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**