I did two MOM races (Grove City & Moraine), neither was my best performance and after the last one I ended up with sign that I shouldn't have done it, a cold sore. This is a sure sign I am getting run down, so it's being done with keeping up with everyone for me for awhile and into some easy cross training and relaxing. Congratulations to everyone in MOM, DH and others! There were so many new faces this year too:-)
Justin and lots of others are still racing into the Cyclocross Season.
Now that I have planned to 'rest', I will be working on keeping up to speed on my 'rest' schedule for the next few months. Most of this I do on my own (jog, weights, commute to work), but I find I still need a little more oommph to keep bike rides on schedule around commuting. So, enter the scene of 'group rides'. This creates a perplexing situation, as usual the people that will show up in colder weather never have the same goal in mind, therefore you either have to ride too fast, too slow, too many hills, or no hills, etc.
This year, a trusty but rather fair weathered rider Michelle (TOP) has decided to overcome this obstacle by organizing 'girl rides'. So far, she has got together a group of motivated people hoping to extend the end of summer riding buzz and they are organizing rides like little bees! On the flip side, I have so far decided most of these rides will not be for me. It is time to get used to my new Singlespeed, while giving me the rest I need to get ready for the tough January/February/March months. Hopefully the 'girl rides' will still be going on in those months when I'll really be looking for some reliable buds.....
On-On-Ruth.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Month of Mud
Month of Mud Series, Pgh PA
This is a nice local series held in the areas close to Pgh. Usually I attempt to do them all, but not so much this year.
Justin, on the other hand, has decided to focus on MOM and is so far having fun and doing pretty good. The other DH boys have taken the same stance, as I assume they will all be attending weekly which is good.
Good Luck to everyone racing MOM!
This is a nice local series held in the areas close to Pgh. Usually I attempt to do them all, but not so much this year.
Justin, on the other hand, has decided to focus on MOM and is so far having fun and doing pretty good. The other DH boys have taken the same stance, as I assume they will all be attending weekly which is good.
Good Luck to everyone racing MOM!
Revenge of the Rattlesnake-40 Miler
Well since traveling costs more than it used to, I have had to be more selective with which events I would spend time/money getting to. I've done enough in different areas over the last several years to know those that are my favs and this weekend was one of those. Talking the Pro Bikes pair, Todd & Lee-Ann, into carpooling down was easy so off we were to Davis WV, to the Blackwater Bikes annual Revenge of the Rattlesnake-40mile.
Friday night was the typical drive down and hotel stay....NOT. We got stopped for speeding in a 25 zone, but cop felt like talking about football and didn't give us a ticket! Then we lucked out and unexpectedly got a FAH-REE comfortable place to spend the night. SAH-WEET.
Morning comes I start the ritual of getting ready. Alas, my partners in torture had a different method of getting ready and I was nervous with my routine not the same, but it was ok. This year's course was set point to point, so for those that would need it they set up a shuttle meaning we had to be there extra early before the actual start time. Even though the weather was guaranteed wet and more rain, carousing the bike shop early the expected WV faces started showing up: Jason Cyr, JR Petkso, Ben Klimas, The Riddles, etc. But in the crowd were also lots of Pittsburghers who are well aware of the what the day has in store: Josh Cohen, Don Powers, Brad Schmalzer, TJ Platt (TOP), Holly Forsythe (Pro Bikes), Tom Hong, Matt Ross, Brocc, etc. I was glad to see I am not the only one thinking it was a good idea to drive 3-1/2 hours for this event! I was also glad to realize that several strongest females on this course were not going to be present, alas I picked a perfect one for cherrypick:-) : Sue Haywood(trek) unfortunately still recovering from broken leg, Chrissy Buerkle (pro bikes) got a hook up to Nova Scotia, Betsy Shogren (Cannondale) was doing Cross.
Due to routing the soon to be off limits Dolly Sods North into the course, the start was at Timberline Resort where we caroused the ups and downs that others glide on, headed into Dolly Sods, and finally turned North on our way to Canaan and eventually Davis. When you start at a SKI resort, it is absolutly necessary that you immediately go UP what others ski DOWN. Great way to thin the pack as this hill was friggin long, but very rideable. Not sure if it was the right thing to do, but after my usual lagging start, I got myself to what I thought was 2nd in the row of girls about 1/2 way up the hill (it was actually first, but I had lost track of fast stuff Mandi (Vicious Cycles)). I was very worried that there might be more climbs like this during the day and that I was starting way too fast, but knowing how I am, I always figure I want as many miles under my belt and be that much closer to the finish in case anything bad happens like mechanical, bonk, run out of water, sore butt! Later in the day this approach DID prove to pay off!
Hitting the single track turn after this climb was not quite the recovery period you can usually get, as it actually climbed some more, was loaded with bigger sized baby heads and loose rock for several miles. It wasn't long before out of nowhere, fast stuff Mandi came bombing past me and I never saw her again, although I was really motivated to at least catch a glimpse of her, it never happened.....she was off to first place. A few unlucky, Todd included, missed this turn and continued up the hill for some extra climbing, and then the dreaded effort of catching back to the pack. They passed me as we were getting into the exciting bogs of the Dolly Sods, one of which I took a clipped in spill to, quickly realizing my prized pocketed Peanut M&Ms were now drenched in slime. I laughed as I got my muddy self up as I also realized shifting and holding on were going to become very hard as my gloves and handlebars were covered as well. Off I went, glad so far to see no other females behind me yet.
Riding alone for a huge portion of the course after this, only seeing the unlucky with mechanicals or a few guys in the distance ahead and behind every now and then, was nice and peaceful and I tried to keep remembering it was a RACE and not slow down just because I was alone. Negotiating the course alone takes slightly more effort, and I frantically was looking ahead for pink flags and yellow arrows.
Attempting to fly down the slippery Timberline DH course proved a challenge but I was happy at the bottom because it meant the first third of the course was done, it also meant that the suspicious rattle I had heard before the DH was now miles behind me! Off to the North, and a quick road section with some bumpy horse trail worked in proved to be an area I began to notice a dreaded problem, this was ~mile 20. Too much sandy mud had worked it's way around and was causing the front derailleur and shifter to jam up. Getting stuck in the big ring when going from the road back to the singletrack allowed 3rd place, Eileen, to catch me, smile, say hi, pass me, and spin away. The rest of day would prove a battle between me and the derailleur as I continually banged on it and used 1/2 my water, and several creek crossings to continue to keep cleaning it off after every muddy section. It was getting stuck sporadically, but I still tried to keep shifting, knowing I should have just picked a gear and stuck with it instead, this meant quite a bit of walking/jogging when uphill not always getting out of granny on downs. This meant back and forth with Eileen for the rest of the day.
The Allegheny Trail at ~25 miles started sucking the life out of me, but I kept moving, eating, jogging, and being VERY hopeful that I could somehow still finish second, no hopes of seeing first now. Finally getting to familar territory ~mile 30 and the easier rocky and more dry sandy Plantation Trails was a blessing. I started counting down the miles, figuring no more big climbs and maintaining a pace by finally getting my chain in and staying in the middle ring I finally pushed past Eileen, picked up the pace for the last downhill and then the tricky 'pine tree' section, and hit the gravel road for the sprint to the river crossing that lead to the finish. It was with a mixture of sadness and glory that I realized I had not even gotten to ride a mile with the other Pittsburgh girls, Holly & Lee-Ann, which I expected we would be together more to share in the torture and motivate each other. I found out later they had ridden together for quite awhile and actually finished together only moments behind me. Lee-Ann caught a stick and had rear der. issues, along with losing a screw from her back brake caliper....can you say, 'sucks to be you'? She didn't let it get to her and she rode out the course, made all the time checks, and was happy to reach the end, even with her drowning episode in the last river crossing! (we were clearly instructed it was best to walk this one, but somehow LA missed that and attempted anyway, the mossy rocks taking her down still clipped in and struggling keep her head above water, thanks to Holly and the spectators for saving her life!)
Overall, Pittsburgher's put on good show:
Pgh Men:
1-TJ Platt (TOP) 3:56!
3-Jason Cyr (ex-pgh)
9-Brocc
18-Don Powers
20-Matt Ross (DH)
21-Todd Schoeni-(Pro Bikes)late midnight stiches required!
22-Glenn Martin
30-Josh Cohen (DH)
Pgh Women:
2-Ruth (DH)
6-Holly(Pro Bikes)-WVVUS Series 1st Place.
7-Lee-Ann(Pro Bikes)
Thanks to great hosts, Blackwater Bikes/Matt Marcus and wvmba for great event. And esp to JRP for photos, cheering and just about anything else people ask for!
See full Revenge results: iplayoutside.com
See full Endurance Series results: wvmba.com
Friday night was the typical drive down and hotel stay....NOT. We got stopped for speeding in a 25 zone, but cop felt like talking about football and didn't give us a ticket! Then we lucked out and unexpectedly got a FAH-REE comfortable place to spend the night. SAH-WEET.
Morning comes I start the ritual of getting ready. Alas, my partners in torture had a different method of getting ready and I was nervous with my routine not the same, but it was ok. This year's course was set point to point, so for those that would need it they set up a shuttle meaning we had to be there extra early before the actual start time. Even though the weather was guaranteed wet and more rain, carousing the bike shop early the expected WV faces started showing up: Jason Cyr, JR Petkso, Ben Klimas, The Riddles, etc. But in the crowd were also lots of Pittsburghers who are well aware of the what the day has in store: Josh Cohen, Don Powers, Brad Schmalzer, TJ Platt (TOP), Holly Forsythe (Pro Bikes), Tom Hong, Matt Ross, Brocc, etc. I was glad to see I am not the only one thinking it was a good idea to drive 3-1/2 hours for this event! I was also glad to realize that several strongest females on this course were not going to be present, alas I picked a perfect one for cherrypick:-) : Sue Haywood(trek) unfortunately still recovering from broken leg, Chrissy Buerkle (pro bikes) got a hook up to Nova Scotia, Betsy Shogren (Cannondale) was doing Cross.
Due to routing the soon to be off limits Dolly Sods North into the course, the start was at Timberline Resort where we caroused the ups and downs that others glide on, headed into Dolly Sods, and finally turned North on our way to Canaan and eventually Davis. When you start at a SKI resort, it is absolutly necessary that you immediately go UP what others ski DOWN. Great way to thin the pack as this hill was friggin long, but very rideable. Not sure if it was the right thing to do, but after my usual lagging start, I got myself to what I thought was 2nd in the row of girls about 1/2 way up the hill (it was actually first, but I had lost track of fast stuff Mandi (Vicious Cycles)). I was very worried that there might be more climbs like this during the day and that I was starting way too fast, but knowing how I am, I always figure I want as many miles under my belt and be that much closer to the finish in case anything bad happens like mechanical, bonk, run out of water, sore butt! Later in the day this approach DID prove to pay off!
Hitting the single track turn after this climb was not quite the recovery period you can usually get, as it actually climbed some more, was loaded with bigger sized baby heads and loose rock for several miles. It wasn't long before out of nowhere, fast stuff Mandi came bombing past me and I never saw her again, although I was really motivated to at least catch a glimpse of her, it never happened.....she was off to first place. A few unlucky, Todd included, missed this turn and continued up the hill for some extra climbing, and then the dreaded effort of catching back to the pack. They passed me as we were getting into the exciting bogs of the Dolly Sods, one of which I took a clipped in spill to, quickly realizing my prized pocketed Peanut M&Ms were now drenched in slime. I laughed as I got my muddy self up as I also realized shifting and holding on were going to become very hard as my gloves and handlebars were covered as well. Off I went, glad so far to see no other females behind me yet.
Riding alone for a huge portion of the course after this, only seeing the unlucky with mechanicals or a few guys in the distance ahead and behind every now and then, was nice and peaceful and I tried to keep remembering it was a RACE and not slow down just because I was alone. Negotiating the course alone takes slightly more effort, and I frantically was looking ahead for pink flags and yellow arrows.
Attempting to fly down the slippery Timberline DH course proved a challenge but I was happy at the bottom because it meant the first third of the course was done, it also meant that the suspicious rattle I had heard before the DH was now miles behind me! Off to the North, and a quick road section with some bumpy horse trail worked in proved to be an area I began to notice a dreaded problem, this was ~mile 20. Too much sandy mud had worked it's way around and was causing the front derailleur and shifter to jam up. Getting stuck in the big ring when going from the road back to the singletrack allowed 3rd place, Eileen, to catch me, smile, say hi, pass me, and spin away. The rest of day would prove a battle between me and the derailleur as I continually banged on it and used 1/2 my water, and several creek crossings to continue to keep cleaning it off after every muddy section. It was getting stuck sporadically, but I still tried to keep shifting, knowing I should have just picked a gear and stuck with it instead, this meant quite a bit of walking/jogging when uphill not always getting out of granny on downs. This meant back and forth with Eileen for the rest of the day.
The Allegheny Trail at ~25 miles started sucking the life out of me, but I kept moving, eating, jogging, and being VERY hopeful that I could somehow still finish second, no hopes of seeing first now. Finally getting to familar territory ~mile 30 and the easier rocky and more dry sandy Plantation Trails was a blessing. I started counting down the miles, figuring no more big climbs and maintaining a pace by finally getting my chain in and staying in the middle ring I finally pushed past Eileen, picked up the pace for the last downhill and then the tricky 'pine tree' section, and hit the gravel road for the sprint to the river crossing that lead to the finish. It was with a mixture of sadness and glory that I realized I had not even gotten to ride a mile with the other Pittsburgh girls, Holly & Lee-Ann, which I expected we would be together more to share in the torture and motivate each other. I found out later they had ridden together for quite awhile and actually finished together only moments behind me. Lee-Ann caught a stick and had rear der. issues, along with losing a screw from her back brake caliper....can you say, 'sucks to be you'? She didn't let it get to her and she rode out the course, made all the time checks, and was happy to reach the end, even with her drowning episode in the last river crossing! (we were clearly instructed it was best to walk this one, but somehow LA missed that and attempted anyway, the mossy rocks taking her down still clipped in and struggling keep her head above water, thanks to Holly and the spectators for saving her life!)
Overall, Pittsburgher's put on good show:
Pgh Men:
1-TJ Platt (TOP) 3:56!
3-Jason Cyr (ex-pgh)
9-Brocc
18-Don Powers
20-Matt Ross (DH)
21-Todd Schoeni-(Pro Bikes)late midnight stiches required!
22-Glenn Martin
30-Josh Cohen (DH)
Pgh Women:
2-Ruth (DH)
6-Holly(Pro Bikes)-WVVUS Series 1st Place.
7-Lee-Ann(Pro Bikes)
Thanks to great hosts, Blackwater Bikes/Matt Marcus and wvmba for great event. And esp to JRP for photos, cheering and just about anything else people ask for!
See full Revenge results: iplayoutside.com
See full Endurance Series results: wvmba.com
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wilderness 101
While a lot of pittsburgh MTBers were heading to the super popular 6HOP this weekend, a few DHers traveled to the infamous Wilderness 101 near State College looking for some usual fun. Scott, Justin, Ruth met up with Jake & Steve to claim a large piece of weekend real estate. Once camp was set up, it was out for a little spin on the end of the course. Looked great!
After an evening meeting up with racer-type friends from all over (Mark, Gerry P., Andy G., THE WV clan), good dinner and sleep it was up at 5 to get as ready as you could for the long day. With a 7AM start, the group was off on what would turn out to be a nice hot day promising the usual long mountainous climbs and bumpy descents. Depending on what you have trained for this year, the course treated us all differently, but as with all hard efforts, it's happy to finish whether you had a good day or bad one! A lot pain subsides as you finally reach the home stretch of rail trail leading staight to the partying tunes of the camp site.
Once back, it's a sweet outdoor shower or the creek bath and then to check out the kegs.
Steve---used experience to grab a ---th place!
Justin ---knew what he's getting into, respectable finish----
Jake The Fast Driver---(first MTB 100, will he do another??)--9.5 hours, including the high speed need to bunny hop an opossum munching nest of rats.
Scott-1st Masters ----- & chipper as a squirrel afterwards.
Ruth---head on collision with a R-snake, but didn't speed me up too much. Barely finished, 13 hours.
No pics as it was a busy day, but results posted on shenendoah touring site. Thanks Shenendoah Touring, Chris et al, and all the volunteers for another great ride. For details about the course/event: http://www.mtntouring.com/
After an evening meeting up with racer-type friends from all over (Mark, Gerry P., Andy G., THE WV clan), good dinner and sleep it was up at 5 to get as ready as you could for the long day. With a 7AM start, the group was off on what would turn out to be a nice hot day promising the usual long mountainous climbs and bumpy descents. Depending on what you have trained for this year, the course treated us all differently, but as with all hard efforts, it's happy to finish whether you had a good day or bad one! A lot pain subsides as you finally reach the home stretch of rail trail leading staight to the partying tunes of the camp site.
Once back, it's a sweet outdoor shower or the creek bath and then to check out the kegs.
Steve---used experience to grab a ---th place!
Justin ---knew what he's getting into, respectable finish----
Jake The Fast Driver---(first MTB 100, will he do another??)--9.5 hours, including the high speed need to bunny hop an opossum munching nest of rats.
Scott-1st Masters ----- & chipper as a squirrel afterwards.
Ruth---head on collision with a R-snake, but didn't speed me up too much. Barely finished, 13 hours.
No pics as it was a busy day, but results posted on shenendoah touring site. Thanks Shenendoah Touring, Chris et al, and all the volunteers for another great ride. For details about the course/event: http://www.mtntouring.com/
Monday, July 21, 2008
WVMBA-Valley Falls
After hours of driving from Vermont, the nap at the truck stop and a hurried trip to a real bed, I was up early in MoTown and quickly found the Starbucks. What a good start to a day away from home:-)
The short drive to Valley Falls was nice, the park pretty quaint, hiding all the hills very well as we drove in. Rumor was this one had some climbing, so I wondered what to expect as Valley Falls hasn't been on WVMBA in the last few years.
We roll in and since this race isn't too far of a drive, we see a few more Pgh faces than usual. How nice! It's just Mandi and me for the women ex , Betsy (the usual winner) decided a recovery day was needed after she did really well in Vermont. I knew I was tired but thought this would be a good race for me with the climbing. I soon found out that was dead wrong. The start was a climb and I fell back faster than usual, even the sport pack caught me in what seemed like shorter time than usual. Bummer. This was going to be a long day!
2-1/2 laps later I was suffering to finish, but even that would give me a well needed 19 points for the series, so I rolled in 16 min behind Mandi, glad to be done!
This was a fun (and could have been fast) course, see the write up for more info and a bit of press DH riders got! http://iplayoutside.com/Events/2008/07/10567c.html
The short drive to Valley Falls was nice, the park pretty quaint, hiding all the hills very well as we drove in. Rumor was this one had some climbing, so I wondered what to expect as Valley Falls hasn't been on WVMBA in the last few years.
We roll in and since this race isn't too far of a drive, we see a few more Pgh faces than usual. How nice! It's just Mandi and me for the women ex , Betsy (the usual winner) decided a recovery day was needed after she did really well in Vermont. I knew I was tired but thought this would be a good race for me with the climbing. I soon found out that was dead wrong. The start was a climb and I fell back faster than usual, even the sport pack caught me in what seemed like shorter time than usual. Bummer. This was going to be a long day!
2-1/2 laps later I was suffering to finish, but even that would give me a well needed 19 points for the series, so I rolled in 16 min behind Mandi, glad to be done!
This was a fun (and could have been fast) course, see the write up for more info and a bit of press DH riders got! http://iplayoutside.com/Events/2008/07/10567c.html
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Mt Snow, Vermont
We headed with part of the DH Team and lots of other tri-state racers up to Mt. Snow Vermont for MTB Nationals. I didn't quite qualify for expert license so basically just going along for the trip and will do the sport race to check out the course and get a ride in. Big & Little Hen and Justin will be racing their age classes, expert.
Mt. Snow is a small, somewhat older resort but nice. We bunk with Gerry P. (Speedgoat), with the Sprengs next door in the 5* suite. Justin and I hike course to check it out, it's basically up the side of a long hill mostly on wide, smoother stuff and then bombs back down through tighter and rooty sections. There are a few small rock sections too, but overall the biggest risk is getting stuck on the descent with a pack that could hold you up, passing will be hard and you could lose a lot of time there. Climbing fast will be a big key in this race.
I race Friday, it's really hot and I am glad to see there are only 9 women in my race and two of us are the youngest in the group. The starting pace is ok, three of us in the front stick together for the first climb rotating positions frequently. I hit the downhill first, and near the bottom we catch up to the younger age group's racers in front of us. Hard to pass and getting mixed in with more people within a few seconds got a little confusing to keep track of everyone. When it opens, a few pass me and I keep them in sight as we enter the sprint area. Back to the climb, I thought only 2 passed me and I catch them (meanwhile the other youngest girl in our group got ahead in the pass and none of us realized it). Two of us pace together and push to the top, back down in a rush. She gets me at the bottom of the downhill and finishes >1 min on me in that short section. I thought I finished second and was ok with that, but to my surprise Justin was there to crush my excitement as he quickly blurted "no, you were third".
The next day the guys all race. It rains the night before, so they got some slick downhill riding. Little Hen goes early and we all watch. He stays close to the front of the pack the entire time, finishing in 2nd. Big Hen and Justin go in the afternoon, while Crystal mans the feed zone I head with the camera to the downhill. I got some awesome photo ops, but unfortunately either my camera cannot capture the fast action or I just can't figure out which button makes that happen. The shots were not coming out, so I end up having fun with the other specatators cheering lots of racers on. Along with our two racers, Gerry and several friends from WV/OH and eastern PA were out at the same time so it was fun to get to watch everyone racing.
While most folks relax for the night or head home, we head to WV for the next day of racing at Valley Falls WVMBA. We sleep at a truck stop near MoTown until the WV crew stops by at 3AM to lead us to more comfortable sleeping. Thanks Gunnar, Betsy and Chris:-)
Mt Snow Results:
Justin- 3rd
Big Hen- 6th
Little Hen-2nd
Ruth-3rd
Gerry P.-1st
Info on Mt. Snow National Championships & full results: http://www.usacycling.org/events/2008/mtbnationals/
Mt. Snow is a small, somewhat older resort but nice. We bunk with Gerry P. (Speedgoat), with the Sprengs next door in the 5* suite. Justin and I hike course to check it out, it's basically up the side of a long hill mostly on wide, smoother stuff and then bombs back down through tighter and rooty sections. There are a few small rock sections too, but overall the biggest risk is getting stuck on the descent with a pack that could hold you up, passing will be hard and you could lose a lot of time there. Climbing fast will be a big key in this race.
I race Friday, it's really hot and I am glad to see there are only 9 women in my race and two of us are the youngest in the group. The starting pace is ok, three of us in the front stick together for the first climb rotating positions frequently. I hit the downhill first, and near the bottom we catch up to the younger age group's racers in front of us. Hard to pass and getting mixed in with more people within a few seconds got a little confusing to keep track of everyone. When it opens, a few pass me and I keep them in sight as we enter the sprint area. Back to the climb, I thought only 2 passed me and I catch them (meanwhile the other youngest girl in our group got ahead in the pass and none of us realized it). Two of us pace together and push to the top, back down in a rush. She gets me at the bottom of the downhill and finishes >1 min on me in that short section. I thought I finished second and was ok with that, but to my surprise Justin was there to crush my excitement as he quickly blurted "no, you were third".
The next day the guys all race. It rains the night before, so they got some slick downhill riding. Little Hen goes early and we all watch. He stays close to the front of the pack the entire time, finishing in 2nd. Big Hen and Justin go in the afternoon, while Crystal mans the feed zone I head with the camera to the downhill. I got some awesome photo ops, but unfortunately either my camera cannot capture the fast action or I just can't figure out which button makes that happen. The shots were not coming out, so I end up having fun with the other specatators cheering lots of racers on. Along with our two racers, Gerry and several friends from WV/OH and eastern PA were out at the same time so it was fun to get to watch everyone racing.
While most folks relax for the night or head home, we head to WV for the next day of racing at Valley Falls WVMBA. We sleep at a truck stop near MoTown until the WV crew stops by at 3AM to lead us to more comfortable sleeping. Thanks Gunnar, Betsy and Chris:-)
Mt Snow Results:
Justin- 3rd
Big Hen- 6th
Little Hen-2nd
Ruth-3rd
Gerry P.-1st
Info on Mt. Snow National Championships & full results: http://www.usacycling.org/events/2008/mtbnationals/
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Massanutten-Tour de Burg
A family vacation occassionally gives us a cheap week long condo at Massanutten over July 4th holiday. Just so happens the cliquey Harrisonburger MTBs gather for an annual reunion, including their hometown Trek pros, of epic riding during this week. We've stumbled into their event before, but this time did it on purpose. In between the Tour de Burg, we did a lot of hiking, jogging and riding on our own, with plans to stop for 2 WV races on our way back to Pgh. The trails and mountains here are a lot of fun.
Tour de Burg-what is it? what is it not?
not for the weak, weary or whiny
is only gratifying for the strongest
not aimed at providing recreational riders a glorious day in the woods
is top talent oriented
not a supported event to cater to your comforts
is stict with time checks and sag wagon deglorifying, maybe a PB&J if you ask nicely or look like you are going to faint
not having marshalls wait all day for slackers
is quick to point out the losers and direct them to immediately take short cuts back to the start/finish
That said, Tour de Burg can offer some challenging fun if you are up to it. This Tour is several days of stage events, point accumulation leading to the 'champions' in a jesterous way among old buddies. So, to say the least we feel like outsiders here but otherwise the gang is fast and friendly.
Stages include: 2 MTB time trials, 2 Road Epics, 2 MTB Epics
Mixing this with our vacation, and knowing I can't race all these in one week or even do all meagerly and keep up, we pick to do the time trials and 1 MTB Epic day. Justin could have done more, but being we are leaving here for 2 WV races this weekend, it would take a lot of energy out of us for our planned weekend races.
Tues-MTB Mass Ravine Time Trial #1:
Up Massanutten mountain and back down on the dual slalom course. Average times ~45 minutes. Fun, fast evening to get the adrenaline flowing for the Tour and set the standings.
Wed-MTB Elliots Knob Epic #1:
This totals ~40 miles of mountainous up/down singletrack with a few sections of fire road to help you reach the top easier. The ridge riding is fast and fun, and not all on the popular trails so some jaggers and slightly unmaintained conditions exist. This is where I reach the sag wagon time cut off by the skin of my teeth, as the group is chomping to take off, I crawl in and faced with the 2 second decision of bailing or attempting to hold on. This being near the top, I would find it silly to sag wagon it down! I quickly ask if I can follow the trail at my pace for awhile and short cut out? They give me some quick directions and the pack is off, Justin keeping up well. After another 10 miles or so, I lose most of the racing pack, reach the short cut downhill and coast back to the car. The group arrives about an hour later, heading out to dinner/party. We decide to bail on the partying, and crash for a good night of vacation sleep.
Thurs-Rocktown Time Trial #2:
The gang has been out all day on the Road Stage, they are beat but up for the short quick time trial planned in community park. This is cute twisty trails all mazed up with a pump track and some rocks thrown in. Also funny start with a run to your bike. We start in order of Tour standing, meaning I start near end since not doing the whole tour. Avergage times ~15 minutes. I end up flatting not even 1/2 way through, and so decide to run to finish as fast as I can. Since I was a late starter the pack didn't want to wait for me to finish, I was sad to see the last of them packing it up back to town for the party and the timer person gone! Others flatted too but they were on course sooner and got finish times. Well, at least I got a good run in and practice carrying my bike for a few miles :-)
That's the last we saw of the Tour folks, as we then got ready to head to our races in WV.
(see next post). We had fun, and next time in town will hopefully be able to do some of these again. Thanks for letting us tag along to check out some cool trails!
http://www.svbcoalition.org/events/tdb/?page=results&year=2008
http://www.mtntouring.com/mountain/htm/home/page_home.htm
Tour de Burg-what is it? what is it not?
not for the weak, weary or whiny
is only gratifying for the strongest
not aimed at providing recreational riders a glorious day in the woods
is top talent oriented
not a supported event to cater to your comforts
is stict with time checks and sag wagon deglorifying, maybe a PB&J if you ask nicely or look like you are going to faint
not having marshalls wait all day for slackers
is quick to point out the losers and direct them to immediately take short cuts back to the start/finish
That said, Tour de Burg can offer some challenging fun if you are up to it. This Tour is several days of stage events, point accumulation leading to the 'champions' in a jesterous way among old buddies. So, to say the least we feel like outsiders here but otherwise the gang is fast and friendly.
Stages include: 2 MTB time trials, 2 Road Epics, 2 MTB Epics
Mixing this with our vacation, and knowing I can't race all these in one week or even do all meagerly and keep up, we pick to do the time trials and 1 MTB Epic day. Justin could have done more, but being we are leaving here for 2 WV races this weekend, it would take a lot of energy out of us for our planned weekend races.
Tues-MTB Mass Ravine Time Trial #1:
Up Massanutten mountain and back down on the dual slalom course. Average times ~45 minutes. Fun, fast evening to get the adrenaline flowing for the Tour and set the standings.
Wed-MTB Elliots Knob Epic #1:
This totals ~40 miles of mountainous up/down singletrack with a few sections of fire road to help you reach the top easier. The ridge riding is fast and fun, and not all on the popular trails so some jaggers and slightly unmaintained conditions exist. This is where I reach the sag wagon time cut off by the skin of my teeth, as the group is chomping to take off, I crawl in and faced with the 2 second decision of bailing or attempting to hold on. This being near the top, I would find it silly to sag wagon it down! I quickly ask if I can follow the trail at my pace for awhile and short cut out? They give me some quick directions and the pack is off, Justin keeping up well. After another 10 miles or so, I lose most of the racing pack, reach the short cut downhill and coast back to the car. The group arrives about an hour later, heading out to dinner/party. We decide to bail on the partying, and crash for a good night of vacation sleep.
Thurs-Rocktown Time Trial #2:
The gang has been out all day on the Road Stage, they are beat but up for the short quick time trial planned in community park. This is cute twisty trails all mazed up with a pump track and some rocks thrown in. Also funny start with a run to your bike. We start in order of Tour standing, meaning I start near end since not doing the whole tour. Avergage times ~15 minutes. I end up flatting not even 1/2 way through, and so decide to run to finish as fast as I can. Since I was a late starter the pack didn't want to wait for me to finish, I was sad to see the last of them packing it up back to town for the party and the timer person gone! Others flatted too but they were on course sooner and got finish times. Well, at least I got a good run in and practice carrying my bike for a few miles :-)
That's the last we saw of the Tour folks, as we then got ready to head to our races in WV.
(see next post). We had fun, and next time in town will hopefully be able to do some of these again. Thanks for letting us tag along to check out some cool trails!
http://www.svbcoalition.org/events/tdb/?page=results&year=2008
http://www.mtntouring.com/mountain/htm/home/page_home.htm
Sunday, June 22, 2008
WVMBA-Blackwater
Blackwater Bikes is one of my favorite places to attend for racing, so I was headed to the wvmba series #8 race held by them this weekend, it's also the WV State championship race.
This year's course was all on the east side of Rt.32, the bog and moon rocks side. Cool. It was also the day after torrential downpour. Not so cool. Times were greatly extended due to conditions, but that didn't deter race director natzi Matt Marcus from demanding those claiming toughness to complete the intended mileage, pre-determined to be set a little longer than a typical series race.
DH was in full force, but so was Trek and all the WV trail experts.
The women field was big enough, I wasn't sure how I'd feel as lots of changes to bike recently and not too comfy yet. This proved to be an issue all day and sadly regretted it. Not knowing until the finish that several women had DNF, I rode it out finishing second to last of the finishers with Sue Haywood (trek) setting the front runners pace. At the finish (down the street from the event HQ), Justin waited with a big laugh at me for being a putz, while Gunnar, Betsy and Roger attempted to comfort me with some fake cheering. It worked a little :-)
DH Rob Spreng ran into bad luck only 1 mile in, ripping der off in a muddy bog (watch out, there are rocks in them thar bogs). Everyone else has a rough but very good finish for the day, considering the line up of pros present.
Too much mud to talk about, if your curious see the write up/photos/results at: http://www.iplayoutside.com/Events/?eid=2008/06/10565c.html
This year's course was all on the east side of Rt.32, the bog and moon rocks side. Cool. It was also the day after torrential downpour. Not so cool. Times were greatly extended due to conditions, but that didn't deter race director natzi Matt Marcus from demanding those claiming toughness to complete the intended mileage, pre-determined to be set a little longer than a typical series race.
DH was in full force, but so was Trek and all the WV trail experts.
The women field was big enough, I wasn't sure how I'd feel as lots of changes to bike recently and not too comfy yet. This proved to be an issue all day and sadly regretted it. Not knowing until the finish that several women had DNF, I rode it out finishing second to last of the finishers with Sue Haywood (trek) setting the front runners pace. At the finish (down the street from the event HQ), Justin waited with a big laugh at me for being a putz, while Gunnar, Betsy and Roger attempted to comfort me with some fake cheering. It worked a little :-)
DH Rob Spreng ran into bad luck only 1 mile in, ripping der off in a muddy bog (watch out, there are rocks in them thar bogs). Everyone else has a rough but very good finish for the day, considering the line up of pros present.
Too much mud to talk about, if your curious see the write up/photos/results at: http://www.iplayoutside.com/Events/?eid=2008/06/10565c.html
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