Whew, its been a long time since my last one. Anyway, this last week end was SERC #6 at Fontana, NC. Brute of a course, the whole time you are either going up hill or down, hardly any flat. It's really technical too.
Dad and I drove up Saturday afternoon. We got there and found that the campsite that we were going to stay at was full. We would have to find another place, I really wanted to go ride so we drove over to the loge and started unpacking the bikes. As I took off to do a practice lap I made sure that I had all of my tools, so many times this I have gone off to ride and gotten stuck on the trail.
During the pre ride, I wasn't feeling very good and it seemed like I was totally anaerobic the whole time I was out there. One section on the course was a difficult climb with several switch backs. As I rode up during the pre ride, I slipped and fell off, there was this kid watching me so I couldn't just walk it up the hill. So, I rode all the way to the bottom and rode it again.
Saturday night, was the short track race. I had never done one before so I was in for a treat. I rode and course several times to get use to the corners and the one short climb. The course was around the ball fields (if you have ever been there) started at the bottom and went around the feild to a climb to the top and back down again. The corners were super sweet, grassy but they griped well so, you could lean right into them. We were the last to go and I forgot that the corners were a little chewed up from the perivous races. So, after I grabbed hole shot, I plowed straight into the ground on corner number two.
After I picked my self up I was able to make it back up to the front of the race where I found that the leader (Ryan Woodall) was about to lap the hole group.
I'll finish it later, I've got to go ride.
OK, I'm back, Ryan Woodall was about to lap the group and I was like forget wining. So I backed off a lot trying to save my legs for Sunday. Dustin Greer came up behind me and I pretty much sat back and I was like I'm going my speed, you just hang out as long as you want. I didn't have a watch so I had no idea how much longer we had to go. So one time up the hill the people screamed out "Last lap, last lap!!" Coming around to the hill the next time Greer put in a big attack and I countered because I thought it was the end. That time up the hill the spectators yelled "Two to go, two to go!!!" I was like crap, I'm totally fried from sprinting with Greer, luckily he was gassed too so I was able to hold on for third.
In the end, I had a ton of fun and I will totally do some more STXCs.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 8, 2006
SERC Dauset
SERC .5 Dauset
Well, it started to rain right before the start and held off for part of the first lap. At the start I got a really bad start myself but was able to sprint up to take hole shot. Going in the trees at the very beginning of the lap I went partially anaerobic from the sprint but I calmed down pretty fast, that's when I noticed that nobody, I mean nobody was behind me. I kept looking back through the trees and I could see them but I was expecting them to come up on me really fast, they never did. Finally I got tried of half waiting for them and decided that considering I was in the lead I should probably speed up to stay in the lead. I have no idea how hard I was going because I think some water got into my HRM and it's not working anymore but, I must have been doing 160-170 that whole first lap. Speaking of the first lap, on the last climb it poured down rain. This made it awful the next lap because the mud was now really wet and liked to be flung up into your eyes. My left eye is still blood red and is really sore from all the mud. After the race it felt like someone had punched me in the face. That was the second lap, the third was probably the worst because the mud or rather the water had started to dry up leaving a good 5 inch coating of mud on the trail. I was super happy that I never crashed ever on the slippery course. I had to put my foot down on some of the climbs but never crashed. I ended up beating the guy in 2nd by 3 and a half minuets and third was 16 minuets behind. Everybody else, 20 plus. Small crowd but I still got some more points for the series. And a bottle of champagne
Well, it started to rain right before the start and held off for part of the first lap. At the start I got a really bad start myself but was able to sprint up to take hole shot. Going in the trees at the very beginning of the lap I went partially anaerobic from the sprint but I calmed down pretty fast, that's when I noticed that nobody, I mean nobody was behind me. I kept looking back through the trees and I could see them but I was expecting them to come up on me really fast, they never did. Finally I got tried of half waiting for them and decided that considering I was in the lead I should probably speed up to stay in the lead. I have no idea how hard I was going because I think some water got into my HRM and it's not working anymore but, I must have been doing 160-170 that whole first lap. Speaking of the first lap, on the last climb it poured down rain. This made it awful the next lap because the mud was now really wet and liked to be flung up into your eyes. My left eye is still blood red and is really sore from all the mud. After the race it felt like someone had punched me in the face. That was the second lap, the third was probably the worst because the mud or rather the water had started to dry up leaving a good 5 inch coating of mud on the trail. I was super happy that I never crashed ever on the slippery course. I had to put my foot down on some of the climbs but never crashed. I ended up beating the guy in 2nd by 3 and a half minuets and third was 16 minuets behind. Everybody else, 20 plus. Small crowd but I still got some more points for the series. And a bottle of champagne
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Athens Twilight
Athens Twilight
Oh yeah, the crit. Alright, so I get on the computer before I leave to go to the race and check that the Fat Tire (which I changed my mind about) started at 6:30. Cool. My sister had a race in the morning so I helped out as a course marshal (which I didn't really mean to do-they were really short on people Saturday morning).
5:30 rolls around and I get dressed and start to warm up. Ironically, I get a really good warm up when I don't need it.
I ride up to the course and find several groups of mtb'ers racing around. I was really confused so I tried to find out if they split the field up into Expert/Sport. They had not. Finally I found a ref who told me that there were two different schedules, one with 6 and one with 6:30. So, to compromise, they started at 6:15, 15min before I showed up. The ref said to talk to Gene Dixon if I wanted a refund.
After looking all over the twilight, for Dixon I finally found him right in front of me between corners 3and 4. I asked if he could talk to me really quick. He looked at me and kept on walking past. About 5 feet later he said that I could talk to him while he walked. He was in no hurry, he was just wondering around the twilight. I explained my situation and asked if he knew anything about it. He said yes, and asked me why I didn't get there 30min a head of time. Now who would get to the start of the race 30min before, and have to sit there, cooling down after the warm up.
I then asked him if I could get a refund. He said "oh, you can email me next week."
So, my week end was not very fun, I had a bad race, missed a race, got really pissed off, and got absolutely no sleep.
Good things were: getting 2nd, watching the pro race, seeing Mike at the twilight, and going home to sleep.
I am never going another Gene Dixon thing a again. Like he's going to return my money "sometime next week". whatever, I'm not even going to get it back
Oh yeah, the crit. Alright, so I get on the computer before I leave to go to the race and check that the Fat Tire (which I changed my mind about) started at 6:30. Cool. My sister had a race in the morning so I helped out as a course marshal (which I didn't really mean to do-they were really short on people Saturday morning).
5:30 rolls around and I get dressed and start to warm up. Ironically, I get a really good warm up when I don't need it.
I ride up to the course and find several groups of mtb'ers racing around. I was really confused so I tried to find out if they split the field up into Expert/Sport. They had not. Finally I found a ref who told me that there were two different schedules, one with 6 and one with 6:30. So, to compromise, they started at 6:15, 15min before I showed up. The ref said to talk to Gene Dixon if I wanted a refund.
After looking all over the twilight, for Dixon I finally found him right in front of me between corners 3and 4. I asked if he could talk to me really quick. He looked at me and kept on walking past. About 5 feet later he said that I could talk to him while he walked. He was in no hurry, he was just wondering around the twilight. I explained my situation and asked if he knew anything about it. He said yes, and asked me why I didn't get there 30min a head of time. Now who would get to the start of the race 30min before, and have to sit there, cooling down after the warm up.
I then asked him if I could get a refund. He said "oh, you can email me next week."
So, my week end was not very fun, I had a bad race, missed a race, got really pissed off, and got absolutely no sleep.
Good things were: getting 2nd, watching the pro race, seeing Mike at the twilight, and going home to sleep.
I am never going another Gene Dixon thing a again. Like he's going to return my money "sometime next week". whatever, I'm not even going to get it back
SERC Clemson
It was an awful race, we got to the race kind of late after driving straight from Athens the night before and only getting 5 hours of sleep that night (besides only getting 4 hours on Friday). Anyway, it was really cold and there was a long registration line, so I got a really bad, 15min warm up before the race.
The race, it started out really fast, although we only had 9 people! Some dude from FSU lead into the first down hill, I was doing pretty good, I knew I was a lot better on the climbs, but I made a few small mistakes and the gap opened. Coming into feed the first time he had a 30sec lead or so, 2nd lap I had some cramps, and felt pretty bad. So I backed off a little bit, and the next lap he move a little more ahead, one min. So, I was like, I really need to chase, so I hauled butt for the rest of the lap and then I cross the road and Bill Bennet is like "oh yeah he's two minuets in front", and from there it's 3 miles or so to the finish so I just rode in. I only won 60 bucks too. It sucked.
Today, I was just kicking my self because I felt sooo good during the intervals and I knew I could have won that race. The worst part is that I wasn't even going that hard, my average heart rate was 166. I really really want to win the next one at Dauset.
The race, it started out really fast, although we only had 9 people! Some dude from FSU lead into the first down hill, I was doing pretty good, I knew I was a lot better on the climbs, but I made a few small mistakes and the gap opened. Coming into feed the first time he had a 30sec lead or so, 2nd lap I had some cramps, and felt pretty bad. So I backed off a little bit, and the next lap he move a little more ahead, one min. So, I was like, I really need to chase, so I hauled butt for the rest of the lap and then I cross the road and Bill Bennet is like "oh yeah he's two minuets in front", and from there it's 3 miles or so to the finish so I just rode in. I only won 60 bucks too. It sucked.
Today, I was just kicking my self because I felt sooo good during the intervals and I knew I could have won that race. The worst part is that I wasn't even going that hard, my average heart rate was 166. I really really want to win the next one at Dauset.
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