after a great week of some riding and watching the pros at the Tour de Georgia and Athen's Twilight Criterium, it was my turn to race on Sunday morning. we went to Athens for Twilight and found couches to crash on so that we would be fairly close to Winder for Sunday's race. we wake up at 6:30AM (only a few hours after going to sleep) and have a quick bite and rush over to Ft Yargo. our previous GSC races have started at 9:30 so we were surprised to find out that #3 would be starting at 11:30. we were super early which gave the Faster Mustache crew plenty of time to set up their new headquarters... although i'm racing and super proud to be a member of APB, i'm also an FM elder and will be racing some team events with them. this allows me access to their headquarters and provides all of us access to a great thing... carpools, rides, high fives, etc...
so, we're all there super early in the rain and i go over to the registration table where they have posted the race information. we will be doing 2 laps of ~5.2 miles each. a 10.? mile race is half of what we would typically do and would definitely be a hammer-fest! since we had so much time to kill and the trail conditions were questionable and since the lap was only 5ish miles - we decide to do a quick lap. we are riding for a while and i'm wondering why this 5 miles was taking so long! turns out that the posting was wrong and we were to race 2 laps at 11 miles each. we had just killed it for 11 miles just before a 22 mile race which will come back to haunt me later. another note about this race which would haunt me from the very beginning - this was a combination race with the SERC series. there were a lot of new faces and a really deep field of 26. SERC apparently brings out the big trailers, RVs, and teams.
we finally line up for the start and i'm all the way to the left. i look ahead and realize that there are two huge trees between me and the hole. i was alone until Chip Whitworth comes and joins me. we decide to stay wide left and try to cut the field off... the whistle blows and we're racing. i get a pretty good start and i'm the sixth going into the single track. i make a couple passes on the first climb and now i'm in fourth. i was trying to keep the leaders in sight but they were flying and i was potentially going to blow up. the top two guys (including Chip) are gone and i'm following the third rider through the woods. we are keeping a really fast pace but after a few more miles i start to get my lungs back and settle in a bit. so at about 8 miles into the 22 mile race, my inexperience really came shining through... we were on a climb and i'm wondering when i would be able to grab a drink from my bottle (i usually ride with a camelbak, but i've been trying to race with a bottle. i've found that the tight twisty stuff is nearly impossible to drink in, the decents are nearly impossible to drink in and the open flats are where i tend to stand up and try to hammer it making it nearly impossible to drink. i need to reconsider my hydration plan for these races). i reach down for my bottle and decide to take a peak over my should to see what kind of gap we've created to determine the number of sips. before i even turn back to the trail, i'm in the trees and over the bars. i pull my bike back to the trail and my chain is off! while fixing it i get passed by a few guys. i get back on and try to clip in (on a climb which is difficult), and my chain pops off again. this happened 3 times and i get passed by 7 or 8 guys. i'm really frustrated and consider quiting for a second... this whole sequence only lasted a few seconds, but it changed the entire day (and probably week) for me. i take a breath, get back on the bike and start trying to reel in anyone i could. i catch a couple guys and make passes before the 1st lap was completed. Faster Mustache handed me a bottle in the feed zone and i chugged and tossed it.
now into second lap and my new goal is to finish in the top 10. i'm used to getting a small second wind, but no luck in this race. i was blasted could not help but to question our 11 mile warm up lap earlier in the morning, our lack of sleep and my dumb decisions. it starts to rain again and it gets slippery. i'm plugging away and mixing it up with some riders from the earlier waves. my next amature move came when i was working on setting up a pass around a slower rider. we were on a narrow climb and i was standing up trying to look over their shoulder. my front tire goes off the left lip of the trail and i'm over the bars again. this time was even more embarassing even though there was no one behind me to see it. and... now my hand and wrist were in throb mode. i keep riding and pass team Faster Mustache who throw out a "Brobot!" shout out and make me laugh. at this point i'm battling with another rider in my category and we are going back and forth a bit. i'm nailing it on a couple flat sections to create some space and then i'd be wasted and he would quickly pass me in the trees. i tried to hold on to him but he powered through a couple more passes of other cat riders and i didn't have the muscle to power through the quick passes with him. at this point i can see what looks like my entire group just ~50' in front of me. i make up a little more ground and realize that it is probably too little too late. there is only a short section of single track left and no open section for passing before the finish. i catch my breath and push through the finish and hope for a top 10.
results are posted and i get 9th. i'll link up the results and any photos when they become available. from what i remember, the top two guys finished 7 minutes ahead of the rest of the riders with the rest of the top 9 coming in within a minute of each other. a dip in the lake, a few sports beverages and some HQ shenanigans and i was happy to be at home and in bed.
this next month will be the hardest for me yet and i'm fearing full on melt down or burn out by June. we are racing every weekend:
May 3-4: Dirt Sweat and Gears
May 10: Festival Of Speed
May 17-18: 24 Hours of Conyers
May 25: GSC#4
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
no time to explain
as things get busier i realize that i'm in no place to blog... i just don't have the time to be smart or funny or to even make the entries required to be an actual blogger. that's ok since all i really wanted to do was keep my first season's race and ride reports together.
in the past week i:
-worked a lot and in some strange places**(1)
-saw life ending and was reminded that it's ok**(2)
-spent time in Atlanta, Columbus, Albany and Athens
-raced and won GSC#2**(3)
-was stood up for a date
-saw several shows (Colin Meloy, WhiteRabitts, TheWalkmen, Spoon, OkkervilRiver, TheNewPornographers)
-rode in a sketchy group ride**(4)
-raced at the track and earned some points**(5)
-barely slept
**short reports below:
(1)
if there is anything i enjoy about my job it would have to be that i don't know what each day may bring. for the most part, my work days are mundane and just like most peoples, but what keeps it interesting is the fact that some days i end up in the strangest places. i like the downtown rooftop visit days. i don't mind having to investigate an issue during an interesting event or at a sweet venue. traveling Europe was amazing, even if i was 'working'. yesterday i had no idea when i woke up that i would be in an operating room while a chest was being pried open.
(2) i slammed on the brakes and was sure the squirrel had made an escape. i was shocked and upset when i stopped and looked back to see the guy on his back and kicking. it became worse when his buddy came out of the ditch and circled him a few times while he was kicking and dying. he finally kicked one last time and his buddy hung out for a minute or so before returning to the woods. it was really disturbing to watch him die and interesting to see the concern from his buddy. i walked down the street and moved him to the edge of the woods. i swear that i'm not making this part up.... the next day i was on the trail down in Columbus getting in a pre-ride for GSC#2 when.... a solid white squirrel runs on the trail just in front of me. i only saw it for a few seconds, but i swear it was solid white! maybe it was a ghost?
(3)
*i did not crop this.
GSC#2 was Sunday at Flat Rock Park in Columbus, GA. it was a fast course and we raced two laps which was a total of ~22 miles. no significant climbs, but a lot of tight and twisting trails and dips, rocks, and roots. some of the course had long open false-flats which were ideal for mashing roadie style. there were 17 riders in my CAT (sport 30-39) and once again, they looked fast. the whistle blew and everyone was off. i was about 10 riders deep when we turned onto the trail from the dirt road. i quickly started making passes. i didn't want to let the lead group get away while i was stuck behind riders blowing up after starting too fast. by the 5 mile mark i passed the two lead riders. they stayed about 50 feet behind me for the next ~15 miles. everytime i would create some gap i would find myself stuck behind some other riders from other CATs in the tight/twisty stuff. i would hear the riders catching me and have to beg the slower riders to allow me to pass. about 5 miles remained and i'm telling myself that 'this is your race to lose! just finish clean and don't do anything stupid!' now i hear them giving chase again. they're getting close... on a full 180deg switchback, i try to get a glimpse of them behind me. when i look back down to the trail i find myself over the bars and head first into a tree. my ear and face hated me for that...STUPID! so i calm down and just ride it out. i finish and take the win.
GSC#2 Results
(4) i enjoy a good group ride. weeknights are great for getting out and meeting other riders and crushing it. the ride that seems to be the most regular for me is the Wednesday night Outback ride. this ride has always been known as sketch and i've seen a lot of really close calls. last week we had a couple bad crashes. i think i'll always try to stay in the front group on this ride so that i'm less likely to be taken down.
(5) Tuesday night was rookie night at the track. i'm still working towards my 84 points for a CAT upgrade. we had 5 races and i was somehow able to win all of them. i was blasted... we raced a 5 Lap Scratch, 5 Lap Tempo, 5 Lap Point-A-Lap, 20 Lap Points Race, and Unknown Distance. i'm sitting at 75 points and hope to reach my goal of CATing up before the first Festival Of Speed.
DLV Results
*found a picture at No Brakes! ...
in the past week i:
-worked a lot and in some strange places**(1)
-saw life ending and was reminded that it's ok**(2)
-spent time in Atlanta, Columbus, Albany and Athens
-raced and won GSC#2**(3)
-was stood up for a date
-saw several shows (Colin Meloy, WhiteRabitts, TheWalkmen, Spoon, OkkervilRiver, TheNewPornographers)
-rode in a sketchy group ride**(4)
-raced at the track and earned some points**(5)
-barely slept
**short reports below:
(1)
if there is anything i enjoy about my job it would have to be that i don't know what each day may bring. for the most part, my work days are mundane and just like most peoples, but what keeps it interesting is the fact that some days i end up in the strangest places. i like the downtown rooftop visit days. i don't mind having to investigate an issue during an interesting event or at a sweet venue. traveling Europe was amazing, even if i was 'working'. yesterday i had no idea when i woke up that i would be in an operating room while a chest was being pried open.(2) i slammed on the brakes and was sure the squirrel had made an escape. i was shocked and upset when i stopped and looked back to see the guy on his back and kicking. it became worse when his buddy came out of the ditch and circled him a few times while he was kicking and dying. he finally kicked one last time and his buddy hung out for a minute or so before returning to the woods. it was really disturbing to watch him die and interesting to see the concern from his buddy. i walked down the street and moved him to the edge of the woods. i swear that i'm not making this part up.... the next day i was on the trail down in Columbus getting in a pre-ride for GSC#2 when.... a solid white squirrel runs on the trail just in front of me. i only saw it for a few seconds, but i swear it was solid white! maybe it was a ghost?
(3)
*i did not crop this.
GSC#2 was Sunday at Flat Rock Park in Columbus, GA. it was a fast course and we raced two laps which was a total of ~22 miles. no significant climbs, but a lot of tight and twisting trails and dips, rocks, and roots. some of the course had long open false-flats which were ideal for mashing roadie style. there were 17 riders in my CAT (sport 30-39) and once again, they looked fast. the whistle blew and everyone was off. i was about 10 riders deep when we turned onto the trail from the dirt road. i quickly started making passes. i didn't want to let the lead group get away while i was stuck behind riders blowing up after starting too fast. by the 5 mile mark i passed the two lead riders. they stayed about 50 feet behind me for the next ~15 miles. everytime i would create some gap i would find myself stuck behind some other riders from other CATs in the tight/twisty stuff. i would hear the riders catching me and have to beg the slower riders to allow me to pass. about 5 miles remained and i'm telling myself that 'this is your race to lose! just finish clean and don't do anything stupid!' now i hear them giving chase again. they're getting close... on a full 180deg switchback, i try to get a glimpse of them behind me. when i look back down to the trail i find myself over the bars and head first into a tree. my ear and face hated me for that...STUPID! so i calm down and just ride it out. i finish and take the win.GSC#2 Results
(4) i enjoy a good group ride. weeknights are great for getting out and meeting other riders and crushing it. the ride that seems to be the most regular for me is the Wednesday night Outback ride. this ride has always been known as sketch and i've seen a lot of really close calls. last week we had a couple bad crashes. i think i'll always try to stay in the front group on this ride so that i'm less likely to be taken down.
(5) Tuesday night was rookie night at the track. i'm still working towards my 84 points for a CAT upgrade. we had 5 races and i was somehow able to win all of them. i was blasted... we raced a 5 Lap Scratch, 5 Lap Tempo, 5 Lap Point-A-Lap, 20 Lap Points Race, and Unknown Distance. i'm sitting at 75 points and hope to reach my goal of CATing up before the first Festival Of Speed.
DLV Results
*found a picture at No Brakes! ...
Monday, April 7, 2008
Return To Pisgah
-visited Asheville.
-ate ridiculous amounts of food.
-contemplated vegetarianism.
-truck camped with Buckley.
-remembered a camera.
-thrashed gnar.
-actually used said camera.
-collected/distributed nucks and high-fives.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Track -- Attack
Tuesday night was the first race of 2008 at Dick Lane Velodrome. I’ve been nervously anticipating my first race for the past year. The track is just like road and mountain racing in that you have to start somewhere. As a recently certified first time racer I’m in Cat 5 and weary of the sketchiness that comes with that. We are racing with no brakes on one of the steepest tracks in the country (38deg banking). I was just imagining all hell when another first time racer sits up in front of me and gets tossed when he forgets to keep pedaling the fixed gear. Luckily – this did not happen.
Anyway, the first race is in the bag. There were 13 racers in Cat 5 and we all looked pretty green and equally intimidated. It was a partial who’s-who of the Atlanta alley-cat scene which made it fun. There are 3 races which all start with a neutral lap. Overall points are tallied for final placement. We started with a 7 lap ‘Scratch’ race where you score points based on your finish after 7 laps. The pack stayed pretty tight and I was in the exact position I wanted to be in. I rode 3rd wheel for the first 5 laps and then took 2nd wheel for lap 6 and setup for the pass and win on lap 7. The second race was a 9 lap ‘Point A Lap’ race. The first rider over the line for every lap gets a point. Basically, a sprint would ensue each lap. I sat back at first and tried to figure out the strategy for this race. Once I looked up I realized that there were 4 riders that had taken off and left the pack. If they worked together they could paceline then sprint and divide up all of the laps amongst themselves. I guess it took a couple laps, but I got myself back into the mix and was sprinting for points on each lap. I ended up with 7 points. The final race of the night was a 15 lap ‘Points’ race. We would ride 15 laps with every 5 laps being a sprint which scored 3 deep. I made a couple friends and we decided to try to work together on the off laps to get away from the group. We were quickly boxed in and our plan failed. I kept myself up front and the sprints were really tough. I was second on the 5th lap, and took 1st on laps 10 and 15. I was able to win each of the 3 races and my score for the night was 21 which gave me the overall win. I have to earn 84 points to be bumped up to the next Cat (and suffer a rude awakening).
Since some of you have asked – The Masters, Women and Rookies (me) race every 1st and 3rd Tuesday. Pursuit racing is on the other Tuesdays of the month (open Cat with qualifiers). The Competitive/Expert/Elite Cats race on Wednesday nights. Racing is a 7:30PM under the lights.
DLV Week1 RESULTS
********************************************************
i can't help but post this because i can't stop thinking about it. i got word last night that an old friend was a hit and run victim of a drunken dump truck - he is going to be ~fine - but WTF!
train wreck
this guy enjoys pain, but probably did not have this in mind. he moved to Thailand last year to teach math, but when he was in Atlanta he was known for putting together some of the most brutal of alleycats. three notable and painful races - The Hills Race / Alleycross / The Rock.
Lambsandwich - get better my friend!!
Anyway, the first race is in the bag. There were 13 racers in Cat 5 and we all looked pretty green and equally intimidated. It was a partial who’s-who of the Atlanta alley-cat scene which made it fun. There are 3 races which all start with a neutral lap. Overall points are tallied for final placement. We started with a 7 lap ‘Scratch’ race where you score points based on your finish after 7 laps. The pack stayed pretty tight and I was in the exact position I wanted to be in. I rode 3rd wheel for the first 5 laps and then took 2nd wheel for lap 6 and setup for the pass and win on lap 7. The second race was a 9 lap ‘Point A Lap’ race. The first rider over the line for every lap gets a point. Basically, a sprint would ensue each lap. I sat back at first and tried to figure out the strategy for this race. Once I looked up I realized that there were 4 riders that had taken off and left the pack. If they worked together they could paceline then sprint and divide up all of the laps amongst themselves. I guess it took a couple laps, but I got myself back into the mix and was sprinting for points on each lap. I ended up with 7 points. The final race of the night was a 15 lap ‘Points’ race. We would ride 15 laps with every 5 laps being a sprint which scored 3 deep. I made a couple friends and we decided to try to work together on the off laps to get away from the group. We were quickly boxed in and our plan failed. I kept myself up front and the sprints were really tough. I was second on the 5th lap, and took 1st on laps 10 and 15. I was able to win each of the 3 races and my score for the night was 21 which gave me the overall win. I have to earn 84 points to be bumped up to the next Cat (and suffer a rude awakening).
Since some of you have asked – The Masters, Women and Rookies (me) race every 1st and 3rd Tuesday. Pursuit racing is on the other Tuesdays of the month (open Cat with qualifiers). The Competitive/Expert/Elite Cats race on Wednesday nights. Racing is a 7:30PM under the lights.
DLV Week1 RESULTS
********************************************************
i can't help but post this because i can't stop thinking about it. i got word last night that an old friend was a hit and run victim of a drunken dump truck - he is going to be ~fine - but WTF!
train wreck
this guy enjoys pain, but probably did not have this in mind. he moved to Thailand last year to teach math, but when he was in Atlanta he was known for putting together some of the most brutal of alleycats. three notable and painful races - The Hills Race / Alleycross / The Rock.
Lambsandwich - get better my friend!!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
GSC#1 - 3/30 - Arrowhead Park
a double post day - still trying to get current.
*start
*finish
Sunday was the first of the Georgia State Championship races. My race went something like this – I’d never done a mass-start/XC type race and really didn’t know what to expect. I also had never ridden any of the course until the start. As this is my first season I'll be racing Sport with the other young and hungry riders. There are lots of complicated classes and rules that I may not have figured out yet.
We line up and the whistle blows. These guys are hammering it up the initial climb. I wasn’t sure how long the climb was so I didn’t know if I should sneak in to grab a wheel or up-shift, stand up and hammer, or just ride my own pace. I ended up trying to drill it into the woods like everyone else. I was probably middle of the pack going into the single track. I try to get my heart rate down but quickly realize that the whole race was going to be a full on sprint and there was no time for recovery. I’m riding hard and trying to catch the leaders. I round the lake and I start to settle in and create a little distance behind me. I’m a little hot as I approach a large hip in the trail. I fly off the hip to find… a second equally large mound of dirt. These woopdy-doos were about waist high and there was no landing. I crashed hard and my bike was bouncing off the trail. A volunteer runs my bike up to me while I do a quick assessment for any damage. I feel fine and I explain “that’s what I get for no pre-ride” and we were both free to laugh. I take off for the next climb and that’s when I realize that I may have reduced my chances of bearing children in the long term, and in the short term – I may need to throw up. I get some really deep breaths down and recover some while my bits begin to descend into their proper places. I'm feeling better... I’m caught by a couple guys and I try to pick up the pace again. A Dedicated Athlete rider stayed on my tire for the next 1.5 laps. Every time I would call “on your left” and make a pass, I would immediately hear “one more!”. I knew I wasn’t shaking this guy off. We pushed each other and ended up catching some of our group. I snuck in a couple more passes and I looked back to find myself alone for once – with only half a lap left. I worked to keep a quick pace and hoped to catch more riders, but I mostly just wanted to finish clean. I finish and then chat with the guys who came in just after me. We all felt we were racing for ~5th. I was surprised when they posted the results and I was 3rd – I’ll take it.
The race was tough. The trail was tight with lots of short grunt climbs. My bike and its broken spoke were not happy with me. XC is a different animal.
We line up and the whistle blows. These guys are hammering it up the initial climb. I wasn’t sure how long the climb was so I didn’t know if I should sneak in to grab a wheel or up-shift, stand up and hammer, or just ride my own pace. I ended up trying to drill it into the woods like everyone else. I was probably middle of the pack going into the single track. I try to get my heart rate down but quickly realize that the whole race was going to be a full on sprint and there was no time for recovery. I’m riding hard and trying to catch the leaders. I round the lake and I start to settle in and create a little distance behind me. I’m a little hot as I approach a large hip in the trail. I fly off the hip to find… a second equally large mound of dirt. These woopdy-doos were about waist high and there was no landing. I crashed hard and my bike was bouncing off the trail. A volunteer runs my bike up to me while I do a quick assessment for any damage. I feel fine and I explain “that’s what I get for no pre-ride” and we were both free to laugh. I take off for the next climb and that’s when I realize that I may have reduced my chances of bearing children in the long term, and in the short term – I may need to throw up. I get some really deep breaths down and recover some while my bits begin to descend into their proper places. I'm feeling better... I’m caught by a couple guys and I try to pick up the pace again. A Dedicated Athlete rider stayed on my tire for the next 1.5 laps. Every time I would call “on your left” and make a pass, I would immediately hear “one more!”. I knew I wasn’t shaking this guy off. We pushed each other and ended up catching some of our group. I snuck in a couple more passes and I looked back to find myself alone for once – with only half a lap left. I worked to keep a quick pace and hoped to catch more riders, but I mostly just wanted to finish clean. I finish and then chat with the guys who came in just after me. We all felt we were racing for ~5th. I was surprised when they posted the results and I was 3rd – I’ll take it.
The race was tough. The trail was tight with lots of short grunt climbs. My bike and its broken spoke were not happy with me. XC is a different animal.
*start
*finish
Camp APB - Pisgah - March 21-23
Trying to catch up here… it’s only been two weeks but it feels like much longer. I’m disappointed in myself for not getting any good photos while in Pisgah. I’ll give the abbreviated version of what went down at camp APB…
Day 1:
We arrived at our camp spot around 11AM on Friday and were on the road bikes within the hour. 10 of us left for a supposed mid-tempo scenic ride that would take us through parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The first 13 miles were basically a climb from Brevard to the Blue Ridge Parkway with the last 7 or 8 miles being steep and slow. We get spread out and meet up at the top. We are now a group of 8 as two of the guys took an alternate route. We descend like crazy and pass cars and dump trucks. It was a little scary…. We were going over 40mph into turns that were posted for 20. Fun stuff. At the bottom the group gets back together and we start pushing the tempo. A nice paceline forms and we're holding a really quick pace of ~30mph for a really long time. We approach the next major climb and half the group decides to back off of the 98% effort and settle down to a 75%. We had two more days of mountain biking and we were going to be blasted!! In reality, no one slowed down and we continued to push it at 90something%. The final 8 mile climb started and this thing was really steep. We were strung out quickly and it took a solid hour to make it up (I wasn’t DFL up either climb!). As we approach the top there was ice all over the place and I was freezing.
We were now really high up on the BRP and the views were amazing. They don’t even maintain these sections of the parkway in the winter due to ice and debris from trees, so we had the whole thing to ourselves. Maybe the most beautiful road I’ve ever been on and it was closed to motorized vehicles! As we gradually descended the pace was somehow over 40mph for a while on what looked like a flat. I felt like I was now on a gradual incline but my speed kept increasing… this was an intense ‘false incline’ and we were apparently actually flying downhill. We approach a pitch black tunnel and I slow down. There were chunks of ice near the entrance and I couldn’t see anything on the inside. I was just waiting to hit some ice and go down. I come out the other side and I was now alone for the rest of the trip back to camp. It was mostly downhill and fast and I was freezing and beat. Not sure what happened to the guys in front or behind me. I kept waiting to be caught by someone but instead I caught 3 of the guys that were ahead of me. We make it back to the campsite and my computer informed me that I had just ridden 72 miles. That was easily the best road ride I have ever been on – too bad I was completely spent and we had two more days of riding ahead.
Day 2:
The next day we were joined by a few more riders and ~14 of us head out of camp on mountain bikes. I had never ridden in Pisgah and was glad that we apparently had plenty of tour guides. All I had to do was try to keep up – which proved very quickly to be very difficult. My legs were super heavy and by the time we make it up the first gravel road climb, I was wondering what these guys had planned for the day. Some of the group took a right into some nice single track and mention a ‘shorter loop’. The rest of the group takes a left and proceeds to ride straight up some massive water bar stairs. I follow them… this is my first apb camp so I can’t back down… This climb was brutal and I was anaerobic within 50 feet. Most of it was hike a bike (for me) or sometimes I would try to hold onto a tree while clipping back in. 20 feet later and I’d be force back off the bike again. I hike and look up and see a few of the guys hiking above me. We get to the top and they let me know that this is a ‘good preview’. We bomb down a steep downhill section that is covered in a foot of leaves and there were fallen trees every few hundred feet. I don’t think these trails had been ridden in the past year. There were several points where I would just lower my head and use my helmet as a battering ram to get me through a fallen trees limbs that were all over the trail. I have the scabs to prove it... This goes on for a couple hours and I was in pain. I finally come out of the woods and find the leaders of the group sitting and eating – they looked nicely recovered. Just as I roll up they said it was time to go – no rest for me!
We ride some absolutely amazing trails. I wish I had a map or made someone write down the trail names for me. We rode a lot of the trails that I’ve read about. I ran out of water and my bottle of Cytomax was only making my want to throw up – I was on the verge of a bonk. I had a couple really great crashes and spent more time in my small chainring on this ride than I probably have in all of my past riding combined. The ride finally ends and we are back on the gravel road to camp. Over 5 hours and 40something miles had passed…. Then – I look up and see my Faster Mustache crew peering up Bennets Gap. They had arrived that afternoon. I stop and chat and we all return to camp together.
To be perfectly honest – on that day (looking back is a little different) – this ride may have been on my 3 worst days on a bike list. I was blasted from the previous day’s road ride, my nutrition prior to the ride was completely lacking, my nutrition on the trail was non-existent, and the first two hours of hiking and climbing and sprinting to keep up did not start the day off in the right way.
Day 3:
I actually drove into town the previous night and bought some real groceries for dinner and breakfast. I didn’t have quite as many beers and tried to recover a bit. I wasn’t sure what we were getting into on Day 3, but if it was anything like the previous day I was potentially going to be feeling it in a bad way.
We added a few more riders and we now had a group of ~18 heading up the gravel road on mountain bikes. I’m told that today was to be a more ridable, shorter and a more fun day. I had eaten well and actually felt much better than I had 24 hours prior so I was tentatively up for anything, while at the same time relieved that today would be ‘more fun’. We climb up Bennet’s at a snails pace. It was funny because we were in such a tight pack climbing so slowly on the single track. We descend off the other side down to the highway. After a couple miles on the highway I find out that we’ll be doing a Fish Hatchery and Caney Bottoms loop. I’ve heard these are super fun and flowing trails and I’m stoked.
We climb some really long gravel roads to get to the trailhead. The trails were great and fast. The guys leading the way were so talented. I’ve never seen such smooth and powerful riding. I get a flat and change it and catch up and the pack is still tight and everyone is having a great time. We come out of a long fast descent and part of my FM crew was no where to be found. Some of the lead guys were actively training for the Cohutta 100 so I did not like making them wait. I had done enough of that on Day 2. We convience the group to split up and some of the guys stayed with me as we climbed back up the steep descent we had just come down to look for FM. We never did find them, but now we had earned another ride down that sweet downhill! We finished the loop and a couple of us decided to get in another. We took our time and soaked it all up. For the first time all weekend I had the chance to slow down and take in some of the views (with no camera). I can not believe that I’ve never been to Pisgah. It really is amazing up there and I can’t wait to go back.
We finish our second loop and explore some short single track just off the highway and finally get back to camp. Another 5+ hour day on the bike and it’s now time to pack up for home.
I’d like to thank team APB for being welcoming and a lot of fun. I have a huge respect for the team, especially after seeing them in action – we really do have some super strong riders and I look forward to taking more notes from these guys. I also want to thank some of the local crew who were fantastic tour guides. They know this forest like the back of their hands and linked up 3 days and almost 15 hours of ridiculous riding (an example of their knowledge without name dropping: 6 riders on these top 8 teams were at camp). I have to say that we had some the best riders in the region at this camp... A Top10 nationals pro, Trans Rockies winners, and some enduro-super stars. Super impressed and can’t wait for next year!
-time to go already??
-camp APB
-my tire also wanted to throw up
Day 1:
We arrived at our camp spot around 11AM on Friday and were on the road bikes within the hour. 10 of us left for a supposed mid-tempo scenic ride that would take us through parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The first 13 miles were basically a climb from Brevard to the Blue Ridge Parkway with the last 7 or 8 miles being steep and slow. We get spread out and meet up at the top. We are now a group of 8 as two of the guys took an alternate route. We descend like crazy and pass cars and dump trucks. It was a little scary…. We were going over 40mph into turns that were posted for 20. Fun stuff. At the bottom the group gets back together and we start pushing the tempo. A nice paceline forms and we're holding a really quick pace of ~30mph for a really long time. We approach the next major climb and half the group decides to back off of the 98% effort and settle down to a 75%. We had two more days of mountain biking and we were going to be blasted!! In reality, no one slowed down and we continued to push it at 90something%. The final 8 mile climb started and this thing was really steep. We were strung out quickly and it took a solid hour to make it up (I wasn’t DFL up either climb!). As we approach the top there was ice all over the place and I was freezing.
We were now really high up on the BRP and the views were amazing. They don’t even maintain these sections of the parkway in the winter due to ice and debris from trees, so we had the whole thing to ourselves. Maybe the most beautiful road I’ve ever been on and it was closed to motorized vehicles! As we gradually descended the pace was somehow over 40mph for a while on what looked like a flat. I felt like I was now on a gradual incline but my speed kept increasing… this was an intense ‘false incline’ and we were apparently actually flying downhill. We approach a pitch black tunnel and I slow down. There were chunks of ice near the entrance and I couldn’t see anything on the inside. I was just waiting to hit some ice and go down. I come out the other side and I was now alone for the rest of the trip back to camp. It was mostly downhill and fast and I was freezing and beat. Not sure what happened to the guys in front or behind me. I kept waiting to be caught by someone but instead I caught 3 of the guys that were ahead of me. We make it back to the campsite and my computer informed me that I had just ridden 72 miles. That was easily the best road ride I have ever been on – too bad I was completely spent and we had two more days of riding ahead.
Day 2:
The next day we were joined by a few more riders and ~14 of us head out of camp on mountain bikes. I had never ridden in Pisgah and was glad that we apparently had plenty of tour guides. All I had to do was try to keep up – which proved very quickly to be very difficult. My legs were super heavy and by the time we make it up the first gravel road climb, I was wondering what these guys had planned for the day. Some of the group took a right into some nice single track and mention a ‘shorter loop’. The rest of the group takes a left and proceeds to ride straight up some massive water bar stairs. I follow them… this is my first apb camp so I can’t back down… This climb was brutal and I was anaerobic within 50 feet. Most of it was hike a bike (for me) or sometimes I would try to hold onto a tree while clipping back in. 20 feet later and I’d be force back off the bike again. I hike and look up and see a few of the guys hiking above me. We get to the top and they let me know that this is a ‘good preview’. We bomb down a steep downhill section that is covered in a foot of leaves and there were fallen trees every few hundred feet. I don’t think these trails had been ridden in the past year. There were several points where I would just lower my head and use my helmet as a battering ram to get me through a fallen trees limbs that were all over the trail. I have the scabs to prove it... This goes on for a couple hours and I was in pain. I finally come out of the woods and find the leaders of the group sitting and eating – they looked nicely recovered. Just as I roll up they said it was time to go – no rest for me!
We ride some absolutely amazing trails. I wish I had a map or made someone write down the trail names for me. We rode a lot of the trails that I’ve read about. I ran out of water and my bottle of Cytomax was only making my want to throw up – I was on the verge of a bonk. I had a couple really great crashes and spent more time in my small chainring on this ride than I probably have in all of my past riding combined. The ride finally ends and we are back on the gravel road to camp. Over 5 hours and 40something miles had passed…. Then – I look up and see my Faster Mustache crew peering up Bennets Gap. They had arrived that afternoon. I stop and chat and we all return to camp together.
To be perfectly honest – on that day (looking back is a little different) – this ride may have been on my 3 worst days on a bike list. I was blasted from the previous day’s road ride, my nutrition prior to the ride was completely lacking, my nutrition on the trail was non-existent, and the first two hours of hiking and climbing and sprinting to keep up did not start the day off in the right way.
Day 3:
I actually drove into town the previous night and bought some real groceries for dinner and breakfast. I didn’t have quite as many beers and tried to recover a bit. I wasn’t sure what we were getting into on Day 3, but if it was anything like the previous day I was potentially going to be feeling it in a bad way.
We added a few more riders and we now had a group of ~18 heading up the gravel road on mountain bikes. I’m told that today was to be a more ridable, shorter and a more fun day. I had eaten well and actually felt much better than I had 24 hours prior so I was tentatively up for anything, while at the same time relieved that today would be ‘more fun’. We climb up Bennet’s at a snails pace. It was funny because we were in such a tight pack climbing so slowly on the single track. We descend off the other side down to the highway. After a couple miles on the highway I find out that we’ll be doing a Fish Hatchery and Caney Bottoms loop. I’ve heard these are super fun and flowing trails and I’m stoked.
We climb some really long gravel roads to get to the trailhead. The trails were great and fast. The guys leading the way were so talented. I’ve never seen such smooth and powerful riding. I get a flat and change it and catch up and the pack is still tight and everyone is having a great time. We come out of a long fast descent and part of my FM crew was no where to be found. Some of the lead guys were actively training for the Cohutta 100 so I did not like making them wait. I had done enough of that on Day 2. We convience the group to split up and some of the guys stayed with me as we climbed back up the steep descent we had just come down to look for FM. We never did find them, but now we had earned another ride down that sweet downhill! We finished the loop and a couple of us decided to get in another. We took our time and soaked it all up. For the first time all weekend I had the chance to slow down and take in some of the views (with no camera). I can not believe that I’ve never been to Pisgah. It really is amazing up there and I can’t wait to go back.
We finish our second loop and explore some short single track just off the highway and finally get back to camp. Another 5+ hour day on the bike and it’s now time to pack up for home.
I’d like to thank team APB for being welcoming and a lot of fun. I have a huge respect for the team, especially after seeing them in action – we really do have some super strong riders and I look forward to taking more notes from these guys. I also want to thank some of the local crew who were fantastic tour guides. They know this forest like the back of their hands and linked up 3 days and almost 15 hours of ridiculous riding (an example of their knowledge without name dropping: 6 riders on these top 8 teams were at camp). I have to say that we had some the best riders in the region at this camp... A Top10 nationals pro, Trans Rockies winners, and some enduro-super stars. Super impressed and can’t wait for next year!
-time to go already??
-camp APB
-my tire also wanted to throw up
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