Tomlinson Run

It’s been a while since I raced a legitimate XC course. This week’s race was at Tomlinson Run State Park, located  in the northern Panhandle of WV. Unlike the endurance races I have been racing all year, Tomlinson was pretty tame as far as technicality. I did this race last year as a sport and I can remember that it was one of the muddiest courses I have ever done (at least up until that point!). I also remember having mechanical issues (chain suck) and being afraid of some of the downhills. This year, the course was muddy but the main challenge was the relentless heat and humidity that seemed to suck the air right out of my lungs.

Lap one pretty much sealed my fate for the day.  The course began with a 1 mile climb that eventually leveled out before dropping into a fast downhill. Right away, I noticed that my body wasn’t handling the heat properly. I wasn’t dehydrated necessarily, as I was sure I took all the right measures to fuel properly. But I just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t seem to pull enough air into my lungs, I felt really nauseous,  and my body temperature was really high. When I finally hit the downhill, I was ready to let loose and cool off a little bit. I thought I had picked a decent line, but my front tire slid out of control over a balmy log pile on the downhill, and I crashed hard. With a banged up body and bike, I limped through the remainder of my laps and ended up finishing 2^nd pro/expert women, enough to qualify for nationals.

Michaux Curse of the Dark Hollow

Rain had been relentlessly dumping on Pittsburgh for about two weeks, and the only riding I had been doing was my work commute.  Come Friday, my patience had run out and I just NEEDED to be on my mountain bike. I wasn’t really feeling the local races, so I packed the car and headed to Michaux State Forest. Michaux hosts an endurance series, and the second stop was the Curse of the Dark Hollow. I went into the race knowing full well that the course was both rocky AND hilly- a draining combination. But I was stoked to have some serious 1:1 time with my bike, and just be outside in this beautiful area of the state. I ended up car camping underneath a beautiful clear sky- which was a good sign that the weather was going to actually cooperate.

 I committed myself to trying out this whole endurance thing this year, so I signed up for the 40 miler. I was expecting to be out around 6-7 hours, and would be totally stoked with a Michaux 40-miler finish. I packed extra tubes, derailleur hangers, brakes, superglue, you name it. It’s that kind of course. As expected, there were tons of rocks. What I didn’t expect was that the course was completely covered with blooming mountain laurel. And the massive rhododendron, although not flowered, provided a cool and dark shade from the blazing sun. It really was perfect. The first 25-30 miles were tough, but manageable. The course dipped in and out of single track that varied from straight up 5 mile rock gardens, to flowy pine sections, to ridiculous hike-a-bike sections. And despite a few crashes, I was feeling really good as I entered aid station 3. With 8 miles left, I was at around 4 hours and was so excited to be making decent time. Then I hit a series of slick muddy trails and just plain insane rocky descents/ascents. Trust me- if you see a DANGER sign with a cross and skull bones at Michaux, you know that’s the real deal. Those last 8 miles took me almost 1:40 minutes to finish. Always seems like these tough courses save the hardest parts for last. Makes you dig deep!

Despite my struggles though the end, I managed to take 3^rd place behind Sornson and Yeager and FINALLY got a podium spot. Making the jump from Sport XC to Pro/Expert XXC events is a hard transition. You train harder, you ride further, you repeatedly destroy your body and bike – and then you go home.  You know that you are getting better and stronger, but the reward is much harder to reach. Let’s just say I needed this podium for my soul (and gas tank). Rock on!

 

WVMBA 2 x 12

This Saturday, I attended the West Virginia Prom, aka the WVMBA Big Bear 2x12 Bike Relay and Mountain Fest. This race course consists of 12 mile laps of typical West Virginia fun- rocks, climbs and absolutely beautiful scenery.

The 2 x 12 was my 3rd relay race of the season, and first expert race in WVMBA. I was pretty nervous about racing here. I’m still trying to dial in my Lust, and had some trouble riding in the rocks a few weeks ago at Laurel Mountain. I had a few crashes, and for a minute I thought I had forgotten how to ride technical terrain!  I was also still tired and recovering from the Mohican 100k. My first lap was pretty painful, but I felt much better by my second.

My good friend Sara Chua and I at the 2 x 12

It was so good to be back on West Virginia trails. There really is no other place like them, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed them until this weekend. I need to get back there and try to compete in more of the WVMBA races. A lot of courses test your endurance or your skills- but WV is just all power, all the time. And the racing community here is so fun and supportive!” Van Morales (my prom date) and I each completed 3 laps (36 miles) to take 5th place in the co-ed expert division.

Once again, I’m convinced that the Lust is simply the best bike around for east coast xc terrain. It’s just 100% fun.

My Prom Date greeting me with a fancy celebratory beer ;)