Early Season Drag Race, a Fair Hill Race Report

No time for smiles!

And so it was on a fine Sunday morning that the Pro/Elite field of the Mid-Atlantic Super Series found themselves geared up for our bi-annual slugfest at Fair Hill near Elkton, MD.  Not one to fib, I'll admit this is not my favorite race:  No hills, no tech, nowhere for me to make my mark.  Also not one to wallow in negativity, I toed the line with an optimistic outlook, ready to take what I could get on the day.  The timer counted down as my muscles tensed, ready to uncoil at the 'go'.

Before my thrilling race synopsis ensues, let's first look back at the previous 48hrs leading up to that moment:  On Friday I found myself driving up to East Stroudsburg University where my teammate Matt Miller awaited.  Matt is a bit of a trail-blazer in the field of mountain bike power training (read his interview on fattirefests.com!), and is completing a Masters in Physiology at ESU.  For his thesis, he was conducting tests on VO2, FTP, and most importantly Critical Power.  He's fancy schmancy!  After testing on Friday and Saturday, I was as opened up as I could get and ready to have a go at the Fair Hill course.

Needs more cowbell.

Back to the start line, the timer says 'go', and we're off like a herd of gophers chasing a chex mix truck. First sensation was that of calmness, having little problem with the pace.  Second sensation was that of a possible rear flat, d'oh!  Waiting for the right time to check my tire, it seemed good to go, so I continued on my quest.  Luckily my stalling didn't cost me too many places, and was able to stay attached to the lead group.  A blown corner cost me that position though, and I quickly found myself in no-man's land as I bridged back up.  On my way up, I caught up with some riders heading back and hung out with them for a bit, before a mistake cost me that spot as well, double d'oh.

There's something to be said about the persistence of bridging back up to riders after several mistakes and miscalculations.  It's a unique sensation of frustration and accomplishment.  That being said, I was definitely feeling more of the accomplishment as the race entered its twilight and I found myself picking up a few positions as the finish drew near.  A sly pass before a fun section of singletrack put me in position for the finish and I rode in just shy of catching the next rider to bag a 5th place on the day.

Thanks to all our sponsors, Giant Bicycles, SRAM, Schwalbe, ESI, Adidas Eyewear, Northwave, DNA Clothing, Elete, Raw Revolution, Muc-Off, and Enzo's.

~ Jordan

Greenbrier Challenge

Coming into this weekend, I felt recovered from the previous and fairly excited about my first “official” Cat 1 XC race. By official, it just means that I had to present my license at registration and they did a thorough job making sure it was accurate and my numbers matched up. Apparently they’re cracking down on people who are trying to race with expired licenses. Those weasels.

Because this was a qualifier race for nationals, there were tons of categories for each class. I had the option to race in my age group, 19-29, or Cat 1 Open women. To ensure a place at nationals, I chose to stay in my age group (and because there were tons of fast ladies signed up in the open). The down side of choosing the age group is that we were placed in the back of the pack and it wasn’t until twenty minutes in that we actually started. The pros were finishing their first lap at 23 minutes and finally lapped me on the end of my first. Ryan was killing it on the climbs and leading the pack while Jordan crushed the descent on his Anthem X Advanced 29er.

Ryan in the lead! Photo courtesy of A.E Landes

Jordan ridin' dirty.

After 4 long, grueling laps, I was never so happy to cross that finish line. It was a rough day for me, but hopefully my weekend off will allow me to fully recover. I ended up getting second in my age group and left with some cash in hand. Afterwards, the team and I went to Cinco de Mayo where none of us ordered a meal that sizzled. We improvised though.

Photo courtesy of the winner, Abbey Alexiades

-Callie

THE Open MTB Relay

Intergalactic mountain bike bragging rights were up for grabs last weekend in Marysville, PA.   Roughly 400 brave riders tackled a tight, log ridden, three mile course for four hours in THE International Intergalactic Global Open Mountain Bike Team Relay Championship of the Multi-Friggin-Verse.  If the name seems intimidating, I believe people just call it THE Open MTB Relay for short.  Regardless of the race’s prestigious, lengthy name it’s a rad event with a cool format that makes for a stellar early season event. 

Giant family and friends were at THE Open MTB Relay in full force. The four-person Giant Mid-Atlantic Off Road Team included Callie, Matt, Jordan, and myself.  George Shriver, Levi Olsen, and Levi’s friend James McClammer made up the “Go Giant or go home!” three-person squad.  And to be well rounded Josh Fonner rode in the “MF’ing Solo” category.  It was great kicking it with these guys in between hot laps. 

Matt Miller putting in some consistent laps on his Trance X 29er! (Pic. Cred: A.E. Landes)

The course was short, but downed logs and tight single-track made passing racers challenging.  I was lucky to ride the last lap of the day.   Encountering minimal traffic, I scored the fastest lap not only in Marysville, PA, the east-coast, the US, the world, but somehow managed the fastest lap encompassing all that is outer space.

Yours truly doing a pretty gross wheelie.  (Pic. Cred:  Mateus Kaplan)    

My only pet peeve for the day was racers lacking respect for their competition.  Sanctioned, non-sanctioned, forbidden or allowed remember that when you’re racing and want to pass someone be polite, be respectful, and know when to pass.  There’s no reason why adults should aggressively belittle one another especially kids.  I saw some pretty embarrassing actions out on the course.  So wise up, help grow the sport of bike racing…I dare you to be positive.   Sorry for the rant. 

Heads up:  little shredders everywhere! ( Pic. Cred:  Mateus Kaplan)

THE Open MTB Relay definitely lit a fire for this upcoming season!  Make sure you sign up next year if you like fun, challenging, well run events.  Next race on the schedule will be The Greenbrier Challenge…

-Ryan

Root 66 # 1 2013

So... I was a bit skeptical, worried and nervous about the first race of the season. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that most of my bikes were still being used as coat racks in my cellar. Although I have been cross training and lifting weights I would say I am far from "bike fit"... or so i thought. Race day come and the nerves are on over drive. Checking the pre registration list every day the week before hand to see who is showing up, wondering who's fast and who's not. All normal thought process for the first race of the season. I eased my nervous mind by letting myself have fun with the race and to not worry about outcomes. This all seemed to pay off because i started my season with a stellar race. leading much of the first lap and a half, staying smooth, and hanging on a very on form  Justin lindines coat tails for much of the race. Coming in second is not bad if i don't say so myself. Next race isn't for another 3 weeks. So plenty of time to dial things in and ramp up the proper MTB training for later season races. Oh ya, did i mention i was racing a Single Speed as well...

Photo credit to Bicycle Express



~S. Powell