Montvale Mahem Race Pictures

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Cove Trail work & creature sightings

Been a blog slacker again.....sorry...

We did trail work at the Cove on Saturday to fill in some really muddy spots on Songbird Trail. I spent most of the time helping to sort out rocks. After a while the rocks started looking the same. We rode today to try out our handywork. It rode much smoother...flowed well & our line of sight is much better now. The trail looks a little wide

where we had to dig...but that will get overgrown again in time.

Thursday night I finally saw my first bear of the season. A mamma & 3 cubs. ..We kept our distance...the cubs were very cute.

Saturday we saw a rattle snake while working on the trails....he wasn't so cute.

here are some pics..(borrowed from Laura...thanks!)

Carvin's Cove Race Report

Sunday was the second installment of the Roanoke Moutain Bike Challenge (RMBC)

The time trial up Mill Mtn was Sat. I felt good & had a decent time.

Sunday I was the only single speed chicky..but I started w/ the sport women & would do the same course as them. I think there were 6 or 7 female sport riders.. a few of whom I knew would be strong riders. My goal would be to finish among the t

op female sports..

When the riders lined up to the start, they had all of the sport men, women, clydesdales, and single speeders starting en mass. We had a "neutral" rolling start to the gate, once through the gate it was every person for themself. The neutral start was a little squirrelly. I tried to stay towards mid pak...I knew I wasn't fast enough to be in front, but I didn't want to be the last into the trails either.

When we arrived at the gate, the riders actually entered through in a single file, orderly fashion. They we hit the fireroad & took off to be some of the first into Songbird. This was a bit of a cluster getting in because people were already getting of of their bikes. I traded places with one of the clydesdales back & forth...I ended up having to go around him....then I ended up behind someone else who would stop at every technical section. (Songbird isn't very technical..one creek crossing, a few rocks embedded in the trails, etc). I knew if I wanted to gain any ground on the other chickies, I had to get around this dude.

I passed him in the cree

k because he stopped in the middle of the trail!!..I continued on..weaving & bobbing, pedaling, just having a blast. As I exited Songbird, my friend Skip was there encouraging me on. We then dumped into Enchanted Forest & on to Lower Comet. I was already running into people breaking chains & getting flats. I just kept praying I would have no mechanicals.

After Comet, we dumped back on the fire road & started the first ascent on the 1000' climb. I passed two guys who had passed me earlier on Comet. I continued to pedal & tried to get into a rhythm. I approached the feed zone where they were passing out bottles of cold water...I passed b/c I didn't have anywhere to put the bottle. I continued on up..mostly climbing alone...although I never looked behind me to see how far back the girls were. In a way I didn't want to know so it wouldn't put more pressure on me.

As I got near the intersection of Jacob's drop, I caught my teammate Chris. I was shocked I caught him..so I figured somet

hing must be wrong. I asked if he needed anything & his response was."Geez I must really stink today since I'm getting passed by you!" Thanks alot, Chris. I passed him & entered Hemlock Tunnel. I knew I didn't want Chris behind me so I slowed a little so he could catch up & pass me. I never saw him after that. A little motivation every now & then is good. As I started to descend Hemlock Tunnel, I started talking out loud to myself...I guess I was coaching myself down..."feather your front brake, let off of the back brake, get your weight back, look out ahead, keep a good line, relax, breathe" Luckily no one was around to hear all of this chatter, but it helped & I got down safely without dabbing on any switchbacks.

As I continued on Hemlock Tunnel, I started trading places w/ an expert dude. He'd dust me on the downhills, but I'd catch back up on the climbs. Once out of Hemlock Tunnel, we climbed up the fireroad...there's a stiff climb at the top & I was determined to make it w/out walking....and I did!! Yea me!. All the while I still had no idea where the girls were. I figured they were close to 1 minute or less behind me....so I kept giving it all I had.

Onto comet..got through safely..had a couple of hike a bike sections but kept a good pace..

Once through comet, it was back on the fireroad & back up part of the 1000' climb. I checked my time & realized I had a shot at finishing in under 1 hour 45 minutes. I decided to go for it but had to get up the second climb. It w

as pretty tough..especially w/ one gear. I settled in & rode steady..Once on to Connector(Four Gorge Trail)...I rode w/ another expert. He was pretty banged up..had crashed a few times & flatted...not a good day for him. As we continued, I decided I couldn't hold his pace & passed him. I continue on but the trail seemed to take forever to end. I caught up to a beginner girl & shouted some encouragement to her...she looked like she was going to have a meltdown at any time...poor thing.

I checked my time at the intersection of Hi Dee Ho...1:38....I can do this I thought to myself....I put the hammer down & rode as fast as I could to the finish.

Final time 1:40 and some change. I waited & waited for the strong girls to come out. Finally the first one arrived 9 minutes after I finished!...Wow...I knew I was ahead but didn't think I had that big of a lead...I was thrilled.

All in all it was a great race (of course it is when you do well) There were a few factors that contributed to my good race...Great Weather ( mid 80's & low humidity...I don't do well in heat), I knew the course well (ride out there every week), stayed relaxed, no mechanicals & just went out to have fun. Thanks to RCO for putting on another fun event.

MMTT

Mill Mountain Time Trial

It was hard, and it was all up...except for a little section on Monument.

We started a 1:00 intervals, up the alley, then right on Sylvan road, then climb a little bit of Sylvan to the trailhead at Monument. The alley was steep...I wasn't feeling great on the alley or the road. Once I got on to Monument, I felt a little better. I settled into a groove & pedaled away. I soon caught one of the boyz up ahead...pedaled a little longer & caught a second boy! Woo hoo..I was stoked b/c I didn't think I catch the second one. Then there was a third just before the fun downhill part on Monument. Got around him & put the hammer down....Came out flying & took the right hand turn up ridgeline. I could tell someone was behind me but wasn't sure who. It turned out to be my teammate Adam CAldwell who started 2 minutes behind me. He was absolutely flying. ONce he got around me, he just flew up the hill. All that road biking he has been doing has made him super fast.

I got to the switchback on Ridgeline & passed one more person. Then I had to walk the switchback..this is where I lost a little time b/c I couldn't get clipped back in. I continued up....came out in the grass, got on the path & back into the grass. I got passed by 2 more really fast boys...one started 4 minutes back, the other 5 minutes....they were flying. It was all I could do to keep my pedals turning. It was so steep on this section. I lumbered through.

Total time 23:18......There was only one other chicky...she did it in 22:54..... I'm pleased w/ my result. I could sit here & go shoulda, coulda, woulda, but it doesn't change the final results. I gave it my best & that's all I can ask for. I did beat some boys so that's always a plus....

Tomorrow is the Carvin's Cove cross country.

Burn 24 hours

This was our home away from home for the 2009 Burn 24 hours held in Wilkesboro, NC.  

The course was the same as last year...a little climbing on the front side & lots of fun, fast, bermed turns, downhills on the back side. 

350 riders were signed up.   Roanoke Cycling sent 2 teams of 4 riders each down for the event.   

Our team did a rotation of 1 lap each, then Skippy pulled doubles.  I felt good on my first couple of daytime laps.  As we progressed into the nightime hours we decided we'd all pull double laps.  When it came to be around 1:30 or so, I was hanging out waiting for my turn when the skies opened up & dropped some nice rain showers upon the riders.  I decided to head back to the tent & get my jacket.  I ventured back out on course and had a really rough time.  The roots were slick, I was overheated, & I had a rock in my shoe. At one point I sat down off of the trail to get rid of the rock when Dave (he was on the other RCO team) came by & asked if I was ok....I said I was, just having a rough lap.  The following lap was much better as the rain had subsided & I could lose the jacket.    I headed back to the RV to sleep until my next daytime lap. I don't really know if I slept all that well...I never sleep well in new enviroments and this would be true for this race.   I headed back out for my 7:00 am. lap.  This was probably my fastest lap.  I felt great..legs were strong I was flying.  I should have pulled a double when I got back & my teammate was having mechanical issues...We got him fixed up & off he went.    We debated about sending a last rider out before the cutoff, but we realized it would only move us up one place in the standings & it had started to rain again..so it wasn't worth risking injury. 

Overall we had a great time. Our team came in 9th while the other RCO team came in 4th.  Dave pulled the fastest lap of all of the RCO gang...something like 38 minutes...That's moving!

I can't wait to do another one...(as soon as I get over the crud I caught from riding in the rain all night...yuk)

Ah, this is the life

When the time comes for me to "retire" from racing this is how I'd love to spend my days.  Relaxing on a quiet beach or pursuing my other passion:  Golf

Douthat Race

This is how I spent my day on Sunday at Douthat.

It was rainy & cold & the trails were a mess.  The double XC race was delayed by 1 hour.  Then the regular XC race (the one I was signed up for ) was postponed for a later date.  I had about 5 hours to kill so I hiked a little, then I came back to Adam's Winnebago, read a little, and slept for an hour.  I woke up in time to see the first finishers of the double XC.  

Hubby had 4 flats..not a good day.   

 

Enjoy the pics.  

Pics from Roadie Ride

We headed out the parkway on Saturday for a climb up Bent Mountain. There are some great views this time of year....although it was proably 10 degrees colder at the top.....made for a chilly descent down the mountain...brrr. Total Miles: 42

6 hours of Warrior Creek

Packed in tight

Clarence gets ready for bed

set up camp

Team RCO - what a motley crew

Laura & I on the first lap

Transition to Gina

Chillin between laps

Jen getting ready to go

Gina down the home stretch

Pooped

Pooped

Chicky's Rock! 1st place 3 person Female team!

Ugh

spent 2 hours on the trainer yesterday. It's been raining for the past few days. Usually my limit is 45 minutes. I was amazed I did 2 hours. Watching movies on the computer really helps pass the time. 2 weeks ago I did 2 hours on Saturday & 2 1/2 on Sunday. It's just not the same as getting out there & riding. We'll try to do Mill Mountain today...sun is out, temps are in the mid 60's...it'll be muddy but at least we'll be outside.

Asheville Pics

Stylin

Gave it away

Today was the 3rd & final race of the Bedford Mountain Cross Series. It would be a muddy mess given the fact it rained all day Saturday & when I got up this morning, it was snowing & cold. We checked the web site & the race was still on. Unfortunately I would not be participating. I've been fighting this upper respiratory thing for about a week now & today it decided to move up into my head. Took an antibiotic the first 5 days of it,...but it did nothing. Now I've moved on to Dayquil, Niquil, and started Theraflu today. Nothing's working. Can't get in to see my doctor until Thursday (that's the first "sick visit" she has available) Yuk...coughing, hacking, sneezing, taking inhaler shots...repeat sequence. I wanted to race but like my hubby said...it's March...It's early...why risk getting sicker than I already am. I probably would have had the series wrapped up...although hubby insists he would have caught me today. Oh well...I guess I'll never know.
My buddy Laura called me on her way home wondering what happened to us. She said it was a very short course, but extremely muddy. Basically you'd climb, then descend, then climb, then descend. I think Scott Schleckman (sp?) ended up winning the whole thing......
I'm not happy about it....but what can I do? I've been pouting all day...just ask hubby. He's taken the brunt of my grouchiness..... Oh well...back to the couch...for a bit.
Congrats to the participants who braved today's weather. There's always next year's series...

Bedford Mtn. Cross #2

What in the world is that? Yes, my friends, that is a bag of sand.

The second race in the Bedford mtn cross was Sunday...and I was a major sandbagger again. I ended up doing 5 laps on the 1.5 mile course. It was fun, fast & furious. I completed my first lap before many folks had gone off so I was a lap up on most of the expert boyz......got passed by hubby & some others but I was able to hold them off to take the checkered flag...or bag of sand....

Oh well...I guess that's what happens when you get a 20 minute head start. I felt much like a mechanical rabbit at a greyhound race. I didn't know where the riders were behind me...but I knew they were there....All I had to do was keep pedaling...or shoveling as the case may be!

Sandbagger

Sunday was the first race of the Bedford Mountain Cross Series This isn't a really serious race..but more of a way to gauge how your fitness level is in January. I hadn't really even given the race much thought until Sunday morning. I didn't even decide what class to race until we got there. I chose to race in my age group this time...Vet Women I knew I wouldn't be fast enough to even attempt to race expert class. The race was a bit different...there was more of a handicap system in place where the slower riders started first. The more experienced/faster riders started at a time deficit. You had to do as many laps as you could in your allotted time limit. I had 53 minutes to do as many laps as possible. I think the expert women had something around 45 or 42 minutes, vet expert men..38.5 minutes, and so on.
There were a couple of run ups on course and a few barriers. The course was waaaaay muddy. When I rode my practice lap, I had trouble keeping the bike upright. When I came in from the practice lap, my bike was already caked in mud....Fun!.

As my group started, we had to ride past the other riders waiting to go. As I approached the singletrack, I was greeted with a chorus of "sandbagger, sandbagger!". Thanks hubby!
I rode w/ another younger rider (age 16) for the first & second laps. We would trade places back & forth, he'd get ahead, then I'd pass, then I'd fall or slide out & he'd go around.
I slipped & slid all over the course.....in some sections, I'd stand up to pedal & would remain in the same spot just spinning my back wheel. It was a little freaky.
The course was pretty fun..had it been dry it would have been extremely fast.
on my 3rd lap, Kenny (race promoter) let me know I still had enough time to do a fourth lap!..Woo Hoo....My goal was to not get caught by all the faster riders behind me...and I really didn't want to get caught by my hubby who started 15 minutes behind me.
As I was finishing up my last lap, I heard an all too familiar sound of someone's hub.....I turned around to see my hubby fast approaching. I tried to hold on for as long as I could, but he passed me on the last up hill section. I almost caught him on the very last climb...but just couldn't stay upright. Turns out he beat me by 14 seconds..and he turned the fastest lap time on the course. He was going all out to catch me...pretty darn good for starting w/ a 15 minute deficit.

I really didn't know how I placed at the end. I felt really good on the bike & my legs felt strong.
When they did the awards, it turns out I got second place!...not too shabby for a sandbagging old woman . Pictures & results are here.. in 2 more weeks I'll race again.

http://bedfordtrails.wordpress.com/upcoming-trail-events/

Arcadia....

Hubby, Adam & I decided to head out to Arcadia for a ride on Saturday. Temps were in the low 40s and were predicted to drop throughout the day. As we traveled the road towards the parking area, we noticed many of the smaller trout streams still had a 3-4 inch layer of ice on them. It was quite scenic but we knew it was gonna be cold.

We got dressed & headed up the road towards the first climb of the day. As we approached some houses, we wondered if we would run into our golden retriever friend, Baden. A couple of years ago he came along with us on a ride. We thought he would turn around & head home.. but around 18 miles into the ride, we finally called his owner to come pick him up. Surely we wouldn't see him & if we did, he wouldn't remember us. As we approached his house, he came bounding down the driveway barking his head off. We called to him & his bark turned into a friendly greeting session...he seemed to act like "Where have you guys been?" "Are you ready to go? Huh? Huh? Huh? " We knew we didn't want him to come along today because we planned another epic ride. While we were stopped, I decided to change my jacket so I would not get overheated on the climb. I dropped my El Toreo vest on the ground & Baden picked it up and started to run away w/ it. Fortunately he brought it back & dropped it at my feet. It was all a big game to him. Baden's owner called for him....He seemed a little torn because he really, really wanted to go with us....Finally hubby rode up to the house & Baden followed. Hubby mentioned to Baden's owner the adventure from 2 years ago..His owner remembered us.

Once Baden was safe & sound & I had a lighter jacket on, we started to climb...and climb, and climb.....and climb some more. I think the overall elevation gain for the ride was around 4400'....That's a lot on a single speed. Upon reaching the top, I put my dog slobbered vest on over my camelback. I looked like the hunchback of Arcadia. It was quite funny....but I was warmer.

We descended this horse trail. It was pretty rough going because the ground had frozen, then thawed, then was frozen again. Plus there were a ton of leaves on the trail...in some places it was hub deep so you had no idea what was beneath. Big rocks were hidden in the leaves so you got a jolt each time you hit one. We approached an area where there was a big hole covered by leaves. Adam & Hubby rode it. As I got closer, Hubby exclaimed: "Get your weight back, there's a hole!".....I thought, I have a 29er, I can do this..there's no way I can endo!......I rolled up to it, put my weight back, and BAM!....my front wheel stopped dead....and......yup...you guessed it....I endoed! I was in a beautiful swan dive position, ultimately landing on my left shoulder, all splayed out!.....I thought...so you CAN endo on a 29er! Wow! Except what came out of my mouth was rather R rated....let's just say I wasn't very happy. I guess I didn't have my weight back far enough. Oh well....I jumped back on the bike, but was pretty tentative on the rest of the leaves, etc.

As we continued riding, we noticed the temperature steadily dropping. My toes were getting colder as were my fingers. We started up another fireroad climb in the hopes of getting warm again...Unfortunately we got about 1/4 of the way up & were not any warmer. We decided to abandon that part of the ride & come back down. We headed back to our vehicles.....on the way back, we saw 2 coyotes. We had noticed lots of coyote poop on the way up so we knew they were in the area. Seeing them was a little spooky. I'm sure the farmers in the area are not too happy about the coyotes.

We ended the ride around 3 hours later...we ended up doing 20 miles. We stopped in Buchanan for some chili & grilled cheese sandwiches...mmmmm....It was a fun day but a little cold....hopefully we can go back in the early spring when the temperatures are a little warmer.

Brrrrrrr

It was Saturday...hubby had already done his "no excuses" ride. I had to get froo frooed up in the morning so I could not join him. I had the itch to ride...even though it was only 20 degrees or so. Quite a bit warmer than when hubby went out. Around 12:30 I called my buddy Laura & asked her if she had already ridden.....she said she was still in her pj's watching CSI dvds....I asked if she'd be up for an urban assault, local trail ride...she said sure..she could get motivated.....She had originally planned to ride the trainer...yuk!...I figured this would be more fun.


We met up at PH around 2...At this point the sun was out & I was thinking I was a bit overdressed...especially when we started the short climbs. We ran into a gentlemen walking his pooches....he bid us a good day & mentioned it was getting warm enough to start taking off the layers......almost... We continued over to Fishburn and explored the trails there...I was trying not to do too much climbing b/c I was really feeling tired from the previous nights P90X Core Synergistics workout. I didn't think it would affect me that much...but I was hurting on the climbs. We went through some of the more "technical" sections of the trail...lots of roots, a few rocks, . I mentioned to Laura this is a great place to work on technical skills.


We continued on and ran into our friend Wake from the bike shop. He had his adorable 9 week old little puppy with him....a Brittany named Kaya......very cute, very cuddly, all puppy. After we chatted with him for a bit, we decided to venture over to Mill Mountain. We cut through lots of alleys as we made our way to the Roanoke River Greenway. Once at the Greenway, I hopped up on a small median & rode alongside Laura...I did have to bail because I was headed for a trashcan.


As we continued on the greenway, the wind had picked up a bit & the cloudes rolled in. It was starting to get cold...Laura mentioned her fingers were getting a little cold because they had gotten too warm on the initial part of the ride and the inside of the gloves were now damp. I was having the same issue with my thumbs.


We cruised past River's Edge where there were a few folks out jogging & some others playing soccer. We rode through the tunnel under the railroad tracks to head over towards Chrystal Spring...There was actually ice in the tunnel.... When we emerged on the other side, we noticed our friends Chris & Angelia waiting in the parking lot. I noticed a Trane HVAC truck there as well..I asked Chris if he was on call..he said no, but his co-worker was..but ran into an issue. He had called Chris for a little backup & Chris was nice enough to oblige. We chatted w/ Angelia a bit...As we chatted, the winds increased & the temps felt like they were getting colder. We decided to forgoe Mill Mountain today for fear that once we climbed, we'd be chilled to bones trying to ride home & that wouldn't have been any fun.


We bid Angelia adieu & headed back through the Greenway, onto the alleys & finally parted ways near PH. It was fun just to get out & get a decent ride. I wanted to do 2+ hours, but the colde got the better of me. I ended up with 1:45 which I guess wasn't too bad considering the conditions.

Ignorance

Went out this morning to start the car so I could warm it up in the 8 degree temps. I entered through the passenger side, stuck the key in the ignition, & started her up. As I shut the passenger door, I heard what sounded like ice sliding off of the roof.....I thought to myself..we didn't have any weather last night. I circle to the back of the car & the back window had completely shattered. Holy Crap! I shut off the car & ran back inside to tell hubby what had just happened. We forumlated a plan. I went back out front and noticed my neighbor's car had paint all over the driver's side window & their side mirror was busted out. Shooot!...some )@($* idiots decided to vandalize property over the frigid evening. Stupid, just plain stupid!

I ran back inside & told hubby we needed to call the cops in addition to the insurance company...

Here's a few pics...nice Huh?

When hubby was on the phone w/ the police, he noticed one of the neighbors driving up the street. They had paint on their car too. I don't know what possesses some people to do such destructive things. Funny thing is you'd think the car alarm would have gone off in the middle of the night. We didn't hear a thing...even the dog slept through the night.

Anwyay..she's in the shop right now getting some new glass. I'm home...I worked 1/2 day this morning, then met hubby at the glass shop so he could take me home and go to work for the other half of the day. It's just a car & it can be fixed. But it's just really stupid the mentality of some of the people in this world!