Dam Bike Races

     The XTERRA races just make me want to mountain bike more, even though I get frustrated with mountain biking sometimes. I've been spoiled by the lack of maintenance needed for road racing. With your road bike, it's usually just a lube of the chain and maybe changing out tires/wheels to be ready for a race. If things are bad, you may have to wash the bike and maybe grease the crank or change a cassette. With mountain biking, it's always a bike wash, followed by lubing the chain and cables. That's all fine and dandy, but then you hit your derailleur and bend it or bend the hanger. Something's always popping or creaking. You have to adjust you brakes perfectly so they don't drag and bleed them so they actually work when you pull the lever. You have more issue with tires, both cutting them or flatting and also mounting them. It's usually not that big of a deal, but when you are rough on equipment and having a bad day, sometimes it doesn't feel worth it.

     Last week, I had tire and rear derailleur issues prior to XTERRA Panther Creek. Tires and shifting were good this week. The problem came from my other bike. I pulled the old Titus Racer-X out of the garage for use in the Super D at Fontana. I haven't ridden the bike since February at Snake Creek Gap. I took it for a ride at home and it was a bad day. The suspension was off and I couldn't remember my settings. After getting that worked out the rear brake went out. I have had problems with this rear brake for about 3 years. My old caliper went out and since replacing it with a newer XTR caliper and LX lever, I have had nothing but problems. I did my test ride at my parents house. The trail was covered with sticks, grown up and full of spiderwebs. I got a little frustrated with the bike and trail conditions. I expected the bike to be off since I haven't ridden it, but we have worked hard on the trail. It seems 4 miles is a little much for us to maintain.

     Shannon and I bled the brakes later that night and were surprised to get a firm lever feel in just a few minutes. It seemed as though we had it fixed. The Fontana Dam Jam was on the agenda for the weekend. You know it's time for Fontana when you have to make a stop by the party store during the week for short track costume apparel. We rolled out on Friday with an extra bike on the rack. I was registered for the Triple Crown competition, encompassing all three events. I was going to use the Racer-X for the Super D, then race the Sette hardtail in the short track and XC. We had to leave Friday evening because it is a 5 hour drive for us and things got started at 10am on Saturday with Super D practice. It was late by the time we hit the road and we arrived in Maryville at about 12am. We decided to just find a church and throw up the tent in the parking lot. We found a good one after a few minutes of searching and sat up camp for the night. This week we had plenty of blankets and put on the rain fly to keep the dew off us. It worked well and we actually slept good.

    Camp was established at Cable Cove Campground before we went over to the Fontana Village for the Super D. Practice got started a little late so we didn't get in a full 2 hours of practice runs. I was thinking the course would be different since they had changed the race title from Downhill to Super D, but it was the same old course. We were shuttled to the top on a big trailer and then raced down the mountain on the Turkey Chute trail. There are three fairly long pedaling sections along the way down. The trail is rough in places, but overall it's more about speed than technical skills. The 4-inch travel Racer-X was the perfect bike. I raced it here two years ago and nabbed a 2nd place. It might would've been a win had I not caught 3 women pre-riding the XC course during my second run. I lost by a mere 2 seconds!

     I was wanting some vengeance for that last defeat. I was hungry and ready for some downhill action! I knew it would be my best chance of the weekend for a top result. My first practice run was crappy. The trail was in bad shape. It was covered with sticks and leaves and was slick from rain during the week. I don't think anyone rides these trails any other time during the year. Also, my rear brake went out midway through the run.  I was frustrated, but I hopped back on the shuttle and went for a few more runs. The brakes got better on the next few trips down, but they were still poor compared to what I like to have to be comfortable at that kind of speed. The trail was drying out and lines were forming with each practice run. There were more riders this year than I have ever seen them have for this event.

     Just before the shuttle ran us up for the first race run, I tried to get the air out of my brake line one more time. Shannon and I tapped the hose and worked the bubbles up to the reservoir, getting out as many as we could before it was time to go. The race format was for two runs with your best time counting for the results. Pros and experts were scored together. There was some good talent in my group. XC riders Ryan Woodall, Robert Marion, and Victor Alber were also competing for the Triple Crown. Pro downhill racer Ryan Taylor was also on hand. I was most worried about Taylor. He is fast going down and has the legs to blast the pedaling sections. The only thing that was going against him was that he was on his heavy downhill bike. I knew I would have to beat him on the pedaling sections where his big bike would be dragging him down.

Super D course dropping down the mountain via Turkey Chute

     The first run kicked off with Marion going down first. I started quite a ways back in the order which was fine with me. I wanted a few guys to go down first to make sure the spectators were out of the trail. I definitely didn't want to have another incident of catching a rider that didn't know we were racing. I had a good first run. I hit all my lines and the brakes worked well. I didn't feel super strong in the pedaling sections though. I threw in pedal strokes in a lot of the steeper sections and I think that cost me time in the flat sections. My chest was hurting at the end so I know I wasn't fully warmed-up either. Still, I clocked the 3rd best time of 3:33. I was 5 seconds behind Alber and Taylor, who were separated by just 0.5 seconds.

Taylor on his first run

I put in pedal strokes every chance I got

Up high on the berm through this turn

     I was pumped for run 2. I knew I could steal out a few more seconds if I was smooth and saved a little more for the flat sections near the bottom. I was confident I could pick up that 5 seconds. Run 2 started well. I hit my lines again and carried my speed better through the turns. The course was drying out and was much faster in the turns. I was feeling good as I got close to the second pedaling section. I wasn't breathing hard and was ready to sprint my guts out. Then deja vu happened. I saw a slow rider up ahead. It was a woman out pre-riding the XC course. I yelled as soon as I saw her and she panicked, stopping right in the middle of the trail. It was on the last steep section. I was carrying way too much speed to stop and had to take to the bushes on the left to miss her. I just squeaked by her front wheel and then came that horrible hissing sound of a flat. I ran over a rock or something in the bushes and pinched-flatted my rear tire. I couldn't believe it! Another race ruined by somebody who wasn't supposed to be on course!

Taylor's second run was even better

Flying over the roots and rocks on my second run just before my flat

Andy Johnston during the Super D

     The two riders behind me bettered their time and I wound up getting 5th. That bumped me off the podium and out of the money. I was so disappointed. It really sucks when you have a problem that was totally out of your hands. Ryan Taylor won like I expected. I wish I could've given him more of a battle, but it wasn't meant to be today.

     Here's a video from the Super D, featuring both practice and race runs. You can see my issue with the other rider about to happen at the end. I am going considerably faster than her as I pass the camera and you can hear me yell "Rider!" as I go out of sight. Too bad it didn't get me clear track.

Super D Video

     Rain rolled into the area just after the finish of the Super D. We had to rush back to the campground because we had left the rain fly off the tent. We made it back just in time, but didn't have time to get the rain fly on properly before a torrential rainstorm hit. It poured for over 2 hours. The tent leaked a little, but overall we stayed pretty dry considering.

Our set-up at Cable Cove

Fungus on a stump

     After lunch and a nap, it was back over to the village for the short track. The short track takes place in the evening on the ball field in the center of the village. It's a great race for spectators because the course is very small and fully visible at all points. Here's last year's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwHZlLTMV5w.

       The course was slightly different this year. We started at the bottom of the hill and raced across the grass, onto the pavement, then into gravels before a steep grassy climb to the top of the hill. The finish line was located at the top of the hill. There was then a new flat left-hand curve around a fire pit before we made the descent back to the bottom. The left turn at the bottom was much wider and more gradual this year. I liked that because you could carry more speed onto the climb than in recent years. The grass was slick from the rain, making the corners a bit treacherous. Cat. 3 and Cat. 2 Men were supposed to be one race, but they had so many riders that they had to split them up. Cat. 3 Men went first for 10 minutes, followed by Cat. 2 Men, then Women. All Women were grouped together. Pro/Cat. 1 Men went last.

Short Track course from my GPS

Thankfully somebody else still has fun at this race

Me during practice

Practice

Practice shot

       There were some good battles in the early races. The crowds had gathered by the time the Pro/Cat. 1 Men lined up. We had around 25 riders on the start line. I dressed up again this year, keeping the costume tradition alive. I was the one that started dressing up for this race back in its inaugural running in 2006. Costumes were popular for a few years, but then everybody got super serious and only I kept the costume tradition alive last year. I was pleased to see at least some bunny ears on a helmet in one of the early races. There were no other Pro/Cat. 1s that dressed up. Just me sitting on the start line in my grass skirt and coconuts. I ran the hula girl costume back a few years ago and it was a crowd pleaser so I brought it back for this year. It's my favorite because it features less clothing which helps keep me cool on a hot summer night.

Cat. 3s and Juniors on the start line

Junior rider

Cat. 3 and Junior riders coming down the hill during their race

This guy had support from his two shirtless buddies

Ready to go

      The race was fast from the sounding of the horn. That's to be expected in a race that only lasts just over 15 minutes. I had a decent start, going up the hill in the middle of the pack. By the time we threaded through the turns on lap 1, we were strung out single-file over half the course. I had gambled on tire choice, going with my slick and super-lightweight Maxxis Maxxlite 310 tires. They're very fast, but also don't get much traction. I figured nothing would hook up well on wet grass so the gamble was worth taking. The lightness helped on the climbs, but I struggled in the two tight left-hand corners. The early races had worn the grass off the turns, uncovering some slick mud. There was a rut or root in the turn at the top of the hill. It was dark up there so I never saw what it was, but we were all hitting it. I was slowest in the left turn at the bottom. I had trouble getting back to pedaling quick enough coming out of the corner which kept getting me gapped. The climb up the hill the first few laps was almost constant camera flashes. It was almost blinding.

Pro/Cat. 1 Men ready to go

The Pros coming around on lap 1

Still shot from the video taken by the seatpost camera early in the race. You can see the grass skirt hanging down over the edge of my seat.

First two laps of the Pro Men's Short Track from my seatpost. Check out the shadows at the end of the video. You can see the grass skirt flying.

     The group split after just a few laps and two large groups formed with a few stragglers hanging off the back. I was on the back of the second group early on. Then riders started popping off the back and got me gapped. I dangled for a while, but then nearly crashed trying to pass a slower rider. I yelled "On your left!" and he swerved left as he tried to look back at me. That cost me a lot of time and got me lapped by the lead group.      The crowd was crazy. Some were supportive, some were not. They yelled both good things and bad things at me for my costume. Some said I wasn't serious enough to be in Pro. Others seemed to think this is the clothing I would wear all the time. I think a lot of people missed the point about this being fun and a tradition. Many of the riders didn't like it either and they wanted to race me a little more aggressively than they normally would. I think that was from a combo of my costume and me being off the scene this year. A lot of the riders think I'm too slow to race Pro now so they give me a hard time during the races. That's fine with me. I have elbows too.

Racing hard in costume. Photo by GoneRiding.

The skirt was flying in the breeze

Looking down at my rear tire and cassette during the race

       I was good the first 10 minutes, then faded after the near-crash. I got lapped for a second time with a lap to go, but this was voluntary. I wanted to be out of the way so the leaders could have a clear track. I wanted to be sure I didn't effect the sprint. I was happy to see Ryan Woodall win the race for the 7th time in the race's 7-year history. He's a good dude and deserves it. Good job Ryan! I ended up 21st. I lost two spots when I moved over to let the leaders go by that last lap. I was pleased with my performance considering I've been dropped right from the gun the past 3 years. I actually got into a rhythm during the race and battled with some people. My top-end is still poor, but it is improving. I hit 184 bpm on my heart rate during the race and averaged 173. We grabbed some ice cream in the village after the race and then headed back to the campground for a few episodes of Burn Notice on the laptop before going to bed. It takes a few minutes to wind down after an effort like that.

Short Track video

     Sunday brought the XC race. It was the 10th and final race of the SERC series. The course at Fontana is a tough one, featuring a lot of climbing. But it is also one of the most fun. It is probably my most favorite XC course to race on. I am always destroyed afterwards, but I love it. The Pro race was scheduled for 4 laps of 7.3 miles. The course was in bad shape prior to this week. Dave Berger spent all week clearing the trails of downed trees and overgrowth. The rain on Saturday made things slick in places, but overall the trail was good.

      We used the same course as last year. It begins with a steep climb on the road before turning into the woods for a quick descent followed by a short switchback climb behind the lodge. The course is a figure-8 layout with a crossing point on a gravel road behind the lodge. Once you go through the crossing the first time, the trail rolls along the side of the mountain, gradually climbing it's way up to Lewellyn Cove. Then comes a steep, rocky descent with a few switchbacks. The bridge at the bottom was out so we had to cut a new trail around it with a treacherous creek crossing that required a dismount from the bike. The trail then turns back to rolling hills with more climbing than descending. Some of the uphills are steep as you get closer to the village. Next up is a vicious gravel road climb back through the figure-8 crossing point. This climb is long and very steep. It's the leg-breaker of the course. It's followed by more rolling singletrack that is super narrow at first, then widens and gets rocky before the top. The trail dumps you out on the pavement for one last rise up to Turkey Chute. Riders then get a fast downhill back to the village, followed by a climb to the finish line. The last 50 meters before the finish line are up the final steep hill in the grass used the day before in the short track.

XC Trail Map

Pro Men on the start line for the XC. Photo by GoneRiding.

            We had 9 riders for the Pro race. Junior X riders also started with us. I got smoked off the line and fell to the back of the group immediately. The pace was very fast up the initial road climb. I dropped a few bike lengths off the back before the last steep pitch, but I remained mostly in contact with the group, although I was next to last entering the woods. I could've gone harder, but I doubt it would've been worth it. I maybe would have gotten two or three positions. I'm not very good on the long, steep climbs and I knew this would be a long race so I chose to pace myself. The last few years I have been way off the back entering the woods so things were already looking better. I paced off the Juniors the first few miles, passing a few of them on the first lap. I nearly crashed once. There was a huge root ball in the trail from a fallen tree. I got hung on it and hit my man parts. I didn't hit the ground, but I did hurt myself a little.

        The first time up the gravel climb was awful. It was wet at the bottom and had less gravels over the mud than in past years. The soft mud soaked up all momentum and made the lower slopes tougher than the upper. I was hurting bad the first time up. I tried to be he-man and stay on the middle ring even though I knew I could go faster in my granny. I started to feel good on lap 2 after the road climb. I started to gain on some of the other Pro riders. All was well until I reached the root ball. I was determined to clear it smoothly this lap, but instead ended up on my face. My bike was just too short for the steepness of the root ball. My front and rear wheels hung simultaneously and I went flying over the bars. Maybe if I had 29" wheels and a longer wheelbase it wouldn't have been so bad.

Coming up the hill to end lap 1. Photo by GoneRiding.

      The crash ruined my rhythm for a few miles and I dropped some time to those ahead of me. Riders from the classes that started after us were catching me. In recent mountain bike races, I haven't even been able to get on pace with anyone that caught me. Today was different though. I stayed with most of them for a few miles before they would drop me. It was fun to actually be racing with someone instead of feeling like a rolling road block. I even ran some of them back down later in the race.

Me coming into view at the base of the gravel climb

Me working hard at Fontana

Riders on the lower portion of the gravel climb

A rider comes up the final road climb toward the finish line

Shannon Mathis on her way to winning the Cat. 2 Women

Regan Woodall

       I was over 3 minutes slower on lap 2 than on lap 1, but I was back in my rhythm and feeling good again. Shannon fed me and reported that Tanner Hurst was just 1:13 ahead. I haven't beaten him in a long time so I really wanted to see if I could catch him. I picked my lap time up by over a minute and caught Hurst on lap 3. I ran the root ball the last two laps so I had no more spills. I managed to finish in 7th with a time of 2:52:26. I usually finish in outside of 3 hours here, so that was a good improvement. I pushed myself hard the last lap, but I wasn't all that tired after the race. That big block of long miles really has improved my endurance. Max heart rate for the day was 179 bpm. Average was 161 bpm.

Tanner Hurst

Me about to start another loop out to Lewellyn Cove

Riders on the grass just before the finish

Me passing some nice banners at the finish

And I'm done

XC Video

     Now I have 2 weekends off to train before hitting another round of crits. I'll be starting with the Lynskey Performance Southern Sunset Crit. in Chattanooga on August 25. Then it'll be on to St. Louis for four days of crits. at the Gateway Cup, which is one of my target races for the year. Thanks for reading! And thanks Shannon for most of the pictures and videos posted here. She has been tearing it up with the camera and keeping me on track at home and in the races.