Final Spring Race

X-Bar, Eldorado......one of the more technical trails we race. It is a great finishing venue as it comes down to sheer skills and endurance. Lots of stairstep decents and sharp swithbacks at the beginning......with some good climbs/stairsteps at the end. The temps are usually up there by this time as was the case this year. We had to do 2, 9.5 mile loops in a pretty good heat.

Got off to a good start in the front 3 pack. Made one move as we rounded the last corner heading to the singletrack.....this put me in 2nd. The guy in front and I had a pretty good lead and tapped our brakes getting ready to hit the first set of drops in the singletrack. The only guy close comes barreling by and cuts in up front.....we both back off because we know this guy........he can't handle the technical stuff and we do not want to be right behind him when he goes down. Sure enough, he bobbles real bad and almost goes down but saves it and comes to a stop going down the second tech area. We have room, and fly by him on his right......now we pick it up a notch.....trying to put distance between us and the rest.

I am not running at 100%, having worked hard all week.....so I lose a little ground on first. I see my friend Guy not far behind.....he's trying to make up time.....so I focus and dig a little deeper for a little more speed. Guy's hanging tight about 50-60 yards back but not getting any closer. We are now close to 5 miles into the first lap and hit some good technical stuff......I hit it with all I have. As I come out of it and hit a level area......I do not see Guy. Some climbs, more stairsteps......then a long fireroad.......I am going all out now......have lost all sight of Guy. Make the last climb out to the feed zone and grab a water......start heading for lap 2....no sight of the racer in 1st.

Pass a lot of racers the first lap, and start to encounter more the second. Passing here is tricky, lots of places and ways to get hurt......but I'm good at it....and feel like I'm in good shape. The heat is starting to be an issue........muscles are sore and I bobble a couple of climbs.....going down once. (hit my elbow hard) Pass a lot of guys on the side with cramps.....some with flats and other mechanicals. I might be hurting.....but my ride is preforming like a true champ.....LOL. I top the last climb and see the finish......go all out here.....got to look good going across the line.....LOL.

Well, I finish in second.........and that gets me 3rd for the whole series. The guy behind me in 3rd grabs overall 2nd......I needed him to finish 6th for this race for me to have gotten overall 2nd.

Both the 1st and 2nd series finishers have 5 top 5's and will be catted up to Expert. I have 5 top 5's, but one doesn't count because there were less than 10 racers at the start. So, I could race Sport class next year..........but I'll move to Expert anyway.

Looks like I'll have to step up my training to compete next year........Ok, I mean start training....LOL. This year I just rode when I could and went to races.....not much of a training routine.......LOL.

Double Lake Race

This has never been one of my favoites. It tends to draw the roadies out as it is mostly flat and non-technical. I tend to do better the more technical a trail is.....and have done Ok but not well at this venue. I have this and one more race left and need to finish well if I wish to be on the podium with a top 3 in the series. A friend named Guy from San Antonio has been coming on strong the last few races.....and he's in in a position to knock me down a few places. (which would most likely tickle him to death...LOL)

Well, the whistle blows I'm in 5th gear....and get a great jump. I hit 6th, 7th, and 8th sitting, when I hit 9th.....I stand and power it up the start road and hit the singletrack a good 30ft in 1st. Of all the race venues, Double Lake is the one were position going into the singletrack is hugely important. You transition from a park road taking a sharp left, down into and out of a swale. The single track starts as you come up out of the swale and is very sandy and tight. This spot has seen many, many pile-ups as guys jocky for postion......being out in front, I missed it all!!!

The only technical part of DL is maybe the tight trees. There are a bunch on the first couple miles and I am powering through them scraping my shoulders against a few. I am going all out the first of 3 laps....trying to put some distance between myself and the rest of the field. It is about here that I start to encounter racers from other classes. I reallize that every time I get held up......it gives the guys behind me time to close the gap. On the other hand, if I can make clean fast passes....maybe I can gain some more ground. So, it now becomes a timing thing, as I approach a rider I call out "lead S8 rider behind" and start looking ahead for the first safe place to pass.

As I come though the start/finish line, I grab a sport shake that Alex has waiting for me. I get about 3/4 of it down before I have to dump it going into the trail again. I take a quick glance back....and can't really tell if anyone in my class is close.....so I keep hammering it. I'm still hitting a lot of traffic....but making good fast passes. Legs are starting to hurt, as is my back.

Still in first after 2 laps.....I come flying through the start/finish line and grab another shake from Alex. No need to look back.....this is the last lap.....8.5 more miles and I'm hurting.....but surprisedly still going pretty fast. There is still some traffic, but not as bad as before and now most of the guys are tired and moving over pretty fast to let me by. I know my compitition......and they are as fast as me....so, they can't be far behind. I am sore and tired, but keep pushing with all I have.....someplaces this is fast.....some of the short climbs slow me down. When I finally break into the open at the finish.....I get a glimps of another rider still just inside the treeline. I had just passed a couple of guys before reaching the clearing....but didn't know if it was them right behind me. I stand on it and hammer it the last 150 yards to the finish. I take 1st place....just 8 seconds in front of the 2nd place guy, 55 seconds in front of 3rd. Both of these guys are in the running for 1st in the series with me. They both are in a better positition to take it......but I'm not out of it yet......LOL. X-bar should be interesting, but no matter the results, I'll be racing as an Expert after this series.

I've had several 2nds......multiple 3rds, etc.......but this is my first, 1st place finish. Guy finished 4th which will keep the pressure on me to finish well at X-Bar.

Riemers Ranch Race

This was my 4th race....but it is the 5th in the series. I will also miss the next one due to work.....therefore, I will have to make the last 2 no matter what.

This is a great trail, very rocky and technical up front, with a fast down hill last section. I showed up pretty tired as I had driven over from working 5 14-16 hour days shooting in Houston. I got a good start.....entering the singletrack in 2nd or 3rd, but start feeling weird going into the first couple of climbs. I didn't want to bonk completely, so I let a few guys by and dropped in behind them. As I was nearing the end of the first lap, I began to feel better. So, I started to overtake and pass the guys ahead of me.

I passed a few more heading into lap 2, then started picking them off one by one. As we hit the fast downhill section, I was in 4th, but quickly moved into 3rd. I got held up behind a couple of racers from another class, I could have made the pass, but didn't want to risk it at the speeds we were going. I finally got by one guy, and as I was passing the second, he bobbled trying to make a rocky turn, and I got held up for about 5-7 seconds trying to get around him. We are now on the final stretch and it is fast. There is a short section of double track before you hit the last piece of single back to the finishline. It is here that I get passed by another guy making his move on the last lap also. I follow him in and finish 10 seconds in 4th.

Had I passed when I first caught the two guys earlier.....I wouldn't have been behind the one that bobbled.....and would never be caught...and would have finished 3rd. Will not make that mistake again.

OC Challenge

Due to weather conditions, they changed some of the course. The route was about 52 miles this year. I ran it as a guide......helping make sure everyone was Ok and on track. I took off at the head of the pack....then dropped back to find a group a Dallas riders to join. I wound up riding with a guy named Alex (bigdaddy) on the forum. The fireroad climb up to the singletrack wasn't as bad as I thought it woud be. The first part was pretty wet here and there, even had water flowing down the trail in a few spots. But once we got to the Womble it got much better. We made all the check points with time to spare, and Alex was riding strong. He did experiance some cramping, but was able to ride it off. I took some great pics and a lot of video.......unfortunately, it seems to have not downloaded right and I lost it all.....CRAP!

Skipping race 4

Going to the OC Challenge instead.........a 64 mile ride through the North Arkasas mountains. I wish all my fellow racers a safe race and I'll see then all at Reimers Ranch. I'll post up a review on the OC as soon as I get back.

Race 3 Outback Blowout

Week 3 finds us in Waco, a really sweet, fast, technical trail. I'm currently sitting in 1st place after 2 races and feel pretty good. I was on a shoot the last 3 days....most of that spent standing, but I still feel pretty strong. The geared bike is still down, so I will be on the single speed again. This could be a problem as this start is more suited to the guys with gears.

As I predicted.......the start killed me. I did get the jump...off to an early lead......for about 50 yards. The feild starts to catch and pass me and I enter the single track around 10th. This first part is very fast with no places to pass. I have no trouble hanging with the lead group, I'm actually trying to get by a couple of guys that are holding me back in the tight stuff. I start to get more aggessive, and pass a few guys in the trees......then pass a couple more during a rocky climb. A guy goes down in front of me and I get past him.......another climb.....I pass 3 more before we reach the top. Now, I'm on the tail of the second place dude. I've caught up to him and am hanging on his rear tire...........we hit a climb with a technical turn at the top. He takes the easier outside line.......I dive in tight and pass him. After a little while, I can see the first place guy through the trees and am gaining on him. SisSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, front tire starts spewing air. I ride it till it is almost coming off the rim........pull out my CO2 and hit it. I try to mess with where the air is leaking and get it slowed down. So I hop back on, but I have just watched most of the guys I passed fly by.

The tire is still going down, but more slowly, and I manage to finish the first lap and come into the feed zone.....again riding the rim. Do I put in a tube.....naw, lets fill it and see if I can get it stopped. I do get it to seal.........the tire is a little softer that I'd like but I'm out of CO2.....and I do not have time to mess with it. So, off I go trying to retake those that got ahead of me. I hit a lot of traffic but am making good passes.......some of them even in my group. I now have no idea of where I stand but just keep hammering it. I do pass a couple more Sport 50+ guys and finish in 6th place, just 4 minutes out of 1st. This is a 1st or 2nd place finish that got away, but I am happy I did finish and got some points!! I am still in first for the series......but only by 7 points instead of the 13 I had going into this race. The guy in second place overall took 4th today......good job dude.

There are 3, maybe 4 guys that could win this series. Luckily I'm one of them. I really have to stay strong and problem free for the remaining races. My good friend Steve finished 3rd and moved closer to me.....he also missed the first race and I'm skipping the next. If he does well there........could make things interesting. I wish him the best as he is a great guy and has gotten alot faster since last year. This is my best shot at the Championship Jersey, (most likely Steve's as well), if we have 5 top 5 finishes....we will both be moved to expert. No matter how I finish the series (be it 1st, 2nd, 3rd....hopefully not worse.....LOL)......if I have my place locked up......I will move to expert for the last race of the season.

Race 2....Bar-H Bash

Terlingua was Feb, 16th.......2 weeks later comes Bar-H on March 2nd. Then Waco in two weeks, these are 3 of the hardest trails and we hit them....1-2-3.....whew!

I do a nice pre-ride on the SS of course, in right at 1 hour. Sat. afternoon I help with the registration for a few hours, then head over to get the Paragon ready. I'm dusting it down and find a crack going 3/4 of the way around my bottom bracket. I only ride it at races, and hadn't been on it since Terlingua. I guess the rocky downhill took it's toll, probably had a small stess crack that I hadn't seen. Well, I'm out on the geared bike but thankfully have the SS. Of course this trail has a ton of climbing, much of it loose and rocky, and all my competition with have gears. But I still feel I can get a top 10, maybe squeze out a top 5. My biggest fear is the mile long downhill start......everyone will be in the bigring and I'll be lucky to hit the singletrack towards the back.......fighting my way to the front.

So, there are 17 of us lined up as the whistle blows, and I stand up and hammer it with all I've got. I take the hole shot, and hit the first turn (about 50 yards out) in first, sweep it and pedal till I start spinning out. At this time all I can do is lean forward and try to pick up momentum. Thanks to not being afraid of downhills, or loose dirt, I stay well in first place all the way to where it flattens out. Un-able to gain any more monmentum, 4-5 guys pass me as we get with-in 100 yards of the single track. I re-take 2 of those before we hit the first climbs, then catch and pass the others with-in the first mile of singletrack. Shortly after this I start to catch racers from the groups that went off before us. Usually this takes a little longer, but we used 1minute splits as opposed to the normal 3 minutes. This is one of the places I shine....passing, some people are to timid.....I charge and pass aggressively. I got to do something here I've never gotten to do before. Yell "lead rider coming though" as I passed. It's not much, but man, did it feel good. Next we hit Hole in the Tree, a really fast rolling downhill section that I know will help we extend my lead. This is pretty much how the next several miles/minutes go......catch riders, pass riders, catch riders, pass riders.

I am now on my second lap, I've made the first 2 hard climbs and am pushing it up the final climb on Horseshoe to the overlook. Another racer in my class rides past me......crap! I knew the climbs would be my undoing, but figured if I could keep the lead till after Splitears and BOIA, no-one could catch me. At this point there were still quite a few hard climbs to make, and I had no way of knowing how close the 3rd place guy was. So, do I hammer it and challege this guy, maybe blow-up and be overtaken by someone behind. Or, hang with him best I can, protecting second place, and challenge him toward the end. I stayed with him, which was hard as he had the gears for climbing. I never let him get out of my sight......even pulled to with-in 20 yards several times. I thought I could make up ground on the downhills coming up. When we hit the end of Hole-in the Tree, he was like 30-40 seconds in front. Dang, he was a good downhiller as well. He kept that distance all the way to the end and finished 35-40 seconds in first. Again, gears at that last section might have made a difference......but still second place on a SS was sweet. Turns out, the 3rd place racer was a good 2.5 minutes behind......I could have challenged him sooner without the fear of being caught, even if I did burn out some trying.

Monday morning, drop bike at B&B Bikes so they can send the frame to Fisher. It looks like I will most likely be racing Waco on the SS, unless, somehow they get the frame back in time. But I am very familiar with the trail and have done it with a 34-18 and will run a 34-20 for the race. I am now confident that I can hold my own even on the SS......but as the climbing is substantal there, I'm hoping for the 1x9er to be ready. But that is part of racing......you do what you have to get to the finish line.

First race of 08

Terlingua, Tx. This one is a marathon, sport racers do one lap of 31 miles. Our usual distances are more in the 18-22 mile range. I signed up for the 100k, or two laps, with my first lap counting towards my TMBRA points.





The weather was great this year compared to the last two. It was mid 40's at the start, and quickly jumped up from there. I did run with leggings and a long cotton shirt.......was only warm and uncomfortable for the last 1/4 of lap one. I started strong at the front behind the pace guy and ran in the front group most of the way to the singletrack. Knowing I was going to do 2 laps, I did back off a little. Hit the feedzone at the airport feeling good, should have kept moving, but took a quick break. I ate a PB&J, drank a sport shake and refilled my water bottle......took like 3 minutes. I hit Tres Cuevas refreshed and strong, making everything except the 40 yard section of babyheads towards the top. As usual, I flew the downhill at top speed......this is where I pass a bunch. Many riders are very uneazy and timid on this section, and rightly so. You really have to trust your skills and pay solid attention.....or you will pay the price. I saw a couple of riders go down on some of the sketchy turns, and I managed to avoid them.

I stopped at the start of lap 2 to drink another sport shake. I wasn't looking forward to doing the second lap. To be truthful, I almost bailed 3 times. Once, mile 1, before I even crossed the highway to enter the desert. Second, mile 7, where the split for the 30k-50k takes you straight to the airport. Then again, mile 20, after arriving at the airport. But, I was still feeling OK, even though the temps had dropped and the headwinds were in the 35-45 mph range. Another sport shake and I was off to challenge Tres Cuevas again. Surprisedly I only walked a small section of the first switchback, and the 40 yards of babyheads. This really made me feel good as I rode a 1x9 with a 34 ring up front. Not the best choice but I seem to be able to mash it OK. The winds on the climb were unbarable and so cold that it was actually hard to breath. They were so bad that several riders told of being knocked over by them. Then a lite rain/drizzle started........and it was coooooold.....nasty cold. At this point, all I could think of was, I've passed the hard stuff, all that's left is the sketchy downhill back to the finish. I hit it as hard as I did the first lap, just slowing in some of the corners due to the wetness. Luckily, the mist stopped and the temps came up a tad with about 2 miles to go. I came down the last piece of single track, hit the finish line, and hammered it all the way across the line.

Results, I finish 5th in my TMBRA group for the 50k, and 15th in the 100K. And I could have done another lap.............NOT!!! LOL!!

To much today

Started out doing about 4 miles riding OCNP backwards and marking it. I switched the direction of travel to make it interesting, it will be this way for 2 weeks. Then Jeremy and I did 50+ miles thought south east Dallas. Started in Hutchins, west to Lancaster, southeast to Ferris, southwest.....then southeast to Palmer, ALL INTO a stiff 30-40 mph wind. Finally, after crossing 45, we headed northeast will the wind at our backs. Good to great roads for the most part, just a couple of bad sections. The finish was downwind along the railroad tracks from Ferris back to Hutchins. Much of it has been recently repaved, and man, was it smooooooooth.

Then, after picking up my stepdaughter from school, I head to OCNP. Probably not the smartest move.....but I did it backwards in 44:32. Still pretty good, but I was still hurting from the road ride.

Frozen Four Hour Race

We held the 3rd FFH race at my trail, OCNP, on 02/02/08. We had the largest feild with 169 racers entered. The fastest lap was 36:02 by one of the elite/pro riders. He completed 7 laps......only 6 people got in 7. My asst trail steward and good friend Jeremy turned in the 3rd or 4th best lap with a nice 36:42. Most riders were in the mid to high 40 minute lap times. I videoed a lot of it.....like about and hour and a half worth. I edited into this video....check it out, this is my trail. This is the first half........I had to split it for it to upload to photobucket properly.
http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/shadowjohns/?action=view&current=OCNPFFHbest.flv

Second half.
http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/shadowjohns/?action=view&current=OCNPFFH2ndhalf.flv

Tomorrow I'm going to switch the direction of the trail. I do that from time to time, usually 6 weeks in the normal direction, then 1 or 2 weeks backwards. It is like riding a completely different trail.............and a nice change of pace.

First timed time

Funny title, but I ran an almost all out race pace lap today. I say almost, because I never maxed out my HR, and ran at recovery pace for too long after 2 climbs. I still ran a 40:25 lap, which beat Racer99's 42 minute lap of last Sat. Next time out, I will break 40 minutes.

Loop 4 is really turning into one of the best loops out there. It has everything, tight trees, good climbs, fast downhills, open fields. It is 1.62 miles from where it starts to where it rejoins the main trail. The ridge at Jeremy's Playground is the halfway point. Once I get final OK from TLC, we will finish the other downhill runs.

Finished loop 4

Well, we opened the last 1/2 mile addition to loop 4. This brings the trail to just over 7.5 miles. Also, and more important, this is in time for it to be packed in somewhat for the race on Feb. 2nd. Here is a slide show of the new stuff.

http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p66/shadowjohns/?action=view&current=327ec000.pbw

I hope to ride it for the first time myself tomorrow. This weekend the trail saw a lot of action, and the reports I'm getting on the new section are very positive. If we get the rain they are forcasting, I will go out after it gets tacky and ride this section back and forth. That will pack it down some....LOL.

OCNP tool shed

I got to keep 8 4x8 sheets of heavy 3/4 plywood from a shoot today. Oh, I should mention I shoot commercials.

Anyway, I will build it next week.....and post some pics. This is to keep a mower, chainsaw, 4-6 loppers, rakes, 4 wheel cart....and misc. tools in. There are 10 people who are responcible for helping to maintain the 7 plus miles of trail. They will be able to ride out to the shed, get the tools they need, do the work, put tools back.....then finish their ride.

I'll put up a link to photos of my trail soon.

first post Jan 2

This blog will be about my racing in and around Texas. I race XC mountain bikes. I also ride road, but just for fun and training. I also have built 2 mountain bike trails in Dallas, well, I'm finishing up the second one this year.

MORE to follow soon.