I woke up feeling stuffy and with a sore throat. It was quickly forgotten though. I was just happy to be going to race somewhere. I actually felt good riding the mountain bike Saturday night so I wanted to see how the legs would do against Tennessee's best. There was a thick fog on the drive to Lock 4, but once I arrived, the fog was minimal on the peninsula. I had to bust ice off my bike before I could get on as the fog was apparently a freezing fog.
My warm-up went well, but I knew instantly that I was in trouble. This course was actually harder on a singlespeed than the last course. There were more short climbs with sharp turns right before them. I could barely even turn my gear around most of the course. I tried to get a bigger cog for this race, but couldn't get one in time. It's a pain in the butt to get a freewheel cog that fits an All City fixed hub. To top things off, we got a lot of rain this week, making for a soft course that was slick on top. I knew I was at a disadvantage with the gear, but my legs felt awesome and I thought I could overcome. I had good enough legs to hit 190 heart rate two times during my warm-up. That doesn't happen often with me.
TN State Championship CX course at Lock 4
The Singlespeed race was the second race of the day. We started at 9:45. The grass was still wet from the frost and fog, making the corners slick. I had a terrible start, dropping off the pavement in 8th out of 12 riders. Once I was back in traffic, it was near impossible to carry enough speed through the corners to make a pass on the straighaways. There were just too many people in the way. We stayed packed up tight the first lap of the 30-minutes race. I managed to pick off one rider, then dropped a spot later in the lap to Thad, who also had a crappy start.
SS Start
Over the barriers on lap 1
I tried to hang with Thad, but the pavement was really the only spot I could get the big gear turning. The rest of the course I was absolutely killing myself just to keep rolling. The course deteriorated each lap, making the corners and straightaways slower. It was a disaster for me. I was hoping to be battling for the win, but instead I finished way back in 8th, nearly 4 minutes off the winner in a race that was only 4 laps long. I gave it my best though, hitting 192 heart rate, which is just a beat shy of my highest seen this entire year. It was frustrating because I knew I had good legs today, but I didn't stand a chance with my bike. And I knew now that I was surely doomed for the afternoon Pro/1/2 race.
Lugging the green steel monster up the run-up
I hung out all day, just having fun and being a spectator. The Pro/1/2 race was not until 2:00pm There were some really great races to watch. The Masters always bring good battles. The Women usually have a good race, and then the CX 3s are fast and full of crashes. It's an exciting day all the way around.
Ed Jaramillo during the Masters race
Tim Hall
I had two people offer me bikes for use in the Pro race. Dan Hensley offered up his Jamis. I felt bad taking him up on the offer because he was racing right before me and another guy was using the bike in the CX 4 race right after mine. Then Kenny Sipes offered me his pit bike. It was a big bike, but fit me better than Dan's bike would have. It was a carbon Scott with SRAM on it. I made a few quick changes to the set-up and got in two laps before my race. It was very low in the front which made downhill braking feel awkward, but overall it was way faster than any bike I've ever ridden. The challenging part for me was going to be the shifters. I've never ridden double tap so it was sure to be interesting!
Masters 35+ winner Jeremy Nagoshiner
crash
We had 11 riders on the line for the Pro/1/2. I had a much better start up the hill on the pavement. I dropped into the grass in the 5th position. I held that spot for a half lap, but still let a small gap open in front of me. The front four had a few bikes lengths on me when we hit the first big power stretch. I dropped three spots right away and wasn't even able to get onto a wheel as they came by. It was looking like another crappy Pro race, but my legs were there this time and I fought hard to keep those three close. I pushed hard and rejoined them as we completed lap 1.
I was now on the tail end of a group of four chasing a lead group of four. The pace dropped right away as we started the second lap. I was now very comfortable in this group. Craig Evans busted the group apart and I was able to move up into 7th and then bridge to Tim Hall on the road section. We began lap 3 together. I followed him comfortably for a lap, then made the pass. But I would blow a turn and let him back by. Most of the course had dried out and was fast, but a few slick areas remained.
I bridge back to him on the road section. I went around him again the next lap, and yet again blew a corner, letting him slip back by. This time the gap wasn't as big and I was on him as we started the road section. I knew I was strong on the pavement so I hammered it hard, trying to get him off my wheel for good. My heart rate was pegged as we crossed the barriers the next lap. Tim was still there with me. I remember looking down to see we were just 20 minutes into the 60-minute race. I knew I could not survive 40 more minutes at this pace. I began to back down. That was better for me, but it also allowed Tim to recover. He followed me for a lap and then cranked up the pace. I had to start digging deeper to follow him up the short climbs. The legs were really starting to burn now.
Climbing a short, steep hill on Kenny's bike
At the 30-minute mark, I could feel the legs really fade out on me. I slowed significantly, losing Tim's wheel and eventually dropping another spot back into 8th. I had been doing good with my shifting, but as I fatigued I began to shift the wrong way and further kill any momentum I had coming off the corners. The last three laps were really bad. My quads and hamstrings were cramping. I gave it all I had, but dropped all the back to 11th by the end. That last lap was brutal. It was all I could do to climb the last hill. I know I definitely left it all on the course today. Andy Reardon lapped me on his way to the win. It was cool to finally see Andy win a State Championship. He deserves it for sure. He's been working very hard at cross the past few years and has been riding well this whole season. Congrats dude.
So my season has drawn to a close. This was my final event of 2011. I am excited for next year, though I will have to admit that I am not riding as well right now as I had hoped to be. But I feel rested and am getting the hang of my new pedaling style. With all the quad cramping today, I had wondered if I had used my glutes or not. The glutes were definitely worked hard. They let me know by aching enough to wake me up several times during the night. I'm still working on my hip strength, trying to get my deficits corrected before next season begins. I want to say thankyou to everyone that came out to Lock 4. It was great hearing all the cheers. I was shocked at all the support I got during the race. Everybody seemed to be very into the races and shouting tons of encouragement. And thanks Kenny Sipes for letting me borrow your bike. It was great and kept me in the battle for way longer than I expected. Thanks also go out to those who snapped the pics seen above, and of course a BIG thankyou to Brian and Melissa Gant for putting on the races. You guys are the bomb. You keep putting the races on and we will keep coming to race them. Got some video posted below so you can get a taste of what it was like on race day. Thanks for reading!
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