Mooch Madness, Hurricane Irene and Shen...

Weird trophies are a part of winning mtb races. I've got my share of bricks, bones and rocks
Saturday was sweet. Mtbnj put on the first annual Mooch Madness at what was supposed to be in Allamuchy state park. Waving his wand and closing the state parks, our Governor extraordinaire decided on Friday that because the world was supposed to end sometime Sunday morning that we should all stay home and think about what we had done wrong to have mother nature unleash the potential wrath of god upon us. After some tweaking of the course to keep it on BSA property, Norm and the bunch decided to put the race on anyway. This decision was spot on. The rains for the most part stayed away and we all had a blast in the face of impending doom. Every other race on the Eastern seaboard was called off and many stayed home but the core bunch came and we had a ball on the perfect course. The run up section was awesome and a feature other promoters should consider adding to their courses.
My day was spent trying to get my pacing down for the Shenandoah 100, on the bike and with the setup that I'm likely to run there. I've been racing a lot of XC lately and am not so sure how my lack of endurance training will treat me around the eight hour mark. For four and a half, I'm golden. Probably stretch that to six no problem. But eight? Guess we'll find out.
Speaking of Shen, I'm flying under the radar for this one. After not showing up at the 101 because of personal reasons, I guess the single speed course record holder for the SM100 (me) doesn't really deserve a mention in the race brief. It's okay, I like nobody knowing I'm coming, takes the pressure off. Maybe I won't be a factor at all, Hmmm?
I like the Shenandoah 100, the course suits me perfectly and I will be "going for it". If any of you have raced me in the last few weeks you might have noticed a change in my strategy. This will continue in the coming weeks. We are in the meat and potatoes part of the season...What have I got to lose?

Ike, looking at the pond that used to be a creek across the street from the house.
The "pond" has taken over the end of the street also.

Rattling 50....

Rattling 50 results...
Choosing the right gear for a race you've never been to and won't have a chance to preride is a art form. Mistakes often are made, but there is a simple equation.

Fitness level multiplied by mileage, minus elevation change, divided by finishing times of single speeders in relation to geared finish times equals.... Oh, you're just guessing anyway.

At Rattling Creek I decided to use the same gearing I use on my local trails at home for the equivalent distance. I almost ran a tooth harder but was glad I bailed on that idea late Saturday night. Racing against gearies in cross country races I'll usually go a tooth harder but at a 50 miler you have to consider how you'll feel after 3 or 4 hours at race pace. Rattling creek is billed as a single speed friendly 50 miler. What does that mean? To me, a good single speed course is all up and down with very little flat at all, but then again I race gearies every week. Any place they get to big ring it on you can put you in distress real quick. When you're racing other singles, they just don't have that option.
I'd say Rattling Creek was a great SS course. It was all up and down but nothing so steep you had to walk much. As a matter of fact, I found the climbs enjoyable. One of my strengths is long tempo climbs and this course had plenty. Another thing it had was plenty of was rocks. In North Jersey we have large rock features that you ride over or around, and baby heads, lots of baby heads. In Pa. they have sharp pointy rocks that you have no choice but to ride on top of. Nothing that would throw you over the bars per say but the ever threat of tire damage will keep you on edge. I'd describe it like riding Split Rock and Buddha (at Waway) for 50 miles. Tough, to say the least.

This event was super sweet and well organized, going off without a hitch. The promoters even figured out how to keep the thunder storms away until after most of us were finished. The fireworks display was saved for a hundred of us huddled under a tent at awards while lightning struck just about every tree in the area. Next year definitely check this one out. The trails and the race are well worth the drive...

Leaving at 5am and getting home at 9:30pm is a long day no matter how you cut it. Having Chris and Jane along for the ride made the traffic on Rt80 almost fun...

Kenda Cup East at Bear Creek

All fueled up and ready to go...

Ominious clouds blanket the mountain for the day two XC race...

First off, if you have never been to Bear Creek for an event you must check it out soon. The hotel, lodge and venue are second to none. It's just what a mountain resort should be like. The trails, well they are challenging to say the least. You can make a trip here anytime to ride these trails (just check in at the lodge first). I'd recommend a suspension bike for the ultra technical trails. Of course I opt for the rigid single-speed. I like it hard.

I was hanging by the Giant tent pre-race when one of the juniors asked me...
Puzzled looking Kid: "Why would you chose to ride that bike here? What do you hope to prove by riding a bike with one gear and no suspension?"

Me: "Because in riding this archaic torture device at such a technical course I get to make the competition feel even worse about themselves if I beat them."

Puzzled looking Kid: "Really?"

Me: "Yeah!!!"....(under my breath) "Nahh it just goes up hill really fast."

Matt Miller (Giant Mid-Atlantic) must have overheard this conversation because even after my best effort to put enough time into him on the climb he still abused me like a stepchild on the downhill. Finishing just a few seconds in front of me. Enough for his 8th place, I finished 9th. The cross country in the rain was a blast, bringing back memories of my first years of training (when I used to ride in the rain more often).

The real story for me was the short track...
Short track is awesome!!! Every event should have a ST Saturday. Full on for 20 minutes with the guy in front who you can never catch and the guys behind doing the same to you. It's predator and prey all wrapped into one. You're the predator, and the prey. Eat or be eaten. Do or die. Just awesome. My heart rate was through the roof the entire time. I haven't gone that hard in quite a while.

The Super D...
Lets just say, I should have taken the time to pre-ride the course..

What would a trip to Bear Creek be without a stop at T-town?

The rain kept me from enjoing some sweet roadie SS action...
Single Gear God!!!

A nice suprise...

Got home from work on Friday and found this in the mail box...


Even though I wasn't able to attend the 101, Shenandoah Mountain Touring sent me my T-shirt anyway. Class act promoters. That was a nice surprise...


Sunday I head out to the 909 for a H2H series race. The shortened lap and the cross country length race suited me well in the humid conditions. The H2H races have a reputation of being too long with the pro's often finishing over 3 hours. It was a nice change of pace to be able to race from the gun without worrying about cracking late and getting picked off right before the finish. Maurice (Team mtbnj.com) was a bit too much for me today, (he's flying this year) but in chasing him we both managed to put a healthy gap on the rest of the overheated field. My topsy turvy world of mountain bike racing is back in order. There are good vibes on the single for me. Fitness is coming around and I'm having fun. Rigid and Single is how I roll...

Next up is Bear Creek. I'll be racing my single speed in the triple crown pro series. Short track, Super D and Cross Country. I just might bring the suspension fork along for the ride.

A good set of family values....

Mine's the muddy one..Greg and Jason,
Thanks for coming to the Dark Horse 40. I had a blast...