My fingers are still sore from the stress of the root barrage endured this Saturday...The 6 Hour Grind on the Greenway was definitely a shocker to my system as I had let my training routine go south a bit. It all started when I realized the Pisgah Stage race just isn't as realistic a goal as I want to believe I can achieve based more on personal situation than actual time and effort, so I went back to focusing on getting more done around the new house, finalized the handling of the old house, which recently sold(yay!), as well as assistant coaching my daughter's soccer team with emphasis on core strength training. I also have been working on some software updates for my company to handle the latest ridiculous specification changes and security mandates Microsoft made when introducing Vista/Windows7. Thus, it's just not that I don't wanna ride my bike...I just can't get on the saddle enough to enjoy myself...ok, enough whining, on with the ride report...
It started with my good friend and upcoming ultra endurance racer, Mark Sackett, putting the bug in my head about the Grind on the Greenway happening in about a week...I knew it was coming up, but wasn't sure if I could manage it into the weekend soccer schedule. Oddly, the weekend's games had been moved to Sunday, which left Saturday open and clear for some possible racing action...All that was left was my decision to go for it. I had not turned a pedal in about a solid week. My bike lay covered in mud and scum from the last 4 hour training session at Marrington, and I had not even picked out the winning gear combination. At this point, I still sat on the fence about wanting to do this race as I did not feel like driving all that way as well. The other issue was the SingleSpeed category: it was full of rippers. I definitely felt I had no contention against the heavy hitters currently dominating the SingleSpeed category since there is not an age grouping in this class, so I entered Solo Men 30-39 just to bench test myself. All that was left to decide was the drive up to Ft. Mill. Fortunately, endurance & XC mountain biking is experiencing a steady wave of interest from some strong riders here in the lowcountry and another good friend of mine, Matt McMaster, offered to give me a ride up to the race! So off I went with the Charleston Bicycle Company race team members Jana Glover, Lise Morrison, Matt McMaster in Jana's super luxurious personal shuttle van. It was a great ride up to the race with good conversation and anxious energy from everyone. It was their first time riding in an endurance race and they were also not familiar with the lap format of 6/12/24 hour races yet, but they were ready for anything and looking in great shape, unlike myself...
Parking, unloading and gear setup occurred in record time and everyone was fluttering about trying to get everything handled the best that they could. The spot we picked for our tent was in a strange corner which was all that was left on our end of the pit station, but it did not make for a totally difficult situation, just tricky. The race started in a mass start scenario to try and spread us out and I found myself closer to the upper pack than I had anticipated. I tried to feed back, but others staggered as well, so I fell into line and started spinning. My gear combination of 32x20 was a bit too spinny for this area and wished I had 2 less teeth to get some more momentum speed for the hill climbs, but that was what I had setup and thats that. The singletrack started fast and furious as I was in a much faster pack than previous races. It was a shock to the system, but I hung in there and rode consistent and strong throughout most of that first lap. I got bucked midway through my first lap and flipped straight over my handlebars, landing twisted like a crab staring at my bike with no injury other than a bit of shock and time lost. I quickly re-straightened my handlebars and took off again trying to get my speed up. With the wind knocked out of my sails, it took a bit more effort to get my pace back and I soon found myself feeling a bit rough around the edges after only one lap. The second lap was much like the first, only this time I felt the true intensity of the exposed roots lurking around every corner as well as the sloshy muck sections where new roots were showing up. The Greenway course is fun, technical, and fast twisty in some parts, but there are some nasty roots dropped in too frequently to gather full speed and carry it forward. The climbs were short and punchy with no major effort required, just determination. 3rd lap was a bit slower as I was feeling the pinch of the heat now bearing down on all of us. I started passing more riders lagging on this lap. Then, the dreaded lap 4 was started and I was feeling weak from the start. As I pitted before lap#4, I came upon Matt, who was taking a break under the tent. As I went to refuel, my legs started to cramp up. I could not figure out why except for possibly not eating enough? I followed Matt out on lap#4 and was steady on his wheel for about 2-3 miles before I decided to stop and relieve my bladder deep in the woods. All of a sudden, my legs went into hyper cramping mode and I started feeling faint and weak. I took a break at the top of every miniscule hill climb and tried to coast through every downhill I could. This was a major showstopper as I was midway through lap#4 and realized that this would stop short my 6 lap goal... I saw lots of familiar riders start passing me by and dreaded the fact that my body was not functioning right at all! At one point as I sat there debating the very issue with myself of whether I was staring at dandilions or daisies, Mark Sackett pulls up and looks me in the eye and asks me if I am ok...I slowly come out of my fog and respond with yes, I have everything I need, I just don't know what it is. Mark gave me a puzzled look as I urge him to move on and not give up his position in the race to help my lame self out. Lise comes by shortly afterwards and also checks up on me and I tell her all is well, move along...I finally make it back to the pits after the dreaded lap#4 and have a long think and decide I will rest for a while before going out on lap#5. Lise is sitting in the corner debating the sanity of this event and I let her know that this is what it all comes down to, physical as well as mental perseverance...She offers up a large camelbak filled with gatorade that she could not drink since she is thinking of quitting at this point. I actually take her up on the offer as gatorade sounded tasty right then and there. I guzzle down the entire contents of the camelbak, pop a few Advil, mount my bike and start back out on Lap#5 before I talked myself out of going back out for another. Surprised by my immediate decision, Lise also jumps back on her bike and decides to punch out one more lap...She takes off much faster than I because of my spinny gearing, but I quickly catch back up to her on the climbs. She still looked like she was tired and overall done with this course, so I pass her by and continue on my way, looking to try and possibly catch up with Matt. Before I realize what is happening, I discover my legs are back to carrying me up the climbs. I start turning the pedals at a smoother pace and start passing people again. It dawns on me that the earlier heatwave we endured might have left me more dehydrated than I thought. The massive gatorade refill from earlier left me totally refreshed and zooming through the trail once again. I clean every obstacle with little or no stumbling and find myself completing lap#5 at EXACTLY 4:30pm. This meant I made the cutoff time to go out for yet another lap! I would be able to meet me goal if I could get myself through this last lap! As I pedaled through the pits, I make a last minute decision to not stop since I still had one more water bottle to carry me through the remaining 9 miles. As I pass my pit zone, I see Matt sitting back looking refreshed and strong. This meant he would be out chasing me very soon. I put the hammer down and decide to use that anticipation as fuel for the tank. I pick up the pace and continually visualize Matt chasing me down on the last lap. It works well and Lap#6 passes by in a blur. Lots of cramped souls were on this lap. Pain everywhere. I return to the pits to find Matt still sitting there, Jana sleeping in the grass and Lise in the corner wondering what madness made me go out on a 6th lap...I just told them I had the chance to go out on another lap and I did, regardless of how I felt. It was a great personal accomplishment, a weak showing for the day, and a massive shock to my physical state. All in all, a good day. I made some new friends, hung out with some old friends, watched some slower friends kick my butt and watched faster ones kick my butt once again...I also witnessed some newer friends enter into the endurance racing world, hopefully to be seen again at future events.
The ride home was just as fun as the ride there...except with lots more to talk about and experiences to share, such as the misadventures of Jana, who tried to squeeze in some run training with her cycling during the race...Matt is getting stronger with every race and definitely a future hopeful...Lise surprised us all with her second place win and strong showing in her first ever endurance mtb race! Mark Sackett is getting amazingly strong and his determination is paying off-next stop Burn24 for him. Mike Pierce surprised me with a really strong showing as well! Like I said, it was a good day...
Cheers!
12th place, 6 laps;Solo Men 30-39 on a singlespeed no less!
Garmin connect lap data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/32835406
It started with my good friend and upcoming ultra endurance racer, Mark Sackett, putting the bug in my head about the Grind on the Greenway happening in about a week...I knew it was coming up, but wasn't sure if I could manage it into the weekend soccer schedule. Oddly, the weekend's games had been moved to Sunday, which left Saturday open and clear for some possible racing action...All that was left was my decision to go for it. I had not turned a pedal in about a solid week. My bike lay covered in mud and scum from the last 4 hour training session at Marrington, and I had not even picked out the winning gear combination. At this point, I still sat on the fence about wanting to do this race as I did not feel like driving all that way as well. The other issue was the SingleSpeed category: it was full of rippers. I definitely felt I had no contention against the heavy hitters currently dominating the SingleSpeed category since there is not an age grouping in this class, so I entered Solo Men 30-39 just to bench test myself. All that was left to decide was the drive up to Ft. Mill. Fortunately, endurance & XC mountain biking is experiencing a steady wave of interest from some strong riders here in the lowcountry and another good friend of mine, Matt McMaster, offered to give me a ride up to the race! So off I went with the Charleston Bicycle Company race team members Jana Glover, Lise Morrison, Matt McMaster in Jana's super luxurious personal shuttle van. It was a great ride up to the race with good conversation and anxious energy from everyone. It was their first time riding in an endurance race and they were also not familiar with the lap format of 6/12/24 hour races yet, but they were ready for anything and looking in great shape, unlike myself...
Parking, unloading and gear setup occurred in record time and everyone was fluttering about trying to get everything handled the best that they could. The spot we picked for our tent was in a strange corner which was all that was left on our end of the pit station, but it did not make for a totally difficult situation, just tricky. The race started in a mass start scenario to try and spread us out and I found myself closer to the upper pack than I had anticipated. I tried to feed back, but others staggered as well, so I fell into line and started spinning. My gear combination of 32x20 was a bit too spinny for this area and wished I had 2 less teeth to get some more momentum speed for the hill climbs, but that was what I had setup and thats that. The singletrack started fast and furious as I was in a much faster pack than previous races. It was a shock to the system, but I hung in there and rode consistent and strong throughout most of that first lap. I got bucked midway through my first lap and flipped straight over my handlebars, landing twisted like a crab staring at my bike with no injury other than a bit of shock and time lost. I quickly re-straightened my handlebars and took off again trying to get my speed up. With the wind knocked out of my sails, it took a bit more effort to get my pace back and I soon found myself feeling a bit rough around the edges after only one lap. The second lap was much like the first, only this time I felt the true intensity of the exposed roots lurking around every corner as well as the sloshy muck sections where new roots were showing up. The Greenway course is fun, technical, and fast twisty in some parts, but there are some nasty roots dropped in too frequently to gather full speed and carry it forward. The climbs were short and punchy with no major effort required, just determination. 3rd lap was a bit slower as I was feeling the pinch of the heat now bearing down on all of us. I started passing more riders lagging on this lap. Then, the dreaded lap 4 was started and I was feeling weak from the start. As I pitted before lap#4, I came upon Matt, who was taking a break under the tent. As I went to refuel, my legs started to cramp up. I could not figure out why except for possibly not eating enough? I followed Matt out on lap#4 and was steady on his wheel for about 2-3 miles before I decided to stop and relieve my bladder deep in the woods. All of a sudden, my legs went into hyper cramping mode and I started feeling faint and weak. I took a break at the top of every miniscule hill climb and tried to coast through every downhill I could. This was a major showstopper as I was midway through lap#4 and realized that this would stop short my 6 lap goal... I saw lots of familiar riders start passing me by and dreaded the fact that my body was not functioning right at all! At one point as I sat there debating the very issue with myself of whether I was staring at dandilions or daisies, Mark Sackett pulls up and looks me in the eye and asks me if I am ok...I slowly come out of my fog and respond with yes, I have everything I need, I just don't know what it is. Mark gave me a puzzled look as I urge him to move on and not give up his position in the race to help my lame self out. Lise comes by shortly afterwards and also checks up on me and I tell her all is well, move along...I finally make it back to the pits after the dreaded lap#4 and have a long think and decide I will rest for a while before going out on lap#5. Lise is sitting in the corner debating the sanity of this event and I let her know that this is what it all comes down to, physical as well as mental perseverance...She offers up a large camelbak filled with gatorade that she could not drink since she is thinking of quitting at this point. I actually take her up on the offer as gatorade sounded tasty right then and there. I guzzle down the entire contents of the camelbak, pop a few Advil, mount my bike and start back out on Lap#5 before I talked myself out of going back out for another. Surprised by my immediate decision, Lise also jumps back on her bike and decides to punch out one more lap...She takes off much faster than I because of my spinny gearing, but I quickly catch back up to her on the climbs. She still looked like she was tired and overall done with this course, so I pass her by and continue on my way, looking to try and possibly catch up with Matt. Before I realize what is happening, I discover my legs are back to carrying me up the climbs. I start turning the pedals at a smoother pace and start passing people again. It dawns on me that the earlier heatwave we endured might have left me more dehydrated than I thought. The massive gatorade refill from earlier left me totally refreshed and zooming through the trail once again. I clean every obstacle with little or no stumbling and find myself completing lap#5 at EXACTLY 4:30pm. This meant I made the cutoff time to go out for yet another lap! I would be able to meet me goal if I could get myself through this last lap! As I pedaled through the pits, I make a last minute decision to not stop since I still had one more water bottle to carry me through the remaining 9 miles. As I pass my pit zone, I see Matt sitting back looking refreshed and strong. This meant he would be out chasing me very soon. I put the hammer down and decide to use that anticipation as fuel for the tank. I pick up the pace and continually visualize Matt chasing me down on the last lap. It works well and Lap#6 passes by in a blur. Lots of cramped souls were on this lap. Pain everywhere. I return to the pits to find Matt still sitting there, Jana sleeping in the grass and Lise in the corner wondering what madness made me go out on a 6th lap...I just told them I had the chance to go out on another lap and I did, regardless of how I felt. It was a great personal accomplishment, a weak showing for the day, and a massive shock to my physical state. All in all, a good day. I made some new friends, hung out with some old friends, watched some slower friends kick my butt and watched faster ones kick my butt once again...I also witnessed some newer friends enter into the endurance racing world, hopefully to be seen again at future events.
The ride home was just as fun as the ride there...except with lots more to talk about and experiences to share, such as the misadventures of Jana, who tried to squeeze in some run training with her cycling during the race...Matt is getting stronger with every race and definitely a future hopeful...Lise surprised us all with her second place win and strong showing in her first ever endurance mtb race! Mark Sackett is getting amazingly strong and his determination is paying off-next stop Burn24 for him. Mike Pierce surprised me with a really strong showing as well! Like I said, it was a good day...
Cheers!
12th place, 6 laps;Solo Men 30-39 on a singlespeed no less!
Garmin connect lap data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/32835406
Posts
