OMBC - The Wilds - Mountain Bike Race - May 15, 2010

IF I only had one of these before my race, I might have manged to make it through the entire second lap at full gas.


This was a tough first race as an Expert for 2010. I decided it was time to step up and stop sandbagging in the top 5 of the Sport. I haven't won a race in a few years in sport, but have been consistently finishing well and getting money. I don't want to be associated with that behavior, so I lined up with the big boys and fast women.

I Had a great start, on the road and into the woods, there was some of the craziest single track at the beginning of a mountain bike race I have ever seen. I am just glad I didn't get to pre-ride the entire thing, I am not sure i would have done the race. From a scale of 1-10 I would give this place a 9 for hardness factor. There was no room to loose focus, no room for taking big big risks. It was a turn the motor on to 55 and keep it going at 55 type of course.

Funny part was I had no idea we were going to race on parts or most of the AEP ReCreation lands trail, that I helped design, locate, build and maintain for the early years of the trail with COMBO. I actually helped run a few races at the AEP trail, that were also the Official Ohio Single-Speed Championships. So, cool to see some of the sections we thought were so amazing, in a race.

Jon, Tim and Chris were on hand from the Team, with Julie there to do a few bottle hand ups to Jon and I. She was a pro and passed off the bottle to me as I had the empty one in my mouth waiting to roll up that hill for the transition to my third lap (pic).

Dave from B1 and I sat on the wheel of a guy from Cleveland and basically burnt him out pushing from the back. He even said at one point, "you guys are going to sit on my wheel, push me, then pass". I didn't have the heart to admit that was my plan. But, the guy rode really well for 2 laps but faded hard near the beginning of the third one I think. Good rider.

Dave and I paced each other, chatting along the way, complaining about the super steep hills and sections of roots, rocks and trees. Dave was on a 29 aluminum hard tail and I could just hear him getting beat to a pulp by that frame of his. I waited and waited on the last lap, mentally for him to come around me, thinking, he's going to come around me and just smoke me to the finish...We came upon some other racers near the end of our last lap on a difficult log over, but managed to get around them quickly and on to the last fun section of trail for the off camber, steep uphill turn to the finish line. I kept waiting for Dave to come around, I put the hammer down about 2 miles out, but ran out of gas about 1000 meters before the finish, gave it the berries to keep Dave from passing me at the finish. It was a great race, I was happy to have a few guys to keep me motivated and pace. 

Dave is a great guy and certainly can get it done on his mountain bike.

I just missed being in the money by one place, and finished 5th, but still a great result. According to Bruce P from COBC, he said he saw me behind him at a few points - Bruce is fast and a respected mountain biker, road and cyclocross guy by this writer.

Tim looking PRO

Jon giving it 150% on his last lap

OMBC - EastFork State Park Mountain Bike Race - 6/28/2009

Here is what the natural selection after our hill climb ended up being just a few of us...moving away from the pack of about 35 or so in the Masters field. These guys obviously have ridden together quite a bit and played some drafting games before we hit the grass "single-track" before the actual wooded singletrack. I was in my big ring from the start, stood up most of the way up the hill till about this point. The two red/white/blue guys, were sailing pretty hard from the time we got onto the grass. I didn't see them after mile 8 or so. I chased down 3rd place from the time we got out of the woods to make our second lap. But before the second lap ended I wiped out on this slate covered creek crossing. It didn't look like this race day AT ALL, it was running water about 3/4 inches deep and the slate was slick as snot. My goal was to sail like a feather, fast and furious across it and make it up the small rooty hill on the otherside. That plan did not work out, the front wheel slid out and down I went on my right side. That would be the only time I spent on the ground for the day. The second lap, I decided I would cyclocross it over the creek up the other side and around the hard rooty tree turn and remount. It worked, I didn't loose anytime and stayed on-chasing 3rd place. We worked to pass groups of riders and slower folks and he slowed in sections where it was slick. I noticed his climbing ability wasn't quite as strong as mine and knew the uphill section with the left hand banked turn was coming up. I was hoping to pass him quietly, hit it hard and fast, not leave any opportunity for him to get on my acceleration. Well, I surged on the left, he moved left, I surged again right just as hard and he moved right, we hit the banked left turn at the top of the hill and he hit the throttle. I figured also letting him lead the entire lap, would wear him out, or push him to make a mistake as well. That wasn't the case, this guy can ride and really handle his bike and pick some great lines though the trail. I knew I had very few opportunities to pass in the last 3 miles or so and we were really flying. I thought, if I can get on his wheel coming out of the woods and get up and sprint, I can get him in the hard right turn at the finish in the tape. Well, as you can see, I was close, but decided it wasn't really worth the 3rd place and extra 5 bucks to throw him into the tape and trees in front of the 'crowd' at the finish line. I just thought that wasn't very "pro" and a bit unnessesary at a local race. I think the guy knew if I wanted to be an ass I could have been more aggressive and just come by him. These two pics by the excellent photographer (my wife) tell the story at the finish.

≤ Tim did well and got an excellent 6th place at his first ever MTB race. He and I celebrated by jumping in the lake after in full Ohio Orthopedic/Moro kits. The water was warm and the crowd in the water was ... well interesting.

There were some very "un-pro" guys on my first lap about 5 miles in- overtaking a few of the Women racers at the dumbest passing point. I moved over to block them and called them out and told them to chill, since they could have taken all of us down. Again, it's just a local race - settle down out there boys, you are racing Sport not PRO at the Norba nationals.

So, with a few bruises on my right side, cash in my pocket, the 4th place sticks. Best result of the year so far.

Mohican 100k

I decided not to bite off too much this year and just take in the 100k/68 miles or so of this race.
Legs are feeling good, finally recovering from the abuse of our training weekend during our 50 mile training weekend.
Hopefully, I'll get some rest, eat well, get organized and be ready to roll Saturday at the butt crack of dawn.
I have a finish time in my mind I am planning on hitting. I will know how that is going at the halfway point or at one of the check points. There are a few little eating things and drinking things along the race I might alter slightly, but other than that, my goal is to just keep going and keep my stops at the aid stations to less than 5 minutes. Fill up the water bottles, small camelbak, eat some things and pedal away.

I am planning on chain cleaning and bike detailing tonight.

Oh, and I have to drive south about an hour after work tomorrow, to pick up a new hitch for my new car! :) Then I will try to get it installed Wed or Thurs night. Need it for my bike rack.

Mohican State Park - Mountain bike - Training

Sunday, myself and Layne had planned to hit up 2 full-on almost race type laps at Mohican State Park. This was just shy of 50 miles for both laps. We were hoping for sub 6 hours. We did it.
Moving time 5:21 total time. Much of the group (Joel, Ben) finished within 30 minutes of each other after the first lap - good stuff for Joel and Ben. Joel got in not too long after us and said he had some cramping issues - Ben rolled in shortly after on his Single speed stiff forked bike >owww.
The first lap, I pushed the pace, really hard with Tim, Layne, Glen and Jon on the first lap. Layne, Tim and I kept our stops to the very minimum and slowed up to eat and drink out of bottles etc. when needed. This was a great way to simulate eating, drinking and racing. We finished the first lap, went back to the car, got some food - drink and headed back out. Layne and I were the only ones. We paced and motivated each other on the second lap. I felt great for about 70% of the second lap didn't feel great at mile 21, but it came back around about mile 23. We were both excited to see our ride time for both laps. It was a good measure of our fitness for the Mohican 100k which is at the end of May.

OMBC - Lake Hope State Park - Mountain Bike Race

weeeeeee,
My race today went like an 1:24 min ride on a super fun roller coaster. My watch said 1:21 min, Avg. Speed 12.34 mph, 1730 feet of elevation gain, . I need to look up my info from last year.

I have never ridden Lake Hope so fast in many years of riding there. This was my second year racing there in the Sport Category. Layne, my wife and I all Subaru'd down together.
This race is combined with the West Virginia race series and their race catergories do not match up with OMBC. So....to make things easy the Sport Catagory for racers from 19-50 were all leaving in one group. Yeah that was fun. I think 50 guys? I nudged up to the front 12 or so for the start and hoped to get a good flying start up the gravel road to the water tower. I did, but we were 4.5 wide on that road and I was eating branches on the right side up the hill, when many faded in fitness towards the top, I manged to get passed 5 or 6, make the turn to the left at the bottom of the hill, where our cars were parked, and up the second real gravel road hill. We fly up that, fly down the hill and head up to the crest of the third hill right before the single-track into the woods. I manged to pass quite a few in my big ring before the dirt and we all bunched up at the entrance. I think there may have been 15/18 or so of us at the front of the Sport group. I felt pretty good about where I was sitting. I did manage to get some warm up before the race start, but now the legs were starting to feel pretty good about 3 miles or so in. I was passing lots of riders, passed a few of the women off the back and trying to maintain a steady pedal state. I rode really agressive on any hills or sections I knew really well, thinking anyone that was behind me would have to fight till the end to pass me. I saw one girl go down really hard on her face after flying right over the handle bars. She ended up being ok and finishing. Jen and I hung out with Amanda Sproat and Joe Devault today after the race at a picnic table eating and drinking. It's a nice change of pace being at mountain bike race from the 'serious ness' of the road and crit scene. Although there are some somewhat serious, too serious dudes at these mtb races, it was good to hang with the Superfly Twins.

I do believe I should have ridden with the Experts today. I don't think I was sandbagging per say - all the other guys in my Sport group were all within 1 min of each other. And the only guy to beat me today, came around me in the last few miles, pretty rude in his pass, ran into the wheel that was in front of me after passing me.
I was within 10 to 15 seconds of getting 1st back at the finish, I saw him look back at the top of the second hill before the finish. I dug really hard in my big ring to catch him coming out of the woods and up the steep dirt hill before the campground pavement.
I ended up with a solid Second Place this year.
I am pretty sure after thinking about it today, that the top 3 finishers in the entire sport category should be racing Expert as well. There were guys that finished 5 to 10 min faster than I did - they must have been just motoring, sick. My low back is so sore, after riding in the car home, getting on a plane to chicago, I sit here with ice on my low back. Dang, I am old.
Layne got third in the Single Speeds today, pretty good considering, he hadn't ridden MTB much this year.
More tomorrow if I can come up with more -