Return to Chickasaw

    Since the Florida trip, I have felt like I was fighting off some kind of illness. I never got sick, but have felt weak and even nauseous at times. The weekly group rides have started and I have been struggling to keep up during the faster portions. My legs are good, but the rest of the body just hasn't had the strength to push hard.

     Last weekend, we went down to Columbia, TN to pre-ride the race course for the Chickasaw Trace Classic. It's been over a year and a half since my last ride on that course and two years since my last Classic race. I felt a little off, but was able put in four good laps on the 9-mile loop and grab the Strava KOM for the race loop on lap 2. The course was dry and very fast. Shannon and my parents were there too. It was Shannon's first ever ride at Chickasaw. My Mom had fun riding with Shannon and is enjoying her new Jamis now. She finally got it all set up. We also saw a few old faces that we have not seen in quite a while.

    The weakness continued the next week, but seemed to be gone on Saturday. Shannon and I wanted to return to Chickasaw for one last pre-ride the day before the race. The weather forecast was for morning rain, so we tooled around the house waiting to see if the weatherman was right or not. The showers wound up missing Columbia and we were treated to a wonderful afternoon. The temperature was 67 degrees and sunshine poured over us on a dry trail. It was another great day of riding. Shannon has learned to hate the biggest climb on the loop, known by some of the locals as "Big Mama." I'm not particularly fond of it either. It was whipping my pants during both pre-rides!

     I thought we had dodged the rain, but I was wrong. Showers moved through Saturday night and brought a wet and cold race morning. I made a tire change to adapt to the new conditions. I expected it to be slick, but not really muddy. The trail was very dry before the rain so most of the moisture would likely be soaked right up. The cold was more the problem for me. It was 44 degrees when we arrived at the park. That's quite a bit of difference from the previous few days that were near 70.

    I had good legs during the warm-up, but just couldn't get the heart rate up high enough to feel completely ready. The cold didn't feel that bad once you got moving, but I think it definitely played a role in my heart rate struggles. We had 7 riders lined up for the Pro/Open start. Six could fit on the front row and I was the lucky one to have to start on the second row. I was also the only rider in the first two classes riding 26" wheels. It seems everyone has gone over to the 29" craze now. I had a good start and had the opportunity to pick off a few riders up the grassy hill to the woods, but thought better of it. I wanted to be smooth early and settle in on the slick course. I needed time to finish off my warm-up. So I was 7th out of 7 entering the singletrack.

Me getting ready for the start. Photo by Columbia Cycling Club

Pro start line     Photo by Columbia Cycling Club

     Gaps began to open on the first descent as some were ripping in the mud while others where very ginger in their line choice. I found myself 10 seconds back less than two minutes into the race. Craig Evans was in front of me and he got around a slower rider in the first field section. I tried to make the pass as well, but ran out of time before the woods and had to fall back in line. I had to wait another minute or so before I got another chance. This time I passed him, but it wasn't easy. He actually gave me a lot of room and that's the only reason I was able to complete the pass.

     Apparently, the leader messed up on the first rocky climb and forced the front group to walk it. Craig and I both cleared the majority of the climb. I had to dab once right at the top, but it didn't cost me much time. I ripped the next descent and rocky section that followed. I was very surprised to see Craig and I were rejoining the lead group. It seemed too easy. Then Craig slowed a bit on a series of slick rock ledges and I have to swerve to miss his back wheel. It forced me out of my pedal and I lost a few bike lengths. That's all it took for me to lose the lead group for good. I tried hard to get back on, but just couldn't close the gap. Then the lack of thorough warm-up got me and I was forced to back off. The gap got bigger and bigger on the flat section of the course. The loop here is mostly flat the first 4 miles, then gets hilly from there. My goal was to enter the hills less than 30 seconds off the leaders. I thought I could catch them in the hills with my mud skills.

Craig comes up the first rocky climb with me just behind    Photo by Columbia Cycling Club

Photo by Columbia Cycling Club

     Well, they had 55 seconds on me as we hit the hills. And I did not do a very good job of using my skills. I didn't make many mistakes, but I found myself just riding fast. When you are behind you need to ride like a maniac. It has to be all-out all the time. I had difficulty on the two biggest hills and dropped some more time. The front group was four riders strong after the first lap. Next through was Jeremy Chambers in 5th at one minute back. I came through another minute behind in 6th.

     My goal became to catch Jeremy. The last few years he has pummeled me at every mountain bike race and cyclocross race we have ridden together. I mean pummeled like put two minutes on me every lap. I thought only losing one minute to him the first lap was good. That's improvement. The trail was significantly drier on lap 2. It was still slick in places, but there were also dry spots where you could ride as if the rain never came. I pushed hard in the flats to keep Jeremy within striking distance. I knew he was stronger than me so I had to beat him with skills in the hills. I kept the time between us hovering between 55-58 seconds through the flats and then hit the hills very hard. I rode better this lap, giving it everything I had. But the time didn't change much. I clocked him at 50 seconds starting the "Big Mama" climb to the dump. I pushed even harder  in the last tight section. My back had been hurting this lap and was really bothering me by the end of the lap. I was hurting bad as I popped out of the woods to end lap 2. Then I got another time check of one minute. I rode so hard and I lost 10 seconds in that section and made no gains overall that lap! It was again sign of improvement as we ran the same lap time, but I wanted to catch him!

Crossing the big log pile on the Black Hills Trail    Photo by Columbia Cycling Club

     Lap 3 did not go well. My back got worse and I began to bonk early in the lap. Jeremy moved to 1:10 ahead by the end of the first section. Then I cracked. I just ran out of steam and went into survival mode. I wanted a top 5 so bad, but it was not going to happen today. Then I saw Craig Evans taking one of the Emergency Exits out of the woods. He dropped out so I moved into 5th! I began to push hard again to conserve my position. I was caught by the leaders of the 19-29 and 30-39 class that began together two minutes behind me. Other than that, nobody caught me even with my sad last lap. I lost almost 5 minutes on my lap time as compared to lap 2, which was over a minute slower than lap 1. I think the time difference between my last two laps would have been even worse if the trail had not continued to dry out. That gave me some "free" speed on lap 3.

     The payout sheet said they would pay top 4 with 7 riders in the class. Of course, I always miss payout by one. Race promoter Duane Leach made a mistake calling out the awards and said they would pay top 5. When the mistake was realized, I thought for sure I would not get money, but he paid me anyway. It was a very nice gesture by them because they totally did not have to give me anything. So I got $25, which was almost my registration money back. Sadly, that is the most money I have made at a mountain bike event in three years! Every little bit helps, especially this year. We also got wooden coasters instead of trophies. I like the different take on prizes/trophies. The unique ones are the best and the Columbia group is very good at coming up with interesting pieces. I now have engraved drinking glasses, a wooden coaster and a boat paddle as trophies from their events.

Pro Podium with me in 5th   Photo by Columbia Cycling Club

     We hung around for the late races. The Cat 2 and 3 races were not until 1pm. It was a big gap considering the Pro/Cat 1 races were at 9am. The weather kept getting better all day, with the sun popping out to warm things up to the low-60s by the time the next race began. The trail was completely different for them. Our laps and the wind had almost completely dried the trail. Only a few slimy spots remained. The guys had very little dirt on their bikes after racing two laps, whereas our bikes were covered after only one lap. We hung out with the Wood-N-Wave crew, walking the trails and cheering on everyone we knew.

The big log pile in the Black Hills section of the trail

     Again, I got the see a bunch of old faces that I have not seen in a while. It was funny to hear everyone talk about me and how long I had been away. You go away road racing for a year and everyone thinks you quit riding. I heard all kinds of stories, everything from I quit riding, to I sold my bikes. One person even asked me how my surgery went. I was confused and told them I did not have surgery and they said they heard that's why I didn't race last year. It cracks me up how when people don't see you they think you aren't racing anymore. Check the results people! I was alive and well last year, just not racing the dinky Tennessee races anymore.

     I forgot the camera both days so we do not have many pictures. I snapped a few with my phone during the Cat 2/3 races that are posted above. They are not the best quality, but they beat nothing. Also, no video this week. Full results are posted here if you want to take a look. Next race for me is the second round of the SERC series down in Conyers, GA on the 1996 Atlanta Olympic mountain bike course. I have never ridden there. It's one of those races that has been on my wish list since I began racing so I'm going to check that one off this year. Hopefully, the weather improves because as I am writing this it is snowing away outside. It's March 25 and winter is still not letting up much.

Back In Black

     March has started in fine Tennessee winter fashion. We started the month with some warm 65-70 degree weather. Shannon and I took advantage, hitting the backyard trail a few days. I was testing out some recent drivetrain changes on the mountain bike. The bike felt good, but the trail was soft and slow. I still cranked off a new personal best for one lap, which is a good sign with the season approaching. We bought some new CO2 inflators for road/trailside emergencies. We used a few cartridges in the yard just to make sure we knew how to use the inflator properly. Shannon is learning how to change a flat. She will be ready for the day when she finally does decide to sign up for a race!

     A 65-degree morning was followed by a temperature crash down into the 20s. Then came an inch or two of ice, followed by a few inches of snow. It was only our second real snow of the year, which is surprising because it has been a very cold winter. The first snow only lasted a day, this made it six days before it melted away. Work was a disaster. We had little trouble driving the roads, but everyone else thought they were treacherous. The snow gave perfect traction and we never slid. I think a lot of people just like to panic. They enjoy using the snow as an excuse to not go to work or not come to therapy. We were slow at work and had time to do a little sledding behind a truck...on a snow shovel. I rode down the street standing on a snow shovel getting towed behind a coworker's truck. It was great! Shannon and I also went to my parents' house and did some sledding down the hill on the road they live on. We took a few spills along the way. I was sore as crap by the middle of the week. Totally worth it though.

Our backyard

     The snow was still on the ground when we departed on Friday for Florida. The destination was Ocala and the Santos Trails for the first South Eastern Regional Championship (SERC) Series mountain bike race of the year. I was very excited to get in some riding, soak up some sunshine and return to mountain bike racing. It would be my first real Pro mountain bike race in over a year and a half! Hard to believe I would ever be away that long.

Washing the bike in the snow on Thursday. Just warm enough to be able to use the hose.

     The trip down took longer than expected. Shannon forgot her helmet, which we realized only one exit down I-24 so going back to get it did not cost us too much time. Then good ole Atlanta slowed us down on both sides of town with congestion and accidents. We got to Ocala later than expected, but still had time to hit the trails. It was chilly, with the temp in the low 50s and a cold breeze blowing. I rode some of the main trails used for the Santos Fat Tire Festival that was going on all weekend, then made my way over to the Vortex Trails that were to be used for the race. The Vortex side has some freeride areas as well. There is a beginner dirt jump park, an advanced set of dirt jumps and some freeride lines that jump into the Vortex Pit, which is an old rock quarry. I played on the beginner dirt jumps for a while, then took a lap on the race course.

Advanced dirt jump line

Beginner dirt jump area

      I did not like the race course at first. The loop was like two different trails. The first 3 miles were fast and all pedaling. There were many turns, but most were wide, sweeping turns with berms. The last 3 miles were the complete opposite. The trails were typical Florida quarry riding. They were tight, technical and full of steep ups and downs. There were a few nasty rock features that tested your skills and nerve. I could not get into any kind of rhythm and was uncomfortable on a lot of the technical features.

    On the ride back to the car, I was following the trail arrows again from the Fat Tire Festival ride. I got to this wooden feature that was several big rollers hooked together. I pulled off the trail as some riders were coming toward me. The second one in the line of three was going too fast and got air over one of the humps. He was completely out of control going up the next hump and flew off the ramp. He shot right towards me! I had little time to react. I was pinned between the ramp and a big tree, so all I could do was push my bike out of the way the best I could and prepare for impact. I laid my left shoulder into him and knocked him down. Turns out that my check to him is the only thing that kept him from going head first into the tree I was standing in front of. We were both ok and he was very appreciative that I was standing there. I likely saved him from eating some bark. I guess training with those football players at work finally paid off! My handlebars got twisted, but a quick tune with the wrench had things straightened out. I was glad everyone came out ok.

     We rented a cabin for the weekend a few minutes away on the other side of Ocala. I had stayed there before, way back in 2003 when I first came to Florida for a SERC at the old Razorback trails in Reddick. We arrived well after the campground closed. The host had left us a key, but it broke off in the lock when we tried to unlock the door. After a few minutes of asking around, we found out where the host lives. He was not home, so we waited outside the house. He came back in about 15 minutes and quickly got us a new key. It was smooth sailing after that.

View from our cabin on Saturday morning

Duck Island in the middle of the pond

     It was a cold night and a chilly Saturday morning for Florida. It got down to 39 degrees. We waited for it to warm up a bit before heading to Santos for more pre-riding. I took Shannon out on some of the easier trails in the park, then did 2 laps on the race course. I felt much more comfortable on the trail today and even found a bit of rhythm in the tight section around the Pit.

Following Shannon through some Florida singletrack

Shannon

Me tackling one of the rock features on the SERC race course

     We stopped periodically to watch the freeride competitions that were going on in the Pit as part of the Fat Tire Festival. There was a young kid getting major air on the dirt jumps. And we finally got to see some people launch to big drop into the Pit that I have always heard so much about. I almost signed up for the Beginner dirt jump competition, but it was starting too late and I wouldn't be able to finish it. We had to leave to be able to make it over to Daytona by 7. We had tickets for the AMA Supercross at Daytona International Speedway.

Young kid hitting the big jumps

Hip jump

There were a few BMX bikes in the competition as well

A rider does the big drop into the Vortex Pit

     See our video from the Freeride Competitions below.

Video: Santos Freeride Comps

     I had never been over to the legendary Daytona. They parked us inside the speedway in the infield. We got to drive through the tunnel and next to turns 1 and 2. It is unreal how high the banking is on that track! We got parked and made our way to the stands just as the races began. We watched all the Heat races, the Semis, LCQs  and Finals races for the 250 and 450 classes. The track was very technical and really challenged the riders. They were trying different combinations in the jumps in search of faster lines. Some of the guys pushed it over the big jumps and got some MAJOR air. It was a cool event to see in person and cool to see Ryan Villopoto win the biggest race of the year. You can rewatch the TV coverage of the event here. A few clips we filmed are posted below.

Daytona Supercross

Our view of the Daytona Supercross

     Leaving the speedway was a nightmare. There were no rules in that infield. People were driving 50 mph across the grass and trying to merge five cars down into one line. I think most of the people driving were drunk. Then outside the speedway the traffic was horrible. It took us over an hour to make it the 2 miles back to I-95. We got back to the cabin at 1:45 in the morning, which became 2:45 because this night also happened to be Daylight Savings Time. Great. Getting in the bed at 3am with a race starting at 9:30am. What a night though!

     Morning came early on Sunday. We got a little under 4 hours of sleep. It was another chilly morning, but not as cold as the previous day. I felt good in warm up. I was awake and ready to go! The start was a short dash to the woods. We went about 50 meters in the grass, then hooked a 90-degree left before another 50 meter stretch of grass took you to the singletrack. The left side of the start line was full 15 minutes before race as everyone wanted to be on the inside on the first turn. I lined up late and was forced to take the outside line. I was lined up in black shorts and a black and green jersey. Since my sponsorship has been cut back, I am no longer wearing the Maxxis factory gear. I was back in black for sure.

     I got a good jump off the line, but was obviously at a disadvantage going into the first turn. The riders on the inside pushed wide. I was ready for this and back off a bit, then cut inside. I had a clear shot at passing most of the group, but Regan Woodall hit the post on the inside of the turn and that shot him into my line. We came together, banging bars pretty hard. His brake lever stabbed me in my hand, right in a spot I had already tore up twice this week. The slow down put both us near the back entering the woods. We were 10th and 11th out of the 13 starters.

     The pace was high in the first section, as expected. I had to work hard to stay on the back. I was surprised to still be with the group after 2 miles, and to look behind me and see that everyone else had been dropped. I was the last man in the lead group. Regan dropped his chain and that got me gapped. I never was able to rejoin the lead group. I let Regan pass me in hopes of him pulling me back up to the group, but he gapped me before I could even get back on the trail. I entered the second half of the course 10 seconds behind Regan and 30 seconds behind the group. I pushed hard on the tight section. I had found my rhythm for sure today and knew I would be fast in there. The last two days on the mountain bike really brought my confidence in my skills back up. I steadily gained on Regan and was on him as we ended the first lap. We were just over 1 minute behind the lead group, which was still intact.

Course map from my GPS

Pro start line     photo courtesy of GoneRiding

The surge off the line on the start       photo courtesy of GoneRiding

Robert Marion leads the Pro group into the singletrack     photo courtesy of GoneRiding

Ryan Woodall leads the front group out of the Pit for the first time

Regan Woodall chasing

Me chasing after Regan on lap 1

Video: Pro start and first lap clips

     Lap 2 went well. Regan gapped me again in the first half of the course. I kept him in sight and then he dropped his chain again. I went by and never saw him again. I was steady and dropped only a few seconds on this lap as compared to my lap 1 time. I caught the Junior X leader and passed him in the tight section. The group began to split up ahead. I was within 70 seconds of two riders in front of me. The Junior X leader passed me again, hooked onto the wheel of his teammate who was leading the 40-49 class. They both got away from me, but I pulled them back again early in the tight section.

Ryan leading the front group of 5

Thomas Turner and Marion running 3rd and 4th

Halfway through lap 3 and Woodall still leads the front group

Me halfway through lap 3

A rider drops down into the Pit next to the dirt jumps

Ryan leads the group by the dirt jumps

Me entering the Pit next to the jumps

     Shannon told me I was gaining on the riders ahead. That made me push even harder. I overdid it on one of the rocky sections with some tight turns. My front tire broke loose in a right turn and shot me to the right. I was pedaling and clipped my pedal on a rock off the side of the trail. It pole-vaulted me up in the air sideways. The bike came down hard on a big rock and it blew my back tire. I almost went over the bar, but the stem got caught on my chest and knee. It hurt, but it kept me from faceplanting.

     I fell over in the trail. My knee hurt so bad! I had to lay there a minute before I could assess the tire damage. There was no room on the trail here so I had to walk up the next hill (make that limp up the next hill) to find a spot wide enough to get off the trail. I took my time changing the flat. I wanted to be sure the tire was not cut before I put a new tube in. My knee was killing me anyway so I doubt I would have been able to ride right away. Eight minutes after it all started, I was back on board at full speed. The knee felt fine after a minute of riding.

Seconds before my flat and almost-crash    photo courtesy of GoneRiding

Third place Pro finisher Michael Danish

     I dropped a few spots while changing the flat, but I still had good legs. I was able to get right back into my rhythm and pass everyone back. I got back to the position I had been in prior to the flat, but I didn't get a chance to catch those I was pursuing prior to the incident. The flat sucked, but it did not put a damper on my day. This was, by far, the best race I have done in years in every way. I had good legs, I could sprint to close gaps and get up hills, I stayed consistent all day and I never once got discouraged or even worried about my position. I feel like I have been dropped immediately in every mountain bike race I have done the past three years so hanging on the first few miles today was a huge improvement. Looking at the lap times, I need to pick up just 1 minute per lap to be competing for a top 5 in these races. It was so good to be back at the GoneRiding events. Dave and Teri are great people and I am happy to be supporting them and their series. Also, it was so cool how everyone welcomed me back after being absent for most of the last two years. It was good to see all my old friends and competitors again. Mountain bikers really are a different group when you compare them to roadies. It's a group that I like better overall.

     Ryan Woodall won a tight battle over Thomas Turner for the Pro win. Michael Danish was third, Marion fourth and Lewis Gaffney took 5th. I wound up 9th. Shelley Allen won the Pro Women's race over Sarah Hill and Kym Flynn. Full results are posted here if you want to see them. You can thank Shannon for all the wonderful race pictures uploaded here. There are more pictures available here courtesy of the bunch at GoneRiding.

     After the race, Shannon and I did some more riding. We even geocached a bit. Shannon had never cached before. We are hoping to find one at every place we travel to this year. These were easy ones, but they were in cool places. One was hidden in a huge palm tree off the side of the trail. I did one last run on the more difficult section of the race course and then we hit the road. I got in over 4 hours of riding on race day. That makes the trip worth while.The drive home was smooth. We were tired form lack of sleep, but we made it home safe. I can't wait to do it again! next race is in two weeks at my old stomping ground of Chickasaw in Columbia, TN.

Riding the wooden humps after the race. This was the set that caused the rider to lose control and hit me head-on on Friday.