Leadbelt XC

Much akin to 2008, the 2010 Missouri statewide mountain bike series kicked off at St. Joe State Park under a new moniker, the United Federation of Dirt. Despite the new name, the race exhibited similar tricks. For one weekend a year, an 8 mile stretch of dirt bike trails are passed off as a cross country course. To continue with the theme of tricks, this transmogrification represents the "turn," with the "prestige" being a resultant face melting, as flow is a minuscule concern to those with 250cc, four-stroke, smog machines between their legs. For those of us with less than 400 watts of power in our two "leg" strokes, flow is paramount. Complaints aside, the masochistic side of me has really enjoyed this race each year. It's an ideal location for early in the season due to the lack of elevation and rocky soil. Mark, the race promoter, also seems truly passionate about hosting this event each year.

With a fair amount of base leading up to the series opener, my legs felt robust as I waited at the line for the Cat 1 race, lungs a different story. Off the start, I easily found myself where I wanted to be, second wheel into the singletrack. I followed Zak Hafner for a little over a mile with the rest of the age groupies in tow. The start seemed a little sluggish for an expert race, although given the adverse trail conditions for the day, I was complacent to save some energy. Zak bobbled and hesitated on a slick stretch, in which I capitalized and put in a quick hard pull to separate from the pack. Sitting up after the pull, I noticed that one rider had tagged on. Incredibly matched on power, we traded pulls for the remainder of lap one, slowly putting distance on our cohorts. Hitting the asphalt wheel to wheel at the conclusion of lap 1, we collectively decided to sit up, grab some water, and sneak in a quick chat, having not seen any competitors for a few miles.

Rolling through for lap 2, it was game on. I inched out ahead wanting to hit the singletrack first. I put in a few hard pulls on the false flats and progressively got a little bit of breathing room behind me. All of a sudden, the fellow disappeared from the rearview mirror apparently with a mechanical ending his day. I finished out lap 2 solo.

By lap 3, I managed to catch a Revolution rider and kept within 50 feet or so for the last lap. Needing one hard surge to gap up, I found all of my matches used up. The Revolution rider (the money spot) disappeared up over the last climb, relegating me to a 4th place finish overall, 1st in the 19-29 age bracket. I am incredibly elated! Pre-season training payed huge dividends today. I had a great ride despite less than desirable conditions and know what I need to work on. Granted, this is merely a low priority early race, but I hope it's a sign of prosperous times on the horizon.

Here's to a buck nasty start to 2010.

To see 30 seconds of my butt, then me getting dropped follow this link and fast forward to the 3:20 mark:

http://vimeo.com/10166659

The Cogs, In Motion

Massive training hours taper to focused intensity. Definition of tan lines emerge with each passing day as the sun swivels betwixt tropics. From road to mountain, hair to nair - race season arrives in a verisimilitude of March, roaring like a lion.

Leadbelt, I'm ready.

Bubba 7 at St. Vincent

(Thanks to Mike for snapping some photos)

After some solid B race finishes this season, 4-6-3-4, I decided to sack up this weekend and do the big show. Uncertain about my relative riding level, I lined up on the back row of the 25 rider field. *An aside; I am most appreciative that we have USACycling reps willing to brave the elements weekend after weekend to officiate these races, but man they can be real turds sometimes* Off the line, the pack stayed bunched up for the majority of the opening straight. I unfortunately got sandwiched between a fella on a mountain bike (???!!!??) and some other chap slapping on my back tire. Jumping out of the sandwich, I was surprised how slow the midpack A race start was, but unfortunately was unable to make any passes. Hence, after a conservative opening lap, with the field stringing out through the technical sections and climbs, I was eventually able to pick up a couple of places.

By the end of the lap, I found SoIll ScottP and DBlack(I owe you massive amounts of beer holmes) who were hauling through the technical sections. I sat on with Drew for a couple of laps and from what I'm told, we closed a huge gap on the next group of riders. Noticing a few more Mesa dudes 30 seconds ahead, I came around DB hoping to tow him up with me. The next time I looked over my shoulder, the DB's had switched, and I now had a Pro-Ass Breslin flying to catch up. Having flatted, the dude was mega-motivated, closing Gaps like a recession. I sat on with Dave for a lap, taking cues from the master, before he pulled off at the Seagal refreshment station on the big ass climb. Well deserved hydration after running the entire course! The pulls with Drew and Dave put me in range of three more riders, although one turned out to be mountain bike bro. In the final two laps, I inched out Martin and Matt going through the two big climbs, ultimately rolling across the line for 11th.

Moment of Zen regarding the race:

-Wicked excited for a solid result in my first big league showdown

-Glad to perform well with my parents in the audience

-Course was phenomenal and well suited to me (probably a large factor of my result) Word to the set-up crew

-Hindsight feeling kind of dick about putting my teammates to the screws and not working with them more or offering more motivation

-Legs & Lungs feel kick-ass

Back to the Future Weekend

Narrative Hook-

Stellar action packed weekend: Halloween, Daylight Savings, & two nights of euro field racing to kick off the new month.

Ch1.

Donning a green Parisian silk garment, I started the race on the front line alongside a man sized hare and Number 6. Immediately the soggy grass gave way to precariously slick mud sections. My mountain skills out-shined the time trialing road fellows as I slowly gapped the field. Maintaining a steady pace for 45 minutes allowed for a flawless race, sans mishaps in what could have been a wipeout fest. Overall the race was fun, but uneventful as I easily held 3rd for the meat of it. $10 and 4 points the richer, I hit the sack.

Ch2.

Tired as anticipated, I hit Carl's Big Bend Pay 'N Spray for a Sunday morning bike bath. With the Stevens looking 95% pro, the mates and I hit Creve Coeur for the third time this week. I was hoping for call-ups like the previous night afair, but in their absence I still found my way to a second row start in a narrow, strung out B field. At the end of the asphalt straight, I hit the wooded section around 6th wheel. I jockeyed with a few noticeably slower riders for two laps before connecting with my usual Dent Wizard counterpart. The two of us, surprising equally matched, traded pulls for a couple laps, putting a huge gap on 5th and bridging up to 2nd. With the number 2 man visibly fatigued, I swung around and proceeded to tow the group for 3 or so laps.

Coming through the ties section with 2 to go, my rear brake jammed as I remounted requiring me to hop off, remedy, and hammer. Fervently hitting the slog, I managed to regain contact with the group and sandwich in. Out of gas, the chaps put some hurt on in the closing moments culminating in a three way group sprint to the line. Aftermath: a wheel length away from the big money, 3 points in the bucket, and generally content with the weekend of racing. College season kicks off next weekend which may evoke other noteworthy happenings. We'll see how the logs are feelin' and what the Rock is cookin'.

Afterword -

Bono to elimiNATEr for rockin' his first cross weekend aboard the ferSirrus express and mucho gusto to Bunnbo Baggins for a truckload of hot shots.

Night of the Living Bubba/Dawn of the Bubba

#1

With my legs and fitness feeling decent, despite a two week aversion to the bike due to ailments and exams, I put myself on the front line of battle for the B race, intent on finishing well. After an unjustifiably delayed starting whistle, my foot immediately found the pedal and I shot off the front leading the pack into the sweeping first descent. Having last led a race at the State Mountain Championships a number of months ago, I found it to be a surprisingly odd sensation. Remarkably, I managed to hold my position for most of the first lap before realizing that I was rolling at a non-sustainable pace given the soggy, energy-sucking conditions.

Sitting up just a bit, a few riders came around me on one of the long slow uphills. I managed to hold the third place wheel and stick with 2nd & 3rd for the majority of the race. As I started to fade, a couple second gap began to form in the group as the pair up front dropped me going through the barrier/run-up section. Shortly thereafter on the same lap, a Manchester rider exploded past me coming out of the off camber mud section. Within two subsequent straights and turns, I reeled the fellow back in and put some distance on him that would stick for the rest of the race.

With the pass garnering a bit of adrenaline and nearing the bell lap, I put in one last effort to reach the 2nd/3rd party. Hitting the hairpin turns just before the finish straightaway, I managed to catch the two, but was one turn behind. This small gap allowed the two to open up into a sprint a few seconds ahead of me and disappear down the hill to the finish. With no one contesting for fourth, I sat up and rolled across the line in ease. Awesome race for me, earning some series points, but sadly no podium or payday.

#2

Talk about a tale of two races. With the exception of the few XC/Short Track combos during the collegiate season this year, I have rarely done back to back races. After destroying an Imo's medium and half a box of bran, I passed out Saturday for 11 hours. Kicking my alarm off Sunday morning a half dozen times, I was resolute in not racing again. However an early morning wake up call from the parents indicating they were coming out to watch the race motivated me to throw on the spandies for another hour of field racing pain. With some accrued expert advice from birthday boy MJames and Boss Hoss Russ, I once again found myself on the front line hungry for a destruction sandwich.

Off the line, I eased my way up the pavement start, entering the grass fourth wheel. Picture perfect opener. Hitting the quagmire adjacent the officials table and the ensuing upward pitch, my momentum dwindled and a string of riders floated by. Suffering up the climb and hitting the second road section, I caught my breath and caught a wheel on the freight train. Going through the barriers on lap 1, a shouting spectator indicated that I was sitting in 7th. Somewhere in the mix-up, a couple other dudes sneaked past, knocking me back to 11th. Trading places with the same Manchester rider from the night before, we rolled into the mud pit near the end of lap 1; me with functioning chain, him without.

Over the following laps, I bridged up to a Dent Wizard rider and proceeded to swap spots for the remainder of the race. Details remain dim with less than ample lighting adorning the pain cave. For five laps, I could see a small group of riders a few seconds ahead and a couple of stragglers trailing us. Despite multiple solo attempts to gap up, and failed persuasion to get the Dent Wizard to take pulls with me, we continued our mini-battle for 6th. Honestly, after both racing last night, I am not sure either one of us had gas in the tank to close the gap.

Either way, on the bell lap, DW hit the afterburners on the first pavement section, putting a few lengths on me. Catching my breath, and maintaining a steady cadence, I put in a hard effort once we hit the grass again. Two lapped riders found their way between us, spelling disaster for my efforts. Hitting the climb on the backside, I swung around one and caught the wheel of the other. Three of us - DW, lapped chucko, and myself - snaked around the low stuff, wheel to wheel. Climbing towards the barriers, I found some power from deep within and blasted around the two fellas on the inside. We remained in formation for the last half lap of the race.

Going into the mud pit and the following hair-pins, I stomped hard ensuring that I was first in, first out. Hitting the last road section, I shifted into the big ring for the only big ring action of the weekend and made my ninth place stick. Despite the less glamorous overall spot, the head to head racing on Day 2 was undeniably more enjoyable. Still in the base/build phase of my fall training, I am really looking to come on strong as the season winds on. Hopefully by December I can win one of these things (maybe even cat up).