ICC MTB Race - Could Do Without the BUG

This past weekend was the Indian Camp Creek 3/6hr mtb race in STL and for some time a training buddy (Ira) had been on me to team up for a race so that's what we did.

Training/racing leading up to the race was going really well until on Thursday morning I woke with a BUG; flu was going around and it landed straight in my body (and pretty much was purging everything quickly). I was hoping it would pass, but come Saturday it was still hanging on and my partner still wanted to race... I was drained and still hurting, but what the heck.

I have raced my Rig SS so far this year and even though the course was a hammer-fest I decided to keep it single and simply try to survive. The field in the team event was stacked with the best of the best duo'ing it; not a good day to be sick.

Race starts with Ira taking the first lap and he has us in a decent position. I bury myself with what energy I could find and keep us steady as I pass it back off. Immediately I know something is wrong and start hurling everywhere. The race promoter made sure I was OK as I was quickly trying to replenish what I just lost. Ira comes through and I take my turn, but it's game OFF as I have nothing in my legs. We kept it going (Ira 4 laps and I 3) until they called the event at 5:30hrs due to lightening (thank goodness). Rough day as we finished 6th of 7 teams. Wouldn't have even thought about racing it if I was going solo, but when you're a team its step up time.

Got a couple weeks to regroup in hopes to ride well at the Missouri State MTB Champs in KC (hoping to see Sir Crust-A-Lot).

Tour De Tick (make that Ick)

Yesterday (Sunday) was the Midwest Fat Tire series Tour De Tick race in Neosho, MO. I raced this as a sport rider two years ago in a downpour of rain with made the course a bit of a swamp and with the forecast all week calling for rain on Sunday I figured it would be the same for '11.

Ira (my Bolivar training partner) and I loaded up the SS's and drove the 1:45hr (close for us) to the event and sure enough it was raining on the way and the temps never got out of the lower 50's (chilly dampness). The turnout was a bit low which is interesting as why do mtb'ers skip on nasty weather, it's a mountain bike after all and isn't it supposed to get nasty and dirty!?!?!? Must be the 'cross part of me speaking out here. Anyways, the course was a 6.8 mile loop with a mix of rocky, rooty, flowy, climbing, fire roads, and slippery corners (about everything you expect). SS class did three laps and on this wet and chilly day that was just about enough.

Race got going and Ira and I set off on a solid pace and gaped everyone else. Somewhere early on he decided to endo his bike without letting me know first so when I turned around 1/2 way through the opener lap he was gone. I set out then to see how many experts (Cat 1's) I could pull in over the next couple laps. That didn't end up being too long as I caught and passed the Cat 1 leaders 1/2 thru the second lap. The rain kept coming down making the course a mudfest so I shut down the last lap a bit and made sure to keep upright with no mistakes. Mission accomplished and ended up snagging my third SS win of the year with Ira taking a solid 2nd.

Another great venue for the 29'er SS as mud and bad conditions are not an issue when you aren't shifting. Talked with teammate GLove's wife after the race and we both decided it was a great 'cross muddy course training.

Legs and fitness are solid right now even though I haven't started a serious regime of intensity; that is starting this month as June and July has a nice set of crits for which I want to prime (Tusla Tough, Tour of KC, and Tour of Lawrence).

Not sure how much racing I'll do this month as the gas prices and lack of driving partners is making me a bit more selective (notice a race 1:45 hrs is considered a 'local' close one).

Hitting The MTB Until the REAL Season

What's a guy supposed to do during the 8 month off season... This year I decided to turn my spring attention to mountain biking and try sharpening the bike driving skills when I can and use it to build some base miles. After the new year I bought a 29'er Trek Rig single speed (with option of adding gears); both the 29'er and SS concepts were new to me, but thought they sounded fun. I had no idea how true both would be!

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The handling of the G2 setup is not much off of riding a 26; it's pretty darn quick in the tight stuff and I don't feel like I am 'lugging' it around corners. The biggest thing is how freaking easy the 29er rolls over rough stuff and smooths it all out (I don't miss my Fuel full suspension at all). I have the 'bull in a china shop' riding style and the 29er now lets me get away with much more without punishment.

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The SS part of it a blast and that's mostly due to the fact that the midwest has no 'long' climbing and mostly short punchy stuff which is perfect for SS. I have a couple different cogs I toy with but so far I am a 32/18 kind of guy. My 'spin' has become way better and my power up climbs has always been one of my strengths so the combination is working.

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So on to racing: A couple weeks ago I entered my first '11 race at a local event (Warsaw Pain and Glory) on a super short course (13 miles at most). The field was not stacked so I took advantage of getting off the line first, hit the single track in front, and never saw anyone for the rest of the race. I ended up winning the overall by 8 or 9+ minutes. I felt really good and decently smooth, but was never pushed enought to get a real feel of my fitness. BTW - I'm a big fan of our 'lime' kits, but when it comes to mtb'ing I have to go with the black (it's my fav!).

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This past weekend was the Bone Bender 3/6hr race at Clinton Lake State Park outside of Lawrence, KS. While I do ride consistantly I don't have many LONG miles in my legs so opted for the 3hr SS. 9.3 ish mile loop which featured everything u would want on a course; technical, open flowy, tight... it was all there. I regulated my efforts according to my abilities and came away with the win in the SS class doing 4 laps in 3:43hrs and placing 9th fastest overall. I was pretty happy with my consistancy as I rode 55, 55, 56, and 56min for the laps and never felt outside my comfort level. Chris Locke and crew did a great job with this event; I'll be back next year for sure.

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Got a handful of mtb'ing races over the next couple of months before I turn my attention to crit racing and sharpening the speed before the 'turning of the leaves'. Hope eveyone is getting out there and enjoying the spring; later...

JJ