Mohican 100

Since the initial flub races I have, I have taken a few weeks just to focus on my equipment and myself. I have some pretty big goals for myself and not correctly focused on getting ready for them. Yoga clears the head, so that's where I'm at!

JP still in a cast, I head out to the Mohican 100 with a racer carpool & camper friend. We are both focused on just doing our best, racing for so long now, we pretty much know where we will finish it's just a matter of how bad we will feel when done!

This year the course is rerouted with miles of new singletrack put in and the venue located in new start area. The camp area is nice, the start was good. The prologue was a WAY too short & fast road section for this large pack, and led straight to the new trails right away. So the beautiful new 25 miles of flowing singletrack turned into no more than a cluster of frustration for most people! Even though there was a road hill, a hike a bike and few other things it was just not enough to get the field spead out. This cramped everyone's style for the first quarter of the day.

I leave the 60/100 split with just a few peeps, glad to get some quiet time!! Then quickly I regret it as I end up not seeing anyone for miles and miles on the 40 mile out and back. I am stoked to get to the 'out' checkpoint, in bad need of a pbj. But then quickly in dispair as it only has oranges out. I am not prepared for this! I was counting on the food stops in this event and had nothing with me excpet a few gus. I now have to ride another 20+ with no food. I am so screwed. I head off and decide to get it started. This is the best part of the trail for me, it gets a little more backcountry-ish and I like that. So at least I had that to look forward to. Eventually back to the park trails and to the 60/100 checkpoint again, and SO looking forward to a pbj. Again I was told there were leftovers, which was watermelon and heed and all the drop bags were packed up! ok, NOW I am not just frustrated, I am outright mad. I check my watch, I clarify that the station was open until 7 in the rules and it is only 5. They tell me it closed at 5, I pull out the printed rules from my pocket, there is silence. My drop bag is pulled out, I get my drink mix, and refuse the offer to wait for a sandwich to be made. I don't have 10 more minutes to hold up the entire show. I take off for the last climb disgruntled but not really feeling THAT bad except my damn bunion feet are really hurting. The last checkpoint was GRAND! They were jovial to be helping and HAD FOOD and were in no hurry to pack it in as they stated they knew more people were still behind me! Finally some happy helpers and some food:-)

By now, my time is a typically 12 hourish route for me. The course ended in some disheartening hike a biking and climbing but was obviously close to the roll in finish and some good grilled food.
Overall, I was hoping to improve on my typical 100 time, but didn't. I did improve on my first Mohican time, which was also my first 100 in 2006. I am soon getting custom orthotics and hope that will help with feet issues, other than that I need to just keep focused on 'training' & having fun!!

Congrats to my baby bro for doing his first 'long' race, the 100K, and on SS.

Thanks to Garth, Ryan, OMBC, etc. for the event.

2009-Dirt Sweat Gears (DSG)

Heading down to TN for the USA cycling DSG. Long drive, big field, Open Women full of Pros, costly trip. Why am I going here? Fun road trip with a good racer friend and a chance to check out a private trail system and get a long 12 hour solo day in. Decide it's worth it.

Parousing the event set up, I coincidently run into a race counterpart that I forgot lived in the area. She fills me in on the course and a few things, no matter, with the girls here I am just doing whatever to get a good ride in!

So, we start in some misty rain, just enough so the short prologue is slick. Peeps are wiping out and we are not even to the trail! Priceless! Once in the woods, it starts pouring buckets. Within minutes I am followed by bad karma and a rear flat in the pouring rain and mud. AGH. I get out of the mud area to some grass, get it changed in the storm, jack it so full of CO2 air since I am still mad at myself over the flub flat fix at Greenbriar two weeks ago. I am also a little excited, this is the most challenging flat situation I have had in a while and it went fine, I love when the weather gives me a test for what it might be like in Costa Rica this fall(!) So back on, I am now behind the pack and the trail is getting bad. Very bad. A combination of things make the course not hold up to rain and traffic. It falls apart, bikes pack with mud...BAD. I push, scrape mud, I carry, scrape mud, I push, roll a few feet, carry, scrape mud, it's fruitless. I decide it's a DNF, I have been out here for 5 hours to get a lap in!!! The front pack gets through one lap ok, they hit the crap on their second lap and have just as much trouble, but the tough ones stick it out mostly carrying mud packed bikes on their backs. I DNF and hit the tent for some relaxing! My carpool bud gets in two laps, her second also being a 5 hour lap and she is also done. Craziness, I have not seen anything like this in my travels!

Other than not holding up to weather, the course is nice, the event set up is nice, and if your up for a race, some of the best competition gathers here!!

WVMBA-Mountwood

Mountwood Park is an old fav. But also usually a muddy fav. I was not sure I was wanting to deal with Mountwood or any course in the spring mud again. After 4 years of racing with rim brakes, god knows how, but I am finally tired of it. I want to have brakes that work ALL the time!

Regardless I head down the night before, camp out at Mountwood with some WV peeps in the rain, do a short evening ride, and get up ready for a mudfest. It is just as suspected, a slippery mess. I hang in for awhile, back and forth with Mandi R. and Meredith while the faster chicks are already way ahead. Eventually I fall behind to the point that some sport men that usually don't pass me are passing me. That doesn't even get my butt moving, I know something isn't on, so I settle for just finishing for today and even that proved to be a struggle. Well, so far this year is not going too well! Can only get better:-)

Thanks to WVMBA for another good event, despite bad weather!