The SERC series traveled to the Ocoee Whitewater Center this weekend to give the racers a chance to fly along the Tanasi trail system that snakes up and down the mountains flanking the Ocoee River in Tennessee. What a great set of trails!! They really do have a bit of everything from steep/technical climbs, to fire road climbs and descents, to flowy single track, to bomber downhills. Really an awesome place to ride a bike, and an even better place to race one! =)
So, since I am racing on a singlespeed this year, race strategy has to be planned accordingly. On a geared bike you can really hammer the whole course, but on a singlespeed, you are spun out anytime the trail is not going upwards...and this course is almost always going up or down. So I figured the SS race would be completely decided on the climbs, since no one would be putting down any power unless climbing. Staying off the brakes as much as possible and letting gravity do its thing was going to be a helluvalotta fun, but was not going to play into the outcome of the race. It would all come down to who was going up the hills the fastest. So, I went with the easiest gear combination I own...39x22...and it was perfect for the climbs (given that there were going to be lots of people clogging up the singletrack, and you couldn't guarantee that you'd be able to pick your own line, or choose how fast you could go through the traffic. 39x20 would have been my choice on this terrain without the congestion ;).
To make a long and borring race report quick and easy, I put the hammer down on the very first climb. After the first quarter mile or so, there is a 180 degree switchback up the mountain and you get a birdseye view of the trail that you just climbed...and I couldnt see anyone. So I just stomped on the pedals as hard as I could every time the trail turned upwards, and enjoyed the rest of the trail all day long.
I think I went through the first lap 5 minutes ahead of the next singlespeeder, and decided to enjoy the company of some friends on the trail for the second lap =)
The cool thing about mountain bike racing, is that the fields all get pretty blown apart, and you get to pick off riders from other fields while racing on the same course. I had the pleasure of riding a couple portions of the trail with womens pro/expert ladies Paula Burks, Elizabeth McCalley, and Kym Fasczewski. All three of them are super fit and fast, but what impressed me the most was how dayum fast Paula was going on the descents! They make brakes for a reason!@#^&!@ YIKES! I had passed Paula on a steep and technical climb late on lap #1 and opened up a little gap, but as soon as the trail turned flattish and downhill, that chick was putting the hammer down! She was mashing the pedals while I was helpless with one gear, and on the true downhill sections she was just plain SCARY FAST! I think Danny Hart might have learned a thing or two from her...
After seeing how fast the Pro/expert women were riding the non-climbing sections, I decided that when I caught up with Kym I would just follow her for the rest of the race (basically to make sure that I didn't get in her way!), and I thought I'd probably learn a thing or two at the same time. Mission accomplished =) I always like following people that know how to handle a bike in the woods...it is certainly a humbling experience every time. I often feel like I am wrestling my bike around some of the obstacles in the trail, but the really good riders just sort of float over the things that I strain to overcome. Watching someone effortlessly slice through technical singletrack is a beautiful thing =) I need to look into getting one of the GoPro cameras. I would love to have footage of both Paula and Kym from this weekend's race. I followed each of them through some really awesome sections of Tanasi's finest trails, and I am sure the footage would have been really inspiring. Super cool ladies who know how to make bikes go silly fast through the woods, haha =)
At the end of the second lap (the last lap), I looked over my shoulder as I was riding up the 1.5 mile paved section of road that gets you back to the start/finish area, and to my surprise, I saw who I thought to be Dave Holmes charging in my direction! I was spun out in my 39x22 gear, and doing slightly more than 20mph...and Dave was riding SS, too...surely that couldnt be Dave burning up the asphalt that fast?!!? Well, it wasn't. Elizabeth, who was wearing the same kit as Dave, was FLYING up the road...no, wait...HAULING A$$ up the road!!! Crap she was moving! She blew my doors off and stormed to a 2nd place finish on the day! I don't know exactly where she passed Paula on the second lap, but she had a full head of steam coming through the finish. I was certainly impressed. Lil Bit has had an awesome start to the year so far, and I would venture to say that she is riding stronger than ever. Very psyched for her! =)
Although it wasn't Dave breathing down my neck on that finishing straight, he did cruise in for a 2nd place finish on the day in our Singlespeed race. Great to have him out there mashing one gear =) And I am pretty sure that another Chattanoogan, Richie Daigle, came in with a 4th place finish in the SS race. Richie was another one making appearance #2 at the WWC in as many weeks after racing Big Frog last weekend, too.
While waiting at the finish area, I got to see my buddy Fenton come zipping across the line with a big grin on his face, so I was pretty certain that he had cleaned house in the 40-49 sport category. And Tony Angevine was able to cruise in for 2nd in the same class.
John Castleberry (yes, the same John Castleberry who wiped the floor with me in my first road race up Raccoon Mountain 3 years ago...) rolled in with a 3rd place finish in the 30-39 class.
Paul Ruhling had another strong showing for the second week in a row on these trails after his Big Frog 65 performance last weekend. He took 3rd in the highly competetive 40-49 expert class.
Ginger Sillery also rocked these trails for the second weekend in a row and brought home a 1st place in the womens sport class!
And the womens Pro/Expert podium shook out with Kym winning for the second week in a row, followed by Elizabeth puting in a great race for 2nd, and Paula and Catherine were 3rd and 4th respectively. Again, another US Stove-Trek/Vantaggio domination of the womens race!
It was also cool to see so many folks out supporting racers this weekend. Mark Fasczewski and Foye Troute are a couple super cool guys that I never get the chance to see, and they were both all smiles =) Foye even had little Magnus riding shotgun in the Kelty backpack carrier all day. Magnus had the best seat in the house, hahah ;) And Kristi Angevine was out and about spreading positive vibes all day, too. Before long, she and Tony will be the ones sporting the Kelty carrier on race day!
So, another awesome weekend in the woods =) It might be a while until I get to race my Cysco again, so stay tuned for posts of another nature ;)
oh, please excuse the quality of the pictues below...my phone doesnt work as well after being attacked by that car...
Win #2 on my Cysco Cycles 29er and Dave Holmes killin it for 2nd =)
The crazy fast chicks!!! Elizabeth, Kym, Paula, and Catherine
John Castleberry in 3rd
Paul Ruhling in 3rd
Fenton on the top step and Tony in 2nd
Ginger crushing them again
