|   I KICK @SS!! weekend ride/race report (very long) [o] | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 8:04 AM | | Warning: this post contains both road & mtb content. If you don't like one or the other..well, that's too d@mn bad for you! stop reading now & go find something shorter. ;-)
Sometimes I amaze myself. This weekend was one of those times. My goal was to do a hilly road century on Sat in western NC and then head back down to Clemson, SC and do the 4th Cane Creek Series mtb race on Sun....
So, on saturday I did this:
Then on sunday I did this:
http://www.clemsonchamber.org/Sports/tiger%20rag/03racecourse.htm
And, surprisingly, I didn't die. Not only did I not die, but I finished the century in 6:05 and won the mtb race...(for those of you with short attention spans you can stop reading now.)
Now, for the longer, more descriptive version:
We headed out Friday morning to go up to western NC for the BSG century. 102 miles & 9000+ feet of agonizing fun (Note: I use the term "fun" loosely) . Depending on when you checked the weather forecast for the weekend it was either going to be sunny, partly sunny, raining, scattered thunder showers, or isolated thunder storms. The answer was yes': We pretty much saw all of that. I guess when you ride 100+ miles you see a lot of weather!
BSG was my 2nd century. I went up with a group of friends whom I saw at the beginning as we lined up to start and then 6 hours later at the end. The group rolled out and I jumped on my friend Katie1's wheel as she made her way toward the front pack. Knowing that I would likely be dropped by this group early on (if I ever even made it up that far) I wanted to see what the "real players" looked like. We hit the first hill (a 5 mile not too horribly steep climb) before I made it up that far in the group. As I climbed I settled into a comfortable rhythm losing sight of the lead pack and along the way was caught by or caught up to a group of people who I would see & ride with on & off for the rest of the day.
Here we are an hour & 48 min into the ride.
And here I am.
(see, it's early in the race: I'm still smiling)
My goal was to finish. Having never done this ride before I wasn't sure how long it would take. But based on my current level of fitness & the time it took me to do the Six Gap century last year I was figuring on about 7 hours of saddle time. So I just settled in.
Mile 61 brings the steepest climb of the ride, Snake Mtn, which climbs about 2200' in 4 miles & finishes with a 20% grade. I grabbed some food at the aid station before the climb and was off. I caught up to a group of 3 riders (1 woman & 2 men) and sat in & chatted with them. The hill got steeper. Chatting ceased.. And steeper. Our little group splintered as we each found a grinding rhythm that didn't hurt too much.. And steeper. Wow! This hurts.. I'd been told that the real pain starts when you see the water wheel. I passed (in ultra-slow motion) the water wheel and looked up. I saw fog,. and one of the guys from my little group traversing in slow zig-zags, and the guy on the single speed walking (YES!! There was someone out there on a single speed!! I don't remember his name but he rides for Franklin St. Cycles in Chapel Hill, NC. Whatever your name is, you da man!!!)...I kept grinding away thinking I will ride straight up. I will ride straight up..' ....the fog got thicker & the hill got impossibly steeper. As I was beginning to think my legs would explode I passed a female spectator who yelled, "You're the 5th woman over the top!!" Top? Where?! Me?? the 5th woman!!?? With a small grin I crested Snake Mtn and began the fast twisting descent down the other side.
I caught up to 2 of the group I had started the climb with and rode with them for the next 20 miles or so. During this time I discovered that my female companion was Christina Underwood! I was thrilled! In my dreams I'd never imagined that I would not only hold on to the wheel of but actually ride abreast with a racer of that caliber!! Nevermind the fact that she looked like she wished someone would come and rip her bike out from under her so she could quit & not lose face! *I* was riding with Christina Underwood!!
We hit the next climb at about mile 85 and that was the last I saw of Christina..and pretty much everyone else for that matter. My legs said, thank you, but we're really tired now.' and were suddenly filled with lead. I watched my small group splinter as I fell back and thought maybe I'd catch them on the next decent. At that point I was on track to finish the century in under 6 hours!!
Unfortunately, my legs simply said no' and I was by myself. I got several much needed pulls from random people but eventually found myself alone on the flat going in what felt like slow motion. I crawled along wondering when it would ever end. I passed a little bridge to my right that looked familiar. I didn't like the road I was on. It was a 2 lane hwy with cars whizzing past me. I noticed a speed limit sign that read 55mph. I was not happy. I was alone. There was a headwind. Then I found myself at a t-junction with another 55mph hwy & I realized that I'd screwed up and missed a turn. NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo!
I back-tracked and realized that I was supposed to have turned at the little bridge that looked familiar. Made the turn and completely blew up. I was in the little ring, going 11 mph into a headwind and getting passed like I was standing still. I struggled along the last 7 miles & up "the wall" (a piddly climb if it weren't at mile 90+ of a 102, well, 104 in my case, mile ride.)
I rolled across the finish in 6 hrs, 4 min, and 19 sec (according to my computer). with my little detour i dropped to the 8th woman across the line. I had done 104.13 miles, stopped only once (just long enough to eat a cookie & ½ a banana), averaged 17.1 mph (maxed out at 50 mph), climbed a 20% grade.
Now I had less than 24 hrs to recover & be ready to do a mtb race.
I met my friend Mark (aka MotoMark) and his wife Pam at our campsite near Clemson, SC at around 8 Saturday night. We set up camp & chatted for a bit. Then I took a handful of advil, & went to bed. Our races (both Mark & I were racing Sport) were scheduled to begin at 11. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like complete sh!t when I woke up Sunday morning. I was a little sore but even more surprising, I felt pretty good. I didn't feel great, but I didn't feel horrible either. Go figure. maybe i should always warm up for a mtb race by doing a century.....maybe not!
I'd never ridden this course. In fact, I'd never ridden anywhere near this course so I really had no idea what to expect. It was hot out & likely to get hotter and I knew the course began with a mile long fire road climb (one that we would see 3 times in our 2 laps). I lined up with the rest of the sport women. There were about 12 of us: 6 in my age category. Someone yelled "GO" and we were off. Pedal, pedal, pedal...oh..hill. yup, I did a hill century yesterday...
I was in 2nd place and on the wheel of the girl in front when we got to the top of the fireroad climb the 1st time & entered the singletrack. As we passed by the road (still on the singletrack) I heard someone yell my name. I don't know who it was, but it was really nice to have a surprise cheering section! The girl in the lead let me pass on a short technical climb and I just kept going trying to ignore the dull ache in my legs & the searing pain in my lower back.
The course is an 8.7 mile loop which combines smooth single-track, some technical rooty rocky stuff, a little bit of climbing, and a screaming fire road descent (which you pay for on the grinding fire road climb about 3 miles later). Sport men & women did 2 laps. I passed one guy puking, several guys carrying their bikes (in various pieces) & walking, a number of guys fixing flats. I passed all of the men's 40+ sport riders, several of the 30-39 sport riders, someone's saddle & seatpost (ouch!), and a lot of other stuff I don't remember. It was brutally hot & I just wanted to be done. I loved my granny gear with a passion I had not known possible. I came out into the short singletrack on the field by the starting line as the experts were lining up to start. Only one more grind up the fireroad & I would be done...
And then I was done! I was the first sport woman across the line in 1hr 42 min.
having now achieved my goal i can honestly say i will never do a hill road century & a mtb race in the same weekend again!!
rt |
| OK, that's it - time you got your own darn web site | M-U-M
Jun 30, 2003 8:16 AM | | Just joking! Congrats on both rides!!!
Hey - I made it up the forest service road without walking yesterday. I understand the thrill level - trust me. 8) |
| you rock....i mean walk! ;-) | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 8:23 AM | | congrats!! nothing better than being able to walk! been there, done that, bought the crutches. hee hee
thanks.
rt |
| Well Done! | glenzx
Jun 30, 2003 8:18 AM | | Sounds like you may need to move up a class now! You probably would have smoked most of the sport men had you not endured the hill century 24 hrs. prior . . . |
| thanks | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 9:39 AM | | my plan is to move up for my next race.....actually one of the girls i raced with on sun jokingly told me i wasn't allowed to race in her class again! ;-)
rt |
| My wife won her age group and 2nd overall in Beginner | mtpisgah
Jun 30, 2003 8:22 AM | | It was her first race and she did great. She dropped her chain on the first climb otherwise she probably would have won overall. I have some pics I am going to post tonight. Now she wants to do more races. Cool!
Yes, Christina Underwood is a very strong rider. We do the same Tuesday night training ride in Greenville, SC. She is usually the only female riding with 60-80 guys that make up the "A" group. |
| congrats to your wife! great job for her 1st race... | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 9:42 AM | | looking forward to the pics!
rt |
| Another Classic, but who is Christina Underwood? | Carter Taylor
Jun 30, 2003 8:22 AM | | Great job, I love reading your recaps.
Carter |
| Christina is... | mtpisgah
Jun 30, 2003 8:26 AM | | www.teamfuji.net/bios.htm#christina |
| That whole team looks pretty foxy! (nm) | glenzx
Jun 30, 2003 9:15 AM | | |
| Thanks, I'd could quit and retire with an .... | Carter Taylor
Jun 30, 2003 9:18 AM | | accomplishment like that.
carter |
| thanks Carter! | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 9:42 AM | | :-D
rt |
| Congrats on a job well done! | PROGRE-SS
Jun 30, 2003 8:24 AM | | Not many of us have the "balls" to try a road century let alone a road century and a mtb race the next day! COngrats on accomplishing your goals and taking first in your mtb race! Now get some rest!
James |
| ahhh....rest..... | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 9:43 AM | | i vaguely remember what that was like.
thanks!
rt |
| re: I KICK @SS!! weekend ride/race report (very long) [o] | msisti
Jun 30, 2003 8:49 AM | | Ah! Job well done!! I was up there riding and running on Saturday, figured you'd be racing on Sunday, but didn't have time to swing by to cheer you on!!
I was probably the only dumb ass that ran (literally) the coarse!! Does that count as a first place finish?
Great weekend of riding, great recap. |
| Both of her bikes still have the factory reflectors! | mr. meanpants with grey Kona
Jun 30, 2003 9:33 AM | | |
| ahhh, piss off! | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 9:38 AM | | |
| thanks! | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 9:45 AM | | but what in the world posessed you to run that course?! ;-)
have an awesome time at pisgah this weekend. i'm jealous, but my legs aren't!
rt
ps - running that course definately counts as a 1st place finish. |
| That is simply amazing | brianc
Jun 30, 2003 10:22 AM | | wow.
b |
| thanks. :-D | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 10:37 AM | | |
| Awesome job!!!! And one small aside... | Fat-tire
Jun 30, 2003 11:19 AM | | I've never been to N.C. (I can imagine the humidity sucked), but I recoganized the name of the Chapel Hill bike shop. I look at my road bike just now and realized it was from there (I bought it used off Ebay from a guy in Chapel Hill). |
| no kidding?! | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 11:33 AM | | who'd you buy it from? i might know him/her. i was living in CH for the last three years before moving to GA last fall.
thanks! the humidity is pretty brutal. but, you get used to it.....really. ;-)
rt |
| No idea and BS... | Fat-tire
Jun 30, 2003 11:42 AM | | I bought it off ebay about 4 years ago. It's a carbon Blue Trek 2300.
Ha, I lived in Fla for a year, and I moved back to 115 degree Summers (AZ) specifically because I could not stand the Fla weather. Ugh, I don't know how you guys do it. It's like riding through pea soup.
Is GA humid year round like Fla? I wouldn't mind it if it was for a couple months, but geez, 90% humidity 365 is absurd. |
| no, not like Fla... | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 11:53 AM | | nothing is quite like the humidity in FL. i was down there for a race last sept. we camped and it must have been 90* and 90% humidity at midnight. between that and the fireants i swore never to return to the hellhole known as Fl!! ;-)
GA's nasty humid for about 2 months during the summer & then just hot & humid for the rest of the summer. winters are pretty nice....especially when i compare it to living in Montreal. no -40* days in GA!!
rt - i kinda like the humidity....but i'm kinda weird that way. ;-) |
| LOL, I'm returnig to the hellhole next week... | Fat-tire
Jun 30, 2003 12:02 PM | | unfortuntely. Thankfully, the bike is staying here.
I've only been to Atlanta once, but I really liked it. Sounds like you have the best of both worlds. |
| Woohoo! | Mary Ann
Jun 30, 2003 11:23 AM | | You're right! You do kick some serious A$$! Congrats! I'm sure this weekend makes up for last weekend's crank/pedal disaster.
I'm sure the experts are trembling about your upcoming progression to their ranks. ;-)
Mary Ann |
| thanks grrl! | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 11:50 AM | | i doubt anyone is trembling! hopefully i get my butt kicked too badly.....i've got 2 months before that happens though!
rt |
| know what? you DO kick @ss!!!!! | namaSSte
Jun 30, 2003 11:24 AM | | UDAWOMAN rt!!!!!!!!!! |
| thanks! congrats to your son... | *rt*
Jun 30, 2003 11:57 AM | | he kicks butt too....in an 8-yr old way, of course! ;-)
rt |
| I'll tell him rt, thanks! | namaSSte
Jun 30, 2003 12:39 PM | | |
| Great ride and even greater race | ixiz
Jun 30, 2003 4:43 PM | | 6 hrs is a respectable time and its not 9000+ft its more like 12,000'+
Your recovery is amazing
should write down what you did so if ever this repeats in other fashion you have the confidence and the formula to step up to the plate. |
| thanks | *rt*
Jul 1, 2003 4:58 AM | | according to the official stats it was *only* 9000-ish feet.....but it definitely felt like 12000'!
i'm pretty sure that when deciding to do the BSG-Tiger Rag combo i was psychotically delusional! not sure there's a recipe for making that sort of mental illness repeat! ;-)
thanks again.
rt |
| y'know... | ®andyA
Jun 30, 2003 8:46 PM | | ... it's recaps like this that make me understand why you're a doc. ;-)
Great job *rt*!
Randy --> glad to see you had no probs with the cranks/pedals -LOL!!! |
| nope, no pedal probs....but i did tempt fate... | *rt*
Jul 1, 2003 5:03 AM | | thanks Randy!
yeah, i tempted fate with the pedals: TruVativ was supposed to get me a new crank arm by thurs so i could switch the old one out & steal the Time pedals off my hard tail. unfortunately, the crank arm didn't show up until yesterday. so, instead of being industrious on thurs night and doing the final touches to rebuilding my hardtail i just cleaned the hell out of the "bad" crank arm, put a ton of grease on the threads and slapped my Times onto the old cranks.....and prayed to every god i could think of! guess i found the right god in there somewhere because apart from a little squeeking my pedal stayed attached to the bike!
rt - livin' on the edge ;-) |
| how??? | endoh
Jul 1, 2003 3:22 AM | | first, congrats on the accomplishment. great read!
but how do you ride 104 miles on 1/2 bananna and a cookie? i burn more calories than that walking down stairs in the morning. i need to understand where the energy reserves come from so i can do this too. after hammering about 25 miles, i need a steak and a nap. |
| LOL! that wasn't all i ate... | *rt*
Jul 1, 2003 5:14 AM | | i also ate another banana, 1/2 a powerbar, and about 6 hammergel shots...........and i wonder why my stomach hurt afterward! ;-P
i'm really bad about remembering to eat & drink when i ride. i was FAMISHED when i finished the ride (go figure) which means that i was in a pretty severe calorie deficit. but, i did try to take a shot of gel every hour....
yeah, i need to eat more. reading what i just wrote makes me sound like some sort of anorexic!!
rt - mmmmmm, steak & a nap! |
| WoW! | Jeff Rage
Jul 1, 2003 4:21 AM | | That was amazing!
So, where did you ride on Monday? :D) |
| i rode my desk chair all over my office!! | *rt*
Jul 1, 2003 5:16 AM | | hehe. doesn't look like i'll be riding today either since it's pissing down rain and it's not supposed to stop till sometime in 2008!
thanks!
rt |
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