Highland Hex Data

Here's the data I promised for the Highland Hex Race:
Duration: 6:26:55
Work: 4692 kj
Normalized Power: 235 watts
Distance: 97.3km
Elevation Gain: 3246 meters (10,649 ft)


Red Line Represents the Altitude, Yellow is Power. Click for full size

Too tired to type, here are some pics

I'm crushed from this past weekend.

FLT Sugar Hill (Sunday's Ride)



Hollow Ride from Last Sunday (After the Hardcore)

Highland Hex Writeup

Raced the Highland Hex yesterday, much improvement over last season mud fest. The weather was excellent and even with the course was relatively dry, with mud in only a few sections. One major difference this year was the addition of looong climb up to the highest point in the park. The course was really difficult. With the open fire-road descents that were at high speed, it really felt like you were just continually climbing. You would descend immediately and then start the next climb. While there was some great sections of singletrack, this was a really tough course for me to adjust too. I prefer lots of loaded singletrack interspersed with short to intermediate steep climbs.

I started out really strong and felt great the first few laps. I was comfortable on the climbs and really ripping it in the singletrack. I led for the first 4 1/2 laps or so. Soon though, the toll of the climbs and the efforts from last weekend were catching up with me. I could feel some cramping starting to come on, so I backed off a little and had to let Terry Blanchett (Bear-Naked/Cannondale) by. He was ripping it up the climbs and I couldn't follow his pace. He dangled out front by a minute or 2 the next 2 laps, but then climbing as well as he was extended it up to 5 minutes by the end of lap 6. I surged pretty good on lap 7, but wasn't closing the gap so I started to let up a little. I realized that I was still going to have to do another lap so I let off the gas and settled for my 2nd place. I was having a tough 8th lap and just took it chill. Little did I know the 3rd place rider finished 1:45 behind me! I didn't catch word that there were any other solo's still riding. I woulda busted my ass had I known he was out there!

I ended up taking the victory for my age group, and 15 minutes down on Terry. It was a good race, but my legs were no where near where I would've liked them to be. I used the ergomo though and kept myself paced well. Once I upload it to my pc, I'll throw up a graph of the course and some other info. Time to go riding now......

Currently playing in iTunes: Sealings by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Highland Hex

Highland HEx 6 hour race is up this weekend. Thankfully the weather looks quite a bit better than last year's epic slog thru the rainstorm. With any luck, I'll hopefully continue my streak of wins on the course. You never know though, anything can happen. My plan is to just keep my pace steady, hold the HR and power levels constant the whole race and finish stronger than I started

Last night I went with the Hollajeneva Crew to check out the premiere of 24 Solo at the Little in Rochester. It was an incredible movie. In fact I bought the dvd and plan on watching it again tonight as motivation for tomorrow's race. For anyone that is at all interested in Endurance racing you are familiar with Chris Eatough (pronounced "Eat-Off"). He is the man, and this movie captures the glory of his racing and the humility that he is also just a human being. Def go get yourself a copy!

I'm out for now, time to hit some lunch up with Grams and Ma

Hardcore 24

My Prayers and Thoughts are with the Friends and Family of Ben Pritchards. Ben tragically passed away during the Hardcore 24 on June 16th, 2007.

I'm not going to elaborate on the details here, you can search out on the intertubes if you need more.

Friday: I showed up at camp around 3pm or so. Our Camp Manager (Casey) was their to hold things over for us for a while. I headed out for my typical pre-ride, I had Lizzy with me (she wasn't coming to the race) and we climbed up thru the fire roads and up thru the pines into the open meadow. I caught her eyeing some deer and strayed her, but then she got loose and chased a deer I had missed. I yelled for a looong time. I was up there for a good hour plus looking for her. I rode down a fire road in the direction I thought she headed, twice! Finally, frustrated and upset I finished out the course flying down the orange trail and into camp. Where none other than queen dipshit Lizzy was waiting for me. I asked how long she had been there, and the Camp Cook said, "Oh, bout an hour or so..." grrr

Saturday: Awoke to the typical Suzanne special blueberry pancakes and sausages. Headed over to the course, where the camp manager seemed to be worn a little thin. I knew it would take some time to set-up a good camp, but no idea it involved a golf-cart xc race thru the trail ;). I was fired up and ready to go. It was go time, been waiting a while for this one. Hit the run my usual fairly slow self, but made big gains in the singletrack and up the fire road climb. I pushed it solid, eyeing the ergomo and watching my hr. Up and thru meadow and onto the Orange Trail I was battling another solo rider. We swooped thru Whitetrashistan and then away and up the 2nd fire road climb. On the descent on the way down I flatted. Tried sealing it with co2 (using stan's) and it took a few tries but got me back to camp. Once there we tried to use the floor pump to seal it, but finally we just swapped wheels out with the Paragon and I got rolling again.

Laps 2 and 3 were more of the same. I was sitting in 2nd place, but not by too much. I was just tapping out tempo and grinding along. 1000ft of climbing in 8 miles and 3 quick laps and I was starting to slip both power wise and mentally. I re-shifted my focus to the task at hand and grabbed some more endurolytes and some ibuprofin. Lap 5 I swung in for a quick sandwich and a chat with my mother as she had shown up to give some help for the night.

Lap 6 I started to pick it back up, Each lap I was feeling progressively stronger and faster. I was having a blast. In fact, Casey's pal Phil was over from Park City to run the race and tried playing a little downhill domination. In the section of trail that ran thru Whitetrashistan was where we set-up a makeshift feedzone. I came thru on my lap just ahead of Phil and dropped my water bottle. He however, tossed his bottle right at me. Missed me, but I did run it over. Everyone in camp saw and thought it was an argument, but we were just having fun and we chatted and laughed about it up the next climb.

Laps 7 and 8, 9 I was flying and my normalized power per laps was as much as my 2nd and 3rd laps. Lap 8, I pulled off a humdinger. As I was coming back to the start/finish area along the dike, I clipped my pedal. Seeing the pond was so close, I bailed as hard as I could to the right to land on the dirt. Well, the bike was getting a little dirty, and ol Mary Poppins (that's her name 'cause she's 'supercal'ifragilistic) decided it was time for a bath. The bike landed dead in the pond, fully submerged. I reached in an pulled out the "Swamp Thing", she was covered in seaweed, almost every inch. I was laughing hard as I pulled it off, piece by piece
feeling best ever. Lap 9 I just was out there killing it. Each time thru camp I was chatting or singing to the iPod, and telling everyone how good I felt. In fact I was an entire lap up on the field by this point.

Unfortunately that was when I was turned around on the course.

We did have an awards ceremony, where I was congratulated as the Men's Solo Overall Winner. This was an honor and what I had worked for all season. However, under the circumstances, this was not the way I had wanted to earn it. It was difficult today to answer questions to those who had no idea. They would ask about the race, how I did, etc. I filled them in that I had won, and the circumstances surrounding. Each reaction, was of course of shock and suprise.

While honored to have won the race, I am saddened by the loss of a fellow rider.

Currently playing in iTunes: God's Gonna Cut You Down by Johnny Cash

Blah,

Well, last nights race was purdy ugly. Luckily I was pretty much there just to blow the pipes out in the legs and call it a day. Well, the day was pretty short as all I had in me was 2 friggin laps. Something with me and tapering, just never settles right. It always seems that the more I ride the better I feel. When I rest, my legs go downhill. That's why I jumped for the race and then pulled the plug shortly into and just spun out for another lap.

On the plus side of things, the Ergomo is back. Will have that bad-boy back in action for the Hardcore!! I almost felt kinda lost without it. It's especially handy when racing the big events. Having it on board allow me to keep my pace right where I need it without going over the top or dropping too low. It will also be great to see the power levels and how they degrade over the course of a 24 hour race

Currently playing in iTunes: Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups

Love

"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them-" -"You beat them."

I think the above quote from the book "Enders Game" is very befitting for this weekends upcoming 24 hour event. For my enemy for the duration of the race will be a brutal race course and the inner workings of my own mind. The combination of the two factors will make the final decision as to where I stand when the timer runs out. For I must 'love' the terrain and 'love' myself in order to be able to dig as deep as is necessary.

It takes a special devotion and extreme mental fortitude to get through an epic adventure. I've not taken this race lightly, my physical preparation has been strong, but my mental preparation has been the strongest it's ever been.

I truly 'love' riding my bicycle. It will be this 'love' and nothing more that allows me to embrace my enemy, "...And then, in that very moment when I love them-" -"You beat them."

Currently playing in iTunes: THE GREATEST LOVE SONG by The Bastard Fairies

Tonight I will be testing my 'love' out at the Park Ave Wed Night Series. Blowing out the pipes and making sure the bike is dialed in pre-race. Friday I'll head down to Cutler and do some pre-riding and camp set-up. I'll get a post up tonight on how the race goes. I'm pretty psyched cause my brother is going to come out and watch

Weekend of chilling and riding in E-ville prior to the Hardcore

Well, finally home and still wiped out. I hit Buffalo Friday night with a friend for some dinner down on Elmwood. Had a great time and then had some coffee and a good chat. It was nice to enjoy night life in a city. After dinner, I hit up an old friend that I grew up with and we hit the town for some craziness. Really got to enjoy the nightlife then!I awoke a litte razzled and tired on Saturday morning. I spent some more time in Downtown Blo grabbing a quick cup of joe and just people watching for a short while.



After that I packed up and headed down to E-ville. Casey was late, so I spent some more time in another coffee shop, grabbing some quick lunch. Once Casey arrived we set up camp, I packed the 'cabin' bag in some pine trees for a lil bit of privacy, and the fact that I forgot my bedroll. The nice soft pine needles made it like a pillow top mattress back there!


Saturday; Val, Casey and I rolled out and put some time in the trails. Conditions were pretty fair considering the rainstorm that swept through the night prior. We had some fun rocking out together.


Val had to head into town for a minor upgrade, while Casey and I headed out for the forest of Endor. Climbing up and through the trails we felt like and Ewok or an Imperial Speeder were going to fly by us at any moment. It was a surreal moment as we were plodding up this climb and suddenly realized that the entire forest undergrowth was nothing except ferns. Lighting was too poor to grab a good pic, but it's banked in the internal SD card for a long time.

Mark and Suzanne showed up later that evening. Mark and I and the dog's headed out for a night ride. You know it's gonna be a good one when the trails have names such as; Rim, Bent Rim, and Pale Ale. It was crazy fun, and super, super tech. Loads of rocks and roots everywhere. Some crazy lines just up and over everything, stuff that would be brutal to even walk on. I probably would've taken some pics, except Mark was his usual self and just blasting off through the stuff while I was left to fend for myself. Back to camp, we found the crew had dug into the Sam Adams Summer Lager's and were having a grand ol time. I was wasted and headed to the cabin, where according to Val I fired up my generator to turn the heat on, watch some TV and cook a quick meal before I grabbed some shut eye.

Sunday, was a perfect day for a nice group ride. We climbed up the road to the backside of the mountain then hit the famous descent down to the bottom of the race course. Val and Casey headed down to Burger King to pick up Dave. I think they had a few whoppers and some fries while they waited.


Dave was a no show, so we decided to climb to the top of the of the race course and hit some of the fun stuff. Once on top, it was all coming back to me. I've ridden a ton here for the 6 Hours of Power races and loved every minute of the course. It's amazing how once you jump on a trail, it's similar to re-reading a good book. Each new rock, root, corner is similar to reading a new paragraph. There is some familiarity, it's recognizable and enjoyable to be re-acquainted.

Casey and Val dove off and headed back for camp, the rest of us took the scenic route and slowly made our way back, hitting some crazy fun stuff on the way. The trails were plenty packed with quite a few riders and it was nice to see so many people out having some fun on their bikes. By this point the pups were getting a little tired and I had no more water for Lizzy so we let them cool off in the stream crossings.



Once back at camp, we packed up and then headed over to Golden Hill for some riding on some new trails. The trails were nice and ripping fast and very flowing. Speeds were constant and ripping. I tried a funky set-up to grab some video from my camera and it came out pretty cool. Once I edit it down, I'll get it posted up for you to view. After Golden Hill, it was off to the Ellicottville Brewery for a burger and a nice brew. Great way to wrap up the weekend



See all the pics from the weekend here!

I know it's tuesday and no weekend writeup

Well, I have a rough draft that I'm working on...hopefully have it up during/after lunch.
Like my dog, yesterday all I did was lay around........

Weekend in E-ville

First before, I even dig into this entry, Here is pretty much the funniest thing I've ever heard of! Dude took a ride in a wheelchair at 50+ mph for a few miles on the front of a semi! Afterwards, the guys said he was unfazed! Unfazed! Looks like Johnny Knoxville needs to be taking some notes for Jackass 3.

So I'm heading out tonight to Buffalo to meet a friend for a night of fun. Then tomorrow morning heading down to Ellicottville for a weekend of camping and riding. I'm meeting Casey and Val to shred some trail during the day. Mark and Suzanne will be bringing the pups down and we'll be pulling off a night ride once they arrive. I'm sure we will have a boatload of fun. I'll have the camera in tow for the weekend, and maybe even grab some video too!
I haven't been down to E-ville since the 6HOP last year so it will be good to get down their and put some time in.

I've replaced the seatpost on the Supercaliber, but I think when I get back from this road trip I'm going to swap my SRAM triggers and Avid Juicy 5's for my '04 xtr dual control set-up. I had visions of grandeur to run the '07 xtr this season, till I saw the price of the gruppo. Costs more than the down-payment on a new home! I think the dual control will be super sweet for the Hardcore 24 and just make things enjoyable.

Speaking of the Hardcore 24, I'm all registered up for the Solo Class. Going to be a long race that's for sure. I'm feeling pretty well rested after having taken the past few days off after the Mohican 100. Legs are good, head is good. It's go time!!

We're all Stars Now in the Dope Show

So it looks like some more big names may come tumbling down from the high peaks of cycling society. Seems that the Quick Step team has been raided by the Belgian 5-0.

Quick Step denies police raids focused on team

Quick Step, which employs 2005 world champion and one-day specialist Boonen, as well as Olympic and reigning world champion Paolo Bettini, had been plunged into controversy when ex-rider Johan Museeuw, a former world champion, admitted that he had doped in his career.

Well now, pretty much the house of cards has come tumbling down. With all the riders getting popped left and right. I think my dog has some pretty good odds to win the Tour as much as Vino or Levi.

Speaking of Vino, him, Ullrich and Kloden are now under scrutiny

Valverde and Operacion Puerto again

Gotta love the ProTour! How about all you fellas out there with your pro kits mail them back to the respective teams and show them you no longer support a system that is clogged with cheaters!

Bagging the Park Ave Race

So I'm skipping out on the Park Ave Wed Night series, tonight. I'm just adding some more recovery time and putting some money in the bank for the Hardcore 24. Most likely I'll hit it next week and flush the legs out.

Last night, I hit up a Yoga class in Seneca Falls. I'm working on getting some "extra" in prior to the race, loosen up the muscles and center my mind prior to the race. I've also hit up the chiropractor quite a bit lately to stay nice and loose. I'm going into thise race guns blazing. I want to make sure that all my ducks are in a row and everything is lined up proper. I feel really ready to go and wish the race was this weekend!

This weekend I'm heading down to Ellicotville, with Mark, Suzanne, Casey and a few others. Should be a good time as we will be doing some camping and just having some good ol fun hitting the trails down there.

Casey is back in the saddle after his injury and seems to be coming along quite well. Glad to be seeing that.

Currently playing in iTunes: Goin' Against Your Mind by Built To Spill

Long time family friend, Steve "Bear" Johnson was killed in a car accident last night. My condolences to his family. He will surely be missed.

Mohican Results are online

Go Here

Mohican Wrap-up

Just sitting here on the the couch, surveying my bumps, bruises, cuts and scrapes after yesterdays efforts. I'm wiped out. We got home last night around 3 am, and Mark knocks on my door this morning at 9am asking me if I wanted to ride. I laughed pretty hard at that.



Race Highlights:

The first 20 miles of Singletrack was incredible and Mark and I were ripping it up, just super flowy, fast fun stuff

My saddle popping off the rails at mile 25, then riding standing up for the next 10 miles till I found a guy with a road bike on the side of the road that was willing to lend me his

Spending at least 35-40 minutes trying to figure out how the hell to attach my saddle to borrowed seatpost

Realizing the saddle nose was pointed way to low and having to sit on the nose for 65 mile, ugh

Pegging it for the next 20 miles trying to take some time back

Riding for 15 miles down a dead straight, slightly uphill muddy rail trail, wishing it would change or end so I could stop pedaling for 2 friggin seconds

Face planting on said rail trail for no reason other than I was riding no handed and messing with my camelback

Climbing a gravel road at about mile 75 and thinking how comfortable it would be to lay down in the middle of the road and sleep

Putting the most technical piece of singletrack at mile 95 and it was packed with hikers

Almost dumping a family of 5 into the river while cruising the singletrack as there was no where for them to go when I came thru the trail

Saving myself from a 10ft drop into the river after crashing on same piece of singletrack

The 1 mile to go sign

All in all I was pretty happy with my race. I'm thinking I probably shoulda been around 9.5 hours or so, pending I didn't have all the saddle trouble. Like every long endurance race, one goes thru peaks and valleys. In the low points of the race, you contemplate what the hell you are doing this for, and then 5 minutes later (after some sweet singletrack usually) you are contemplating doing this a bunch more cause its so much fun. After the race I think I'm feeling pretty confident for the Hardcore 24 in 2 weeks time.

Eatough takes the W

Chris Eatough wins at 7:09!!
We bagged sleeping in our ghetto cabin. Sleeping on the floor and no electricity didn't sound appetizing so we are heading home.

We beat Tinker!! (dnf)

Finish time

mark 9.56.39
jay 10.27.07

mohican card

Entry feee: $145
lost sunglasses: $125
busted seatpost: $99
finishing the race and with the phoenix waiting for you: priceless

Going in circles

270 miles and we're back were we started. The phoenix has risen!