Racing/competition

24 hour hot august nights, albion hills, ontario

I did my first 24 hour solo race this year...and i reached my goal of ten laps!! Woohoo!

and now the gory details - my first 5 laps, i was feeling good almost elated. I was riding well, and by not hammering i was really enjoying the course. It was nice not really needing to rush through the course. Lap 6 was a bit tougher physically. I could tell i was starting to feel tired. It didn't help when i squirrel ran in front of me and another solo rider coming down the last section before the 5th race marshall. Lap 7 came and i was really starting to hurt. but mostly...the undercarriage was really starting to hurt. i had to stand for a lot of my riding, and that was draining me physically and mentally. Then lap 8 came along, and that was my sad lap. i was told i would have some hard times mentally, and that lap was it. i was hurting A LOT. i couldn't sit for very long. and i realized i needed to eat more when i got back. it was night too, so the riding was a bit tougher as well. Guys would pass asking me how i was doing, and i would manage a sobbing kind of "i'm ok" because i didnt' want to admit that i wasn't doing so ok. i was telling myself that these feelings will pass, and as long as the bike was moving foreward i was making progress.

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After my first summer of weekly mountain biking, I decided I was ready for my first race. The guys that started me out suggested that I do it the previous year, but I definitely did not feel ready.

I signed up and felt a bit nervous. I did not know what to expect. I went around the course (which is local) with a guy who had done the Squeezer race before. They change the course a bit every year, though, and do not reveal the course until the day before.

The race was timed electronically, with transponders on our ankles. This race was timed in waves of 125 riders. The race had 894 people completing it, although over 1000 had signed up. I was placed in the fifth wave, plates 501 to 625.

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Recently my incredible fiancé helped me purchase my first full suspension bike. Not only is it a sweet Rocky Mountain ETSX 30 with adjustable front and back 3.5” – 4.5” of suspension, but it’s a really pretty blue. Thank you, baby! So, with that I decided to take it to the next level and enter the beginner version of Breckenridge’s infamous Firecracker 50 mountain bike race….The Sparkler.

Geared up and ready, we led off the 4th of July parade downtown and started in a frenzy up the 7 mile climb on Boreas Pass. Encouraged and confident on my new set of wheels, I amazed myself by jockeying for position within the top 3 girls. By the time I was approaching the first aid station, no one was in sight behind me. I had visions of standing on the podium, the race director congratulating me, cameras flashing…Walker would be so proud….I decided I needed to be fresh and recharged for the singletrack and final downhill descent, so I eased over to the alluring snacks and icy cool Gatorade. Savoring that moment, I suddenly watched all of the remaining beginner girls race past me. Damn! My reverie was instantly shattered as I shoved in the last bite of my banana bread Cliff bar and hopped back on the saddle. I pushed myself hard and took some drops that in weeks before I would have walked, and I went faster on trails than I ever have before. With a polite “excuse me” and “on your left” I regained some ranking. All said and done, I placed 4th. Maybe next year I’ll make it to the podium….

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The MSC finals at Keystone pretty much, without question, r0x0rd my s0x0rz. Loads of racing and fun and more racing and stress and more fun and DAMN GINA where are my pants? So there is a lot to speak of, let me summ up and essplain one at a time. ready? Oh kay!

Friday I got out of work late, I had to work on freelance late, the race promoters called and needed this that and the other thing (namely missing awards and coroplast), and things were just generally balled up, so even though I originally wanted to head out, I called it and just went to bed. Ah yes, a good night's sleep does the body wonders. Saturday morning I got in to keystone around 7:30am, got registered, dropped off awards and coroplast, got into my gear and headed over to the dual slalom course.

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My weekend was pretty rad, and here’s the story, cuz I know you wanna know! Ha!

Saturday was spent at watkins roostin’ turns and jumpin’ jumps. Jamie brought out the 100’ tape measure just to be sure. 70 foot table top? Check. 40 foot doubles? Check. 50 foot step-up? Checkaroo. We ran 3 motos out there, each with unwittingly increased times. 20 minutes, rest. 30 minutes, rest. 40 minutes, done. All the while pumping tunes through my new ipod shuffle... Sweet! I didn’t know moto could be fun to a soundtrack – but I guess that’s why all the videos have heavy metal playing in the background, right? A quick stop at the dirt bike store for air filter oil, new grips and some replacement lenses for my goggles and then off to nathrop for the chalk creek stampede.

Arrived in Nathrop around 8:30 pm, had dinner with Matty and EJ, talked about the state of affairs, went to bed early at Keith's place. 7:00am wakeup: fruit, biscuits and gravy at Keith's in-laws (they live next door) and off to the track to get it dialed. All the usual characters were there, vibe was good, weather was perfect! Most everyone loved the new track we built, but some people were grousing... "I thought it would be faster" or "it's too pedally and technical" or "there's still no passing" blah blah blah to which I simply say to them: "pedal harder. Step it up. Ride smarter." Chalk Creek Stampede 2005 had the second largest Mountain Coss turnout the MSC has ever seen – 176 riders, and it seemed like nearly half of them were juniors! The junior sport and junior beginner cats are blowing up which is just killer news for the sport! Stoke-age! Not only was the junior turnout strong, but them grommits were riding to beat the band! 9- and 10-year-olds jumping everything except the biggest stuff, tons of great passing, pedalling, it was insanity! I'd say in about 5 years colorado is going to have some serious talent emerging into the national scene! I just hope there still is a national scene in five years!

A couple runs down the course for me, and I'm finally starting to feel comfy on my new wheelset – I went to way lighter rims and tires, and it was great for gates but was throwing off my equilibrium over the jumps. Got that straightened out and finally stepped up to the challenge of the third straight™: a difficult triple-double combo. Long big rounded double, tall short double, then a small double into a berm with me flowing like water over the whole deal. Radness! Honestly, I'd forgotten somewhere in all this moto funny business I've been doing how much fun racing mtn bikes is. Qualifying came around... I'm in the gate, calm, relaxed, smiling. "okay riders, set 'em up! Riders ready, watch the gate! Beepbeepbeepbeeeeeeeeeeep!" and as soon as that gate hit the ground and I was out pedalling, I remembered.

After that qualifying run, I couldn't have cared less about how well I did, and seriously cold have gone home a happy man and not even raced elimination rounds, it was that good. Turns out I qualified third, just a hundredth of a second behind my buddy steve valenti, who ain't real slow.

THIRD? Me? Stoked? Check.

Lots of fun ensued throughout the day, with some really great racing in all the classes and loads and loads of fun to be had by all. My two friends Bobbi and Lisa were heading up to race their next moto at one point, and this sort of frivolity ensued:

Evan: hey! You two do good out there!

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So let me tell you all about my adventure to the Snowmass National this past weekend. Better buckle up and get some soda and snacky-snacks, cuz this is gonna be a long one!

Thursday :: I finally put pants on around 10:04 a.m. And rallied to get the truck locked and loaded. On the road at 10:37 a.m. For a (hopeful) 1:30 p.m. Arrival in snowmass village, which was barely enough time to grab the chameleon, get registered and hit the track for mountain cross practice at 2 p.m. I knew the track was being changed from the regional race we held about a month ago, and I wanted to get it styled and dialed. The promoter had told me earlier in the week that the features were bigger and badder, so I was a bit nervous.

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So yeah, I spent the last couple of weekends at Angel Fire riding bikes and having a sweet ass time of it all. In case you were all wondering where I done been for a while, that's where. That and working my ass off, riding a ton, and generally having two of the most stellar weeks of my life.

Memorial Day weekend I went to Angel Fire just to get some much-needed DH riding in. I haven't really been on my downhill bike for a long long time, and it was excellent to get out, bombing some real gnarly-style trails and having a good time. I got to ride with tons of cool peeps, including (but most certainly not limited to) the Mojo Wheels crew, half the Yeti Cycles factory squad, world champion downhiller Missy "The Missile" Giove, and a couple of Australian Funn/Foes riders. Needless to say, muchos muchos fun was had, and I got to pick up a few tips about throwing elbows from The Missile.

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