Wet Ride

My Friday morning ride ended up being a soggy one. The rain started fairly light early on, but picked up halfway through. Luckily I don't mind riding in the wet. I've accumulated a nice collection of functional riding gear from living in New York to keep me happy. My new bike didn't falter or miss a beat through the puddles.

Figuring I'd be the only one out on the trails I was surprised to see two guys in t-shirts and shorts chugging away on the first climb. I passed them quickly and made my way to other side of the loop. This mornings ride reminded me of growing up in the Northwest, where it's always raining and cold.

My Ride

Morning Headlands Loop from Andrio Abero on Vimeo.

I made this really quick video using my Nikon COOLPIX AW 100 affixed to a modified water bottle as my camera mount, which works quite well. It's the Marin Headlands loop I do all the time, but this time in reverse. It's 6:30am in San Francisco. The air is cool and crisp, and the sun is just beginning to rise. I caught up with my friends as they were making their way to the Headlands. I'm aboard my new Open O-1.o.

Dawn Patrol

Woke up early this morning for my weekly dawn patrol ride with the boys. It was great to put my new bike to the test, riding in a fast group. So fast that I set a personal record going down the backside of the Headlands. With my new tire setup I can really carve into the turns.

What another gorgeous morning. Clear skies, hardly any wind, and not too cold. Absolutely perfect.

XC Carnage

Some of the most entertaining race footage I've seen in a while. What's going on here? So much carnage.

Bonkville

Yesterday I took my new Open O-1.0 for an extended test ride through the Headlands and over to Mt. Tam and back. Close to 50 miles and 7,000' of climbing. My new bike gave me a false sense of how much energy I really had. I kept pushing myself harder and harder towards the beginning because it was so easy to accelerate and put the hammer down. I also overdressed for the day, thinking it was going to be cold. I overheated quickly, but was able to regulate my body temperature by zipping and unzipping various vents/seams on my heavier jersey.

Again, I was dumbfounded by how light and agile my new setup was. The Rotor 3D+ cranks are incredibly stiff, and noticeable having ridden on X7, X0, and Specialized carbon cranks. The bike just begged to be sprinted up each climb. In the end I paid for it, bonking with 15 miles left on my ride. I bypassed the last single track climb and opted for the much flatter road and through the 5 minute tunnel back home. I had to stop at my work to grab a quick snack otherwise I wouldn't have made it.

Bonking is no fun. I do it to myself all the time, and never learn my lesson. Deep down I secretly like it, the pain and suffering, and knowing I can overcome it. I think of it as endurance training. I just need to pack way more food than I necessary, regardless of what it is. What made it bad was that I overheated in the beginning, and didn't layer enough or allow my perspiration to evaporate. When this happens it's almost impossible for your body temperature to keep up, and the chill just sets in. Add bonking and it makes for the worst day ever. Don't get me wrong, though. I had a great day of riding up until that point.

Saturday Sunshine

Finally found the time to put in a good ride this week. It was going to be gorgeous outside, and I wanted to get as much in before my day got busy. I rode through the Headlands, putting in 32 miles, and climbing 4k while viewing the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Tam in the distance.

I rolled out around 7am, just as the sun was beginning to rise. It was a bit chilly at the start. I had a vest on to keep warm, and to modulate my body temperature in case it got too warm. The temperature can vary by a lot depending on where you go. It's usually cooler on the other side of the Headlands, where the colder sea air is trapped in the valley below.

It felt great to be out, alone with my thoughts, or lack thereof. Just being able to clear my head after a rough week of work. I needed to hit the dirt, rather than road. It's more peaceful when you're not battling it out with traffic or other riders. I didn't push my pace too hard. I've been listening to my body, and lately it's saying I need more rest. After a couple of days of not riding too hard I begin to feel sluggish.

I love watching the sun creep up and over the hills. Some of the best lighting for photography. I love shots like this that are simple and somewhat graphic.

On my way back I ran into my friends blazing down the trail, nearly getting plowed, but it was cool to see them in force. There must have been at least 15 riders strong. I wanted to join them, but had other plans, and they had an ambitious route planned. After this morning I feel good again, and hope this great weather holds out for a while.

China Camp

I finally got to ride the trails at China Camp State Park. Despite from what I've read, saying it's great for beginners, which is true, China Camp offered a lot of challenging climbs and hidden technical features. I rode the main loop a couple of times and ventured through the outskirts of the park, finding some real fun single track.

I don't often drive to where I ride, but China Camp is just far enough. My wife's been out-of-town this weekend, so I had the car all to myself. As you can see it's quite the popular spot to go mountain biking. Because the climbs aren't quite as long as the Marin Headlands it's perfect for shorter rides, however you can just keep looping around and around to get the miles and climbing in.

The fast and flowing trails offer lots of great views of the North Bay on all sides. There happened to be a few trail riding camps rolling through, so I got stuck behind a bunch of teenagers and adults all trying to learn how to mountain bike.

Friday Fog

It's been almost a week since my last mountain ride. I got up fairly early and got a little wet and muddy riding through the Marin Headlands. It was a relatively slow and easy ride through mist and fog. The roads were well packed down, but threw up a lot of fine damp dust onto my bike, creating an almost soupy film.

Despite getting a little dirty, it was a great way to start the day. However, the best part of my day was towards the end of it when I got word from the shop helping me with my Open O-1.0 build that my new 2013 RockShox SID WC fork, as well as ENVE wheels, are in route, and should be ready to ship very soon.

Golden Gate Trails

Happy to be back home from our trip out to the desert. It's 20º cooler here in SF, and boy is it refreshing. After spending eight hours in the car I was ready for a quick spin to shake out my legs. I opted for my mountain bike and explored some of the trails in Golden Gate Park.

On my way to the park I witnessed a nasty crash. A woman was just riding along and got her front wheel caught in the street-car rail. Before she knew it she was on the ground, tangled up with her bike. I stopped to check if she was ok. She was pretty shaken up, and a number of people rushed over to her. She was fine, a little scraped up. I checked her bike out to make sure it was in working order before I left. Pretty scary, but I'm glad she's ok.

Tomorrow it's back to work, but thankfully it's a short week for me. I've got some weekend riding plans to take care of. Maybe I'll finally check out China Camp or do another Marin Century.

Indian Summer

What a glorious morning for mountain biking! It was pitch black when I hit the road, on my way to meet my riding buds for our weekly Tuesday morning Marin Headlands dawn patrol. It was an unusually warm morning and the sun wasn't rising. I was the only one without a proper light setup, but I knew the trail well enough to get down the first descent.

I still had dead legs from my race on Sunday, but found them on our way back. We ran into a group of roadies at the start of the last climb. They continued on road, while we made our way up dirt. I wanted to see if I could beat them to the top, and decided to give it a go. Full gas. They must have taken the tunnel back into the city, and didn't see them at the top, but did run into another group. One of the riders happens to be the guy that helped me purchase my Specialized SL4 over at Mike's Bikes. It's fun to see people you've met out on the road.

Putting the Hammer Down!

I ended my season with a bang, finishing 3rd, Cat 1 in the 30-39 age group, just behind 1st place pro and just in front of 2nd place pro, so I'm pretty sure I finished in the top 5 overall. I felt really good throughout the race. I definitely had the legs today. I was a bit worried, not having ridden the trails here before, that there was a lot of descending and not enough climbing. I decided to go out really hard in the first lap and see how long I could hold my position.

I made the dumb mistake by forgetting to bring a jersey. I prepped the night before and swore I had stuffed one in my bag. Luckily I had a Rapha base layer so I didn't look completely out-of-place, but I did miss having pockets to carry tools and food.

I setup a mini aid station just past the lap marker. I had plenty of bottles and food stashed in my little cooler, but didn't dip into it. The course was shaded from the scorching sun, and I hydrated well enough throughout the week to need more than the single bottle of water. No more energy drink mix for me. My stomach feels better for it, but maybe I need to try a few different brands.

The first lap was intense. I started with the pros, Cat 1 19-29 and 30-39, and held onto 3rd place for quite a while before the descending started. I graciously let people by me, knowing I'll see them on the climbs ahead. Unfortunately there weren't that many sustained or tough climbs except for the very end of the lap. They call it the Dead Heifer, with an average grade of 20%. The Headlands Heifer is named after it. Good thing I had some practice on grades that steep.

My bike performed flawlessly. No drivetrain or suspension issues. My Specialized Fast Trak tires saved me at least three or four times from crashing. I've been super impressed with their performance ever since I made the switch.

The rest of the race was really fun. Lots of switchback short climbs, lots of loose over hardpack (common NorCal terrain), and lots of fast single track. The only bad part of the race was having all the Cat 2 stragglers in the way, but most of them cleared the way when asked.

Knowing it was only a 20 mile XC race I put the hammer down early one and paced myself with each lap. I could have pushed a little harder towards the end, but there was just too much descending for me to take that risk. Having done Leadville and the marathon nationals it felt really good to do something not quite as enduring, especially a race just 40 minutes north of the city. It also felt really good to step onto the podium, something I haven't done in at least 12 years, back when I raced as a junior, as well as a sport senior.

Sadly, it's Marin County's only race of the year, but I'm looking forward to it again. Great to see a lot of familiar faces and that the mountain biking community in the bay area is strong.

Mt. Tam Fall Epic

Just got back from doing an epic ride through the Marin Headlands, Muir Woods and to the top of Mt. Tam and back. Close to 60 miles, over 8,000' of total climbing, four and a half hours later I'm feeling wiped out to say the least. It's been a while since I've punished myself on my local trails. I just came off of my marathon nationals high last week, and it felt good to ride at my own pace.

Sometimes it's hard to gauge what to bring along on a ride through the North Bay. One minute it's cold and foggy, the next it's broiling hot and dry. It just depends on what side of the hill you're on. The temperature variance can be as much as 20º.

The view from the top of Mt. Tam is always amazing. That tall sliver of a spike near the center of the photo above, just past the incoming fog is where I started my ride. It's halfway point, and I dial my suspension for the crazy descent back into the fog below. I flew down the trail, passing a few other riders on the upper fire road section, but had a wide open shot on Coastal View, setting a few personal records on Strava.

Marathon Nationals - Race Day

I had a decent time racing the marathon nationals. I finished 8th place in my age category, just 5 minutes off the podium times. It was 55 miles of twisty, dusty single track, never really climbing that much, with about 6,000' of total gain. It felt slightly harder than Leadville, mostly because the course was more technical than I'm used to.

Descending isn't my strong suit, so I got passed a lot. I didn't want to risk crashing early on. The trails were so much fun to ride, but I couldn't really find my rhythm till the second half of the race.

My start wasn't that good, and I knew going into the first few miles that this was definitely a B/C race for me. I think I rode too much the past couple of days. At the start I got passed immediately by my entire group, but I knew it was going to be a long day so I let them go, hoping to reel them back in later.

My legs were fatigued the entire time, but I was happy that my nutrition was really dialed in. I went with a CamelBak instead of bottles, which was a huge help considering how twisty and bumpy the trays were, making it difficult to drink otherwise.

Now 8th might sound like a good placing, but it was out of just 12 racers. The competition was hard, considering it was a nationals race. My overall time fairs pretty well, but I knew I could have done slightly better if I had saved a bit more energy leading up to the race.

Again, just happy to have finished it, and to have my race-day nutrition dialed in; not eating too much in the morning, not going with an energy drink, just eating GU Chomps and maybe a Clif bar at the end.

Parking lot full of mountain bikes/bikers, all getting ready to suffer for four hours.

My friend, Ryan, just destroyed the course and competition, coming in 2nd place in his age category. The kid is insane! He also won both Downieville's XC and enduro events last month.

Marathon Course Pre-ride, Part 2

I pre-rode more of the marathon nationals course today, and ran into some friends from the bay area, as well as making a couple more. It's probably one of my favorite things about mountain bike racing, besides the traveling, getting to meet people who share the same passion at the same level. We're all out in the forest, enjoying the sun and trails, trying to figure out the right lines to pick and going over each others bike set-ups.

I split off from the group and decided to check out the mid-day loop. I probably should have stopped for the day to save some legs for tomorrow, but I couldn't help myself. The trails are that much fun.

I Have Arrived

After nine hours of driving I finally made it up to Bend, OR. I left around 7am and made good time, allowing me to squeeze in an afternoon course pre-ride. I wanted to make sure I got a feeling for the terrain and overall course, figuring out where the start and finish were.

The drive up was great. I hadn't been through Kalamath and that part of southern Oregon. Since I wanted to make good time going up I only stopped once for gas, grabbing a few snacks, but no lunch. I did make good time, but I felt like crap in the afternoon.

I didn't have too much time to explore. The start of the course was mostly fire road before cutting into some single track. The trails consisted of deep dust and sand, never climbing for too long before descending. Great for trail riding, but really exhausting for cross-country racing. At 50 miles it's going to be a tough day on Saturday.

Tomorrow I pick up my race number before I head out to pre-ride more of the course.

All Work and No Play

Had a massively busy day at work, getting as much done before I cut out for the long weekend. Soon enough I'll be driving up north into the mountains of central Oregon for the Marathon Nationals in Bend. It's been at least ten years since I last rode the trails of Bend, back when I was still a junior. From what I remember, Bend had some of the most fun, fast and flowing single track. Can't wait.

Working the Weekend

It's been a crazy past couple of weeks of work for me. I had to come into the office over the weekend to crank through some work, but managed to squeeze in a ride afterwards.

Normally I'd go home and put on my gear, but because of the sun setting earlier than usual I had to go in my work clothes, button down and jeans. Not the most ideal riding gear, especially for mountain biking, but I really didn't care at the time. I just needed to get out into the mountains.

The Headlands by Night

The night is creeping in sooner and sooner, making my ride through the Marin Headlands harder, especially after work. I hit the road around 6:30pm and knew I had to haul ass to make it around my loop and back to the bridge before it was pitch dark. I made the mistake I often do by not eating enough before heading out, nor did I bring any food with me. The cold bay air soaked through my body and bones on my return trip, zapping me of energy.

It wasn't all bad. The trails were in good condition. They reopened a section that's now been smoothed out for easier pedestrian access. At the top the view was spectacular despite heavy winds. You can see Mt. Tam basked in the sunset sky. Below is Mill Valley and Sausalito. We're hoping to buy a house down there someday soon.

The Dawn Patrol is Growing

6:15am wakeup call. I'm out the door and it's still incredibly dark. I turn on my red blinky light and start spinning faster than normal to keep warm. It's Tuesday early morning, and I'm on my way to meet the weekly Marin Headlands dawn patrol. It normally consists of three riders, myself included, but this morning there were six of us.

During our wait for the last rider to show up we started chatting about Leadville times. This sparked an all-out freight train across the bridge and up Hawk Hill. I barely hung onto the wheel in front of me. I barley had legs to keep me going having ridden hard all week and not enough recovery. Excuses aside, I pushed hard.

The sun is starting to come out to help show us the way.

The ride started out with clear skies, but by the time we came around the backside of our loop we were given a foggy surprise. It just came in out of nowhere. Rather than 'risk' getting lost or crashing off trail we decided to take the safer and slightly less-legal way down. I won't go into detail, but all I can say is that it was FUN.

Marathon Nationals, Here I Come

The next race I'm aiming for is in a few weeks in Bend, Or. It's the MTB Marathon National Championships, while not quite as hard as Leadville in terms of mileage (62 miles), it does climb a considerable amount with over 6,000'. The long format race suits my strengths more than the traditional cross-country race. Given the amount of climbing and mileage my training in the Bay Area almost matches the course profile with the exception of starting altitude, which is roughly 5,000' above sea level. I'll be heading out a couple of days early to acclimate as much as possible while pre-riding as much of the course before the race on Saturday. Time to start prepping.