Prairies City Race #10

2^nd place last night, I swear every time I start beating one guy another one comes along and ruins everything J. Two of us rode away and separated ourselves from the pack. Last week this same guy kept with me through the third lap. This week he didn’t crack and on the fourth lap he made a sweet pass going through a sandy section in a group of riders we had caught. This separation was enough for him to get away for the rest of the lap and take the race. He took a risk and it paid off, it was a good race. Luckily I’ve been the most consistent all season and have all but locked up the season points win. Also my team should win the season competition as well. Although there may be some drama with Keith’s placing last night.

Keith won, but for some reason he’s placed last on the result page. There is a possibility this is a punishment for aggressive passing. Problem is this is a race, a race with some very fast and talented people mixed with some cautious and unsure people and with 400 people out there on a 3.5 mile course it can be crowded. It is the responsibility of the race organizers to design a course that is friendly to all racers fast and slow, skilled and un-skilled. It is also their responsibility to hear both sides of the story. I understand we want to make it fun for all but at what point does it make it worthless for the expert/expert plus riders to even be competitive. There are races where I’ll lose by less than 15 seconds. I could lose even more time than that waiting in line to pass a bunch of beginner riders “safely” so some times I have to take risks to pass in situations that endanger myself but won’t endanger them. But that still upsets some people. For those within your own class/skill level you need to recognize this is mountain bike racing not some crit where you can ride side by side. Get out of the way or ride faster. If your behind a rider they can choose their line and its your responsibility to follow safely and not cry if you felt you got cut off.

This is in no way a dig at beginner racers. I applaud and promote all skill levels of riders to come race. This is the basis of the GT Dirt Coalition team. I just hope that everyone can be more understanding, and that includes the faster racers as well as the beginners and the race organizers. Mountain bike racing is fun, don't let the few negative nancy's ruin it.

Finally a win at Prairie City!!

With a third place three weeks ago and second two weeks ago with a crash that ripped my GT team jersey I was ready for a week off from Prairie City. I finally got a road bike in the beginning of May and decided to get some crits in. I did the Folsom Crit on Sat. May 23 and got 6th and the Aubrun Crit the next day where I took 4th. Then on the Golden State crit on Sat 30th were I got 5th. Not bad considering those are three of the 7 rides I've done on a road bike in a couple months. Also I had my jersey repaired for $14 at a tailor down the street. It was like new. So I felt confident coming into Prairie City Race 9. The first lap I felt stiff for some reason, but here was a four way split at the beginning of the course. I was the only one to choose far left which was the fastest (thanks for showing me that on the last practice lap Keith). Some guy I don't remember seeing out at Prairie City before caught and kept with me till about half way through the second lap. This week I was driven to not be caught on the 4th and last lap and the climbs on the course were perfect for me to power up. So I began the last lap with the tenacity I usually do in the first lap to separate myself. I didn't get caught this time!! I won by almost a minute. This win was a relief. Also three weeks into the team competition Team Q st. Coalition has a solid lead in the three man team competition. Jen and Keith both got third last night. Keith crashed and still pulled back that placing! 

Also check out the crash in the crit I did last Saturday. I'm in the bottom picture with the grey, red and black jersey and white helmet and glasses watching it go down! The guy in the red long sleeve that's upside down in that picture came back and took third!

Poison Oak and how sweet it is!!

On Easter Sunday I went mountain biking with a bunch of friends on the Forrest Hill Divide Loop. Already Poison Oak was rampant and oily looking on the trail. Forrest Hill is known for it plethora of poison oak and as long as you stay on the trail you should be fine. Prairie City on the other hand isn’t known for any vegetation at all. So when a couple of people I race with and I all got poison oak on our right arm it was an unpleasant surprise. When we showed up to the race last night we saw the calling card of week 5 on many people’s right arm. Good times for all! So I thought I talk about poison oak.

Appearance

It’s a three leaf ground shrub that can also grown up trees. It is green in the spring but will turn red also. When it’s really bad it looks greasy. Check out the pictures.

 

Effects

 

The plants when touched leave a poison residue called urushiol. The more irritated the plant gets the more oily poison residue it excretes. So when 400 racers do 5 laps or more including their practice laps the poison oak plant is mad enough to give it to every one. This poison creates a red rash and bumps on the skin that is itchy, generally the more you itch it the worse and wider spread it will get. It usually takes 4 or 5 days to show up but can take longer. Some people react worse than others getting nasty blisters and oozing while it spreads all over quickly. It is not contagious to other people; the allergic reaction can only come from the plant not people’s rashes.

 

Treatment

 

If you know you touched some poison oak immediately wash that area with cold water or if you have it a product called Tecnu. This will usually eliminate the chance of getting the rash. We carry poison oak cleaners at REI. Now most of us don’t get the luxury of knowing we touched some poison oak because we’re riding our mountain bike too fast to see more than green blurs on the side of the trial. So when you do realize you have poison oak rash you just need to not itch it. To help with the itch soak it in cool water. Don’t use oily lotions because you want it to dry out, instead use calamine lotions or antihistamine sprays. If it gets really bad go to your doctor and get some corticosteroid pills and duct tape you hands together so you can’t itch it. Also try to avoid really hot showers and take luke warm showers. As long as you leave it alone it will be gone in a week or two.

Prairie City Race #6

Another Wednesday night spent mountain bike racing! The course was short this week with three mile laps on some interesting bumpy and technical riding with short climbs. I was a bit overheated after the first practice lap but felt better after a couple more. So this course was a great course for me. Once the race started I had separated myself by the end of the first lap. I continued to build a lead but, at the end of the third lap I got a flat. I was severely disappointed to say the least. I felt I had the race win in the bag and then there was no air in my rear tire. I want to thank the mother and two little girls who were there watching their dad race for the moral support while I fixed the flat. I finished the race rather than DNFing it. My season point total will take a hit because of my placing. Maybe this and the fact that the team competition starts next week will motivate me to start getting some first places. Jen and Keith both won again so at least my teammates did awesome!

Prairie City Race #5 and IMBA's Ales and Trails

It's already Wednesday night again! After two days off from work, Wednesday morning was a tiring day at REI. We have a huge sale starting this weekend. I was tired by the end of my shift and didn't have high expectations for the race. We packed up and got to the course. We got in three practice laps, and I felt a lot better. The course had two short steep climbs and the rest was a big ring fast course. I took a sizable gap on everyone and led out the first three laps. i was caught on the fourth lap by a rider that hasn't been out since the first week. I rode just behind him the fourth lap hoping to sprint at the end and take the win. I did a test sprint 3/4 a way through the lap after the hills hoping he would drop but he didn't. With about 150 yards to go he jumped and I couldn't retake him. So second place again for me. I'm a little bummed because I felt I had a sizable enough led to ride away with the win. Training needs to be better, I can't just race on Wednesday and ride to work the rest of the week. Keith got run over but somebody on a wideopen straight away and got a nice hip wound and elbow scrap and still took second. Jen detroyed everyone in Women's expert. In two weeks starts the Team Competition. The three of us will make up Team Q St Coalition! I did get to talk about the GT Dirt Coalition and an IMBA event happening this weekend over the intercom and that was pretty cool. The IMBA event this weekend is the Ales and Trails fundraiser in Marin County. 8 brewers, BBQ, Pro riders clinics, and demo bikes. It is an awesome time. Buy tickets online to save some money www.alesandtrails.net Click on the flyer to see it larger;

Sea Otter 2009!!

Sea otter was a blast! After Wednesday night’s race I came home and packed. Four days of sleeping in a tent, mountain biking and looking at cool bike parts was ahead of me. Rich, Hopkins, Evan and I left the next morning with two cars packed to the brim. The drive is long, but now where near as long as some of the people coming to the race. We got there and the tone was set. This race/expo is confusing and nobody knows anything beyond there little volunteer responsibility. Oh well, it made it comical not frustrating. Hopkins signed up for the Cat 5 road race and circuit race, I signed up for the cat 2 XC race. We got resisted for races and our camp site circled back around the Laguna Seca race track. (Yes the one with the “Corkscrew”) and found out or campsite was a RV parking spot that was smaller than we imagined. No worries we had brought 

big tents and double up occupancy. This is where I endorse the REI Base Camp 6, tall enough to stand in and big enough to fit two World War II era cots with a camp table between them. The nights were cold and windy, and the days hot to super hot. I learned how to better pack for next year. Down Jackets are a must. The first night we ate our dinner in our tent. 

On Friday I pre-rode the XC course. It is a good 19 miles course, filled with fun single track, sandy descents, some long climbs and a short steep one. Friday was also Hopkins’ road race. Rich, Evan, and I decided to go on a leisurely mtb ride and come back and watch Hopkins finish. Instead we got lost and pretty rode the course. We did bring some Coors Lights and cheered on some Beginner racers that were competing. That was fun. It definitely sucked that I put in 40 miles of mtb riding the day before my race though. 

My XC race was Saturday at 8am; Hopkins’ Circuit race was immediately after my start. We woke up to fog and cold. I put on a long sleeve base layer, ate half a bagel and a banana and rode to the start. Warming up on the race track was drenching us the fog was so thick. My race group went off at 8:20am. I had shed my base layer before the start. The GT Golden Bike 

Cheerleaders gave us some inspiration and we were off! These guys were fast! We had two crashes in the first mile and a half. I keep within the top ten for the first four or five miles when on a bumpy decent my chain fell off to the outside. When I pedaled it back on the chain twisted and would no longer go through the gears. Rendering the bike impossible to pedal. I walked the nearest aid station, but they had no chain tool. I don’t generally carry one for races. If your chain breaks you not going to win, but I was a long way from the finish line and I want to ride back. I took their leatherman tools and bent back my chain knowing it was a matter of time till it broke. When it did I walked along the trail asking for a chain tool. Lucky for me someone gave me one and then went back to racing. This is where I don’t endorse Shimano chains. Reusing old pins is a nightmare, with SRAM I can just carry a powerlink and trust it. With my chain I took out the twisted section, and re-pushed in a chain pin to put it back together. My chain broke two more times after that. So for the last 8 miles or so I had limited gearing, but I was riding and smiling. I crossed the finish line riding hard and still didn’t take last place! 

Hopkins tired from his race came back to the camp site at the same time. We watched Levi and the pro circuit race. Then we wondered the expo with checking out all the new stuff. Being a gear head that was half the fun. We went into town that night and celebrated and watched the UFC fight. Monday morning we went to the beach at Carmel and then drove home. It was a good time and next year I will be better prepared, and will do more races. It was good to see GT represented all over that race and meet some pro riders and some fellow Dirt Coalition riders. 

Prairie City Race #3 & #4

Man I haven’t blogged in a while so I’m going to have to group some events! Prairie City Race #3 & #4 where very similar. Both courses were “big ring” courses, meaning I never shifted out of my faster chainring up front.
Race #3. I lead the first three laps with Billy hanging out behind me. There was a flurry of action in lap four and neither of us where sure if we had been passed. On the final lap Billy hammer up the last long climb and put some distance on me. The race organizations computers had been bugging so I didn’t know till about four days later I got second. It was a fun course with a couple of interesting single track ridges to ride along with no passing possible.

Race #4. This was a cool course with splits that provided faster lanes with more technical routes. In the first lap I got confused and missed a faster split and Billy saw it and took it and I never saw him again. L I rode with one of the Mad Cat riders, cool guy and I feel like an idiot for forgetting his name, for the first two laps. We rode fast and I ended up dropping him. He is getting faster; I will have to worry about him by mid-season if he keeps pushing himself during the races to stay up front. I then rode all by my lonesome till the last lap when I joined a rider from another age group. We pushed each other to the finish. I’m thankful he did too, because halfway through the last lap I could feel a presence behind me.(creepy I know, maybe when you race enough you can pick up such things) My extra sense was correct, in the last hundred yards a rider from my class had snuck up right besides me. I shifted down and hammered to the finish line securing second place. This was a fun race night, there are some epic crash pictures if you go to www.racemtb.com. Brian took most of the good crash shots.

This week I get my road bike back, with that my fitness should come back. I don’t like losing and really want first place. I have to get on a training regimen if that’s going to happen.