Racing to the Canal

    My final mountain bike race of my season was a return to Land Between the Lakes for Wood-N-Wave's Race to the Canal. It also marked the end of racing every weekend. My remaining 2011 schedule has gone from a long list of races down to just a hand-full of cross races and a 5K. I have missed the Race to the Canal the past few years due to racing cyclocross, but this year I was back and ready to test out the legs on a long course. The last mountain bike race I did was at Fontana, and my legs were toast pretty quickly. It was very apparent that I had been racing nothing but crits. Race to the Canal is 37 miles in length, making for a race of just under 3 hourse in length. I feel like I am riding better now than at Fontana, so this would be a good test to see if I'm getting back on my game.

     The Race to the Canal is one of the most fun races of the season. It's a point-to-point format for all racers. There are different starting points along the North-South Trail depending on ability level, but everyone races back to the Canal that seperates Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. Pro and Cat. 1 racers begin way down at the Golden Pond Planetarium. The course for us is 31 miles down the North-South Trail, followed by 6 miles on the Kentucky Lake side of the Canal Loop. It's a challenging course, with many short climbs. It's also one of the most beautiful courses, traversing many flat bottoms along the lake and going through some thick woods that are very colorful this time of year.

GPS course map. Race runs from South to North on the North/South Trail and Canal Loop

     It was a chilly morning with temps in the upper-30s and a slight breeze. It was not quite as cold as yesterday's APSU 5K. I drove up the morning of the race, got registered at the Canal, and then drove down to the start at Golden Pond. Shannon was unable to make the trip, so my Mom went with me to provide feed support and drive my car back to the finish. We were the first ones to arrive at the start. I got ready and made a few adjustments to the bike. My bars were still crooked from the crash at Dirt, Guts & Donuts. I ended up choosing my Sette carbon hardtail for the event. The trails here are rough in places, but I figured I could make up a lot of time on the climbs with this bike.

     It was a very unorganized, mass start of all Pro and Cat 1 riders. We sat in a big group listening to the pre-race instructions. We got informed that today was a youth hunt day, meaning kids with guns were sitting in the woods, badly wanting to shoot a deer. Great. I was the only Pro, so a finish would give me the win by default. Not exactly what I was hoping for. Usually there are several Pros at this race. Still, there were some strong Cat. 1s that I knew I would have to battle.

     The start was strange. We just kind of started with no warning. I didn't want to lead into the woods, so I let Tim Baker get the hole shot. Out of our group, I think he was really the only one that actually wanted to lead. I went in behind him and just followed his wheel. I knew that I would ride way too hard early if I was in front. I needed to hold back since the distance was probably going to be too much for me and I did have some soreness in the legs from the run yesterday. I followed Tim for the first 2 miles, then I let my competitiveness get the better of me at the top of the first climb. He flew up the hill, but at the top I felt like I just needed to go by before the descent and first flat bottom next to the lake. He let me slide by and I started to pull off immediately.

Tim Baker out front just after the start

Cat. 1 riders come through the singletrack on the start

     I built a few seconds lead. The leaves were very deep on the trail and several times I lost track of the trail and had to stop. That let the chasing group catch up. About 4 miles into the race, we hit a very steep climb. I was about 10 seconds ahead of Adam Queen and Will, a rider for Harpeth Bicycles. None of us made it up the climb. It was covered with loose rocks and very rooty at the top. Adam was on his Singlespeed. The loose rocks made it even harder for him to stand and turn his gear. I held the advantage over them up the next hill as well, then put a few more seconds into them on the fire road that followed. My legs had been burning early, but they were getting better now. I was feeling very strong on the flats.

     My gap was 20 seconds when we hit the first main road crossing at Sugar Bay, 13 miles into the race. After Sugar Bay, there are three tough climbs in succession. On the second one, I could see Adam climbing behind me. I just knew he was catching me. I refused to look back up the next climb because I didn't want to see that he was getting close. I finally did check over my shoulder again after a few miles and I was surprised to not see anyone. That really boosted my confidence and I kicked it up a notch to try and pull away.

     My favorite part of the race comes during miles 18-31. I just seem to ride well there and can get into a good rhythm. There was still nobody in sight as I hit Duncan Bay with 19 miles left to race. I was still feeling strong and hitting the climbs very hard. There was a new section thrown in just after Duncan Bay that bypassed a fire road descent. The new section added a climb. It was also very choppy, giving me a good beating on the hardtail. I got stung by a bee behind my ear just after the new section. It hurt, but only bothered me a few minutes.

    The next road crossing came at Birmingham Ferry, where I took a feed and sucked down some more First Endurance Liquid Shot to keep my fuel tank topped off. Still no riders were in sight, but I had no idea my gap. It turns out that Adam and Will were together, chasing hard. Will was pulling on the flats and Adam was leading the climbs. It was a windy day, so having some help would've been nice, but I was happy to be out front and out of sight.

Laura Sweeney at Birmingham Ferry

    I kept the hammer down the next 7 miles through my favorite sections, then took another feed at Hillman Ferry. At that road crossing, my Mom said she thought I had over a 2 minute lead at Birmingham Ferry. I was so pumped to hear that! I thought I was finally going to win a race this year! Well, I found out later that she had guesstimated the time gap and it was more like 1 minute. They had closed down to 30 sec by Hillman Ferry. I had no idea they were so close. I didn't back off, but I definitely was not aggressive with passing the traffic I was catching. Adam managed to lose Will on the next hill and then got me in sight. I was shocked to look back on a switchback and see Adam about 10 seconds back! I immediately upped the pace some more to try and hold him off, but he was flying up the climbs.

Wendy Scott at Hillman Ferry

     He caught me just before we reached the Canal Loop with 6 miles to go. And he brought bad news. He said Will was just a few seconds back. I held the lead up the first few climbs on the Canal Loop, then I slipped in a sandy section on a longer hill and Adam came by. He gapped me the rest of the way up the hill, and that was it for me. He was quickly out of sight and gone. It's amazing how good you feel when you're out front and then how quickly your legs seem to fade once you get caught. It was like somebody deflated me when I saw him coming.

Me and Mean Joe together at the end of the North/South Trail

     I managed to hold off Will by over a minute, but finished over a minute behind Adam. I was really disappointed to not win this race. I did not want to end my season without a mountain bike win, but I was ok with losing to one of my best friends. Adam is a great rider and he deserved the win. He definitely had more left at the end of the race. I am happy with my improvement. That was the best mountain bike race I have had all year. Awards were disappointing. They said they forgot to set out money for the Pro class, so I left empty handed. I could understand if you didn't want to pay me because there was only one in my class, but they paid top 3 in Cat. 2 classes that had only 4 riders. I'm not surprised that I left without money. I've only been paid twice this year, and both times were in mid-April. And everybody thinks the Pros have it made. I'd have been better off racing the Open class.

Adam wins the race with a time of 2:48.

Me hitting the finish line

Photo by Steve Beckett

Me post race. Photo by Steve Beckett

     Like I said, my season is drawing to a close. Just a few cross races and 5Ks to go. Preparation for next year is already underway. I think I have found a more efficient way to train for this winter. Only time will tell.

APSU 5K

     This past weekend, I got the another chance to run a local 5K. Saturday morning was the annual Austin Peay State University Homecoming Scholarship 5K in Clarksville. The race is held in conjunction with football homecoming week and all the proceeds are used to fill cross-country scholarships for APSU students. I am also APSU alumni. I graduated from there in 2008 before I started at Volunteer State Community College. I ran this 5K last year and it was a tough course, featuring several small, but steep hills. My time last year was 22:26, and my goal for this year was to better that.

     Construction on College Street forced a change to the course for this year's race, but it was just as difficult. The start was downhill and flat for the first mile, then we ran onto a hilly road that runs across the backside of campus. We went out and back on this road, giving us 6 climbs, before ending with a long climb up College Street to the finish.

    It was the frosty morning of the year, with the temp around 30 degrees. It made for a scenic drive to the race. The soybean fields were shining silver at dawn. It was a chilly warm-up. I got there late, but registration was quick and left me with enough time for a good warm-up.

     The race was a little bigger this year, with well over 100 runners. There were also more competitive runners there, which made for a fast start. I got a good start position, but the third row still proved to be too far back. I was on the opposite side of the road as the fast guys, and in just a few yards they were already out in front, while I was trapped behind some slower people. This one lady was hogging the road. She had on the batman utility belt with what looked like a gallon of water and enough food to feed every racer there. Geez lady! It's only a 5K!

Campus courtyard where registration and awards took place

Spectators wait for runners to come up the hill

    I was already 10 seconds behind the front few runners at the first turn and struggling to close a few steps on the main group. I stayed 5-7 seconds behind the main pack for the first mile. Then a girl came by and I latched on, hoping to bridge the gap. She just made me hurt more and I had to back off at halfway. I was not feeling good. My legs were not as strong today as they were at the Vol State run and I felt like I was going to eject my breakfast.

     The climbs really hurt me and I faded more as we started back through the hills. I dropped further back from the main group. At mile 2, I was caught by a group of 6 and couldn't even get on the back as they came by. I felt so bad, but tried to keep pushing it all the way to the end. I finished with a time of 21:42, good enough for 27th overall finisher. I took 3rd place in the Male 25-29 division. The overall winner ran a scorching 16:48! I was happy with my time considering how bad I felt. It was still faster than last year on a course that was just as difficult. The sub-20 still eludes me!

From the amount of body paint this runner used, I'm assuming he's a pretty big fan of the Green Lantern

Cross Invades Fontanel

     Cyclocross finally kicked off in middle Tennessee with a double weekend on October 22-23. Both races were held at the same venue, the Fontanel Mansion just outside of Nashville. Saturday was the Cowbells at Fontanel Cyclocross presented by Worm's Way and Homegrown Bicycles. Sunday was the first race of the 2011 Cross the Way Cyclocross Series. I thought it was really cool that the Mansion allowed us to invade their venue and shred some grass. There's a large field and amphitheater behind the restaurant and main area for tourists that was good for cross racing.
    
     We had perfect weather on Saturday for the first race. It was a little chilly in the morning, but quickly warmed with the sun shining in a cloudless sky. The course was twisty, but mostly flat. There was only one rise, coming about 1/3 of the way through the lap. The interesting part to me was the many corners that came right before the finish line, almost guaranteeing there would not be a close sprint finish. I loved the last section. It was a series of slalom-like corners through a ditch. You could hold all your speed through the quick corners and let the bike drift on the grass if you had the guts.

Kevin Hinson

     My goal was to do both the Pro/1/2 and Singlespeed races both days. I had intended on riding my All City singlespeed in both races, but the pre-ride showed me how difficult that would be. I only have one gear for my singlespeed and it's 42x16. It took one lap for me to see that my gear was way to huge for getting out of the numerous tight, 180-degree turns. I chose to race my black Redline Conquest for the Pro/1/2 race. It was the first time I had been on it since January. The Redline was definitely faster getting out of the corners. It is much lighter than the steel All City singlespeed, and much more maneuverable in the corners.

Out on a warm-up lap to test the Redline

     The Pro/1/2 race was scheduled for 60 minutes. We had 9 riders on the line for the start. The pre-race favorite was Andy Reardon and he showed why, smoking the group on the start. He already had a gap after the first turn and barriers. I was back in 7th after the start. My goal was top 5. I thought that would be a stretch considering how much I have struggled with cross the past few years. I followed wheels the first lap, then realized everyone ahead of me was suffering much more than me. So I moved on around them and up to 2nd by the end of lap 2. I was having so much fun in the slalom section. I just let the bike drift on the grass. It was one of the most fun sections I have ever ridden.

 Pro/1/2 race underway

Lap 1

Andy Reardon leading on lap 2

Tim Hall and I chasing on lap 2

     I was leading a chase group of three on lap 3. Troy Tucker and Tim Hall were latched onto me as we tried to limit our losses to Andy. He was now 15-20 seconds ahead. After a really rough section, I started to hear rubbing on my rear wheel. It sounded like the wheel was catching the brake. I looked down to see what appeared to be a big wobble in the rear wheel. I moved over to let Troy and Tim go by, then limped around to the pit, where I changed bikes. I came out of the pits in 6th, over 30 seconds behind 5th place and 45 seconds behind Troy and Tim.

    I had a hole to climb out of now. I hit the first few laps on the singlespeed really hard. I was breathing like a big horse. The corners were so hard to get out of with the big gear. I learned to be more smooth and carry more momentum through and off the corners. I was really gaining on the open sections where I could get the big gear turning. For the first time ever in a cross race, I was faster than everyone on the power sections!

Andy Reardon

Me chasing hard on the All City

     My legs felt great and I was able to catch the rider ahead and move back into 5th. I still had a good 20 seconds to go to catch Troy and Tim. We were now halfway through the race, so time was beginning to become a problem.  I was really hitting the corners hard and didn't realize that the ground clearance on the All City cranks are way lower than the Redline. I clipped a pedal in a fast turn and went down, sliding across the grass on my right side. I wasn't hurt, but the fall jammed grass and dirt into the side of my shoe, separating the shoe from the sole. There was so much dirt wedged between the sole and side of the shoe, that it was crushing my toes. I had to stop and pull some of it out. I thought I got out enough, but as soon as I remounted, I realized it was still hurting my toes. A second stop was necessary. I had to use a rock to help dig it all out before I could ride comfortably again.

Back up to 5th place

Digging the grass and dirt out of my shoe after a crash

     By this point, I was way back in 8th and nearly a lap down to Andy. My chances of a top 5 were long gone with just a few minutes to go. I managed to get one spot back by the finish, but did lose a lap. I nearly got another spot back on the last lap, but came up a few bike lengths short of nipping Bert Hull. Andy easily took the win.

Bert Hull and I hit the barriers on the last lap

Pushing hard at the end of the Pro/1/2 race

    I was tired after two efforts to catch back up. But I still had the 30-minute Singlespeed race to go. I started in the back of the 12-rider field. That was a mistake. Even though I was tired, I was still faster than a lot of the guys. The start was way faster than I expected. I lost a lot of ground by being back in traffic. By the time I got in the clear, three riders were 15 seconds ahead. I rode in 4th place for most of the race, but began to fade with 2 laps to go. Lawrence Czarnecki caught me as we started the last lap. I couldn't hang with him through the turns. The power in my legs to get out of the corners was long gone. The other singlespeeders had picked a much smaller gear that was more appropriate for this course ad it showed. I wound up finishing 5th.

Singlespeed class on the start line. Photo by Dahron Johnson

Me waiting for the Singlespeed start. Photo by Dahron Johnson

SS leaders

3rd and 4th place on lap 2

Me in 5th

I got away from Czarnecki but he caught back up to me on the final lap

Jeremy Nagoshiner with me in pursuit

Me on an off-camber section during the SS race. Photo by Dahron Johnson

     The day was disappointing. I felt strong enough to have battled for the win in both races, but things just didn't go my way. There was still some happiness to be found though. My power and cyclocross form have definitely improved since last year. And I found out that my wheel was fine. It was actually a tire problem. The bead had come off the rim. It was the tire that was rubbing the brake and appeared to give the wheel a wobble. I'm guessing the rough section caused the tire to pop off. That's the first time I've ever rolled a clincher tire in a cross race.

     Sunday brought even better weather. More sunshine and warmer temperatures greeted the riders at Fontanel. This race was the first of the Cross the Way Cyclocross Series. I want to do well in the series this year. I have been 2nd before and want to finally win it. The first race of any series is always important. It sets the tone for the rest of the races. With only three races in the series this year, it would be even more imperative to have a good result today. Two years ago, I lost the series by 2 points. In the first race that year, I led most of the first race, only to crash at the end and finish way back. I was hoping to start a little better this year.

Back at Fontanel on Sunday

     I was again signed up for the double. Pro/1/2 was first. It was again a 60-minute race. The course for Sunday was very similar to the previous day's race, only in the reverse direction. There were a few minor changes to a few corners. The slalom section was gone and now the barriers were just a few turns before the finish line. Again today, there were two tight corners just 50 meters before the line, so a close sprint was not likely. I fixed my tire issue from yesterday and was back on the Redline.

Kathy Mead

Ed Jaramillo

Jessica Owings

Todd Nix

Kevin Hinson

Nick Leonard

Me getting in a warm-up on the course. Photo by Dahron Johnson

     Andy got the hole shot again, and it was deja vu. He got a gap in the first few turns and quickly started pulling away. We had 11 riders today. I was 6th after the start and just stayed patient, waiting to see how my legs felt after yesterday's throw-down. I forgot my gloves today, which really sucked because my hands were hurting bad. The singlespeed really tore my palms to pieces yesterday with all the hard sprinting.

Pro/1/2 start video

    The ice bath yesterday must have helped because my legs felt good! I just waited patiently in line the first lap. Then on lap 2, the bad luck bug bit me again. I was railing the corners, apparently too hard, and rolled my front tire off. I couldn't believe it. Never had a tire problem in a cross race before and then two in one weekend! I was passing the pit as it happened and came to a stop about 3 feet from the exit to the pit. The key here is that I was 3 feet past the pit. I turned to go into the pits and was immediately stopped by the two guys working the pits. They said I couldn't go backwards on the course and they would DQ me if I swapped bikes. Really? Over 3 feet?!! I wasn't angry about the tire, but I was super pissed when I had to start running. It was a long way back around to the pit.

Off my bike with a mechanical for the second day in a row

    I ran for a while, then decided just to ride the bike anyway. The tube was still up so I might as well try and save some time. I was a long, long way behind but I knew every second mattered. Every rider I could catch was another point for the series. And I know I will need every single one I can get. I was half a lap behind the last rider once I pulled the All City singlespeed out of the pits. I was upset to say the least. And I rode my guts out. It was maybe the hardest effort I have ever made on a bike. I was determined to catch somebody.

Photo by Dahron Johnson

     I rode by myself for a long time, but did catch two riders, who then quit. Then another had a mechanical, putting me up to 8th. I was still hammering the corners. The low pedal clearance almost got me again. I clipped the right pedal in a fast turn, but somehow I saved it this time. It was a good sphincter-clinching moment. Andy lapped me again today. I was able to hang with him on the open sections, but after a few corners, he started inching away. I simply couldn't turn my gear out of the corners at the speed he was going.

     It looked like 8th would be all I could catch up to, but then I began to pull back major time on Shannon Williams with 2 laps to go. He was fading badly. I was way faster on the open sections and was able to catch him with a lap to go. I dropped him on that final lap and crossed the line in 7th, again near exhaustion from my effort. My hands were destroyed from sprinting with no gloves. I was really hoping I would only have to do one race on the All City today, but it wasn't to be. I was happy that I at least got a few points back. It made the hard effort worth it.

     I was still upset after the race, especially after someone pointed out that the pits were not regulation length, and had they been, I would've still been within the entrances to the pit. The guy telling me this thought it was a little rediculous to be that much of a stickler in such a small race. But nevertheless, the rules are the rules. I didn't argue about it, even though I did, and still do, feel like they wouldn't have treated some of the other riders the same way.

     I started the singlespeed race still all fired up. I got a better start today, again getting into 4th place after the first lap. I had two riders just ahead of me for a few laps. I caught and passed them both, but then dropped a spot to Bert Hull. I wound up taking 3rd place, but was much closer to the winner today than yesterday. And I didn't fade with 2 laps to go. I will have to say that I actually felt stronger today than yesterday.

SS start line

Singlespeed start video

Jeremy Nagoshiner and Bert Hull during the Singlespeed race

Me on my way to 3rd on the SS race

Little de Shon goes through the barriers

SS barriers

    I am really excited for the next race. Without mechanicals, I think I can contend for the win. It was weird how I heard a lot of crap after the race about how slow I am now that I'm married. I've heard that so many times since August, despite racing better and winning more races since the marriage. Nobody seemed to notice the mechanical issues I had this weekend. I remember hearing somebody yell out "Maybe you should go eat some more donuts." The person said it in a mean way, but I will take it as a compliment because I'm the DGD champ! I can ride faster and eat more than you! Thanks go out to my lovely wife Shannon for helping me at the race, and for taking most of the pics you see here. She makes me everything but fat and slow. Thanks also to Dahron Johnson for the other pics. Thanks for reading! Back to running and mountain biking next weekend!