GSC #1 - East Macon Park

First race of the Georgia State Championship cross country mountain bike series, done.



Start: Sun, Mar 22, 2009 9:38 AM Eastern Time
Distance: 17.23 mi

Series Website

GPS data on Garmin Connect



Can see from the HR monitor, I started to slow down some on the 3rd lap. My legs where a bit toasted. No cramping though. Need to do more 1 hr 30 min solid rides on the mountain bike to get a good idea of exactly how far I can push them. Lungs and everything else felt fantastic.

Bike was fantastic. Nutrition/water where perfect. Though, I ran a 50oz CamelBak since I'm not good at drinking out of bottles. That's not going to be sufficient when it starts getting hotter.

Finished 10th out of 14 in the Single Speed Open Class. Kind of regret not tearing it up in Base/Beginner class for just one race. This will make me faster though. Beginner is two laps vs three laps for the open classes and Sport.



First mile was a flat cross style course, then it ran through a BMX track, then it dumped into five or so miles of tight single track. Short and steep climbs, nothing sustained. Sandy and some roots. Pretty typical central Georgia setup. Not what a usually ride but lots of fun.



Next race will be April 19th in Columbus, GA (Flat Rock Park).

Grant B's photos. Very good work.

More photos in this SORBA forum thread.

Bootleg Canyon Vacation Ride

Was out in Las Vegas this last weekend. Wanted to get a little riding in so I conned a few of the folks I was with into doing a tour of Bootleg Canyon with me. This the same trail system they use for the Interbike dirt demo last year.

The tour was through a shop right by the trail system, All Mountain Cyclery. I just brought my bike cloths, pedals, shoes and Garmin in my carry on bag. They picked us up from our hotel on the strip and provided everything else. We had a great experience, highly recommended outfit.

Happened to be there during Brent Thomson memorial festive/race. Normally I guess they wouldn't have run a tour with a race going on, but I registered before that came about. Very accommodating considering how much was going on.

More info on Brent Thomson:
http://www.mtbtrailreview.com/blog/brands/brent-thomson-medical-fund/
http://www.mtbtrailreview.com/blog/brands/brent-thomson-rip/

Topo & GPS track of our ride:



Rode out from the shop. Stopped my gps before riding back though since we hung out at the festival for a bit.



In relation to Vegas.



Speed & HR. Ended up being more of an interval training ride for me. The guide and I would hammer for a bit, get to an intersection and then wait for my people to catch up. Worked out pretty well.

GPS: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2565538

We rode the XC trails out there. Very fast and great flow with lots of awesome technical stuff tossed in.



Squishy bike with gears and little wheels. Fun change of pace.



Our guide.









Whoops! Getting unclipped is serious business.



Me apparently taking a nap before dropping in on fast section. You can barely see Vegas in the background of that photo.



Group shot.

Some people racing:











Here is a video of someone running one of the DH runs:
http://vholdr.com/video/cameron-mccaul-killing-boot-leg-canyon

Anyway. All Mountain Cyclery. Highly recommended if you find yourself out in Vegas. Great equipment and service. Our guide, name was Knight I believe, was awesome. It was fun to be out with a good rider that knew all the trails.

Snake Creek Gap Time Trial #3

Finished the third Snake Creek Time Trial yesterday! Note; missed the second one due to work.

Summary:
Activity Type: Mountain Biking
Event Type: Race
Start: Sat, Mar 7, 2009 9:59 AM Eastern Time
Total Time: 04:14:02 (vs 05:29:40 for Snake #1)
Average Speed: 7.5 mph (vs 5.8 mph for Snake #1)
Max Speed: 40.3 mph
Distance: 31.97 mi
Elevation Gain/Loss: 5,237 ft / 4,981 ft
Min/Max Elevation: 804 ft / 1,812 ft
Heart Rate Average: 165 bpm (vs 151 bpm for Snake #1)
Heart Rate Max: 190 bpm

GPS track link:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2408209

Official website:
http://www.nwgasorba.org/the_snake.html




Camped out with some folks Friday night before the race and tried not to drink too much beer. Lots of fun people there. Scott Hodge, Matt Kicklighter, Bruce Dickman, Yazoo Brewing Race Team and some of the local folks.

Starting out Sat morning, body felt fantastic. Bike worked flawlessly. Weather was pleasant. Trail conditions where excellent. Nice and tacky with none of the muddy climbs that sapped my energy the first time!

Killed my previous time. Cut 1hr, 15min off of it. 4:14 vs 5:29.


Changes from previous Snake in January:

• Better fitness. Put in some long mountain bike rides with Polly, Roger, 198, B, T & that crew. Also was good about hitting the night rides at Big Creek during the week, CrossFit, watching TV on the rollers and running.
• Faster bike setup. Easier gear ratio for the climbs. Lighter tires. Hydrolic brakes vs mecanical disk. Suspension fork vs rigid (though I kept it locked out most the time). Lighter & smaller CamelBak. In additon to running Cytomax in my water, I took four SportLegs before starting.
  
• Better trail conditions. No muddy climbs to suffer through.

Houston Studios Photography


I did make one big mistake. Skipped filling my water bottle at the second SAG. Was feeling great and thought I had enough to finish the race with. Unfortunately, the last 1/3 is the most difficult and the sun had just burned through the fog. Ran out of water a few miles from the end and started to get some twinges in my left calf. Slowed it down a bit. Also paid dearly after finishing. Had to drink water and lay down in the shade of my Jeep for almost an hour before I felt well enough to eat.


Me, trying not to be sick but happy to have finished. Photo Mark D.