stretches of boredom punctuated by a few moments of terror as folks stacked it entering the 1.5 mile gravel section and otherwise demonstrated an inability to ride straight. Attrition, primarilly through flats, slimmed my field from 75 to about 40. I got separated from the field briefly on the last lap as some bonehead who couldn’t negotiate the transition from pavement to gravel dropped his bike sideways blocking most of the road. I managed to push my way around the carnage using one foot. After that, it was pretty easy to chase back on the gravel and resume my customary position at the back of the field where I can crack jokes and eat bon-bons without endangering my fellow riders.
A three man break had gone away on lap two with riders from three of the four main teams, including Bill Luecke from my adopted road team, NCVC. Despite having a gazillion riders in the race, Coppi’s failed to mount a decent chase and seemed content to simply attack each other. DCVelo, LSV and the other NCVC riders pretty much snuffed every attempt to bridge so the break stayed away with Luecke winning the sprint for his second Poolesville victory. That’s got to feel good.
Meanwhile back in the pack, I’m feeling pretty fresh because I haven’t done a lick of work in the race and move forward in the group as we near the finish. Fortunately for me, the race really winds up in the last few kilometers which strings it out enough that I can move into about eighth wheel hitting the last turn. I give it full throttle into the turn and hear that horrible sound of metal on pavement behind me and to my left. No time to look back and see what happened. In front, a small train of LSV riders are leading out the sprint followed by an NCVC teammate, a DCVelo rider, and a few others who I can’t recall clearly. They have put a small gap between us but I close it without too much problem and use my momentum to pull into third spot. I’m forced to slow a bit as I get squeezed to the right edge of the road by the front two LSV riders. I see a sign. Two hundered meters to go. Ugh, I hope I don’t fade. Giving it one last desparate surge, I pass the second LSV rider and draw nearly even with the leader but he remains about half a wheel ahead at the line. I’m second in the field sprint and fifth in the race. Not too shabby for a part time roadie who is foolish enough to sit at the back most of the time. I had 23.6 mph average for the race but it really didn’t seem very fast, at least from where I sat. I’m guessing the guys in the break had a different sort of experience.
Eric and Evan were much more active in the Cat 4/5 race. Evan took a twenty mile (!!) solo flier but was caught about a mile from the line. Eric covered numerous attacks serving as Evan’s army of one in the group. They both finished in the main group with Evan about 12th and Eric about 20th. Race number one was in the bag.
Elation gives way to exhaustion as I pack for Lodi. Shaking it off for the time being, I get rolling and arrive around 6 pm at the farm. Camping spots are limited but I find an allegedly poison ivy infested area that others have shunned. Park the car over where the ivy seems most prevalent, pitch the tent on the other side, chat with fellow CityBikers, and wait for Eric and Evan. After they arrive and we register, I try to sleep before the race starts and manage to get a few hours rest. I awake to the false countdown (“Riders do not move!”) and subsequent Lemans-style stampede. I’m confused as the stampede returns a few minutes later and then realize that Evan has to run more than he bargained for. Major bummer. I’m feeling a little low but dress and wait for Evan to finish his two laps. Evan has some mechanical troubles on his first lap but gets faster on the second. I start my laps and immediately begin passing folks, even though I feel like I was taking it easy at first. I accidently unplug my handlebar light but have no problems navigating with the helmet lamp so I just leave it unplugged. Most of this lap is a blur but I am pleased to hear that I finish it in 57 minutes. The next lap is a bit easier because I know what to expect. I have few problems until around two miles to go, just past the whoop-de-dos, when I come into a dropping left turn a little too hot, overbreak with the hydrolics, and fly headfirst over the handlebars into a log. Big crack. It was one of those moments where you think “oh, snap, I’ve done it now.” I split my helmet in two but was unhurt and, amazingly, I didn’t even lose my light. So I jump back on the bike, pretend the accident never happened, and finish lap two in 55 minutes. Sweet.
Back at camp, I pound some ibuprofen, try to eat with only marginal success, and get out of my nasty riding gear. I spend the next couple of hours in a miserable damp state between sleep and conciousness. My feet won’t warm up and everything feels cold and wet. In short, I feel pretty sorry for myself.
Eric, like many others, had an encounter with the Branch on his first lap. He smashed his helmet light and had to depend on the kindness of strangers to get around the rest of the course. We lost some pretty significant time but, other than this kerfuffle, we had a clean run so we can’t really complain. Eric rode well his second lap and Evan began to show his stuff on his next lap.
I rode my hardtail on my first daylight lap, turning it in 54 minutes. I must say that I am totally sold on full suspension bikes and hydrolic breaks now. Even though the hardtail was adequate, I had a much better time riding the Titus. In fact, my last lap on the Titus was done in 53 minutes. With increasing fatigue, growing course familiarity and the last lap effect pulling in different directions, I can’t say objectively which bike was faster but I know for sure which was more fun to ride. Titus all the way.
Eric rides a fast last lap which forces Evan to go out for his fifth lap. He blazes it in an amazing 51 minutes and we finish with 13 laps in third place out of five expert teams. The other two expert teams finished about 20 minutes ahead of us and we never really challenged them. Overall, I am pleased with our result and really enjoyed the event, at least when I wasn’t feeling ill or shivering in my tent. Congratulations to the other DCMTB/CityBikes riders who competed, even you uppity sport-class riders who insolently whipped us good. DCMTB/CityBikers were a real presence at the race and our team results were impressive. Mad props to Eric and Evan for being great teammates and for bringing the beer!
12 Hours of Lodi Farm
by Tris
I had a blast at Lodi this year. I went solo and completed 6 laps. I decided to ride solo for a number of reasons: First, I had to go to Michigan on Friday and was flying back in on Saturday night. I was scheduled to get in at 9, but if anything went wrong, I didn’t want to let a teammate down. Plus, after traveling, I might be really tired and decide I just didn’t want to do it. Also, I didn’t like feeling under pressure to perform because I had teammates counting on me. And finally, I knew I could ride 100 miles, since I did the Wilderness 101 last summer, so I should be able to do at least 4 laps with no problem, and finally, doing the race was the only chance I had to ride this weekend.
So, I arrived at National at 9 PM feeling good and like I wanted to do the race. I called Mike and asked him to register me, I would be there in about an hour. I had packed everything I would need beforehand, and Mike (he’s the bestsest) dragged it all to Lodi for me, even sacrificing bringing his single speed so that he could bring my bike for me in case I decided to race.
I jumped in my car, and headed south towards Lodi, hoping to find a Starbucks and a place to get some cash on the way. Finally, on route 3 in Fredericksburg after the route being Starbucks free, there it was!! I did a quick u-turn at the next light and got myself a triple grande soy latte. Then I found Lodi without any wrong turns, thanks in large part to having been there before.
I arrived and parked at about 10:45, collected all my gear from my car and Mike’s jeep and madly started getting ready. At 11:50, I finally got to putting in my contacts and strapping my light on with an extra battery strapped to my bike frame. Everyone else was lined up for the start, and luckily the first countdown didn’t count, because I missed that one. But I got down there just before the siren. In hindsight, I kind of wish I had just stayed by the ez-up and started after everyone else finished running.
I did two laps and REALLY enjoyed myself. I had set the minimum goal of 4 laps, since that is what I had done last year in a duo, and because that is what Mike did last year as a solo (he did have some mechanical problems, though). But I set my real goal at 6 laps…thinking that would bring me in at just over 50 miles.
I just loved riding along in the middle of the night with no one around, only to see the occasional headlight through the trees. The course was much easier than last year simply because it was dry. After two laps, having gone through 2 of my three batteries, I decided to take a nap until 6 AM because my batteries were barely lasting a lap and I did not want to end up out there without a light, after bringing in two riders without lights on my last lap. But I also thought this would mean I would only get in 5 laps. But I was okay with that.
I started up again a little before 7. It seemed like a completely different trail in the light. I wasn’t really keeping track of how long my laps were taking, but figured I could get in 3 more laps without too much of a problem. I was not out there to place, but just to get in a good ride and see what I could do.
After two more laps, I realized I might be able to fit in a 6th lap! I was still feeling pretty good, since I was really going at a pretty easy pace. I was also taking it easy because I am already in physical therapy for a bike-related shoulder injury, and did not want to risk falling and making it worse now that I was finally seeing some improvement.
On my 5th lap, I decided that if I could get in before 11:30, I would do a 6th lap. My 5th lap felt like my fastest, though I was also starting to get tired, so it is really hard to tell. As I was riding along, a guy was walking next to the trail, I asked if he was okay. He said he was fine, but busted his chain. He didn’t have a chain tool, so I stopped and gave him mine. I was going to wait, but then realized I was going to be close to my self-imposed 11:30 deadline, and waiting would mean I would miss it. I told him to drop off my chain tool at the CityBikes truck and went on my way.
Then wouldn’t you know it, my chain starts making crunchy noises. Getting paranoid, I cross the stream at about 11:22, meeting my deadline and with enough time to spare to lube my chain and see if I can borrow someone else’s chain tool, because of course my chain will break now that I don’t have a tool. Chris Clarke handed me his mini tool, Evan helped me lube my chain, and I went on my way for a 6th lap. (It was really great having all the City Bikes folks there!!!)
I started to feel some pain on this lap. My inner quads were starting to cramp, so I walked a couple of hills I had biked every other lap. The back of my right knee was feeling weird. My bad shoulder occasionally stabbed with pain. But I knew this was my last lap, so I pushed through.
So I finished around 12:45 or so. I am really psyched I rode over 50 miles. I think I finished 5th out of 6 starting solo women. Great training for the rest of the season on a really fun course with some really great people!!
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