EX2 Cranky Monkey: 9 Hours of Rocky Gap

1^st Place: 9 hour solo, 12 laps 9 hours 21 minutes

Strava Link: http://app.strava.com/activities/54966330

Nutrition: Started with CeraSport and ProBar, switched to Infinit for the second half of race

Weather: Luckily even with all the chance of showers and thunderstorms, we never got rained on during the whole day. Wonderful low 60s all day!

Pre-Race:

This pre-race started out a week prior, when Saturday evening I started to get an itchy throat. Didn’t think much of it, Sunday I still had a little itchy throat, but still not much worry. Monday I went to work and as the day proceeded, I noticed I was picking up a cold, not good! I went to bed early Monday night at 8PM got up for work the next day, got into work and just felt, weak and tired. I ended up going home early and going back to sleep. This started my, I need to get better FAST regime. With some advice from Patrick Blair, I stopped cycling and went into deep hibernation mode of 12-14 hours of sleep a day, with no other activities. I think I watched about 12 episodes of Prison Break through the week. Friday I was finally feeling about 95%. I needed to get my body out of hibernation mode so I did a nice easy ride with Ty Long around the race course Saturday and threw some hard efforts in there to help wake the body up. Ate some good local food for dinner and got some good sleep.

I woke up Saturday morning, somewhat groggy and feeling a little “blah”. My wife, Leesa, kept telling me, I’d come around. I knew once the race started she would be right. In EX2 fashion the race was a later start at 10AM so we had plenty of get ready time. I had my yummy oatmeal for breakfast with a banana. It really didn’t taste good to me today, so I continued to dwell on not feeling good. We showed up at site and got all setup I went into my pre-race zone where I am just thinking about the race and focusing on making sure everything is already. 10:00 finally rolled around and it was time!

My awesome wife Leesa!!

Race Time:

The race was a Lemans start, I have never done one before so I wasn’t sure how to approach one. A lemans start is where you run a predetermined distance to your bike, then start biking. It gets rid of the mass start accidents and thins the crowd out a little. I lined up front lines next to my old XTERRA friend Dominic Van Der Veen, He decided to start the race with running shoes and then do a transition at his bike. The horn went off and I decided to go with a strong jogging pace, nothing too hard but, I didn’t want to be in the back. Luckily EX2 had reserved the section after timing for 9 hour solo racers, so I got to have all my stuff waiting for me at my pit. I left my jersey pocket stuff there (pump, tool and probar). Got to my bike loaded my pockets and I was off, probably mid field. We had one mile of road on the first lap until the single track. I hit the gas hard once on the bike and gunned to make up all the time lost running. I was flying past everyone, and got to the singletrack probably around 15-20^th place overall, a good group sitting for the race start. I was surprised that people sprinted out the run so hard to then go slowly on the road. I looked later at my results and saw that I was pushing 650 watts for that section though.

Lemans Start

Once on singletrack I was happy with my position, it kept me moving at a good pace, no one dabbed and we kept moving strong. The first four miles of the course are twisty, rooty and some rock garden single track. It is fairly fast and rolling. Then begins the 2.5 mile section that is most of the climbing for the whole lap, it would start with a road climb for a bit and then go to single track. After some quick descents followed by climbs we would really start climbing. This is where we hit “Evitt’s Revenge, a 200 meter section that climbed a little over 100 feet, nice and steep and semi-technical. After Eviit’s Revenge we would go begin climbing rocky single track, go through a rocky technical stream that I managed to clear 7 out of 12 of my laps, a nasty muddy re-route that just got about 6 inches deep of mud by the end of the race, another stream, a steeper climb and then finally a steep bone jarring long rocky downhill that you would expect at Greenbriar.

When I reached Evitt’s my first lap I managed to slip out as I turned the corner into it, nothing big. I got back moving again and got past the people that had just passed me up. Made it through the rest of the climbing and down through my first lap. Things were smooth sailing for a bit. I did start to get concerned a couple hours in as my lower back started to complain to me, I was worried I was going to have to stop and make a bike fit adjustment. This worry went on for a couple laps as a continued to contemplate if this was fit, or just a bone jarring course doing this to me. Probably a little of both, I never made adjustments and the pain did seem to leave me diminish later in the race.

I remember at one point during the race thinking that nothing large is really bothering me. Seems like my back is treating me all right, legs are holding up, I’m moving along fine. Sure would be nice to just flow through a race nice and easy and put it in the bag. HA, what a utopic world I was living in! During my fifth lap I decided it would be a good idea to go over my handlebars and slam my knee into rock. Upon later inspection after the race I would find that it hurt so much and maybe bleed a little bit more because it is exactly where I got stitches in 2010 when I crashed at a different race. There is no longer a scar from the stitches, because I replaced it with a new knee bashing incident. This same crash also twisted my handlebars a good amount to the left. I decided to give riding with the bars crooked a try. This was an ok idea…. Ok not really, but I would need help to get them straightened out. I went down the rocky downhill carefully and noticed how low the air was in my tire, I had felt it slowly losing pressure for a little bit now. I decided stopping at the aid station at the bottom of the hill was a good idea. They had a pump and a helpful volunteer who held my tire while I got my handlebar straightened out. My tire at that point was at about 15 psi. It pumped up and seemed to hold so I was off.

I had got a time gap around my 4^th lap and heard I had 8 minutes on 2^nd place. Around laps 6 and 7 I was feeling a little weaker. I think it was a mix of my crash and being sick during the week. I had been sleeping so much during the week that I think my body had got used to afternoon naps and was wanting one at this point. I thought, maybe if I took a 3 minute pit stop, stretched a little and recouped it would be a good use of some time. As I came through the timing station I asked for my gap…. 1 minute, oh my goodness! No time for leisure, I had to bear down and turn this thing around. I had to air my tire up again. I stopped and while getting aired up by awesome teammate Ty, I talked with Leesa about the race, she thought maybe I needed a little rest. I told her about my 1 minute gap and that I had to keep pushing.

Lap 8 and 9 were hard ones. I went hard at them, not too hard, but I felt like I had been taking it easier during rooty and rocky sections to make it easier on the body. I started pushing a little harder on the flatter sections. Every time I hit the road climb it would be the closest thing I had to a break, I would lay down on my handlebars, droop my head some and just pedal. I still went up the road faster than most, and spun my legs hard, but I just laid on the bike relaxing my whole upper body. Then I would hit the singletrack climb and I would stand up on the pedals and this would help stretch the body out and relieve some stress, then it was time to dig back in. 

After going hard for two laps I came in about to start lap 10. I just felt like 2^nd place was nipping at my heels, I never knew when I was going to have to start chasing. I came into pit to put some more air in my tires and asked Leesa what the gap was, 45 minutes! How is this possible, I found out that there had been a mixup with the chips when I asked earlier and the gap was never at 1 minute. I had almost lapped 2^nd place at this point (or possibly had). At one point during the lap I passed someone and he said, “congrats, your now in third”. I informed him that I was in first and told him my laps. I don’t know where 2^nd was in relation to him.

I went into lap 10 feeling ecstatic and had energy I didn’t know about. I had to be careful with this new found energy, I knew I couldn’t just dump it all right now and then bonk 20 minutes later. Every lap race I do there comes a point where you start doing the math of how many laps you have left. This number is usually in two forms dependent on the cutoff. I was pretty sure I could get 11 done before the cutoff allowing me to do a 12^th. I wanted to do 12 coming into the race, but now I knew I didn’t need to. I have made the decision in the past not to do that final “uneeded” lap, later I always wish I had done it. As hard a race it had been, I decided during lap 10 I wanted to get that 12. I came through and asked Leesa if she could get one of my buddies to come out and ride with me on my 12^th lap. I knew I didn’t need it for the win, but the company would be awesome.

Lap 10 is where my legs started getting that jello feeling and also wanting to cramp up on me on the road climb. Lap 11 on the road climb is where both my thighs started to tighten up and then they cramped up, I couldn’t stop because then they would go into a full cramp and since it was both legs, I would probably be laying on the ground writhing in pain. This is at least what I pictured as I decided to drop gear and pedal through some nasty leg cramps. I ended up gritting and groaning loudly up this road climb in pain until finally they went away and I could get on sweet singletrack. This still didn’t deter me from wanting my 12^th lap, I just hoped I would have a buddy willing to throw a final lap with me, I wanted some companionship for the ride.

 Harris Melby, my good buddy from Frederick came to the call, after busting out fast relay laps during the day was waiting to see if he had time to do a final lap. He said he would take the lap with me at my pace if they didn’t make the cutoff. I waited the three minutes and their team missed the cutoff and I we took off for the final lap. That companionship was so great. I had worked very hard on my 11^th lap to make it in time for the 12^th, I even threw down some air on a jump for the camera. All my hard work on lap 11 made my 12^th very rough! I felt like I was dragging on that final lap, I made it up Evitt’s for a clean 12 for 12 on the climb that day. I then dragged up the rest of the climbing and then went slow down the rocky downhill, because I was beat. Then we booked it back in to the finish to claim my 12 lap win.

Thanks to everyone who helped me get here the list gets larger everytime, but I can’t seem to do it without all of the support I receive! Thank you for everything!

 

 

A muddy day out there, this was after "some" cleaning up

My Hardest Race To Date

Baker’s Dozen 2013: 3rd Place

Group shot with some fellow AFC teammates; The AFC motto above says it all, "Anything is Possible!"

        What a race this one was! Baker’s Dozen is a 13 hour Mountain Bike race in Leesburg, Virginia. I had not raced this course before, nor had I pre-ridden the course. I talked to many people and looked at the GPS maps of others riding the course and had a general idea of the course. Coming into the race I knew it was a fast course with some minor technical spots but generally a generally  easy course. First off, no course is   easy when you ride it for 13 hours!     
          
I learned a good bit about the course in a very fast first lap. I definitely learned that there is a decent drop-off in the first mile of the race, nothing that was a problem the rest of the race, but it was a surprise the first time around. I also learned that this course may not be technical, it sure was had a fair share of roots and other bumpy features to keep your bones rattling the whole day.

              

I decided to take a front line approach for this course and just hang out with Pat and Lance for the get go. I didn’t know when I would drop into my own rhythm and I was worried about going out too strong. We started the race and I pushed to stay on Lance’s wheel, who was making his way up to Patrick’s wheel. We definitely ran into the MTB first lap road rage guys; one who charged up a technical section when someone dabbed, screwing up a bunch of other people, not being safe and being very rude. Then guy who wanted to pass the three of us, but in a large area, all he had in him was enough to pass me. Then started complaining about whoever was in front of Patrick and Lance slowing us all down. Funny thing about this guy is any chance where he could of passed he couldn’t.  After enough of his complaining, he fell back unable to keep up anymore. These guys always make it into the first lap, what I find interesting, is I don’t see them on the podium in the end.

        Patrick, Lance and I pushed a good first three laps. Near the end of the third we got separated and I watched as Patrick took off. I didn’t want to burn myself trying to hang on longer, I was operating with an average heart rate just below lactate threshold and kept dipping into Z5. I couldn’t stay at this all day. I looked back for Lance but didn’t see him either. At some point he caught up and we rode together for a bit, but Lance left me like he does on Illchester every week. At this point I needed to settle into my own rhythm and do my own race. That is all you can do on such a long race is stay your own pace after you get your initial position.                  

        By the third hour my upper and lower back were starting to cause me a lot of pain. As time went on, my back was killing me. I rolled through one lap and asked Leesa to have some motrin ready for the next lap, I took it and halfway through the following lap, the back was feeling a little better but came back by the end of the lap. For three laps now I was just focused on how much pain I was in. I reflected on my race out at Rosaryville and remembered my back pain there and started to wonder if that wasn’t from crashing. I was pretty close now to where I would have been finishing out at Rosaryville and just wondered did I survive there because it was a shorter race. By 5 hours I wondered why I register for these crazy races, why don’t I just cancel my race regs for the rest of the year and just ride for purely the sake of riding. I would try to get myself out of this negative thinking and not focus on the pain, but I just couldn’t.

        At five hours I came into pit broken, laid down the bike and then laid myself down. I was so frustrated and in pain. My back was in so much pain, my triceps were worked so much more than normal, and my half glove had torn a bunch of skin off my thumb. I gave my wife a hug and let my dog try to fix me. I had in my mind that I was done for the day. I didn’t want anyone to see me, I felt like such a failure. Leesa rubbed my back and was very consoling. I told her how much pain I was in, and I wasn’t having fun. She told me I shouldn’t race if I’m not having fun. She is right on that, there is pain that is part of racing and there was this. Courtney helped me with some stretching to release some tension in my back, John offered some advice to help out. Everyone was so helpful. John offered to go out and do a slow lap. I started thinking I could go out and do and just have some fun laps here and there during the day, but my race was over. I was mulling the idea over and off went John.

        I love chasing people down when riding, I had already decided to head out but needed to change my gloves and get my nutrition replaced. I got out there shortly after John had taken off, and started my chase. My goal was to chase him down and then hang out with him. I was feeling good though and when I caught up with him I tried to get him to come along, but he was doing smart pace; I was racing stupid. Halfway through the lap all the pain came back. First I thought I would just throw down a fast lap here and there, like a relay racer, except I don’t have anyone on my team, and spend the rest of the time in the pits. By the end of the lap I was in so much pain again; I was done, I was not going out again. I took off my helmet took off a shoe and inspected a sore toe, ate doughnuts and two PB&Js, and considered my race done. At one point Patrick came through and I observed his state, he looked rough, but focused. I didn’t want him to see me, I still felt like such a failure.

        Shortly after Patrick came through Lance came through to lap me too. Well Lance had to stop, he had managed to rattle four out of six of his bolts off of his brake rotors, Lance just always seems in good spirits. Lance had a broken bike, he was struggling with a hard race, but still seemed happy. He got his bike fixed, but was having a hard time going back out. At one point he said he was waiting for someone to go with him, because he needed someone to get him back out there. I decided, I might be having a hard day, but Lance needs someone to get him going, and I can get out there and do a lap with him and then come back and hang out some more.

        I knew that my pain was coming from one of three things, either bad geometry of the bike, bad bike fit, or a weak body. I felt it was a little of all three, I started to worry that geometry was the largest feature, which really stinks because, that means I would have to replace a bike. The next was bike fit, I know I have long legs and I am tall. My height says ride a large frame, my legs say ride an XL frame. So I have to jack my seat up higher to keep me in fit with the geometry of the bike, this puts more strain on the back and triceps. So I decided before taking off, I would drop my seat some. I dropped my seat more than you would normally drop a seat for minor bike fit adjustment. I may have dropped it three quarters of an inch, to a whole inch. I was worried about getting knee pain from this, but that shouldn’t start in one lap. With my adjustment Lance and I were off.

        My body was struggling with this stop-go effort I was giving it. It didn’t know if wanted to sprint, settle into endurance, or rest; I was just destroying myself. The pedaling felt awkward at first, my legs were dead and I was using slightly different muscles because of the dropped seat. Lance and I went the first 3 or so miles of the course just chatting at a leisurely pace. We talked a lot about running, I used to run a lot and Lance had run for UMBC. I loved running, I just can’t really do it anymore. Running carries happy memories for me so it was nice talking on the subject while rolling with Lance at party pace. At some point Lance said, enough leisure and started kicking it up a notch. I slowly got left by Lance, but was starting to feel good. I set a goal of finishing 100 miles for the day, this meant I needed to do 5 more laps, this was feasible. I came through checkpoint, grabbed a new bottle and took off.

        I had finally turned my race around, I had got rid of my back pain, my knees weren’t hurting, I had finally settled back into a race pace and was moving. The rest of the race was like most any other endurance race; I settled my pace, endured the regular pain of racing, pushed myself, and did well. From when I took off with Lance I started holding a very consistent 45 minute lap. I asked about standing one lap and found I was in fifth and not far behind fourth. I worked my way into fourth and finished the race keeping a steady good pace, and pushed the last lap nice and hard. When we went up to the awards ceremony, I thought I finished fourth and this podium only went 3 deep. I was very surprised to find that I actually finished third, even with my two breaks!!

        I biked an 18 hour race last year, and that was very hard, but this race was such a hard race. I came out of it with a hand covered in calluses and very sore, It was an emotional roller coaster for 13 hours, but I am very excited that I pulled it together and not only finished the race, but finished so strong.