DCMTB

The first of the DC CX clinics had some ladies to enjoy the nice weather.  Next week the boys are added to the mix.

2009 DCMTB Cyclocross Clinics:

Introduction to some basic skills. Plus drills and practice course

First four Wednesdays of September at Fort Reno, DC:  6:15 – ~7:30 (light permitting)
Sign-up on-site at 6pm.

9/2, DC-ChiX (w

omen only). Instructor: Arley Kemmerer, Hub Racing

9/9- DCMTB’s Marc Gwadz with Arley Kemmerer and Marjan Huizing of Kenda Racing

9/16 Mike Birner of Mid-Maryland Coaching

9/23 Wes Schempf of C3- Athletes Serving Athletes, defending MAC and MABRA-CX Series  Elite Champion.

Free for USAC -licensed riders.
$5  for unlicensed riders. (for one-day USAC event fee)

Fort Reno bandstand: http://tinyurl.com/5w25gx

Darren 2009, Press Releases

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

DCMTB Cyclocross Clinics (free*)

Introduction to some basic skills. Plus drills and practice course

First four Wednesdays of September at Fort Reno, DC:  6:15-7:15.
Sign-up on site at 6pm.

9/2, DC-ChiX (women only): Arley Kemmerer, Hub Racing, instructor

9/9 Mike Birner, Mid-Maryland Coaching on 9/16.

9/16

9/23 Wes Schempf- 2008 Elite MAC and MABRA-CX Champion

Marc Gwadz and other instructors as available.
Free for USAC -licensed riders.
*$5  for unlicensed riders. (for one-day USAC event fee)

Fort Reno bandstand: http://tinyurl.com/5w25gx

Additional info and updates can be found at :
http://www.dcmtb.com/blog/dc-cx

Marc 2007, News

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

DCMTB had a great showing out there with

Kent 1st        35+

Joel 1st         Clydesdale

Mike 1st       Single Speed

Chris 4th      45+

Darren 5th   SS

Alex, Cargo Mike, Jonathan, Kent, Darren, Joel, Mike, Kevin, Chris

• The Single Speed race:There were 4 DCMTBers in the race, and all put in good performances.  Cargo Mike was in a good position on the opening climb and he fended off Calvin to take a 1st place in the races.  Jonathan rocketed up the opening climb and then had a bobble on the rock bridge section and lost like 10 spots and was playing catchup the rest of the race.  Kevin was holding his own until a little spill knocked his sigulator out of order and he had to do the best he could after that.  Alex, and Darren had an ok start and were sitting at the tail end of 6 riders for the first lap.  On the 2nd lap Alex took off and Darren bridged back up to him, ad the two increased their lead on the chasers.  At the start of the 3rd lap Alex broke a chain, and gave Darren encouragement and a push.  Darren was able to hold the pace to place a respectable 5th.

• Kent rocked the 35+ field and took a easier win then the week before when he battled DCMTB teammate Brain.

• Joel ran a solid race and was once again king of the big boys in the Clydesdale class.

From the Vet 4 5+ race -Chris Clarke

I made it to the third Wednesday at Wakefield race yesterday for the 45+ race.  We had a large field of about 40 riders which amply demonstrates the aging demographics of the mtb racing world.  I wasn’t feeling too hot and, in general, I am not in very good form but it was a beautiful evening for a bike race so I was happy to give it a whirl.

They actually had call ups and I slotted into the front row based on my 2^nd place in the first race.  Last week, I thought it was going to rain and went for an afternoon ride instead of the race but the clouds miraculously parted around Wakefield and any hope of a good series finish vanished for me.  Oh well . . .

The much dreaded sprint up the hill left me in third slot which was perfectly fine.  I was gasping but managed to recover ok while staying close to Tony from PVC who was the second rider.  I heard wheels directly behind me but I sensed the first four of us had gapped the rest of the field pretty well by the end of the creek trail.  I was still in my comfort zone until the gas line when Barry from Bike Lane turned on the afterburners and passed me.  It was all I could do to draft him back to the singletrack.  We were flying but Dave from PVC had disappeared up the trail by midway through the first lap and we never saw him again.  Tony, Barry and I were glued together until the last creek crossing where a rider we were passing botched the line and, momentarily distracted when Barry slowed to avoid him, I crashed off the right side.  I thought it was race over for me but I caught them again when they had slow to pass a gaggle of 35+ riders after the power station.

I knew Barry was going to kick it again on the gas line and planned to draft him around Tony when he made the pass.  A cunning plan for sure but I failed to execute and was left behind when the time came.  I was riding pretty comfortably but the race was coming to an end with me just off the podium.  I made three attempts to get around Tony but he fended me off with some strong riding.  My initial attempt had us drag racing side by side to a corner and I couldn’t quite get my shoulders ahead of him so I dropped back instead of forcing it.  Next, I tried to get by on the last steep hill but he closed the door on the left as I made my move and I had nowhere to go.  Finally, I gave a big surge right to the line but came up just inches short.  Barry was a second or two ahead of us.  Both races I have done at Wakefield this year had me, Barry and Tony within three seconds of each other at the end so it doesn’t get much closer than that.  Great racing for sure even if we aren’t the fastest class.

Darren 2005, 2007, News, Road

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

Darren 2007, 2009, Mountain Bike, News

Joe Foley News

So I thought I’d be getting off a slightly easier doing the Michaux Maximus 40 miler, instead of Lodi. Boy was I wrong!

The rain, low temps and fresh trail combined to form a 6 hour and 29 minute slog fest. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten that beat up by a course. I opted for the 40 miler because it fit my training goals for the season – longer XXC races in preparation for the American Mountain Classic 4 day stage race. The rainy forecast didn’t completely turn me away, since Saturday was pretty nice and Sunday’s forecast relatively similar. Not so in Michaux. It was raining steadily when I got there, and continued to rain, in varying intensities throughout the day.

As usual, the Michaux crew put a lot of effort into hosting a good race, but the elements were definitely a challenge this year. I think I’ve only been muddier once before, and that was my first Lodi experience. Mud built up on my bike, covered my glasses and permeated every piece of clothing, bearing, camel back, water bottle, gel packet. I ate a great deal of mud. My glasses became utterly useless 15 miles in, which made the ‘high speed’ fire-road sections difficult because I had to keep my eyes closed for most of those (not the best call). I wished for a front fender many times during the ‘race.’

My other trouble was traction. Climbs, particularly on the newly cut trail, were punctuated by grinding spin-outs with my rear wheel sinking into the loamy trail trying to find purchase, and when finding none, forcing me off of the bike. Downhills, swooping and curving, were dicey. The famed rocks of Michaux were surrounded by buttery mud-fests which had me sliding sideways down the trail with one foot off of the pedal at all times. Technical sections were hazardous and saw me dismounting over terrain I would normally not blink at, as Roger Masse put it afterwards, “when in doubt, dismount.”  I did a lot of dismounting.

I finished 10th out of 23 in my class- I was right on the tail of ninth, by a few feet- we cruised in together, there was no glory in sprinting for a pip… best to just wrap it up calmly. 

My highpoint was at the final aid station (known as desperation station), at mile 37 or something. There was a steep drop-in to the station, I intended on rolling through without stopping. But someone yelled out to me- “Hey MATTY!” It was Larry Camp, volunteering at the aid station. We chatted as I slowed down and grumbled about conditions. I started riding away and he suggestively shouted- “I’ve got a secret stash of beer here, if you want some!?” I turned around and rode back thinking, “at this point, what could it hurt?” I chugged a cup of dark nutty beer. It got a fire going in my gut and I actually felt better than I had for hours. I caught and passed a guy on the 2 mile up-hill slog to the finish. The day will stick in my head as determined but one of the more miserable races I’ve ever done. It was quite a contrast to last week’s 90+ degree day at Greenbriar.

Matt Donahue 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