Festival of Speed - July '08

This past weekend was the 2nd Dick Lane Velodrome Festival of Speed for ’08 (there are only 3 each year) – which also happened to be my first. I’ve gone to several festivals as a spectator in the past and always looked on with great respect. Track racing is fast and smart and the riders always appeared to be fearless. I wondered if I would ever decide to step up to the challenge and take on a festival for myself. I started riding this season in the Ds (beginner) and have since then moved up to the Bs (expert) and with that comes an invite to the Festival of Speed. The festival only has Pro / Expert / and Women cats.

I had no idea what to expect going into the festival and I was feeling under-prepared. Going into the 4th of July weekend I rode a couple hammer fest group rides and then went up to the Gaps in north GA… I was busted. Then I stayed off the bike until Wednesday night racing at the track last week. It was the hardest Wednesday night of the year and I could not get on top of my gear. The next day (Thursday) I picked up my dog from the hospital after some pretty rough surgery and it proceeded to rain…. So no riding…. I did spend some time on the trainer which I had not done in months but at this point was critical. So Saturday finally comes and I’m nervous and it is 95deg and steamy. I get on my bike and was surprised to actually feel really good.

Warning - the text below contains specifics and may come off as boring and/or self absorbed. i appologize, however since i personally enjoy reading other people's race reports i don't actually feel bad.

The races started with 5 Lap Scratch heats. My heat had 4 riders and I was able to be in the right position. I rode 3rd wheel for the first 3 laps and then people tried to make a couple moves. The first 2 riders wanted to give up their positions but we weren’t having it. Coming into turn 3 on lap 4 and the rider in 4th position made a strong move over the top. Fortunately we were riding fairly high on the track and I was able to respond quickly underneath and grab his wheel. We turned it on and I just sat in 2nd position until turn 3 on the bell lap. We were coming in all together and I was able to come over top and take the sprint. The winners of the Scratch heats were now qualified for the Handicap race later in the evening.




The next race was a 15 Lap Point A Lap. The first rider over the line each lap would get a point and the rider with the most points wins the race. I sat in for the first few laps and then decided to make a move. I pulled around for a point and then looked back to notice that no one responded. Instead of waiting for the group, I tried to push a smooth line and collect a couple more laps. I’m getting updates from some spectators who are telling me that I have to keep it up… I’m 50 meters out… I collect 7 points and then I’m caught. I tried to do the math and realized that I left 8 points up for grabs. I’m watching the riders in the front and could not tell who was collecting the points now. I then hear over the PA something about a “2 way tie”. I wasn’t sure if this was for first place but I didn’t feel like risking it after the effort that I had put in for this race. I stood up going into turn 1 from about 6 riders deep and took the last lap to guarantee the win.



The next race was a 30 Lap Points Race. We would race for 30 laps (6 miles) with a sprint every 5 laps which scored 3 deep. The rider with the most points wins the race. I don’t exactly remember this race except that it was long and difficult and I was able to get into a small break at the end and somehow come up with enough points for the win.



Later in the evening we raced a Miss And Out which is always super stressful. The last rider across the line each lap is eliminated until the field is reduced to 3 riders. These 3 riders will continue for a 2 lap race. Positioning is very important and I’ve only ridden this race a few times so I’ve yet to find anywhere I would consider comfortable. We were down to about 8 riders and I was completely boxed in at the bottom of the track between turns 1 and 2. We are riding very tight and I feel someone coming down on me. I’m communicating for the rider to “STICK” which means for them to hold their line. The next thing I hear is someone going down right behind me. I look back expecting to see several riders, but it was somehow just Kurt. We roll up the track to clear the scene the next time around and then I look back again to see that he is already gone. Then during a neutral lap, I see Kurt rolling back into the field and the race is back on. That was awesome! Kurt earned some serious cred… I decide to move into the front and attempt to control the pace. If anyone came over the top I would be able to attempt to sprint and there was a good chance that a rider would be boxed in behind me and I would survive another lap. We race for a few more laps and I look back and realize that we are now down to the final 3 – and I’m still alive! We roll through our ‘neutral’ lap and then the bell. I’m riding 2nd wheel and on the back straight 3rd wheel makes his move. It seems that he has decided to box me in instead of completing his pass. I slow a bit and move up and behind him. I’m ok with 3rd wheel for the moment but I realize I need to make a move soon… I have to come way over the top and the final sprint is super tight. We finish all within a bike length and I barely squeeze out the win.



Finally – I’m ready for some hanging out and sports beverage drinking while watching the pros rip it up… but we have the Handicap Race. This is a little complicated, but the winner from each heat of each cat’s Scratch Race is now on a ‘team’. The Women start on the back straight, the Experts start between turns 1-2, and the Pros start on the front straight. It’s a standing start with holders and then nail it for 4 laps. The idea is to have all groups sprinting in the end for places… We Experts put together a game plan and are going to try to be at top speed by turn 3 and then take half lap pulls until the end. We are given the “GO” and my holder gives me an amazing push and I was immediately ahead of one of my ‘teammates’. I get on Kurt’s wheel going into turn 3 and he pulls until turn 1. He pulls up and it’s my turn… I’m pulling as hard as I can and I look back to see no one. This is always a hard decision in the Handicap Race – Do I wait for my team which appears to be all broken up or do I just put my head down and spin as hard and fast as I can. I decide to just go…. I pass the women and I’m feeling really good. I come around for the bell lap in first place and then I all of a sudden felt real bad… I hold on for as long as I can and I’m coming into turn 3 when I look back to see the Pro group (they were still together!) coming up really, really fast… they blew past me like I was standing still and I though about trying to catch a tow from them but there was no way I could have caught on. Then I realize that Alex (a fellow Expert) had caught on with them – smart move!



Once we finished the Handicap Race it finally occurred to me that I was done for the day. I had survived my first Festival of Speed and actually did pretty well. I was excited to grab a beer and relax. Later that night I found out that there was a payout for the Expert class. I thought the money was only for the Pro class and the opportunity did not even occur to me... who would have though that I might be in a position for any type of payout…. So, I got paid a little which was a fantastic surprise and another first for me. I’ll just say that I earned my registration money back and maybe some lunch money…

Full results: RESULTS

All photos by Chris Kelly: PHOTOS

66 - SERC/GSC & mixed feelings

it's been a while so i have two race reports to post in order to catch up. the past few weekends have been busy... why the cryptic subject? the two races were SERC6 and GSC6 and i came away from each of them with a nearly opposite vibe in the end.

SERC #6 – GSC makeup - Clemson

Two Sundays ago was the Clemson SERC#6 race which was also the GSC makeup race. I needed the makeup since I skipped GSC#4 at Heritage Park. Not a whole lot to say about this race… and without sounding too bitter, this is how the race went down… It was the worst I've felt in a race all year. It may have been a combination of lack of fitness, my sausage biscuit having an argument with me, and the fact that my brakes were 40% on 100% of the time. Pissed... I had my bike overhauled and ended up with new bottom bracket, chain ring, cassette, chain and brake pads. When I pick up the bike from the shop the wheels barely moved and I was told that the new pads would work out after a couple miles. After the race my front wheel was marginally better but my back wheel would still only spin a few rotations before coming to a hard stop. No wonder it felt like I was dragging a weight behind me. I just couldn't get any momentum for some reason... Finished the race in 7th place and looking for revenge.

I have to remind myself to preride the course! Again I raced a course I've never seen. Had a decent start and at the bottom of the first descent I completely missed the hard left inside the tree. I end up off the trail while the entire field passed me. In my condition I couldn't have stayed in the front group anyway, but playing catch up from the beginning is not the ideal way to spend efforts.


GSC #6 – Eatonton - Rock Hawk

This Sunday’s race had our wave of categories taking off at 11:30am which was a welcomed change from the 9:30am start times. However, instead of sleeping in we stayed true to our bros and car pool partners and left Atlanta at 7am (that was the plan anyway). Adrian was racing with the base wave at 9:30… We met up at A&P and a brief series of comedies began. Between loading up 5 people’s gear into 2 separate cars and a last minute wakeup call for ARon, just getting out of town was a challenge. We finally make it out of the city limits around 7:50 and we get Adrian to his start with only a couple minutes to spare – he went on to a strong finish with 5th place.

It was really nice to have the time to eat and get a full warm up before the next wave of races started. Unfortunately I once again did not get to pre-ride the course, but from talking with other riders it was explained to me that the course was really fast – except for where it was really slow. Huh? I even heard it explained as a true yin/yang course. What? So the course was a ~9 mile loop and we would do 2 laps. About half of the course was open undulating double track where big ring mashing was the protocol. The other half of the course was horrible single track that had been created within the past few weeks. It was like they had raked a trail between every tree possible and over rocky off camber climbs and descents. Not my favorite course but there is really great potential out there for some excellent trails.

We line up and there are two rows of riders in my class. I knew the start was going to be fast and within about 50’ we were funneled into a narrow paved path and then there was an initial 3’ drop off of the pavement onto gravel and then dirt. I had been watching all of the other cats start and waited for some carnage at the drop but it appeared to run pretty clean. I was still nervous about how I would find it in traffic... The whistle blows and we are sprinting toward the drop (no problem!) and the first section of extremely narrow and twisty single track. I’m 4th into the single track and we are all in a tight pack. We come out to the first double track climb and we are all still in a pack. A couple guys make their first move and I follow. I end up riding second wheel for the next couple of miles… I look back and notice that we are somehow alone. This part of the course was really fast but with many off camber and loose turns. I was trying to stay with 1st place and we were both in the big ring and standing up to get over the short climbs and then nailing it on the downhills. We make it to the next section of single track and he starts to drop me. At this point we are mixing it up with the riders from the previous cats and once in the single track it was very hard to make passes. I ended up off the bike 3 times on this lap due to slipping out on the new unpacked trail or just looking ahead for a passing lane and being out of control on the rocks below. The first lap is finally over and I figure that there is no reeling in 1st place (this is the same guy that has won the past 3 races) so I need to recover some to finish strong and ride cleaner on the 2nd lap.

This lap was much like the first and when I get to the new single track section I realize that I’ve been caught by the 3rd place rider who I had not seen since around mile 4. This was not good news because I was feeling it… A huge challenge for me on this course was having the fitness to ride all out on the open sections and then still be able to handle the highly technical and slow moving sections. All of my muscles were spent and moving the bike through the rocks and holding the line was getting harder and harder. Everytime the 3rd place guy would get within a few feet of me I would have to dig and pull away some. I was just hoping that I could make it last… we get to the last 500 yards of trail and a singlespeeder crashes about 20’ in front of me and as he’s getting up and about to get on his bike in middle of the trail, I’m yelling at him “heads up – we’re coming hard and we can’t stop”. Well – I had to nearly stop or run right into him…. Now 3rd place is only a couple inches off of my rear tire and I knew that he was setting up for a sprint to the finish line. We pop out of the woods and the last obstacle is a 1’ step-up from the dirt to the pavement and then ~30 yards to the finish line. I decide that I need to get into a taller gear for the sprint and as I’m trying to change gears and not stop pedaling – I completely mistimed the step up and had a pedal strike on the pavement which nearly sent me face down. I’m trying to get clipped back in while I get passed and then it was too late for a true sprint. The announcer and the spectators around the finish all give a collective “oohhh aahhh hhhahaa”. The announcer took pleasure in saying “oh – the pleasure of a win and the agony of a defeat” (I was the defeated). I rode 2nd and finished 3rd. Oh well… I was happy with my effort knowing that I couldn’t have done anymore, but I was disappointed in myself for making that last mistake costing my position.

a photo montage of the GSC race:

*the start - i'm nervous and already paranoid.


*sitting up and looking for a passing lane.

*struggling a bit.
*done.

GSC #5 - Carter's Lake

from what we had heard and read, the Carter's Lake trail was really tough. we decided to head up to Elijay on Saturday for a preride and some camping which worked out great. it was ridiculously hot at over 95deg so i took it really easy and just tried to imagine the course at a race pace. the course was a 5 mile loop which was had several screaming rocky descents and gruelling climbs. the rest of the course is what i heard some people call 'undulating', but that seems like a bit of an understatement. after the ride we jumped in the lake and then headed into town for a nice dinner. perfect day.

[while we were in the lake we watched an episode of our favorite hick sitcom unfold right before our eyes... a family showed up to do some fishing and within a couple minutes the very pregnant daughter gets hooked in the thigh. the dad unsuccessfully tries to pull out the hook and everyone else is mad at her for ruining their fishing trip. they pile back in the car and leave in a hurry. we were making up several alternate endings...]

7am and the race promoters are there blasting Cake through the woods. we wake up and cook up some breakfast and head to the starting line. the race starts at 9:30AM and it is already pushing 90deg! my old man category voted for 2 laps (8 to 7 - i voted 3 but was sort of glad when i was done after 2). it was hot and the course was steep. we toed the line and once i knew that it was going to be a short race i knew that the start was the most crucial part. i pounded up the start climb as fast as i could... i was first to the chicain (sp??) that funneled us into the singletrack - but then Ed flies past me through the cones. we hit the first descent and it is fast and scary. on the first climb i'm riding Ed's wheel and two guys pass us quickly. i follow them and they are killing it. the number 2 guy in front of me is starting to blow up and he is trying to recover on the downhills while i watch 1st place disappearing. i'm telling this guy to "keep pedaling - keep the gap - you've got this - keep up with #1 - do you mind if i get around...." i'm scrubbing this guys tire but there is nowhere to pass. we finally make it to a double track climb and i pass him but never again see 1st place. that guy won by ~2 minutes in an 11 mile race. thats nuts!

this was a great mountain bike course. i wish it was a longer trail because it would be fun to go RIDE (not necessarily do RACE loops on). i understand at least 2 collarbones were left on the trail.

*the pits indicate the heat index.

Goldsprints! ATL

Goldsprints have made it to the south - and they are painful. I raced a few heats on Saturday night and i'm still a little sore.

this was all part of the Faster Mustache 3 Year Birthday Party and Fundraiser. bands, djs, mustache contest and the main event - Goldsprints... it was a really good time and after a couple good heats and knowing what was left in the bracket - i was feeling pretty good about the competition. i wanted that Kazane! (sorry Chicken). i'm called up for round 4 after Night Moves finished their set. at this point it was about 11PM and i had been at Lenny's since 5:30 with no dinner.... we had to register by 5:30 and run qualifiers at 6 to build the brackets... so - in round 4 they call me and Scott Hodge to the stage. Hodge never shows up and apparently had bailed - much like his lunch after round 3. after some confusion, they decided to call up the late arriving Billy 'the East Point Outlaw' Santana to race against me. whatever - he just happens to be the #3 points holder and Elite/A racer at the Velodrome - spent all winter with his coach riding 20-25 hours a week - and it would be his first heat since he didn't come to Lenny's until after registration, qualifiers and 3 heats were in the bag - so, yup. this was intense and people were putting money on it (i think there was a $3 pot to go to me if i won). they decided to level the playing field a bit and fatigue Billy by having him chug a PBR. so - they count us down and we're off. spinning like frigging crazy and we have people seriously about 5 inches from our faces screaming at the tops of their lungs. fun stuff... i'm being screamed at that i'm ahead and then everyone yells for us to stop. the program had crashed (not the first time) and we were going to have to start over. apparently i was ahead and it crashed right at the half way point - so - they make a rule that if the program crashes at the halfway point or beyond they call the race to the spinner who was ahead - starting now - like if it happened again - not for me. thanks. so they remind us that the program crashes when people jump the count and they begin to count us down again. i listen to the entire count and give too long of a delay (i wanted to be certain that the program would not crash as i was into the last efforts my body would possibly allow). Billy got a jump and i had to catch up. i caught him and kept it really close and lost. something about some hundreths of a second at the finish. i was toast and quickly proceeded to the bar in an attempt to replace the fire in my legs with the cool comfort of a pibber. Billy went on to take home the frame in the final.

i'll share one of my heats... this is what it looked like to race Skip of No Brakes ATL:

This was not the last Goldsprint to be had in Atlanta.

a good report from Kurt at FM with links to photos.

**edit: the party and sprints were given mention on How To Avoid The Bummer Life!! one of my favorite blogs! see if you recognize the photo**

sweet revenge

While 24 Hours of Conyers was about having a good time and riding hard... not expecting 1st overall.... part of the race was also about my revenge. It feels really good to have a win on the course that put a steel plate in my shoulder. i guess i now have a couple types 'medal' to thank Conyers for.

*Conyers 'medal' - Summer 2005

It seems folks are stingy with their photos. There were a lot of photographers on the trail but very few pics have surfaced.

*cheek made contact with tree

*final laps

*PODIUM - 2008 round of medals.

more ridiculous photos here:

http://fastermustache.org/gallery/biking/race/Conyers24_08/

24 Hours of Conyers

Not sure what it is – but sometimes after a significant event, regardless of the outcome – I get bummed. I raced with Faster Mustache this weekend at 24 Hours of Conyers. We did well with first place in our cat and overall. A great event, amazing riding, solid and fun teammates…. but now it’s all over and I’m finally home and bored. None of my friends or family who mentioned that they would come show some love actually came – or called – or texted even. This was the first semi-local race (only ~25 minutes from ATL) so I hoped to see some familiar faces. Don’t get me wrong. We had amazing support with team management by Roger and several great friends came and spent time with us. Just no one that had personally told me they were going to come… And I lost my favorite t-shirt. This sunken feeling will fade after my body allows a real/hot meal and some sleep.

The race report….. the longer the event - the shorter the report. or maybe i'm just tired.

We raced hard for 24 Hours and had a rider on course at all times – we met both of our goals. I was able to pull 2 day laps, 3 night laps and then a morning lap with times I’m happy with (42,42,44,47,48,44 min). I always wondered how long it would take me to ride a full loop at Conyers if I actually bothered to time myself. Now I know… My first two night laps were met with sliding off of trail and crashing into large trees. I have trail/tree rash on my face and arms. There were tons of shenanigans including actual mustaches, capes, shirtless speedo/underwear laps, and team FM calisthenics at midnight. The team was solid and everyone really stepped up. I was inspired and made good friends this weekend. Part of me wishes I was still out there struggling.

OVERALL RESULTS

Faster Mustache

**edit - these links seem to have changed...

I'll link up some photos when they're shared. There should be some funny ones.

Dirt Sweat and Gears - '08

This past weekend I was able to join some friends in Fayetteville, TN for this year’s Dirt Sweat and Gears – “the south’s premier 12 hour mountain bike shindig”. This was a first rate event and from talking with some of the promoters, we could see this event become the east side’s Sea Otter one day. They already have SSUSA the night before main event which we missed but sounded hilarious. It was a 3-stage battle for the singlespeeds… a 2 lap race where the top 20 went on to a hill climb time trial and then the top 8 had to joust American Gladiator style to decide the overall winner. We did make it in time to set up camp before dark and for the viewing of Klunkerz and a few pre-race ‘sports beverages’. We hit our tents around midnightish under a light and intermittent sprinkle - the radars were calling for severe weather.

I wake up around 2AM to talk a short walk into the woods and it is still barely sprinkling. The wind was intense and I couldn’t get back to sleep as I was just waiting for the sky to open up. Still awake and at approximately 3:47AM, the storm hit hard. I was able to squeeze in a couple more hours of sleep and woke up before my alarm at 6:30AM. It’s still raining! We make it over to the pancake breakfast and grab coffee and then it was time to get the bikes ready to roll.

The rain stops at 8:30AM and everyone is wondering what the trails would be like. It was super wet!! I was racing with Faster Mustache and we were fielding two 2 man teams (FasterMustach:Brobots, FasterMustache:YallBros). My Brobots teammate, Aaron (A-Ron Burgundy), wanted to try his legs at the lemans start and I was more than happy to watch. I’ve run the past two lemans starts for whatever team I was riding with and it was going to be fun to watch the action this time. At this point we did not realize how epic this first lap would be. Everyone runs, finds their bikes, and rides off into the woods. That was the last we saw of all of the racers for a long time…. The pros still weren’t back from their first lap and over an hour had passed. Finally, the riders start to trickle in. Many of the riders were running next to their bike and completely covered in mud. There were tons of missing derailers and wheels that wouldn’t roll. I was waiting for my teammate so that I could take off on my first lap and hearing the stories coming out of the woods was making me pretty concerned. I’m starting to see riders come through who I would have expected Aaron to have been in front off and I’m really starting to wonder if he is ok. I’m still waiting at the 2 hour mark and then I see him coming towards the timing tent. He makes a last effort and actually wipes out right in front of the tent to the delight of Bruce Dickman (race announcer extraordinaire). We bump nucks and I’m off for Brobots lap #2! It turns out that Aaron’s tire selection was not ideal for the thick muddy conditions… he had to stop every 50’ to pull mud from between the tire and chainstays just to get the bike to roll. Miserable.

I’m very concerned about how this lap is going to go. We were probably in last place for the 2 man teams and I’m looking at a potential 2 hours of muddy hurt… I’m sliding all over the place but feeling pretty good. I was having fun with it and passing a ton of people. I might have made it into the second mile and halfway up the first long slippery climb… people are struggling up the center and muddiest part of the trail so I decided to hug the right side of the trail. I’m passing folks up the climb and then my rear tire blows out – I can only guess that I ran over a sharp root or something. My rear tire deflates within a couple seconds and I’m stuck and then I realize that I had left my blowout kit at camp!! I start to panic and I’m not sure what to do. I hate to ask anyone for help during a race and I seriously start to walk back down the hill and wonder if I’m even allowed to walk backwards on the course and cancel the lap. It was going to suck to walk the remaining ~9 miles in the thick mud while pushing a bike. Luckily, this festival and race had brought the nicest and most generous of racers... A couple people stop to give me a tube, tire levers, two CO2s and a cartridge popper. I tell them where my tent is so that they can get their gear back and they go on their way. My tube change took forever and I’m feeling demoralized. I finally get on the bike and start to ride – hard. I pass most of the folks who asked me if I was ok while changing my flat and then I passed both of the riders who provided me with their spare gear. I was feeling better now. Then I come across Neal from FasterMustache:YallBros who is on the side of the trail with a broken chain. Of course I’m no help considering I left everything at camp, but I was able to track down a chain tool from a rider up ahead and Neal was finally getting some help. I finish my lap with about 17psi in the rear and Aaron is off on lap 3 for the Brobots.

At this point the sun breaks through and the winds are helping to dry out the trails. Our lap times kept getting quicker as the trail continued to improve. I checked our placement after 4 laps and we were in 12th place (out of 20). It was time to turn it on if we were going to finish in the top 10. We kept ramping up the pace and we were able to finish 6th and only 1 minute and 40 seconds behind 5th. I was happy with my lap times once I realized that all of my non-flat laps were less than 1:05:00 with my final lap putting our team with the second fastest team lap of the 2 man teams (the first place team had several really fast laps). It was finally time for the free BBQ dinner and some cold beers.

We watched the pros (Tinker Juarez wins!) and the super fast on the podiums. They raffle off a ton of frames and complete bikes and Gary Fisher is there to personally hand out the Fishers. The entire event was well run and an absolute blast. I will definitely be back next year!

Dirt Sweat Gears '08 - RESULTS

Brobot Laps

Clay Higgin’s (landowner/race promoter) photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/clayhiggins/DSG2008