Today is my last day here at West. It's been an incredible year since moving out from Brooklyn to San Francisco. I'm on to bigger and better things. Where? You're probably wondering. I'm extremely excited and happy to announce I'll be joining the team at Specialized Bicycles in Morgan Hill, CA next month! It's a big change, and if you know me you'll come to understand that this is my dream job come true. More details to follow.
Sea Otter Race Rig
I got my Open O-1.0 all dialed in for Sea Otter this Friday. In the past few days I've replaced the tires and chain, bled the brakes and made sure everything is in good working order. All systems are go.
New Rubber & Metal
Last night I replaced my worn out chain and set of Racing Ralph tires. It's funny how bald my tread was compared to a fresh set of knobbies. I went with a slightly wider than normal 2.25" front tire for extra control. This morning I tested everything out on our Dawn Patrol ride, where we welcomed a new face to the morning crew.
I really stretched out my chain, and luckily hadn't worn out my cassette too much. I made a few front derailleur adjustments and made sure I wouldn't drop any more chains come Friday. Still, I'm a bit nervous about that happening again, especially in a race situation. I did some research on chain catchers, but because of my direct mount style front derailleur and the fact that the tubes on my frame are Squoval shaped I'm left with little choice. Any recommendations for possible water bottle mounted chain catchers? Seems like my only choice.
Anyways, we had a great ride this morning. It was hella cold down in the valley. The coldest I've ever felt in the Headlands. My face was completely numb by the end of the Bobcat descent.
Napa Valley Dirt Classic
Here I am coming into the finish at the Napa Valley Dirt Classic up in Angwin, CA, just outside of St. Helena where I finished a solid 5th place. I was half a minute down from 4th and a few minutes from 2nd. 1st place was way out there to be considered in the same class. I had a very good start, almost getting the hole-shot at the top of the road climb onto dirt. I wanted to make sure I positioned myself well enough to gauge the leaders. It wasn't going to be a long day in the saddle so I knew I had to pin it from the beginning.
At the very top of the first climb I dropped my chain, losing at least five or so places. I knew I should have replaced my chain the night before. Lesson learned. From there I was chasing the chase group. I lost contact with them halfway through the first loop and rejoined them on the rolling sections of trail. When I say rolling they really rolled, dipping straight to the bottom of a riverbed and back up. I kept my position well enough and managed to drop the group as soon as the climbs became steadier and steeper. The trails were sweet. Lots of tight corners and sweeping single track.
By the halfway point I knew I had made up some ground, but didn't know exactly how far back I was from the lead group. I passed a few folks, either in my start group or stragglers from the pro field. I put my head down and continued to work. I dropped my chain a few more times, and really started to panic at this point, and thought it would eventually be the end of my race day. I tried to manage my shifting by not shifting down to the small ring as much as possible. Only on the steep pitches would I have to risk the downshift.
A familiar face rode by, someone I raced with at the Old Caz Grasshopper Adventure Series. We traded off places on the rather steep and slippery slopes of Pope Canyon. He had overheard someone describing the terrain like 'kitty litter'. It was really loose dirt atop hardpack, making it rather difficult to keep a straight line, especially through some deeply rutted sections. I managed to drop him at the start of the big climb out, leaving no mercy for my rivals. Reminder to self: replace worn out, nearly bald Racing Ralph tires before Sea Otter.
I got into quick-spin mode and worked my way past four or five riders before it began to flatten out. The grades were so steep, at some points averaging 20º or more. I was expecting more of a climb, not to say it wasn't easy, but it was shorter than expected. I also kept looking down at my Garmin thinking there was at least another four miles or so of trail, but before I knew it we were already back on the cow fields adjacent to the airport. From the top of the airport was the short descent back to the finish line. There was one rider who managed to escape on the long climb out. I tried to bridge up to him, hoping to make a pass before the downhill, but he knew I was chasing and didn't let up. I should have fought harder, but for some reason I didn't think he was in my category to matter.
I came in with a finishing time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, my goal for the day. It wasn't fast enough to podium, but I felt really great considering how competitive and large my category was. I finished 5th in my age group and snagged a 7th overall out of 70 starters.
I've got to carry this fitness throughout the week and into Sea Otter, which is on Friday. I'm feeling really good, but Sea Otter is a whole different kind of race, twice as long and potentially twice as hot. Last year I barely finished, with a respectable 9th place. This year I want to podium. It's a lofty goal, but I've improved tremendously as a rider/racer this past year.
5th
Put in a great ride this morning, getting 5th out of 26 in a stacked Cat. 1 (19-34) field. Our start group was massive, with about 60 or so riders, all crushing it up the road to get the hole shot. I ended up finishing 7th overall in my start group. I lined up at the very front and sprinted my heart out for 3rd position coming into the single track. I dropped my chain a few places, chased the leaders, came back at the end on a monster climb and almost caught 4th. Very fun course, another real mountain bikers course. So happy with my result especially going into Sea Otter later next week. Full race recap to follow.
Napa
Got to Napa in good time. Had a leisure drive up through wine country, and had a great dinner with family. I'm hitting the sack early to make sure I'm fully rested.
Ready, Set, GO!
This weekend I've got the Napa Valley Dirt classic. It's one of the bigger local races that attracts a strong field of NorCal's finest. I'm not sure how well I'll do, but I'm feeling pretty good. I went for a quick spin through the Headlands this morning to get the engine started.
I want to do well, obviously, but I'm treating this as a B race in preparation to Sea Otter next Friday. My neck has been bothering me lately, but I think it'll be fine come race day. My legs feel a bit off, but I know I've got to give them another day or two of rest. My game plan till Sunday is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. It feels good to have had a few races and wins under my belt going into this event. It takes the pressure off from having to perform at my absolute best.
One Year in SF
Today my wife and I celebrate one year living in beautiful San Francisco. It's been quite an incredible year for the both of us. It's hard for me to think about our lives back in Brooklyn. Quite frankly, I haven't missed New York one bit. I feel such a deep connection to this city, having seen a lot of what it has to offer in terms of cycling. I've developed so much as a rider, and have met some really great people along the way.
More Sunshine
Another amazing morning here in San Francisco. I joined up with the Roll Call crew for an early morning stroll to the top of the Headlands, down the backside and back. They took me onto a section I haven't done before. It's just a small loop, but it offers more spectacular views of the surrounding ocean. I've also been enjoying the new company of riders, getting to know more like-minded folks that love to ride bikes.
Sunny Side Up
I love when summer is just around the corner. Days are long, and more importantly the sun rises are earlier and earlier. This morning was glorious, with the sun shining on the trails. It was rather windy at the top, but we tried to play it to our advantage on the way down. Peter and Craig flew down Bobcat snagging the coveted KOM. I couldn't hang with their pace, overshooting a few of the corners with too much speed.
Must Rest
Having put in a lot of hours in the saddle last week (14 hours) I'm in need of some rest. I've got a big block of racing coming up this month, starting with the Napa Valley Dirt Classic, followed by the Sea Otter Classic, the Lemurian Shasta Classic and the Boggs 8 Hour race (solo). It's a race every weekend for the next month, and I've got to make sure I gauge my efforts right.
Miles & Mountains for Brunch
I went for a nice long road ride instead of putting in more miles on my mountain bike on Sunday. I seldom go for epic road rides these days with all of the races and training I've been in the past couple of months. It was really nice to get out, enjoy the scenery and go at my own pace. Speaking of pace I managed to put in a solid effort on the entire Highway 1, BoFax climb, up and over 7 Sisters and back, averaging 17 mph over 43 miles and close to 6,000' of climbing. I felt good to say the least, but I pushed myself this week, clocking in 14 hours in the saddle.
Highway 1 is such an amazing place to ride your bike. It's super twisty, so not a lot of people drive the narrow roads. It's quite rolling for several miles before it begins to flatten out right after Stinson Beach. The climb back up to 7 Sisters is pretty brutal. It just keeps going and going. I passed a few groups of riders along the way, trying to best my previous time. I wanted to make sure I had enough power left in my legs to make it over the top of Tam, so I kept the pace reasonable.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again and proclaim the 7 Sisters my favorite stretch of road I've ever ridden. It's just so beautiful with all of its rolling hills and sweeping views of the valley and ocean below. It's not easy either. It was a perfect way to end a hard week of training and riding.
A Piece of History
This is only the second time I've ridden Tamarancho, one of NorCal's best mountain bike park, just 3o minutes away from the city. The last time I rode these trails was in the summer during the Tamarancho Dirt Classic, where I placed 3rd in Cat 1. Situated just outside of Fairfax, CA the trail starts a mile or so up the road. The single track cuts through some beautiful forests and open landscape. We rode about 25 miles and climbed over 4,000'. Not bad considering most of it was on single track.
Being Saturday the trails were in full use. We immediately ran into a few groups on our way up, but quickly got off the main drag to explore the depths of the woods. We bombed down some barely used single track, followed by fire road as we come to an intersection of significant importance.
The rock pictured above is the finish line for the infamous Repack descent, the birthplace of mountain biking. Joe Breeze and Gary Fisher would take their modified beach cruisers and rip down the 2 mile fire road, using this rock as the finish line. They'd pack in kegs and party with friends at the end of a day of riding. It's called Repack because they'd have to repack their old oil-drum brakes at the end of the descent.
Part of our exploration was not to go down Repack, but up. It's quite possibly the hardest ascent I've ever done, next to Powerline in Leadville. I hammered out of the saddle right away, not knowing when to expect the end of the climb, other than it'll take me at least 20 minutes to reach the top. I set a sub 20 minute goal. Not even a quarter of the way up the hill I realized I needed to back off on my effort so I wouldn't blow up halfway through. I put in a solid effort and snagged the KOM on the segment. Not sure how long that'll last, but I certainly gave it my all.
When we regrouped at the top we ran into some serious mud trying to connect back into Tamarancho. It's been a while since I've encountered mud that thick and sticky. It was comical how much mud accumulated in such a short distance. Josh wasn't having it so we decided to detour onto a piece of single track that dropped straight down into the forest. It was fast, fun and loamy, but turned pretty dicey towards the end. Peter crashed off the trail and I managed to clean a portion of the steep grade before coming to a complete stop and walking down the rest.
After a few miles of riding on the road we hooked back up with the main Tamarancho loop and finished it out before calling it a day. On the way up I managed to crash and fall onto some rocks, miscalculating a series of baby head rocks. Who crashes going up? I do apparently. I smashed my face on the side of a rock and rolled onto my back, nearly cracking my iPhone. Luckily I was wearing a helmet and my phone had a case.
Afterwards we grabbed lunch in town. Fairfax was overrun with cyclists either going up to Tamarancho or going up the back side of Bolinas Ridge on road bikes. It's such a cool little town with such an amazing backdrop and playground.
Reverse
Had a decent ride this morning through the Headlands. I ran into quite a few riders along the way as well as trail runners, which is surprising considering I was out rather early. I did my normal loop in reverse to mix things up.
Ominous bunny watching my every move. Just after this sighting a family of deer scooted past me and another rider going the opposite direction.
I just wanted to keep going, forget about work and focus on the trail. Sadly I had to come back down to reality.
Rainy Day Off
I was gonna go play in the dirt this morning, but the rain was too hard and depressing to get out of bed. I needed to catch up on my sleep anyways. My ride into work was wet and soggy. My day at work was… bleh. Hopefully I can pick up the threads tomorrow and get in a good ride.
Roll Call SF
This morning I rode with the Roll Call SF crew for the first time. The group is made up of mostly tech/design folks in the SF area. It started with a nice relaxed pace until we hit the Headlands. They're a very fast group! It felt good to get out and meet some new riders, especially on road bikes. We went up to the top of Hawk Hill and decided to turn back around rather than do the entire Headlands loop. I look forward to riding with them again next Wednesday.
Epic Sunrise
Amaze-balls sunrise this morning in the Headlands. Our Dawn Patrol crew was strong as we hammered our way up to the top as well as down, setting a few personal records along the way. We caught up to another rider going up the Headland Heifer, who was also aboard a BMC 29er similar to Peter's. The top was foggy as hell once we summited, but after a few minutes the skies parted revealing the most epic sunrise I've seen in a while.
After Work
I did a quick spin after work to blow off some steam. What was supposed to be a recovery ride quickly turned into a hammerfest up Hawk Hill. Beautiful evening, though.
The Big Sandy Race Recap
I had a great day on the bike on Saturday, winning the Expert 19-34 category. I finished the 23 mile course in roughly two hours. It had 3,700' of climbing, with lots of fun single-track climbs and descents. The turnout was pretty good considering all of the other races going on the same day. There was the big Fontana race as well as CCCX. I chose to do The Big Sandy because it was a real mountain biker's course, and it did not disappoint, well mostly.
After a long day of traveling on Saturday, resting for most of the day today, I'm finally finding the time to reflect on my race win. On Friday I got about four hours of sleep before I had to pack up the car and drive another three and a half hours down to Auberry, CA, just outside of Fresno. I left around 5am and got to the race site around 9am, roughly two hours before race start. The drive down was easy. It got very scenic as soon as I got towards Auberry, rolling hills and mountain ranges out in the distance.
The start of the race was down in a canyon, near the beautiful Milerton Lake State Recreational Area. I recognized a few guys from the races up in Granite Bay, and knew there was some fierce competition. My friend Ryan was there, too, and knew he would give everyone hell. He won the overall race, setting a new course record, as well as winning close to $400. Well deserved. I had plenty of time to warm up, as did the temperature. I was expecting it to rain, but it was blue skies all day long.
The start field, which included pros, experts, men and women, as well as the sport and single-speed category. They let the beginners and folks doing the short course early before unleashing our group of well over 50 riders onto the long course. By the end of the day I believe I finished 6th or 7th of that massive start field. Before I knew it we were all sprinting up the short section of pavement before hitting the trail. I had a rather bad start position, but hustled my way up to the top 15 riders before the single-track. It was a decisive move that proved worthwhile as the long train of riders quickly stretched out.
The first climb was long and steep. I knew it was my chance to gain some time on the leaders before it dropped back down the backside of the mountain. It was four miles or so of deep and dusty trail, my heart rate was through the roof, and the sun was blazing. I only had one bottle with me over the 23 mile course, but made sure I hydrated days before the race. I managed to move up from 15th all the way up to 5th by the top of the climb.
The downhill on the backside is world-class. It had lots of sweeping turns, drops and rock gardens to keep me alert. The hardest part was navigating through all the sandy sections, which took a while to get used to. I conjured up my newly found skills and let my bike carve and drift. I didn't get caught till halfway down, getting passed by a rider I had passed earlier on the climb, but my goal was to stay upright without any crashes. I nearly ate dirt towards the bottom over a series of sizable drops followed by a sharp left-handed turn through a tight boulder section. Momentum is your friend when dicing through the rough stuff.
The course looped back on to the first section of single-track we started on, finishing up what's considered the long course start loop. What a hell of a loop. I get back up to the start area to continue onto the rest of the course, getting feedback from spectators that I wasn't too far off the leaders, and that I was currently in 6th. From there the trail was an undulation of rolling single-track, some of the best I've ever ridden. It cut through pastoral hills and trees, rocks jutting out from the greenest grass I've ever seen. The land's so fertile and beautiful I can imagine it being difficult to hold a race there, let alone be allowed to ride.
Having studied the course profile I knew it was a matter of holding my momentum and speed, punching up the short climbs as quickly as possible. I kept looking back, and saw only one guy trying to bridge up to me. After five miles or so I lost sight of him and kept working. I eventually caught glimpse of the rider that passed me on the downhill early on, slowly catching up to him on the climbs, only to be dropped as soon as it went down. We played cat and mouse all day, but I was never able to bridge up to him.
I was running out of water fast, but knew I had enough in the tank to get me to the finish. Eventually I started catching up to the the earlier groups doing the short course, passing most of them on the climbs. We were following a trail that hugged the lake, a steep slope overlooking the water below. Speed boats hummed along, and all I could think was how nice it would be swimming in the water right about now. I wanted to soak in the views, but had to concentrate on the trail in front of me.
The last climb before the finish was long, steep and painful, but not as hard as everyone made it out to be. Having done most of my training on the steep hills of the Marin Headlands I knew what kind of pace and effort was needed to make to the top and still have enough left to finish strong. I put my head down and went to work, passing even more riders, but never quite catching the guy in my start group. The downhill to the finish line was really fun and fast. It was a sharp turn to the right, down to the riverbed, and back up a loading dock to the finish line. Kind of an awkward way to finish, but I was sure glad that it was over.
I knew I had held my position for most of the race, but didn't know how I placed within my category. I saw my friend Ryan, chatted a bit, congratulated him on his win, and started the waiting game.
The Big Sandy is a point-to-point race. One of the last remaining, other than Downieville. They had a real nice party vibe with beer, music and food, but no real way of knowing when to expect a lift back to the start. It was fun for a while, but I knew I had to get going. More and more racers finished, but still no shuttle service. We had been waiting there for two hours, and I was starting to get irritated. We find out eventually that the shuttle service won't start till after the awards ceremony. I wish they had filled us in earlier.
Naturally I miss the first shuttle, which is basically a truck and a van that could fit accommodate eight people at a time. It was at least an hour before the next round, and I started to get worried I may never leave for at least two more hours. Ryan managed to talk to a fellow racer into giving me a lift back up to the start. If it weren't for him I would have been screwed. My wife was worried sick about me. I wasn't able to text her because of the lack of phone reception all day, and not being able to get to my care because of the shuttle was just making it worse.
It was a great course, and ended with great festivities, but the lack of organization of information and especially the shuttle system will keep me from coming back again. It really ruined my otherwise amazing day on the bike.
My bike, as always, performed like a champ. I had the early advantage on the big climb towards the start, as I rocketed past a bunch of riders. The power transfer and lightness surely helped in securing my position towards the front of the race. I never felt fatigued over the rolling and somewhat bumpy course. It was definitely a hardtail course.
This race win was special to me because it was on a real mountain biker's course, with lots of climbing and technical descending along some of the best single-track I've ridden in a while.
1st
A quick update with my race down at the Big Sandy. I won my category, expert 19-34! It was a great day on the bike. Full race-day recap to follow.