DCMTB

8/29/09

18 Hours of Scouts Honor

For the 2009 race season, this was to be my last mountain bike relay race. Scouts Honor is probably the best bang for buck relay race in the Mid-Atlantic Region. It takes place at a boy scouts camp that has cabins, teepees and a fort you can stay in–or you can camp out. The added bonus compared to other races is indoor plumbing for toilets and showers and even an A/C mess hall with free breakfast!

Ian going Solo

The DCMTB Team was to be comprised of Darren, Mike, Tyler and Leland. Mike unfortunately got hurt in a wreck 2 weeks prior and was not able to attend. We had decided just to give it a go as a 3-person team in the 4-person division and use it for training for the SM100. One big hurdle is getting to the race. It happens to be the same weekend that many kids are going back to college, so a 2-hr trip took us 4 hours.

We get to the race 15 minutes before the required team meeting, and at registration we ended up picking up a random rider whose name was Mike. Coincidence? He was the Hawley rep for Richmond. I asked him if he was fast and he said he was expert skills and sport level fast, so I figured he would be ok. We set up our camp site right on the course so that once someone came by, you would have five minutes to get down to the start/finish.

The Start

It was decided that I would do the first lap. The race had a casual roll out lap and then we were on the race course. I tried to stay near Calvin and Ian (a new DCMTB member). I ended up passing them both and hooked up with the lead group. We were going around and I was feeling pretty good. The trail was really fast, and at this point it was too dry, being a little washed out at the corners. I was starting to feel a little itchy, and I noticed that there was a fast single speeder that was about three riders in front of me that wasn’t going as fast as I would like on the straightaways. I went to look ahead and had an out-of-nowhere pedal strike on an isolated rock. I then was bucked off my seat, riding my top tube, veering off toward a destined wreck. I ended up in a four-foot ditch off the trail, very stunned. I tried to get my wits about me and get back on the trail. Surprisingly, no one had come up behind me yet. We must’ve had a 30-40 second gap. So I get back on the bike and for the next two miles I’m kind of out of it, but riding ok. I ended up finishing the lap with a 46.

The rest of the guys put in solid laps with Tyler doing a low 50s and Leland putting in I think a 50 and our new recruit Mike putting in something in the mid-50s.

2nd Lap

The Scouts Honor race is different from most races because it is mostly a nighttime race. It starts at 4 p.m. and goes until 10 a.m. On my second lap I was hoping to get it in before nightfall. I went blazing out of the gates and was really feeling good. Since I had already done one lap I was more familiar with the terrain and was able to take my lines a little better. I passed Calvin and several other riders and then came upon one of the two unicyclists in the race. I was calling out, “Behind you. Behind you. I’m coming behind you,” but that did not seem to make him pull to the side of the trail. So I ended up right on his wheel during a rooty downhill section. He then wrecked. On a side note, when unicyclists wreck, they don’t wreck like mountain bikers. When unicyclists wreck, they jump off the bike and leave the unicycle right in the trail. I ended up hitting his tire with my front tire, which then exploded my front tire off my rim (I was running tubeless stands with UST rims). I swore, which I don’t usually do, because our team was in one of the top two positions at the time. That was kinda the unicyclist’s fault (I did talk to him later and he said he had called out to me, but I was not able to hear what he was saying). What was my fault was that I had a hole in my spare tube that I had not used for a year, and my air cartridges were not working correctly. I ended up messing around for 20 minutes on the trail until several people came and helped me, giving me a tube and air. So that lap turned into a 1:09, with me having to use my light for the second half of the lap. The other guys pulled pretty strong laps and so although we went from second to third, we were looking good.

3rd Lap

On the third lap, I went out on a mission to try to recoup some of that time that I’d lost on the flat. I really pushed it on the hills and tried to keep a fast pace through the corners. I was finding that I was having to dig a little bit deeper than I would’ve liked on the uphills to keep my momentum going. I ended up pulling in a 46 minute lap–about the same speed as my first lap in the daylight–which was pretty incredible for me since my night laps are usually five to ten minutes slower depending on the course. Everyone else pulled some decent laps, keeping us firmly in third place.

4th Lap

The fourth lap is the dreaded lap of all…it is the late night/early morning lap. I went out at 3 a.m. or so and wanted to keep it going. I had eaten well and stretched out, so I was ok physically. My main issue during this lap was my focus. I kept trying to keep myself looking 20 feet up the trail, but my focus kept going to five feet in front of my bike, which made me react to the trail instead of anticipating turns. Also, during turns I found myself leaning instead of manhandling the bike like I should’ve. The fatigue had really started to set in. To keep my momentum going, I was using a lot lower gear so I could spin up the wheel quickly. I was also having to stand a lot more to keep the pressure on the pedals and keep my pace going unless I wanted to downshift and just granny up stuff. I came in with my slowest lap at I think around 51. Tyler was having the same problems as I was with the focusing on the trail, and everyone else pulled their slowest laps as well.

Around this time, we were looking at results to see how far back we were, and we noticed that we were in 2nd place. We didn’t think this was possible because the team that we were behind was pulling 45-minute laps with some of the riders. We found out that they must’ve gone too hard and two of their riders had some really bad knee troubles, so they decided to pull out instead of riding the rest of the race with 2 team members.

Last Lap

I ended up with the dawn lap, and I made the bold choice of bringing no lights. I find that the dawn and sunset laps are some of the hardest because you’re typically dealing with natural light and artificial light on the trail. What is always great about the last lap is that you can leave it on the trail. When I went out the fatigue was still there, but my focus and reacting was a lot better than before. Just like a wet sponge, I squeezed all the water out, and I ended up pulling a 47 for the lap. Tyler pulled a pretty good lap and said he was pretty beat. Leland, “the young buck,” was determined to do a good lap even though I don’t think he had to. He ended up pulling his second-fastest lap of the race. The final times were confusing because we didn’t know exactly where we were. When Leland came in, he was battling against the person behind him, but we had to triple check to ensure that that person’s team was actually a lap behind us. We ended up being a lap ahead–so Mike, our substitute rider, did not have to go out. We finished our race around 9 o’clock instead of around the 10 o’clock time.

Final Thoughts

• Leland was the revelation of the race. I believe with his motocross skills, he was really able to rip up the course and he put up some really fast times. Being that this kid is only 22, he is only going to get better.
• The course was great–a combination of Lodi and Schaeffer Farms. Would be a good course for a single speed.
• The dew was insane…but with the course being so dusty, the dew made the night laps really great on the trail. Unless it was in your tent, however, all of your stuff was wet.
• Special thanks to Sara for coming down. Even though she wasn’t able to see the race, she was able to see the awards presentation with us getting 2nd place…and was able to drive my tired self back to my parents’ house for a restful day laying in the lake and in the bed.
• And don’t forget the free breakfast!

Darren 2009, Events, Mountain Bike

Sunday was a day of realizations at the Cranky Monkey race at Wakefield Park. Warming up a little around the parking lots before the race, I couldn’t tell how my legs were feeling, but thought I’d be okay. I had done an easy lap around Rosaryville the day before and was feeling pretty strong, and I was hoping Sunday would be no different. After feeling so tired during the previous Sunday’s 90 mile road ride, however, I still wasn’t too sure I was completely recovered after doing so well at the Iron Mountain 100K two weeks earlier. My mental state was somewhat of a wait-and-see at the starting line. My first realization of the day occurred about a 1/4 mile into the single track, as I was constantly braking so I didn’t run into the guy in front of me. Realization: be more aggressive at the start and avoid being slowed down by riders less able to carry momentum through the turns and technical sections. After another 7 or 8 minutes behind this guy, I finally called out, “I’ve _got_ to get around you guy. Can I get a pass?” He was very kind and immediately pulled to the left to let me go around on the right. After that I was pretty quickly able to make it back up to some faster guys ahead of me.

The temperature in the woods wasn’t too bad, but every time we came out into the open and the sunshine my core temperature quickly climbed to uncomfortable levels. The water stations then became not so much opportunities to hydrate as to douse my neck, back, and front with cold water. I was able to pass one or two competitors at the water stations on the second and third laps, as they slowed way down to collect themselves. The trail itself was in really good shape, with just a few slippery roots in some turns that had stayed damp. Except for those turns, I was able to rail everything pretty hard.

Starting the second lap I was surprised to see in the distance Evan going back into the singletrack at the end of the road section. I was doing better than I thought if I was able to catch even a glimpse of Evan. I also had my second realization about that time: yogurt, even if eaten 2 1/2 hours before the start of a race, doesn’t make a good race day breakfast. Oh well. In the tight singletrack on the second lap I could tell I wasn’t as fast as on the first lap, but my legs were holding up fairly well and I was able to keep close to the three faster guys in front of me, who I was later to learn were 4th, 5th, and 6th on that lap. I saw Tom Mackay had pulled out at one of the water stations, so that brought me closer to the front, and I also passed one of the guys I’d been chasing as he nearly stopped to take some fluids. It was then that I believe I moved into 5th place. John Claman bobbled the big (but shrinking) log-over in the woods, and I was able to slip by him for a while. But he had just been pacing the guy in 3rd, and at the first opportunity he went by to reclaim 4th, and shortly after that, 3rd.

Passing the timing tent to begin the 3rd lap I had another realization. I was getting beat up by the roots, and the core muscles around my middle were fatigued. I had chosen to use the rigid fork for this race, but I’m so much faster with the suspension fork, I really should just keep it on the bike during the racing season. I also soon realized that my gear choice was a little tall, as I wasn’t really spinning out anywhere, and my legs were becoming fatigued from using more strength than a smaller gear ratio would have required. If I do this race again, it’ll be with a suspension fork, and 34×20 or 32×18 gears. At this point in the race I decided that my goal now was to keep my current position. I was able to keep 4th place in sight, and we’d been passing the tail end of the expert classes fairly continuously since about halfway through the 2nd lap, so I new I hadn’t slowed too significantly, and I couldn’t detect anyone coming up behind me except for the 3 or 4 “sport” class racers that would pass me during the 3rd lap. So the 3rd lap was all about keeping it together and just keeping a good pace without blowing up. I succeeded in that, and finished the race in the same 5th position I’d held for most of the 2nd and 3rd laps.
All in all a fun race, and I had a good time. Next up, the Wilderness 101!

Darren Mountain Bike, Race Reports

Check out the pics if you can’t see the slide show http://picasaweb.google.com/lovedabikes/12HoursOfCrankyMonkey2009#

Darren 2007, 2009, Mountain Bike, News

12 Rojas Raul DCMTB Fueled by WholeFoods Market

By Raul

A couple of weekends ago, I participated in my first race this year. Rockburn Reloaded in Elkridge, MD was the second XC race I have done so far. Cranky Monkey at Wakefield was my first one last year. With little experience, it is hard for me to compare this race to others but I can say that I really enjoyed this race and I would do it again next year. The course was not too technical and rather fast.

I raced as a Cat2, 19-39, formerly the Sport category. The field was pretty big, over 50 people, I think. Since I don’t really know any of the other racers, I could not tell before the race who was fast and who wasn’t. I knew during the CX season last year that if I was close to John Rogers, I was doing well. During this race, I only recognized Mike Birner who is a solid Elite Master CX racer. I was expecting that he was going to be in the top 10 or better. My goal before the race was also to be in the top 10 but I was not sure whether it was a good idea to try to stay close to him. I was a little worried that I would run out of gas late in the race. I couldn’t decide whether to give as much as I could at the beginning or take a more conservative approach and just ride my own pace.

I really did not have too much time to think about my strategy because a couple of minutes after I got to the start line in a good position on the second line, the judge said “Go!” I wasn’t prepared for the start, mentally or physically. My bike felt that it was not in the right gear and who knows what else. All I know is that probably half of the field passed me during the start-sprint.  So if I had a plan to stay close to Mike Birner or the top 10, that plan was immediately scrapped. Once I reacted and got going, my new goal was to pass as many people as I could to get to some good position. I knew that about 20 people were ahead of me at the start so, if I could pass about 10 of them, I would have a good race.

That basically summarized my race. I rode as hard as I could and passed people along the way. At some point, I was passed by the winner of the 40+ Cat2 and the Single Speed Cat winner as well. Near the end of the second 5-mile loop, I saw Mike Birner and, for the remainder of the race (we did three 5+ mile loops), I chased him but never really got to him. I finished 12th in the end. I could not beat a couple of guys at the last sprint, by then because my legs were cooked. The top 8 guys were totally racing a different race. They were really fast (to my standards at least) and I never got to see any of them.

Overall, this event felt more like a cyclocross than an mtb race. It was very fast with short climbs and not too technical. There weren’t really any down hills or flats on which to recover. I was pedaling hard the whole time. I felt after the race that a top 10 finish in this Cat2 race for me is within reach, it depends of course, on who shows up that day.

Excuse my Spanglish!
Raul “la maquina tica”

Darren 2009, Mountain Bike

No this is not the new DCMTB outfit, but was supporting Family Bikes our new shop sponsor until the new Kit comes in.

The first race is in the books for DCMTB in 2009.  Not the most stellar ride, but Darren showed that a DCMTB rider doesn’t quit when they are down.

From Darren Biggs

I drove down on Friday and got to the Blue Ridge School, about 15 miles northwest of Charlottesville, Virginia, just in time to do a pre-ride of the course.  During the pre-ride, I was thought that it was the hardest mountain bike race course that I have ever done.  And that was on the beginner loop which was around 7-8 miles long.  The course had some massive climbs and lots of technical rock sections. It reminded me of a cross between Big Bear and Gambril but without the fast sections besides a lone doubletrack downhill.

After the 1st Lap

RaceDay
As usual, I got up with plenty of time but still didn’t leave on time.   I got to the race site in perfect weather with just 20 minutes before my race goes off.  I lined up at the back of the expert field and that was where I would stay all day.  My game plan was to ride fast, but not to push myself like I did last year at Greenbrier.  I am not in shape so I knew that I needed the miles, and a good hard effort would help my conditioning.

Lap 1
Course had cleaned up since Friday.  There were only like three sections that I needed to scamper though.  I was riding pretty consistently.  I passed one guy on the trail but he was the last person I would pass.

Lap 2
For the sport and expert riders after lap one, the race course included another climb up some switchback with a bunch of rocks laying around.  I kept a pretty good pace up the climb and, by this time, I am riding with the top sport guys.  I was able to get through a tricky rocky section which had a cheering spectator. After that climbing effort, I was starting to feel my back so I started thinking about quitting after the second lap and calling it a day. I wanted to finish so I rode conservatively to have enough energy for the third lap and final.

Lap 3
After my second lap, I told my cheering section that I would need 1:10 to complete another lap.  Boy was I wrong! On the third lap, it was all I could do to just keep pedaling. I no longer took the steep downhill sweepers as fast because I didn’t want to wreck. I had to walk more of the short steep grunters where I was able to ride before. My lack of base miles was really showing that last lap, I started to get muscle cramps. By half way through the second lap, I went from racing to riding and then, in the third lap, I went from riding to just surviving. It was right about this time that one of the two expert female racers passed me. I was almost done but the super slow grass section to the finish almost killed me.

after racing 3:45, ouch!

I don’t have my official results but here are the stats:

24 miles
4600 feet of elevation!!
Race time: 3:45
It was the longest XC (not enduro) race I have ever done.  For reference, the Greenbrier NORBA Mid-Atlantic National qualifier only took 2:07.

Things that went well:

• The Vining Cabin was a great base for the weekend with the other couples.  We did a winery, got to see the horses, and play some games.
• The pre-ride was beneficial because I knew that I was going to need to “save” myself.
• Making an effort to lockout the front shock and stand for parts of certain climbs helped.
• Not overly stressing my lower back and ruin my season.
• Actually got through the mental hurdle of doing the third lap.
• Putting in a just barely sub-4 hour hard effort in nice weather should help the conditioning.
• I rode two obstacles on the course I didn’t believe I could ride.

What I learned:

• I need to train on an indoor trainer or do spinning class in the winter.
• The Stannardsville area has some good biking (did a cross dirt ride here last year).
• I still need to work on my technical skills.
• I need to replace my cables and drive train soon.
• The course that I thought was maybe too hard for a race was actually a great course. If they put berms on a couple of turns and correct 2-3 approaches to rock gardens, it will be about perfect.

Darren 2009, Mountain Bike, News, Race Reports

From March 14

There was to be a pre-ride at the bakers dozen course so we decided to have a DCMTB ride since several of us were going to be there. We had Tom, Lynne, Scardiville on his new custom 29er with nice compact crankset. Mike Sweeney a new DCMTB recruit came out but had drank too much the night before-bad mt. biker , Chris and Mark rounded out the group. We rode the trail, and they are running it backwards from last year, but the same way as the first Bakers Dozen. Scardiville was leading us out on the new bike, with myself following behind. Everything was going great until I stopped to tighten my seat post clamp, and I broke the bolt! So I did the rest of the ride standing and sitting on my seat that was slowly going down into my seat tube. I quit after one lap, but the others did another. I think halfway through their next lap the rain finally came that had been forecasted. I found out that the issue with my seatpost slipping was the seat collar. The Salsa seat collar which is nice, was a tad big, once I put on an old Gary Fisher quick release the seatpost stayed pat. I am for the Bakers dozen race, but also sad cause our teammate Samantha will not be there cause of her operation and recuperation(get better soon). So not sure who Mike K. and I will race with.

Darren Mountain Bike, News

Tom Vaughn and Lynne Oliver represented DCMTB at EX2’s inaugural Day of Endurance. Not only did they win the coed duo class in the 6 hour MTB race, they beat all the duo teams for 3^rd overall. Lynne is especial happy to have beaten all the boys, while Tom was just happy to have raced having bruised the heck out of his ribs while preriding the day before.

The course at Rocky Gap State Park was like two courses in one; one section climbed up into Gambril-like rock gardens with a screaming descent back to the mostly smooth and fast lakeside section. There was also some very Lodi-like twisty-turny sections as well, making it a varied and fun course. Jim Harman of EX2 said everybody loved the course and will be doing it again next year.

Thanks to Jim and everybody at EX2 for an expertly run race and thanks to our sponsors: City Bikes, Merkle, Whole Foods P Street, Continuum Energy Solutions, Serfas, SRAM, The Looking Glass Lounge and WTB.

Tom Vaughn 2008, Mountain Bike

The weather was warm and conditions dry and dusty at Quantico for the last of the three race Cranky Monkey series. Matt Donahue, Tris Newbury, Lynne Oliver, Mike Scardaville, Tom Vaughn, Eric Welp and Jon Wheaton were present to represent the black and red.

Lynne put the finishing touch on her domination of the Expert Female class taking 1st place again for a perfect score of 150 in the series! Way to go, Lynne! Jonathan placed 4th at Quantico and 4th in the series in the Single-Speed class. On a rigid fork, no less! Tom took 4th place for the series in the tough Expert 35+ class, despite a 7th place finish at Quantico. Also, congrats to our friend Steve Viers for a second place finish in Single-Speed, taking first place in the series!

Thanks to Jim Harman and all at EX2 Adventures for such a well run race series. Thanks to our sponsors: City Bikes, Merkle, Whole Foods P Street, Continuum Energy Solutions, Serfas, SRAM, The Looking Glass Lounge and WTB.

Darren 2008, Mountain Bike, News

By: Jonathan Wheaton

I decided after the first lap of Cranky Monkey #2 at Fountainhead Park in Virginia that the trail there isn’t such a great singlespeed race course. Especially riding fully rigid and having your teeth rattle about in your head. The whole thing is just roots, direction changes and short, steep hills, with very little chance to stay in the saddle and pedal, and taken all together it worked to minimize the advantages of riding a singlespeed. Having said that, it was still a lot of fun to race today.

8 AM this morning found me wolfing down a bowl of hot cereal, then racing down to the car to put a pair of cleats on a brand spanking new pair of biking shoes, to go with a new style of pedals (Crank Brothers) that I had ridden for the first time the day before. I was hoping everything held together, as I’d also installed a new bottom bracket to go with the pedals. At 8:08 AM I was on the road, and after an hour and a half drive I arrived with not much more than 20 minutes to put shoes on, hit the porta-john, get my race packet (thanks for getting that for me Mike!), get everything together, and make it to the line for the 10 am start. No warm up and cold legs is not how I would normally want to start a race, but what the hell, I could warm up during the 2 mile road start. I was on the front line for the start, and a few guys went off quick, spinning like mad. I have a pretty fast spin, but without warming up I just wasn’t feeling too spinny. After the first mile (is it really 2 miles?) I was near the rear of the class of 15 or 16 riders, but was able to make it to mid-pack in the second mile, and was positioned about where I wanted to be going into the woods. Although, after going fast on the road, a few of the guys in front of me were slowing me up on the trail. Whatever, I had determined not to blow myself up in the first few miles, choosing instead to keep a good steady pace and let the engine warm up for a bit.

My legs were feeling good for most of the race, and as the first lap wore on I passed 4 or 5 singlespeeders, until by the end of it I was somehow in 4th place. I didn’t know it at the time though — I thought I was somewhere in the top third but didn’t realize how far up I’d gone. I managed to pass Jonathan Seibold somewhere near the end of the first lap as well, before passing one more guy. During the second lap Seibold recovered from going out too hard and about a third of the way into it I looked back to see where people were and there he was, chasing me down. “Damn. Okay, I can’t let up. I have to keep on pushing hard, see if I can hold onto this position until the end.” For most of the rest of the lap I was looking back periodically. Sometimes I wouldn’t see anyone, and then there he’d be, and I’d think, “Damn, he’s closing on me.” That lap seemed like a long one, with me and my sore back trying to hold onto our gains. As I came to each hill I’d think, “This race is going to be decided on the hills. I have to gas it and give it all I’ve got.” Surprisingly, my legs always felt strong, and even on the steepest hills that were near impossible on a singlespeed I was able to jump off and run up the rest of the way. I can’t remember ever having that kind of fitness. Up the last of the hills I pushed hard and kept pressure on the pedals, and was finally able to make some distance on Seibold, but he pushed me to give it my all that whole lap. I didn’t know it, but I must have been closing in on third place, as I finished only 24 seconds behind.

So, I got to stand on the podium and collected a 4th place finish pint glass. Sweet! There was a bit of a mix up with the scoring, as originally I didn’t even show up in the singlespeed class at all. Several of the guys let me know this, and I was able to straighten it out with the scorer. Apparently they had recorded my number as 386, but the number they gave me was 286.

There weren’t a whole lot of DCMTB/City Bikes jerseys there today, I think a total of 7 altogether, but we had 5 people on the podium. Tris Newbury took 4th in women’s sport, Joel Gwadz dominated the clydesdales to take 1st, Tom Vaughn battled the expert vets to get 5th (and that’s a hard class to race in to be sure!), Lynne Oliver stepped on the gas for her third lap in the women’s expert class to soundly beat the woman she trailed for two laps, and I held a steady pace to wind up 4th in the singlespeed class. Great job everyone!

Darren 2008, Mountain Bike, News

I

An hour gets longer
every year. Where is the thunder?
That was Joe Fo — bye.

II

What strange beast took down
Mathias? Six miles is past.
It’s time to smile.

III

Let it flow, faster.
Get past the bunny girl now
before the downhill.
IV

Who added the hills
to this lap? When will that twitch
cramp? Not now, I — ouch.

mdrajem 2008, Mountain Bike, News