It's the first time I'll be doing back to back race weekends. Tomorrow I'm heading down to Fresno to race the Big Sandy. It's one of the last remaining point-to-point mountain bike races. I'm excited to get my climb on and check out a new part of California. My bike didn't need much dialing in this week. I thought about swapping out my tires for a fresh pair of Racing Ralphs with Snakeskin protection, but instead I just refilled my tires with Stans. Everything else is solid.
To Race, or Not to Race
This weekend there are a few choices for racing. We've got the CCCX down in Seaside, CA, the one I did last weekend, but with a twist; they do a reverse course. There's also The Big Sandy out past Fresno near the Sierra National Forest. And there's the US Cup in Fontana, just outside of LA. I'm leaning towards CCCX because of it's close proximity, but wasn't wow'd by the course. I'm curious about The Big Sandy because of the location and course style, but it's a tiny bit further away. I should know by tomorrow, but I'm excited to race again.
More Rest
I'm pretty much toast today. I slept a good 10 hours and still feel run down. Work has been getting in the way of my well-being this week. I had planned to join some friends to ride Mt. Sutro in the morning, but slept through my alarm. Hopefully I'll kick this moment of dreariness out of my system before the week is out.
Dawn Patrol Recovery
The view from the top never gets old. Our Dawn Patrol crew was pretty wiped out from the weekend, so our Tuesday morning ride went with a brisk pace. I was especially tired, having raced CCCX over the weekend, still recovering from the series of sprints and sustained efforts. We were all hanging on each others wheel, but I had to put in a dig with every climb to shake out any post race jitters and doubts.
Hero Shot
My CCCX hero shot, by Steve Anderson.
CCCX Race Recap
What a race. The CCCX was really different from most XC races I've done before. It was relatively flat, lots of single track, but very fast. It was almost like a XC short track or cyclo-cross race. The start whistle went off, and it was a mad sprint on pavement for the hole shot before it turned onto single-track. I sprinted towards the front, trying to catch up to my friend Ryan, but knew I had to back off the gas a tad, otherwise there was not point of return towards recovery. The pace was high all throughout the hour and a half long race, and I never backed down.
My wife and our friend Grant joined us and provided support for me during the race. Because the course was so close together they picked the perfect spot for taking pictures, hanging out in the sun and handing me water along the way. My friend Giles (pictured above) came down to race as he preps for Sea Otter and other more endurance style events. He and I both agreed this wasn't our ideal course, but it'd be good practice and experience at the very least.
I lined up alongside a couple of pros, my friend Ryan being one of them, and the rest of our group of 30 or so. I was a bit nervous because they stacked my category with all the younger fellas (19-34 Cat. 1). There are some really fast guys, and I knew I had to stay at the front from the start to get a good result.
I met some really cool people right before the race kicked off. Dean, who regularly rides the Marin Headlands, noticed me at the line. He's got the ultimate commute from Mill Valley, through the Headlands and into the city where he works. He was riding a 2011 Stumpjumper Comp 29er, the same bike I had a couple of years back. Then I met a nice guy by the name of Jeff who was aboard a custom pink and silver bike with a Lefty fork. I forgot the name of the builder, but it was one hell of a ride. Jeff went on to catch me halfway through the race and finish 3rd. 2nd place was just up the way from us, less than a minute or so.
The course was five miles long, without a lot of climbing. Not my ideal course, but it was familiar in that it raced a lot like the Granite Bay races I won last month. There were a few punchy climbs before it dropped into what seemed like endless downhill single-track. I pre-rode a portion of the start to get a feel for the terrain. Lots of sandy and dusty turns. Much like Sea Otter, which is just a half hour south of Fort Ord. I knew there weren't many opportunities for me to make up time on the climbs, which I consider my strength, so I had to make sure my efforts were timed and considered. I utilized many of the helpful tips I've been getting from my friends David and Jeremy about cornering, and it really paid off in this race. I was able to hang with everyone, and not lose too much time descending.
The chase group was pretty close to the leaders. It consisted of myself, Jeff, another Cat 1 racer and a single-speeder, whose front brake howled the entire time we were out on course. We all traded efforts, going back and forth with leading, surging ahead, getting caught, and finishing. I was the first to give out, conceding my position, but not by much. It really hurt, but I was really happy to have held my place, having sustained such a huge effort for the entire race, and finishing 4th.
I really worked myself over this race. It was good prep for Sea Otter. I learned that I need to work on my start sprint a bit more, and to be able to recover quickly from short punchy efforts. I also shouldn't get too comfortable when leading a chase group. Getting caught halfway really challenged me mentally. Physically I had just enough to finish within a minute of the top podium spots, but if I paced myself better maybe I would have had the win or a place or two better. I can't really beat myself up about it. I just have to learn from it and improve. I've come so far in a just a year. My early races last season were wrought with crashes and just getting back into the rhythm of racing. Towards the end I was seeing improvements with my fitness and handling skills. Starting off the season with all good results is something to be pumped about.
My bike performed flawlessly like always. It was the perfect setup for this style of course/race with lots of punchy efforts while maintaining a high average speed. It was also easy to stand up mash on the pedals and accelerate quickly. It's just so responsive in all respects. Carving the smooth corners was a lot of fun on this bike. It just held its line. I'll definitely be running the Racing Ralph tires for Sea Otter. I just had the fork seals serviced this week, and it never gave me any problems. I also picked up some new Giro fluro high-bright yellow gloves so my crew could identify me as I flew by.
My friend Ryan, whom I saw only once at the start, was the overall winner. It was his first win as a pro! I'm so proud of him. He was riding a Santa Cruz Tallboy with fully inflated tires and maxed/locked out suspension. The course was so fast that you really didn't need much to get around, just mad skills.
Here I am with the top 5 of the 19-34 Cat. 1 group. Oh yeah, there's Marlow, too. The race organizers weren't too organized in getting the results together. The awards ceremony took way too long, which got progressively worse as people started to get restless and leave. At the end of the day I was super happy with my result, getting to race and hang out with my friends. Afterwards we went down to Monterey, grabbed lunch and checked out the aquarium.
4th at CCCX
I did really well today at CCCX today, finishing 4th with only a minute or so separating the top tier. A full race recap tomorrow.
CCCX Prep
I'm racing on Saturday down near Monterey, CA. I've been spending most of my week recovering and not putting in too many hours on the saddle. My fork seals blew last weekend, but I managed to get them fixed just in time for the race. I'm feeling pretty good, and am looking forward to racing some new folks as well as friends.
Peace of Mind
Nothing like riding in the morning to clear the mind.
Our group grew to four, with the return of Craig, aboard his new BMC 29er.
Back in Business
Well that was fast. I got a call mid-day from Mikes Bikes telling me that my fork is fixed and ready to be picked up. Yes! Just in time for a Thursday morning ride as well as a race down in Monterey this Saturday. I left work a little early and rushed on over to pick it up.
I was really stressed out yesterday that I'd potentially be out of racing on Saturday or not having a mountain bike for some time if I had to send my fork out to RockShox to be fixed. It's happened before. Luckily Mikes was there to save the day. Their mechanics were super nice and knowledgeable and able to turn it around in less than a day. I highly recommend them.
Leak
This morning I pulled my rig out for my usual Tuesday morning Dawn Patrol ride and found my suspension fork completely flat. I definitely busted a seal riding the craziness that is Skeggs. I was super bummed considering it's a relatively brand new fork, granted I've put in a ton of hours to warrant servicing. I sent word out to my riding buddies, and got a ton of great replies and recommendations. Ultimately I went with taking it into Mikes Bikes who said they had that build kit and could turn it around in a day.
The Absa Cape Epic
Someday I will do this race. The Absa Cape Epic. The Tour de France for mountain biking. 7 days of racing in South Africa with the world's elite.
Sore
This afternoon I did an easy recovery spin along the coast, but got caught by some cold and heavy headwind. I'm still pretty sore after my epic day of riding Skeggs for the first time. My body didn't know it could hurt like that. Clearly I have some new training to consider, which is good.
Skeggs
I rode the trails at Skeggs for the first time today. It was incredible! Just a half hour or so from the city, Skeggs Point is nestled in the mountains of the peninsula between Half Moon Bay and Woodside. It's a network of trails, mostly single-track, that either drop straight down or climbs straight up. A real mountain biker's paradise.
Jeremy had the route all planned out. Having ridden the area for years he's kind of the king of the mountain around these parts, having KOM'd or placed in the top 10 of every Strava segment. I prepared myself to get schooled by him and Josh, who's also a monster ripper of these woods.
The first section of trail was really fast, followed by a crazy fire road descent with a few drops thrown in. Scott and I lost our water bottles as we bounced around towards the bottom. It was some serious rough riding. I could barely keep up with Josh and Jeremy, who were out to set some new records. Both Josh and Scott flatted around the same time. Opportune time to catch my breath and hydrate on an orange.
We got ourselves deep into the bottom of the forest. Skeggs has a bit of everything, from really dry and rocky exposed sections, to nice and flowy single-track, gut wrenching climbs, East Coast-like gnar and just straight-up fun trails. We covered about 25 miles with about 5,000' of elevation gain. Jeremy and Josh were kind enough to egg me on for every ascent, knowing I'd try to put my mark on the climbers leader-board. I did just that with almost every climb, but I really started to feel it halfway through our day.
Jeremy is one fast dude. He can rail the downhills fearlessly, clean any section of trail, and make you hurt on any climb. He just started racing not too long ago, and has quickly moved up as a Cat 1 XC racer.
Josh is just as fast as Jeremy, and when you put the two together it's virtually impossible to catch them (d0wnhill). Having never ridden the trails of Skeggs before the only place I could put a dig into either of them was on the climbs, but not by much. The drawback of Skeggs is that it's buried deep in the mountains, so satellite reception is poor. I missed a few Strava segments because of it, which explains why the guys use their phones as backups.
This was also the first time my Open saw real rough mountain biking at its finest. Getting bounced around on a hardtail isn't as much fun as a full squishy bike, obviously, but my bike felt comfortable all the way through the tortuous terrain, especially at speed. It never felt twitchy in tight corners and it held its line, as long as I trusted my tires more.
I've been practicing my new cornering technique, shown to me by my friend David last week, but started to get real sloppy towards the end of the ride. My hands developed some new calluses by the end, and my whole body felt like it got beat to a pulp. I haven't felt that way after a ride since racing at Tamarancho last fall.
I definitely have to come back to Skeggs soon. It puts a lot of my Headlands riding to shame in that it really works your body and mind in a wholly different way. I need to practice my single-track and downhill cornering skills while getting used to the new body language it takes to control the trail. Above all, I need to come back because it's fun and poses some new challenges.
Fridays
I got in a good easy ride through the Headlands after work on Friday. I had a backpack full of work clothes, yet managed to set a personal record going up Marincello on my back. Tomorrow I'm headed to Skeggs to check out some new trails with my friends, and want to make sure I have enough energy to carry me through.
Day Off
I was supposed to do an early morning Headlands Dawn Patrol with the usual crew, but had to sleep in. I had been up rather late the past couple of nights finishing up a side project. Hopefully I can catch up on my sleep and get back into the swing of things. I also decided not to do the Grasshopper ride this weekend. Instead I hope to get in some steady training before I race the following weekend. Sometimes you need to know when to slow down.
Chasing After Giles
After work I did a quick loop around the Headlands on my road bike. Halfway up the hill I see someone absolutely hammering his way to the top from the roundabout. I thought I could catch him, but he just lurched further and faster away from me. I reached the top, drop down the backside and finally catch up to the rider. It was my friend Giles! He had put in a monster effort to grab 7th overall on a segment of nearly 5,000 riders. I was thoroughly impressed. We finished the loop and rode home together swapping stories and catching up on rides. So cool to run into your friend on such a great ride.
Breaking the Layer
Broke the thick layer of fog on our first Dawn Patrol ride after daylight savings. It was pitch black for the first half of our ride until we reached the foot of the top of Miwok as the sun was beginning to rise. So amazing.
Daydreaming
I've got this water bottle I keep at work. I picked it up in Leadville, CO prior to racing the big race, which I drink out of almost every day of the week. The afternoon sun hit it just right, sitting there, glowing like a beacon. It suddenly reminded me of the task ahead, and made me ask myself if I was ready for another Leadville. The short answer is yes. Bring it on! Will I be able to break 8 hours? That's the bigger question I'm quite confident I can answer. With daylight savings and the long hours of light after work I'm looking forward to ramping up my weekly riding volume.
Just Another Sunday
I wanted to put in a few or more hours in the saddle today to fill out my weekly riding goal. What better way than to ride to the top of Mt. Tam and back. I rode 54 miles with 7,800' of climbing. It's become my regular long ride, where as before I considered it an all day epic. It's helped me get to another level of endurance and strength, not to mention sharpen my downhill skills.
Yesterday my friend David gave me a few pointers on how to carve corners with more confidence. I basically need to get off the saddle more, put most of my weight on my outside foot and really lean the bike into the corner. Today I took the advice and applied it with a lot of success. I found myself committing to corners with more confidence and control. Unfortunately I can't see the improvements I've made because my Garmin had lost the file. Bummer.