Gravel Grinders, Infinite Sweating, and Summer Head Colds......

The last month has been filled with both excitement, pitfalls, and general states of limbo. The summer heat seems to have been affecting everyone pretty wildly and I am no different. Although I may be young, I can still not hide from dehydration and the painful consequences that come with it. That said, I have been doing a good job of staying hydrated on the long rides even if it means calling for a bottle delivery from someone on a 5 hour ride. Yes, I did call my mother to bring me cold water on a ride and no, I am not ashamed of it.....ok maybe just a little embarrassed.....but no shame! That particular day peaked out at around 97 degrees and I was super happy to have those icy cold bottles of water to dump over myself hour after hour as I contemplated at what point my tires would start to melt. On June 23rd I had the opportunity to take part in the Hilly Billy Roubaix right here in Morgantown. If you have not heard of it, the HBR, as the locals and veterans like to refer to it, is a 75 mile, mixed terrain race comprised of paved, gravel, and dirt roads. This race, along with Southern Cross, Barry Roubaix, Three Peaks USA, and Iron Cross, make up the American Ultra Cross Championship series. And, if the difficulty of the HBR speaks to that of the other races, one tough series it is indeed! If you dont know already, JR Petsko the owner/operator of the Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association has a pretty good reputation for putting on challenging races. Going into the race with this knowledge, I knew that every little advantage that I could get would matter. Because of the terrain of the course and the topography it follows, riding a mountain bike proved to be a real and possibly the best option. After a lot of contemplation over which bike to ride, I settled on my Cannondale Flash 29er. With Stan's No Tubes Race Gold wheels, I easily had the bike under 20 lbs. and really saw no advantage to the cross bike except for the faster rolling tires. Turns out, several other top contenders had the same idea as endurance veterans Gerry Pflug and Garth Prosser both showed up on mountain bikes as well albeit they were a little better prepared in the rubber department. Whereas they had nice, light, skinny touring or low profile mountain bike tires, I stuck with my tried and true Racing Ralph 2.25 Snakeskin. It wasnt really like I thought I needed phenomenal cornering capabilities or unreal sidewall protection but more the fact that I didnt have anything else more fitting lying around and was not about to drop $100+ on tires for one race. They proved not to be a bad choice in the end though and proved almost necessary when I decided to let it rip down one of the gravel descents which caused the peloton to blow apart and the lead group of 4 to form. After that, Garth, Gerry, and the only remaining rider on a cx bike Adam Driscoll, and myself took turns leading the climbs and pulling the flats until Garth made a brave move by blowing the last aid station in hopes of getting away. I made a quick stop at the aid, tried to chase, but then began cramping and had to hit the abort button. Seeing as my focus has been on the shorter XC events this season, my training really hasnt been preparing me to make big moves and attacks when the clock hits 3+ hours. I kept that in my mind the whole race and when my body finally said enough I just put on the cruise control. I still managed to pull of 3rd overall after getting passed by Gerry on the final decisive climb and was actually really happy with it considering the little preparation both in training and equipment on my part. The final results put me in 3rd overall and on the top step of the podium for the Under 40 age group. Who knows, after that experience, maybe I will have to take a year and focus on the longer stuff.

Next up on the list was the Tomlinson Run XC Challenge in Weirton, WV. Again being another ABRA event, I was more than prepared for a tough day. Add to that the 100 degree temperature and it made for an almost epic race. I led it out smart and followed wheels letting others make the moves. Rob Spreng was the first to try something and put a dig in on a longer climb about half way through lap 1. I followed his wheel and kept myself in check. I could tell he was working a bit harder than myself and knew that if I could keep the gap from opening up on the downhills, where he really shines, I would have a good shot at the win. Much to my dismay, a busted sidewall brought me to a screeching halt after nailing my rear wheel on a brick, yes a big, red, mortar brick, on the courses screaming fast 25+ mph downhill. I was able to throw a tube in it and boot it but found myself flat again the next lap around. Unwilling to surrender I put in another tube, got the tire up to about 18 psi, and gingerly raced the last lap to bring home 4th place in the Pro/Open. I have to admit that I was not too happy with the result given where I was at the start of the day but, hey, that's mountain bike racing. Right now I find myself in the beginning of a rest week after several hard weeks of training. I have really been making a big push this year to add some good, top end speed to my quiver and the work seems to have been paying off. I am happy to say that the rest of the summer is much less structured as far as race plans go and I plan to mainly play it my ear as far as races go. I would like to get out to a few of the bigger races on the East Coast this summer and am planning to try and get down to Fontana Dam for the US Cup East race there. I still keep milling over the idea of a mountain bike stage race but until I graduate college and get a real job or find someone generous enough to donate me an entry, that idea is out. Well, now its off to plan a nice little weekend camping trip with the family. Ride on... - TL