September 24, 2012

  • 40 in the Fort 2012

    Finally the day has come to do the forty in the fort MTB race.   I had signed up to do this as training earlier in the year for the Laramie Enduro as it would be a good tune up.   Unfortunately or maybe fortunately the race was postponed.   I must admit that this is the one race I feared that I might not finish as it’s technically challenging and the climbs are brutal.shocked

    I arrive at the race, park, see a few folks I knew, get my packed and head down to the Start area.  It’s a bit cold on the way down so I have my arm and knee warmers on, but by “go time” it’s clear that I won’t need them.   Looks like the waves of racers are pretty small this year, no doubt due the difficulty of this one.  The “Pure” roadies and beginner types aren’t present here as this is no place to cut your teeth or snag some easy hardware, but I digress….

    By the time it’s my turn to go the race official decides to combine the rest of the starters into my group.  I guess this is a good thing.  Bang and we are off and running!  This is a long event and I watch the jack rabbits take off, thinking that they must be  really fast or they are on a fools errand.  I find my self falling back in the middle of the wave and I am OK with this.   Shauna from Braap comments that she likes my pace as it’s sustainable and I agree as we enter the Timber Climb parking lot. 

    I find myself at the front of my little group with a 100 yards or so between me and the group ahead of me.  I am resisting the urge to reel them in as this would be a waste of energy and I would probably be bottle necked at some point.  They are keeping a good pace behind a woman in green socks.   Timber is a familiar climb so I just keep a good rhythm.   Slowly the others that are behind me are falling away from my wheel.  Hmm,  I am no where near my AT so I know I am not going too hard, and I am surprised that they are not keeping pace.  I guess it could be a matter of strength as this is what I fear could be my undoing later on, cramping to the point of submission.    As I near the top of the climb I have made some ground on the group in front of me.   I watched as Sara Sheets etc. go by the woman who was pacing them up the climb. 

    As I reach the Kimmons descent I have just about caught the woman with the green socks.  I don’t want to pass her before the descent as I am not the great of a descender.    Good thing I didn’t pass her on the descent as she pretty much checked out on that one.  I think I saw a few glimpses of her on the way down, but she must be really good to have gotten out of sight that quickly.  I am pretty sketchy on some sections on this one and it’s probably a good thing that I was alone at this point so as not to embarrass myself.

    With the Kimmons descent finally over it’s on to West Valley and a chance to pedal again.   Still trying to keep my speed in check here so I have something for the 2nd lap.   I didn’t have my HR monitor or speedo so I am just guessing at effort and had know Idea of speed.  Well, I did have my garmin 405, but it was set to “pace” mode and I didn’t feel like doing the math to convert  pace to mph.  The stroll across West Valley was nice and it was a good warm-up for Towers.

    At last I have reached Towers Rd and this will be the real test of how I am going.   My right leg seems stiff but I am going OK.   I seem to remember this same thing at Laramie, so maybe I need to stretch more or something.   So not to far into the climb I catch the Woman with the Green socks.   She is Marie(?)Walsh AKA “M” for short.  We chat for a bit before I bid her “goodluck”.   I am trying to do enough work so I don’t go too hard and cramp and have something the 2nd time around.   I find that on some of the grades that this is almost impossible as I forced to pedal pretty hard just to make it up the climb.   Hmm, I see some riders walking early on, which can’t be a good sign for them. This climb seems to go on forever until Stout section.  There were some guys playing guitars at one of the corners here and it’s nice to see this race developing a culture of it’s own.

    On to stout and single trak, Yeah!  It’s probably harder than just going up towers but it’s mentally less draining.   There are some hike-a-bike sections but it’s pretty much rideable.   Half way up or so I catch Liz Boese and we exchange greetings.   She is only doing one lap since the 24 hour Nats are in two weeks and needs a tune-up without going too hard or long.   

    Backout onto Towers again and I am reminded how stinking long this climb is.  Seems like I am only a little better than halfway up and there are still two nasty pitches left.   The 1st pitch has been labeled “Bacon Hill” and I think to myself  “what the @#$”.   It soon becomes apparent why.   As I crest this pitch there are a group of folks handing out Doughnut Bacon Sandwiches…. Oh OK.  Can’t say I ever heard of this before but it’s calories so I took one.  Hmm, not bad.   Can’t say I would make these at home but not too bad.

    Another Towers road pitch and the last aid station is here.  A quick stop here and onto more climbing.  There is some respite here and then the final push to the top.  I didn’t realize that we go to the very top here, since the earlier course didn’t, but had a nasty hike-a-bike section.  Ok, I am good with this over hiking.  This section always takes a lot of muscle to get up and there were folks resting/walking etc. already at this point.

    Hmm, that climb wasn’t too bad, but what about the next lap! Ouch, that’s is what I am expecting, but really I am expecting to be walking this one.   In any case I make it under the antennas and follow a couple of riders into the woods.   I don’t know this section of trail so I am extremely cautious and the other riders get away from me.   The descent is the part that I was most worried about as the Trek Y has older geometry with a super high bottom bracket which could be problematic. 

    I am still taking it pretty easy on the way down, walking some sections of trail and taking other pretty slowly.  In hindsight I should have lowered my saddle, but I didn’t think about that at the time and I am sure that I lost precious time not doing so.  Well, I guess my goal is just to finish this thing and so speed isn’t really an issue or at least that’s not where I am focused at the moment.

    The descent is pretty much of a blur with me tip toeing pretty much all the way.  I do remember walking of of the switch backs when I see 2 riders, a rammin and a thumpin!   I am in the switch back and I apologize for holding them up.  Well,  my presence didn’t seem to slow them at all.  Butts dragging on the rear tires almost they didn’t mind me at all!   One of the riders was M Walsh and she greeted me with a “Hi Steve” before the three of them checked out.  Man, I really gotta learn these trails and work on my descending.  It was sweet watching how they worked the trail, like it was in their back yard, which it probably was!

    Ok, back on the bike and I see my co-workers 16 son ahead of me.  He is descending really well and I finally catch him as he pulls over with some mild leg cramps.  I tell him to take some gels and that should take care of them and I bid him good-luck.   This was near the bottom of the descent, but I don’t know the name of the trail, and I am too lazy right now to look it up (Carrie Springs).    In and case it dumps back out onto Towers road where once again I must ascend it.   The good part about this is that Bacon Hill is there and a chance to get some more Donut Bacon Sandwich. 

    So, I grab some more Bacon and Donut and am good to go to the final climb before descending  MillCreek.  I see Liz Boese pass me at this point and I guess since she was doing one lap, didn’t need to stop for any fuel.  It is here when Ignacio (“Co-workers son”) catches up to me.  His cramps are gone and he is looking good and still having fun.   I am super impressed with this kid as this is only his 2nd MTB race ever!

    Time to descend again and it’s pretty sketchy.  I am pretty cautious as before but I am happy to have all of the climbing for this lap pretty much over.  The bike is doing well, and I am happy that I haven’t had any issues. 

    Finally back in Lory onto the West Valley Trail and heading for the  Finshline area.   The legs feel OK and its good to spin them.   They are a bit tired though, and I am wondering how they will fare on the 2nd loop.  As I arrive at the aid Station,  I see Kate Erickson who is really nice and helps be refuel.  Hmm, I can see I didn’t drink as much as I think I should have the 1st lap so I make a mental note to try and drink more this time around as it is much hotter.   I ask Kate how Ian (“Husband”) is doing and see says he came by a little while ago.  Turns out that was more like an hour ago, but she was being kind, which is probably a good thing as I may have gone harder than I should have to try and catch him!  Anyway, Kate gives me a nice push off and I am off an running again.

    Ok,  2nd time up Timber and my legs have definitely paid the price on the 1st lap.   I fear the climb up towers so I keep a good mellow pace so as not to cramp.    I get caught on this climb by Mike, a guy I met at registration.  He says he wants to try for a sub 6 time and that he is on pace for a faster 2nd lap.  Wow, I am going faster than I had planned.  Last time I did this lap with Barb Shultz, we did it in 3:30 and I was thinking that there is no-way I was gonna race it that hard…   Anyway I can’t or choose not to keep Mikes pace as he gets way from me after the Kimmons descent.   I must say I am getting more used to the bike as  I was much better on Kimmons the 2nd time around.

    The West Valley Trail was uneventful and I was mentally preparing for Towers again.  I can see Mike up the road a piece and I am pretty much alone.   I do end up passing a guy who is walking up towers.  By the time I get to Stout,  I get caught by a skinny kid who professes to be more of a roadie and lets me enter the single trak 1st.   Ok, and I keep enough of a pace to keep him happy and keep that lead until we get back on Towers, where he gets a gap on me.

    I am doing OK until I get to Bacon Hill where I decide to walk the bike.  I think I could have ridden, but I fear the whole cramping thing, and I am sure I wouldn’t be going much faster than a walk, so what’s the point.   I get caught by some guys on Single Speeds and a Woman and guy who are walking much faster than I am with apparently less effort.  Oh well,  I guess I must be tired….

    On to Bacon Hill for some more breakfast.  This time I spend a bit more time there.  The crew there is quite in good spirits.   I recognize the young lady there as Stacy of the Overland club.  I met her a few years ago during her 1st week here in the Fort a few years back…..  We exchange greetings.    Her passe has slingshots and marshmallows which they randomly fire at riders going by!    Anyway, after my fill of donut-bacon whatever I am off to the last climb and aid station at the top of Mill creek.   While I am their I catch Mike who calls it quits along with another rider.   I proclaim that Klingon has no work for quit and that they should do the honorable thing and finish, but they are too tired and fear falling on the descent.   At this point Ignacio catches me.   He asks if I am going to continue and I say yes!   He looks pretty good at this point, and I am so impressed with him.  If there is a cycling coach reading this they need to find him and sign him to their team…. But I digress.    Ian is also here, and about to descend Millcreek!  Wow he must be way ahead of me and any thoughts, fleeting as they were of catching him are lost forever in the reality that is I will not.

    I remount and make the final push up Towers to the antennas.   This time I am walking and I doubt I could have ridden it without a major penalty.  I am so glad to be at the top again.   This time I take a page from the kid with the Blond dreads that was descending a like a madman.   I noticed that he dropped his saddle for the descents so I decide to drop mine a bit.  Wow!  I had forgotten how good that works and is well worth the time to stop and fix it at the end. 

    I am now descending much faster than I did the 1st time around and am riding almost everything, except that really nasty rocky switch back that even the blond kid had to stop in the middle of.   Hmm, now I am wondering how much time I would have saved if I had just done the seat thing in the 1st place.   I wish I could justify one of those dropper seat posts as I am sure minutes would have been saved.  Oh well, I just tell myself that the goal here is just to finish and that I am sure I will do!

    Back around and up Bacon Hill again for the final time.  The kid with the dreads passed me on the descent again, and I see that he is easily able to still ride the climb up to Bacon Hill.  I over hear him chatting with the crew there and he said that he was just taking it easy for the most part.   I’ll buy that.   He seemed to have no interest in time or any such, just the rush of the descent.   He is still chatting by the time I leave but I am sure he will catch me again on the Millcreek descent.

    So continue on and walk the final climb to the Millcreek aid station.   I am pretty weary by now, but I’ve got this one in the bag, so I am pretty happy.   I get some more food and then head for the descent, this time with the seatpost dropped.   About half way down I hear, “On your right” and it’s the blond kid just flying! He was so smooth, where I was just on my brakes fearing death, where he apparently embraced it.  In a few seconds he was out of sight, never to be seen again until the lunch pavillon.

    I am descending much better, but not like I know it can be done.  I’ll try and ride these trails a bit more so as to sharpen my handing and control my fear….  

    So nice to finally be back in Lory and the West Valley trail.   I can finally spin the pedals a bit.  The legs feel fine to spin, but they are not too happy with climbing any steeps at this point.   I am so glad that there isn’t another lap to do!    I keep a good clip up to the finish line and I am done, done, done done. 

    Time to get some food and relax a bit.   I don’t feel that bad compared to like,  Leadville but I guess this was only 7 hours long and Leadville for me was about 12.    I am already thinking about how I would train differently for this one….

    Special Thanks to 450 club Head Honcho Yann Ropars for taking some excellent Pics of this event!  Final Results can be found here. My Strava data for anyone who cares.