Ruston Race 2015

Saturday was the Piney Hills Classic in Ruston. This is my "home" course as I went to college at LA Tech in Ruston, worked at the park while I was in school and have countless laps out there. The course has gone through small changes over the years, but I generally still know it very well as I get to ride it a few times a year and my confidence is high when we line up to race. I won the Cat 3 LA state championship there in 2005, which was my first year MTB racing. It's been 10yrs now since that race, and I think I've been to every version and trying to win again ever since. I came close the last 2 years but a crash and a mechanical problem slowed me down. 2 weeks ago my BMC frame broke and I landed on my head and hurt my neck, so I wasn't even sure I'd get to race this year. I was feeling ok enough to at least line up and ride around, so I brought the Monocog and moved my registration to the SS Open class. The forecast all week was calling for heavy rain on Saturday and we woke up that morning to a steady rain and a lot of water already on the ground. Because of the weather, the turnout for the race was really low, it was just me and one other guy in SS Open. All the Cat. 1 did a mass start, so I was shuffled towards the back pretty quickly with my one gear and the long fireroad start. I built a good lead early on the other SS'er, and then backed it down a half a notch to cruise control to stay safe. I pulled a little more time on him the rest of the race, and held on for the win. It's a bit unsatisfactory as a competitor when most of the competition doesn't show up, but it will still go down as a win so I'll be glad to take it and add one more for 2015. 

We are hanging around LA for the next week until LA Tech homecoming, so maybe I can sneak in a ride or two if the weather ever gets decent.

Ouachita Challenge 2015

This year was my 8th year doing the Ouachita Challenge. My first was way back in 2006, when my little brother Luke and I did the Tour together. We were pretty much "noobs" to cycling, but we made it through the ride and had a lot of fun. I was still riding 26" wheels; and although I had a full suspension bike I found out a week before the OC that one of my shock linkages was broken. I stripped the frame down and built up my old hardtail frame. Hard to imagine riding a hardtail 26" bike on the OC now!

26" wheels; that just ain't right.

After '06 I went back in '09 with my friend Brian to do the race and I've done it every year since. I battled flats and stomach issues for several years, and never could get under the 6hr mark that I had taken as a goal. Finally in 2013 I broke through and finished in 5:58:28, squeezing just under the mark. In 2014 I had an ok race until the very end and managed to set a nice new PR of 5:42. This year I was hoping I would be able to get under 5 1/2 hours, but I hadn't been doing any long rides and felt like I had been struggling with my fitness. I decided that I would ride with my friend Patrick if he was feeling good and try to get him under 6hrs.

We did our usual drive up Saturday morning, in a packed Suburban with 6 guys, 4 bikes on back and 2 on top. Spending time with friends on the way up and back, besides while there, is always a highlight of this weekend. We checked into our cabin and did a short spin, then cooked dinner and got ready for Sunday morning.

Top of the Womble Trail on our Saturday afternoon ride

After breakfast we headed to the school for the start and dropped our drop bags that would be taken to the halfway point. Patrick and I lined up near the front, and then we were rolling behind the truck for the neutral start. After the truck pulled off, the pace went up, but I tried to keep it civil and keep Patrick on my wheel. He lost contact a couple of times as the rollers started on the gravel road, but I waited for him hoping he would get warmed up. After I dropped him again I could tell he needed to ride his own pace and I ride mine, so I kept going. I felt like I was struggling in the first ten miles before we hit the singletrack, losing lots of positions. I tried to just keep a steady pace and hope that my legs would come around. Big Brushy was uneventful, then we were up and over Blowout. I thought I could climb the whole thing but I was stopped by a walker who wouldn't move so I had to dismount and join the line to the top. I rode some new rock gardens I haven't done in the past, then it was on to Chalybeate. This climb is always tough, as it is very steep and seems never ending. I usually have to walk a good portion of it and this year was no different. I ended up stopping halfway up as I discovered that my stem bolt was loose, luckily it hadn't spun on any of the technical rock gardens on Blowout or the fast descent! After Chalybeate is the long road section through the halfway point in Sims. I felt pretty good on this section and made good time up to the Womble Trail.

Through the first section of Womble I felt like I was starting to fall apart. My legs felt ok but I was tired and my stomach was unsettled. Eventually I decided to just stop or else I thought I was really going to be in bad shape. I rested for what must have been 5 or 10 minutes, drank some Skratch and then got back underway. This helped settle my stomach to where I felt ok to keep riding. As usual I was getting close to survival mode by this point in the race. The next big climb was Mauldin Mountain, the last real obstacle to the finish line. I've ridden it several times in the past, but this year it wasn't happening and I walked more than I was happy with. After the big climb up Mauldin you have about 18 rolling miles left, with one steep climb on the road 5 miles from the finish. I started the last climb with a group of 4 that had rolled up behind me after we exited the last singletrack. I tried to stay with them but just didn't have the legs so I rolled over the top on my own and then was off for the fast run-in to the finish. There is an aid station at the top of the climb where the course crosses over itself, Patrick was there as I rolled through and he gave me some words of encouragement. I made it to the finish in 5:38, a new PR by about 4 minutes and 35th place out of 159.

I hung around the finish to watch all my traveling buddies come in, then we went back to the cabin to relax for the evening. We took a swim in the river right below the cabin, then made our way to the hot tub on the back deck. Justin cooked us a delicious dinner and we turned in for the night. Monday morning we woke up and packed, then hit the road back home. It was a good trip and I'm alread looking forward to next year, chasing a new PR and spending a great weekend with my friends.

Chumba Ursa / The Fatbike Sandy

I'm proud to share that I've recently partnered with Chumba Cycles to do some rides on their bikes, starting with Texas' first fatbike race The Fatbike Sandy. I have been interested in the new 29+ or "mid-fat" tire size for a while, and I saw my first one in the flesh last year at Mellow Johnny's. I saw the same bike and rider again this February after the Double Lake Marathon, where I struck up a conversation. It turned out I was talking to Chumba's Operations Manager, and one thing led to another. Chumba has a storied history in the mountain biking world, previously known as a downhill brand and has recently been revamped. I would best describe their bikes as adventure capable trail bikes. They offer a 29er hardtail the Stella, a 29+ the Ursa, their fatbike is the Ursa Major, and they have a 27.5" aggressive hardtail the Rastro. All these bikes are steel and built right here in Texas.

I took delivery of the Ursa the week before the Fatbike Sandy race and got it all set up with my preference of grips and pedals. The demo I was riding had been on loan to a Tour Divide rider with a hand defect which meant he runs his brakes backwards  with the rear lever on the left. (Sponsoring challenged athletes is another area that Chumba is big on, which is really cool in my book.) The XT brakes tolerated swapping the lines back to normal very well with no bleed required and the Ursa was ready to ride.

I managed to get one good trail ride on the bike before race day with a fast group out at the Cypress Creek trails. It took a few turns to get a feel for cornering the beast, but soon it was coming naturally. The wide tires have a tendency to "self-steer" so you have to overcome that a bit, and then getting the bigger bike to turn-in is a bit heavier than my normal 29er. I wouldn't say it is harder, but it takes a bit more input to get it to lay in. Once you get this down however, turning is a pleasure. Traction is never the issue, the only limiter is how willing you are to throw the bike through the corner. It holds a line well and carries good momentum while coasting through the turn; I was repeatedly rolling up on the back wheel of the rider in front of me on a 29er who is a very good bike handler. This first ride was a ton of fun and I was looking forward to the race.

Leading up to the race there had been a TON of rainfall in the trail area, so it was slated to be a mudder. The original premise of the race was the sandy trails and the advantage the fat/mid-fat bikes would have on the soft surface, but it turned out to be a tractor pull through the mud. This didn't turn out to be a good opportunity to test fast trail riding on the Ursa (typical TX riding), but it was a good indicator of the bike in adverse conditions. Traction was absolutely minimal at times, but on most occasions I was able to keep the bike rolling and upright due to the volume and contact patch the tires offered and the stable geometry. To get a real idea of the conditions here's a video I made from my GoPro mounted on the bars.

I got a terrible start, I didn't realize we were immediately turning left and then I completely missed my pedals so I was at the back of the group right away. I charged hard at the end of the road before we entered the woods to take a few spots, then I was able to make a few more passes early on into 2nd place. The leader was also riding an Ursa and he pulled away, riding stronger through the heavy conditions. I rode solo for about half the race, until 3rd place came up behind me riding a fatbike. We battled for a while, it was obvious he was stronger as he was pulling away anytime it got hard going uphill, then I would reel him back in on the flowy and downhill sections. Eventually he got a small gap that I couldn't take back and I made it to the finish in 3rd overall and 2nd mid-fat. We finished completely soaked and covered in mud, but it was a fun day on the bike in a crazy way! I was glad to have the opportunity to race the Fatbike Sandy and represent Chumba on the Ursa, and hopeful to get to do it again at future events.

Making passes at the start of the trail.

There were about a thousand of these on the 17 mile loop.

Mud.

TMBRA Mid-season update

It's late March and I'm halfway through the 2015 Texas XC Mountain Bike State Championship Series. Three races done out of eight, but I won't be making the fourth, so this is my mid-season. It started at the Rocky Hill Roundup; I had a decent race but felt kinda flat and came out in 4th.

The next race was Mellow Johnny's. This was slated to be a mudder and it delivered. It had been raining quite a bit leading up to the race, so much that they floated the option of a modified rain course consisting of mostly fireroads. Saturday night before the race I drove over to Austin to stay with a friend, and it was non-stop rain once I got out of Houston. Sunday morning the rain had slowed to a drizzle, but temperatures were just rising above freezing on my way out to the ranch. This was looking like a repeat of last year when the temps fell rapidly on race morning and the rain came down.

After warming up on the rollers to keep myself dry and my bike clean, I rolled up to the start. The temperature was still well into the 30's, so I was pretty bundled up. Luckily I didn't overdress and stayed comfortable the whole race. I had worn my mud shoes, and the cleats are placed a little differently than my normal shoes, so I totally missed my pedal off the start, got hung up with the rider next to me and finally got going in the back of the group.

I'm near the back in the yellow jacket with black sleeves.

 After this terrible start we went straight up a hill, and I managed to pass a couple of guys on the way up. At the top we went through some tight singletrack that was super greasy, and there was no passing to be done there. After we got out of that I made my way to the front group and rode with them for a bit. Eventually it broke up and I was in 4th or 5th. Through the race I saw 2 guys walking out with flats, so I knew I had a chance at the podium. I went back and forth with another guy through the 2nd and 3rd laps, but I was able to come in ahead for a 2nd place finish. I was glad to be done and stoked for a good finish, but my bike was pretty trashed. I stopped on the way home at a carwash and spent $10 cleaning it up, then immediately lubed the chain and pivots to keep things moving.

Even looking like this, my drivetrain worked well throughout the race.

Next up was Comfort, one of my favorite races and courses. We took the kids over for this one, and after the Kids Cup and Raine's and my preride on Saturday we went to a hotel in Kerrville with an indoor pool to let them swim for a bit before bedtime.

Kid's Cup Swag

On Sunday Raine's race was first, so after getting her on course I started my race prep while taking care of the kids. I got an ok warmup, then it was off to the races. I started about 5th, but when the 4 guys ahead of me went the wrong way on the first turn, I found myself on the front. I settled into 3rd place for the long climb up onto the first loop, and was feeling ok. We got to a critical climb and the leader bobbled in front of me, holding me up and putting me at the back of the front group of 9 guys. Unfortunately I couldn't get around him and the front guys got away, and I was left to pick up the pieces. I made my way up to 6th by the end of the race. This is definitely not what I was hoping for, as my series hopes took a big blow. I've got a few weeks now before the next race, so I'll hopefully get some good training and come back stronger.

2015 Rocky Hill Roundup Race Report

This past weekend was the Rocky Hill Roundup, first race of the 2015 Texas State Championship Series. I went in to the race with high hopes, but could only manage 4th on the day. It was a bit disappointing, but I guess I came out ok and will move on to the next round. 

I got a decent start, going into the singletrack in 3rd. About a minute and a half into the race I took the lead at the top of the first climb when the guys in front of me seemed to slow a little bit. I ended up getting a decent gap after this, but I didn't push too hard trying to stay away as I knew it was too early.

Eventually we formed a group of 4 at the front which turned out to be the selection for the race. I led the first lap at a decent pace, but I just didn't seem to have gas in the tank to be able to do much more than ride around. That first acceleration, which wasn't even that hard, was seemingly the only match I had to burn.

At the beginning of the second lap the eventual winner rolled past me and away, and I could not respond at all. I faded back to 4th, then 5th for a while, but I was able to take one spot back going into the last lap for the 4th place finish. 

A nice overlook behind me, but no time for sight-seeing.

I'm looking forward to more racing and I now have some things I know I need to work on. Big thanks to Sugar Cycles, my BMC was fast out there I just didn't have the energy to push it. Also big thanks to Skratch Labs, it warmed up a good bit during our race but I stayed ok and cramp free the whole race. I know the lack of energy was due to some other factors and certainly not the tasty pineapples in my bottles!

Thanks Ed for the picture and videos.

Raine returned to the start line for the first time in a few years and came out with 2nd place. I was stoked for her, she's been training and it's great to see her back at it. She had a lot of fun so I think she'll be back for more. We borrowed a popup camper for the weekend and stayed out at the ranch. The kids had a blast camping out and playing with new friends all weekend. I suspect we will eventually get a camper of our own, we have many years of these fun adventures ahead and I remember fondly all my families' travels with our camper in my younger days.

Our first family camper adventure.

Race season is here

It starts this weekend with the Rocky Hill Roundup in Smithville. My group will be racing 4 laps of a 4.5mi course; this is a bit different from our more typical race of 3 laps on an 8-10 mile course. It's fun to be turning 20 minute laps coming through the start finish area more frequently, but it also makes for a shorter, more intense race. I had a pretty good race here last year finishing in 5th, so I'm hoping the course will suit me again and I can have a good weekend. Last year it was a bit unexpected, but this year I'm coming in strong and targeting the state championship so I will be targeting a good result. I'm pretty sure I'm coming in with a target on my back after my strong race at the Double Lake Marathon, but I'll try to use that to my advantage.

I submitted to my annual rip-off from USA Cycling yesterday to renew my racing license. $70 to be able to race my bike, and I'm still not sure what other benefits that gets me. Hopefully this will be the last year of TMBRA sanctioning with USAC and they will do their own thing next year. Renewing my license reminded me that this will be my 10th year racing. My first MTB race was in Arkansas at Daisy State Park. I raced beginner and led the whole race but faded hard at the end and got passed with about 100yds to the line. I thought the guy was in another class and I didn't want to put up a fight. I went to that race to get one under my belt before contesting the LA State Championship race at Lincoln Parish Park, which I ended up winning. My little brother and I had an awesome battle going running away from the field until he hit his pedal on a root and broke it. He hung with me for a good while but eventually made a mistake due to the pedal and I was able to get enough gap to stay away to the finish.

2005 Ruston Race results. We left Ruston the next Spring and moved to Houston.

Commuting When I Shouldn't

Less than a day after pontificating my so-called "wisdom" on commuting I went and made a mildly bad decision this morning. I always check the weather first thing when I wake up on mornings I plan to commute. I just want to be sure no freak overnight storm or polar vortex blew in before I bother getting out of bed at 5am. This morning the rain chances and temps looked ok, it was warmer than it had been the last couple of mornings, but there was a "Dense Fog Advisory" in effect. Usually this would be an immediate reason to roll back over and get an extra hour in bed, but this morning I wasn't having it. I'd been set all week on commuting 3 days, even though NONE of the days were ideal for doing so as I had places to be at 6pm. This meant rushing home, showering and changing, and then pretty much right back out the door. I also knew that commuting was about the only way I was going to get any miles this week, hence being set on it. After seeing the Fog Advisory I decided I'd at least check it out, so I looked out the window. It didn't look too bad so I decided to go for it. "If it gets too bad I'll just turn around and at least have gotten a little spin this morning" I told myself. Of course I didn't do that. I rode through some pretty thick soup, my bike and I were pretty damp when I got to work. Luckily I didn't encounter any traffic on the worst sections. I think I would have been seen well enough with my bright light, but still the conditions were much less than ideal. When you're riding on the road, in the dark, super early in the morning, it's probably not the best idea to do so in conditions any less than ideal; dry and good visibility. I got away with it this morning with no close calls, but I probably won't try these circumstances again.

Thankfully I didn't encounter any bridges like in the background on this foggy morning.

Bike Commuting

Over the last year or so I've started regularly commuting to work. I say regularly in the sense that I do it periodically; I was surprised to find I only commuted 36 days last year when I actually went back and counted. That probably accounts for about 75 of my training hours though, which is nearly 20% of my 403 total hours for 2014. When I put it in that perspective it is definitely a contributor to my fitness.

I thought I'd share a little bit of information on commuting that might help somebody get started on this great habit.

My typical car drive to work is about 8 miles straight down a 7 lane highway, so that's obviously not the best way to ride my bike in. I always say "just because you can, doesn't mean you should." On the bike I use a combination of neighborhoods and park paths for a pretty safe 20 mile route, sometimes I will shorten that to about 17 miles with a little bit of dam top gravel road. Luckily my commute is in a direction I ride a lot anyway, so I was already familiar with the area and able to easily piece together a good route. If you need to figure out a route to work, there are some good tools available. One is Google Maps; they have a biking tool that shows dedicated bike lanes, bike friendly roads and bike paths. Another good tool is Strava. You can view segments on the Segment Explore map to see where the popular roads are to ride. Their global heatmap is another great tool to see where people do and don't ride.

Generally speaking this would represent a map of the cycling population density of TX. Interesting that the MS-150 route between Houston and Austin is so apparent.

The most important bike commuting tool is, of course, the bike. I use a Specialized Crux Disc. This is billed as a cyclocross bike, but is super versatile and makes for a great commuter. It doesn't have fender mounts, which would probably disqualify it for some people, but I can't see myself riding with fenders or really commuting in weather that would require them so it's not a problem for me. I'm just not interested in arriving to work soaking wet with a nasty bike. I keep my bike inside at my desk so that would present a problem in itself.

The Crux super commuter, resting up for the ride home.

Plenty roadworthy, we had some great rides at RMNP last summer.

Most bike components are left to preference (SRAM vs. Shimano, disc vs. rim brakes, gearing, etc.) but one thing that does make a great commuter is tire choice. I use Continental Gatorskin 700x32's. These are high volume tires that make for a very comfortable ride over the rough side streets and bumpy, cracked walking paths I ride. They are also very flat resistant so that's one less thing to worry about while riding to work in the dark. Being so big they probably aren't the fastest tires, but comfort and versatility trump that for me. I can take them on gravel if I feel like taking a different route, and if I want to get even more adventurous I can really take them off-road. I've even ridden singletrack for fun! Of course it's not ideal at 50+ psi and with no tread, but it's doable and fun for some variety. It's by my own design that my cyclocross bike affords me plenty of tire clearance to use the 32's, but some people may be forced or prefer to use a smaller tire; I'm sure the 28 and 25 sizes of these tires are great, too. Some may say they would be a little faster in certain circumstances, but I won't get into the tire size vs. speed debate here. I used to ride Schwalbe 28s and those were pretty comfortable too so that's probably a good size choice.

Fun for doing some dirt surfing every once in a while.

A critical aspect of bike commuting for me is having lights. I work 7am to 4pm, so I leave at 5:30am in the dark year round and in the shortest days of winter I get home just before sunset. For a headlight I use a NiteRider MiNewt Mini 350 USB. It offers plenty of light for me even on its lowest setting, and has enough run time to commute all week on the low or medium settings. The light head mounts to the bar easily with a rubber grommet, and the battery goes on my toptube behind the stem with a velcro strap. The attachment has proven solid and trouble free. One definite advantage of this light for commuting is that it charges via USB. If I need to, I can just plug it in to my computer when I get to work for a charge before riding home. There are lots of light choices out there, and some much cheaper such as the MagicShine variety, but this is another place where I didn't want to risk being stranded in the dark at 6am. I feel that this is a full quality light that will give me years of good service at still a pretty good price.

NiteRider Minewt 350 Mini USB

Just as important as your headlight is the taillight. You want something to catch drivers' attention when approaching you from behind to see you from a good long way off. I use a Cygolite Hotshot 2W. This is a nice, bright light at a good price. It has several flashing modes with adjustable speeds so you can choose exactly which pattern you think will make you most visible or choose to have more battery life. I don't really use the flash speed adjustment, but I'll not complain about having more options. A very nice feature of this light is the rechargeable battery. Instead of worrying about when the AAA's in your blinky are going to die and leave you invisible in the dark, you can charge the battery regularly and put your mind at ease. I can commute and ride for several weeks before I get the indication that the battery is low, but I usually charge it once a week. This light is also USB chargeable so I can charge it at work if I need to. It's small and secure enough that it pretty much stays on my bike all the time unless I'm doing a 'cross race.

Cygolite Hotshot

The last thing (or maybe first thing depending on how you look at it) to consider is the work at either end to make the actual commute happen. The most common question concerns showering when I get to work. Yes, I am fortunate that my office has a nice locker room with a shower, so I can get all cleaned up and changed when I get there. Of course I have to have clothes to change into, this takes a little bit of preparation. I always drive on Monday, so I usually bring shoes, a towel, and 2 or 3 days of clothes to work in a bag that morning for the week. I also always drive on Friday, so I'll take the clothes home to wash and replenish for the next week. I leave soap/shampoo and deodorant in my desk. I also leave a jacket at work, the AC is usually too cold for me.

There are a few issues to solve from time to time, but you can usually figure out a way around them. For instance, if there's a 35° temperature change from your morning to afternoon commute, your clothing needs are going to be quite different. Since I don't ride with panniers or a backpack, getting the warm clothes home to use the next morning can be a bit of a challenge. The 2 options are to wear as little as you can in the morning and stuff all the extra in your jersey pocket for the afternoon, or just leave stuff at work every day. You have to have enough stuff to get through the week, or drive a day between rides to shuttle stuff back home, but you make it work.

Maybe your commute is really too long to be practical to keep the length of your day reasonable? One solution if you can get away without your car for an evening is to drive to work, ride home, ride in the next day, and then drive home. You get 2 long rides in and save 2 car trips, but you can limit the extra time spent each day.

Since I use my commute as training time, I try to be purposeful with my time on the bike. The morning commute is usually pretty easy, since it's dark and my body isn't usually ready for any efforts. This can be a recovery ride. In the afternoon I will try to do some intervals or go longer for base miles. There is a nice park on the way home I can do intervals in, if that's my plan I'll take the shortest route to allow me to spend some time there doing work.

Naturally, if you commute by bike an hour each way you will be hungry! I usually go by the grocery store on my way to work on Monday, so I'll grab a couple of frozen lunches if we don't have enough leftovers from the weekend for all the days I commute. I try not to eat out for lunch to save money, but I have to every once in a while and when you have your bike, it's nice to take a spin at lunch on a beautiful day.

Lunch ride.