Monday, December 19, 2011
Wissahickon
Believe it or not, Central NJ has an option to travel an hour south and find some pretty gnarly terrain. Saturday a couple of MTBNJers and regular NJers headed south to meet up with 1speed for his version of Wissahickon. This place has just about everything you could want from a trail system; from techy climbs to nice fast flowy downhills, all within the Philadelphia city limits. Couple of different ways to loop this together to always keep it fresh. No more words, watch the video!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Mooch; The Good Stuff
As written by: Poor Iggy
Its winter so let it be cold. That doesn’t mean we have to put our bikes away until warmer weather comes back in the spring. There is a sense of accomplishment and triumph involved in winter cycling. Overcoming frigid temps to do what we enjoy can be very satisfying. Sometimes a group ride is needed as incentive to wake up early on a weekend to leave a warm bed. The idea of meeting some friends for a mountain bike ride is all the motivation I need in cold weather.
The cast of characters from left to right; Brett, Utah, Falco, 26er, Woody, Pearl, & a missing Chris RU
Last Sunday a gang of us met at Allamuchy, not quite the ass crack of dawn but to some 8:00am is early for a Sunday. Getting up early is not foreign to me; my work- day usually begins at o dark 30. For group rides I prefer early starts; with 9 of us riding the miles will take awhile. Besides we never start rides on time anyway.
Mooch Mocha
We parked in the tranquility lot and climbed our way up the white trail. The start of the ride was 20 degrees but the ascent up white made it feel like 90 degrees. Our bodies stayed warm but Camelbaks, water bottles and derailleurs began to freeze up. At this point we were all riding 1x9’s, except for Woody on his SS rigid Indy Fab. He is a farm boy type; strong, resourceful and unassuming. He can do anything on his bike and fix anything with what he has in his back pocket…farm boy.
Here is Woody helping 26er fix his flat tire but 26er screwed It up by putting too much torque on valve stem while re-inflatting, which resulted in a sheared stem. Luckily Pearl had a back up 26” tube even though he was on a 29er. Pearl also has the largest collection of betamax movies on the east coast.
Utah and Chris Ru at Lumpy Bumpy
The first showcase on the 26er tour was lumpy bumpy. Compared to rolly polly and candy ass I find this to be the easier tech stuff. Not that I didn’t take a dab or two, it’s the large boulders that drop you straight down that scares the jeebies out of me. I’m proud to say I walked some of those big-ums that rolly and candy ass are known for. I watched some of the other guys roll it but not me, something in my brains says don’t do it. I’d rather ride out a candy ass then end up with a busted ass.
Local Mountain Man Brett and his flat pedals
Next up on the ride was to make our way over to rolly polly. The only people out of 9 of us that knows how to get there from here are Brett and 26er. But they have to collaborate with their information; it took the two of them much discussion at the back of the train to figure out the proper route. We made it even harder for them by taking the occasional wrong turn. Along the way we found Marty’s riders Paul and Vick. They hopped on bringing our train up to 11.
Paul after climbing up ice cream
At about the 2-hour mark Brett, Falco, Ru and Pearl had to split and followed the trailhead back to the cars. The 7 of us continued toward rolly polly by climbing up ice cream. The climb was not the steepest but it seemed to be never ending. Paul was leading the way in what seemed like a 15-minute interval up ice cream. Once at the top we played on the boulders that are rolly polly. The climb up nearly killed 26er but the rollers on rp brought him back to life, he ain’t no candy ass when it comes to the big-ums.
To make the 26er good stuff tour complete we had to hit candy ass. At this point we had over 2.5hrs of saddle time in but there was no way we were going to turn back. Paul and Vick parked on the other side of the park so they opted to head towards their cars as we made our way toward CA.
By the amount of leaves on the trail one could see that CA is clearly the road less traveled. At some points we lost the trail briefly due to leaves but it was easy to pick up by following the rocks. This section of mooch offered great flow with some tough technical rock sections thrown in. Of course I was a ca on the parts that had you descending straight down a boulder but other then that I kept it respectable.
26er was happy to share his dream Mooch-loop with us
The good thing about parking in tranquility is the bombing downhill you get as you head back to the cars. After 3+hrs, not having to pedal uphill is a good thing. After 20 hard earned miles 26er took us on the best stuff that Mooch north has to offer. That’s what I call the good stuff.
Its winter so let it be cold. That doesn’t mean we have to put our bikes away until warmer weather comes back in the spring. There is a sense of accomplishment and triumph involved in winter cycling. Overcoming frigid temps to do what we enjoy can be very satisfying. Sometimes a group ride is needed as incentive to wake up early on a weekend to leave a warm bed. The idea of meeting some friends for a mountain bike ride is all the motivation I need in cold weather.
Last Sunday a gang of us met at Allamuchy, not quite the ass crack of dawn but to some 8:00am is early for a Sunday. Getting up early is not foreign to me; my work- day usually begins at o dark 30. For group rides I prefer early starts; with 9 of us riding the miles will take awhile. Besides we never start rides on time anyway.
We parked in the tranquility lot and climbed our way up the white trail. The start of the ride was 20 degrees but the ascent up white made it feel like 90 degrees. Our bodies stayed warm but Camelbaks, water bottles and derailleurs began to freeze up. At this point we were all riding 1x9’s, except for Woody on his SS rigid Indy Fab. He is a farm boy type; strong, resourceful and unassuming. He can do anything on his bike and fix anything with what he has in his back pocket…farm boy.
Here is Woody helping 26er fix his flat tire but 26er screwed It up by putting too much torque on valve stem while re-inflatting, which resulted in a sheared stem. Luckily Pearl had a back up 26” tube even though he was on a 29er. Pearl also has the largest collection of betamax movies on the east coast.
The first showcase on the 26er tour was lumpy bumpy. Compared to rolly polly and candy ass I find this to be the easier tech stuff. Not that I didn’t take a dab or two, it’s the large boulders that drop you straight down that scares the jeebies out of me. I’m proud to say I walked some of those big-ums that rolly and candy ass are known for. I watched some of the other guys roll it but not me, something in my brains says don’t do it. I’d rather ride out a candy ass then end up with a busted ass.
Next up on the ride was to make our way over to rolly polly. The only people out of 9 of us that knows how to get there from here are Brett and 26er. But they have to collaborate with their information; it took the two of them much discussion at the back of the train to figure out the proper route. We made it even harder for them by taking the occasional wrong turn. Along the way we found Marty’s riders Paul and Vick. They hopped on bringing our train up to 11.
At about the 2-hour mark Brett, Falco, Ru and Pearl had to split and followed the trailhead back to the cars. The 7 of us continued toward rolly polly by climbing up ice cream. The climb was not the steepest but it seemed to be never ending. Paul was leading the way in what seemed like a 15-minute interval up ice cream. Once at the top we played on the boulders that are rolly polly. The climb up nearly killed 26er but the rollers on rp brought him back to life, he ain’t no candy ass when it comes to the big-ums.
To make the 26er good stuff tour complete we had to hit candy ass. At this point we had over 2.5hrs of saddle time in but there was no way we were going to turn back. Paul and Vick parked on the other side of the park so they opted to head towards their cars as we made our way toward CA.
By the amount of leaves on the trail one could see that CA is clearly the road less traveled. At some points we lost the trail briefly due to leaves but it was easy to pick up by following the rocks. This section of mooch offered great flow with some tough technical rock sections thrown in. Of course I was a ca on the parts that had you descending straight down a boulder but other then that I kept it respectable.
The good thing about parking in tranquility is the bombing downhill you get as you head back to the cars. After 3+hrs, not having to pedal uphill is a good thing. After 20 hard earned miles 26er took us on the best stuff that Mooch north has to offer. That’s what I call the good stuff.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Horseshoe Weekend
We jumped into the end of race season too early and forgot to update this. You can forgive us, right? The memories haven't faded; but here are the photos we thought captured the Horseshoe weekend.
Rob is #1! If you want a full size poster of this, just reply on this post and we can make it happen.
Ilya in one of the best battles of this years CX. This was great to watch all season.
Capers and his trained Gorilla.
Fred cruising to first place.
Robin NOT smiling!
ChrisRU with the shared secret of the "tree swing". The fastest way through this muddy section.
Kirt rubbing elbows
RobG mid-flight.
Utah showing Eric his limp hand pre-race.
Ilya, Cornering.
Saturday
Men C
ChrisRU - 4 of 29
Chris26er - 8 of 29
Capers - 15 of 29
Men C 40+
RobG - 1 of 24
Men B
Ilya - 5 of 23
Men A
Fred - 1 of 14
Men Masters
Norm - 5 of 14
ChrisG - 11 of 14
Women C
Robin - 4 of 7
Sunday
Men C
ChrisRU - 6 of 38
Men C 40+
RobG - 2 of 23
Kirt - 4 of 23
Men B
Utah - 9 of 28
Ilya - 13 of 28
Men A
Fred - 2 of 13
Men Masters
Norm - 3 of 17
ChrisG - 12 of 17
Women C
Robin - 4 of 7
Just because we aren't racing doesn't mean this won't be active. Tons of shenanigans will be happening this winter; Just you wait.
Saturday
Men C
ChrisRU - 4 of 29
Chris26er - 8 of 29
Capers - 15 of 29
Men C 40+
RobG - 1 of 24
Men B
Ilya - 5 of 23
Men A
Fred - 1 of 14
Men Masters
Norm - 5 of 14
ChrisG - 11 of 14
Women C
Robin - 4 of 7
Sunday
Men C
ChrisRU - 6 of 38
Men C 40+
RobG - 2 of 23
Kirt - 4 of 23
Men B
Utah - 9 of 28
Ilya - 13 of 28
Men A
Fred - 2 of 13
Men Masters
Norm - 3 of 17
ChrisG - 12 of 17
Women C
Robin - 4 of 7
Just because we aren't racing doesn't mean this won't be active. Tons of shenanigans will be happening this winter; Just you wait.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sussex TOOOOO!
At the end of the long 4 day Thanksgiving day weekend, when everyone is feeling fat & lazy, the second Sussex race comes along to give you a little kick start to get ready for that post-turkey slumber week that nobody wants to face. In a way, it's makes life easier, because the pain of the 45 minute race makes going to work easy in comparison. At least for an hour or so. This weekend we had another good crew of blue & orange up at the Sussex Fairgrounds for installment #2 of the SCCX Double.
40+ Men
Foreshadowing:
First race was Norm & ChrisG (and some other guys) where we saw Lombardo check out as usual. There was a fight for 2-3 between Eric and some other non-regular, and then the 4-5-6 was a bit of a battle with Norm, Doug Spitz, and a 3rd guy who I'm not familiar with. In the end, I didn't have much in the tank as my season feels like it wants to drop kick me at this point. So I ended up 6th of the 3. As the bell rang on the last lap, nothing changed at all. That's a tough time to try to cover anything and as usual, the lap ended as it began.
I don't have the results so I'm not sure where ChrisG ended up. He was battling behind me and I saw the trailing blue and orange the whole race, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't too far back.
C Women
After the 50+ the ladies lined up to go, with Robin & Mandi representing yesterday. Robin is in mid-stride with her training and really did a great job trying to hang on to Gerilynn's wheel yesterday. I stuck around for the women's race and got to see a lot of familiar faces in blue & orange as well as assorted other colors. Here's Robin trying to track down that tricky podium:
Alas it was not to be, as the1-2 girls checked out and Gerilynn managed to hang on to the 3rd spot. Mandi rolled in with a 7th place finish, solid times all around. I have to say that for as little as she ends up on the cross bike, she's a near pro with the remount. Here she is on the tricky downhill section:
Meanwhile, Pearl watched it all unfold:
A Men
No blue & orange in the fast class, as Fred is mired in central Jersey with no coffee roaster so spends most of his time with a Big lighter and an old wok that he found in a Carribean island. But Maurice was out there, who does wear blue & orange for some of the races. He checked out yesterday and won the A race, hands down. Here he is on the triple barrier run-up:
B Men
Feeling the effects of coaching his kid's hockey team, Ilya was forced to skip SCCX #2 which left Utah as the only blue & orange rider in the B class. He managed a 12th place finish, which is the same as last week but better since the fields were deeper this time around without the Supercross race to compete with. Here Utah makes an aggressive pass as Chris Esnes watches on:
40+ C Men
Next up were the 40+ C men, where Sean Runnette has been ripping up the class this year. Lo and behold, Rob (old not young, but I guess that's implied by the class) did his best to rip it up and he did exactly that. While not walking away with a win he did manage to land us a 3rd place and help the team cause. Rob managed our best result of the day and along with Robin (4), myself (6), ChrisRU (6), and Mandi (7) led the charge in helping us retain our hold on 2nd place in the NJ CX Cup standings.
C Men
Finally the day wrapped up with the C race, where we have our strongest presence. Chris26er was rocking a potential podium until he flatted towards the end.
ChrisRU tried to hang on to 26er and he did for a while, but in the end he let that podium slip away a little bit and would up 6th on the day. Chris has really come a long way this year and it's great to see him reaping the rewards of all the hard work he's put in.
Like myself, Pearl has about had enough of the cross season and the big rides over the Turkey weekend added up to produce a somewhat lackluster result on the day. Slipping just inside the top 10 isn't a bad day for not feeling it though. Here he approaches the sketchy little downhill turn.
Rounding out the team day was Capers, who is off his great ride at Cathedral last weekend. The 6 hour training does not really translate to the shorter, high-end efforts of cross. By his own admission he was a bit of pack fodder on the day. To be expected given last weekend.
In all a great course again, and a great weekend for the team. No idea where we sit in the team standings but hopefully we managed to hold on to the 2nd place overall. Somerset is likely too far out to catch. But there are a slew of other teams breathing down our neck last I checked.
See you next week at the Scramble!
More pics here:
Norm's pics
Mandi's pics
Robin's pics
40+ Men
Foreshadowing:
First race was Norm & ChrisG (and some other guys) where we saw Lombardo check out as usual. There was a fight for 2-3 between Eric and some other non-regular, and then the 4-5-6 was a bit of a battle with Norm, Doug Spitz, and a 3rd guy who I'm not familiar with. In the end, I didn't have much in the tank as my season feels like it wants to drop kick me at this point. So I ended up 6th of the 3. As the bell rang on the last lap, nothing changed at all. That's a tough time to try to cover anything and as usual, the lap ended as it began.
I don't have the results so I'm not sure where ChrisG ended up. He was battling behind me and I saw the trailing blue and orange the whole race, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't too far back.
C Women
After the 50+ the ladies lined up to go, with Robin & Mandi representing yesterday. Robin is in mid-stride with her training and really did a great job trying to hang on to Gerilynn's wheel yesterday. I stuck around for the women's race and got to see a lot of familiar faces in blue & orange as well as assorted other colors. Here's Robin trying to track down that tricky podium:
Alas it was not to be, as the1-2 girls checked out and Gerilynn managed to hang on to the 3rd spot. Mandi rolled in with a 7th place finish, solid times all around. I have to say that for as little as she ends up on the cross bike, she's a near pro with the remount. Here she is on the tricky downhill section:
Meanwhile, Pearl watched it all unfold:
A Men
No blue & orange in the fast class, as Fred is mired in central Jersey with no coffee roaster so spends most of his time with a Big lighter and an old wok that he found in a Carribean island. But Maurice was out there, who does wear blue & orange for some of the races. He checked out yesterday and won the A race, hands down. Here he is on the triple barrier run-up:
B Men
Feeling the effects of coaching his kid's hockey team, Ilya was forced to skip SCCX #2 which left Utah as the only blue & orange rider in the B class. He managed a 12th place finish, which is the same as last week but better since the fields were deeper this time around without the Supercross race to compete with. Here Utah makes an aggressive pass as Chris Esnes watches on:
40+ C Men
Next up were the 40+ C men, where Sean Runnette has been ripping up the class this year. Lo and behold, Rob (old not young, but I guess that's implied by the class) did his best to rip it up and he did exactly that. While not walking away with a win he did manage to land us a 3rd place and help the team cause. Rob managed our best result of the day and along with Robin (4), myself (6), ChrisRU (6), and Mandi (7) led the charge in helping us retain our hold on 2nd place in the NJ CX Cup standings.
C Men
Finally the day wrapped up with the C race, where we have our strongest presence. Chris26er was rocking a potential podium until he flatted towards the end.
ChrisRU tried to hang on to 26er and he did for a while, but in the end he let that podium slip away a little bit and would up 6th on the day. Chris has really come a long way this year and it's great to see him reaping the rewards of all the hard work he's put in.
Like myself, Pearl has about had enough of the cross season and the big rides over the Turkey weekend added up to produce a somewhat lackluster result on the day. Slipping just inside the top 10 isn't a bad day for not feeling it though. Here he approaches the sketchy little downhill turn.
Rounding out the team day was Capers, who is off his great ride at Cathedral last weekend. The 6 hour training does not really translate to the shorter, high-end efforts of cross. By his own admission he was a bit of pack fodder on the day. To be expected given last weekend.
In all a great course again, and a great weekend for the team. No idea where we sit in the team standings but hopefully we managed to hold on to the 2nd place overall. Somerset is likely too far out to catch. But there are a slew of other teams breathing down our neck last I checked.
See you next week at the Scramble!
More pics here:
Norm's pics
Mandi's pics
Robin's pics
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Misfits at Allaire (by Utah)
So
I have been hearing about the awful sand, flat and boring conditions at Allaire
for 3 years now. Frank has been trying to convince me to never ride there
as it is indeed not worth the drive. Well despite the negative reviews I
figured I would hit up the Misfits ride and see for myself. Misfits ride
as in a ride for owners of misfit bikes. Matty B originally organized
this ride for all misfit owners as they are apparently some sort of hells angel
gang of bikers who wear tights rather than leather. However, the ride was
in fact an all-inclusive and I was not harassed for riding my conformist
cannondale.
After
meeting up with Luke and Eileen, we made our way down. Arriving in the
parking lot, I was surprised to see it completely jam packed with riders.
I would name names, but there were far too many to list. The misfit
drivers soon came together for a picture
Soon
followed by the rest of us….Mitch took the picture, but sadly could not join us
on the ride.
So
after some social this and that we finally hit the trails with Matty, Frank and
Chris G leading the way. Within a few minutes the train was moving at
high speed and we were having an absolute blast. Cant understand why
Frank dislikes this place so much J.
It’s a really nice change of pace from the rocky and technical trails that
surround my hood. I can’t remember when I have been on a group ride this
large and seen it move so quickly. Got to do some quality chit chat with
lance, walt, spence, lou and even some james pearl commentary!
Train
was crazy long
Our
locomotive
James
Pearl must be in cross season
Eventually
we made our way over to this thing…Luke kept us there for 10 minutes until he
cleaned it
Nail
it Wookie!
The
pines
In
total we racked up about 15miles in an hour and forty minutes of moving time
which was dam good considering the size of the group. Cant believe I
waited this long to hit this place up, its an absolute blast. I only wish
it was closer to my house. Great times and a great tour…Thanks to Matty
and Frank for the guidance.
After
the ride, about 15 went for some post ride refueling..good times!!!
A Time of Thanks (by Pooriggy)
I love this time of year, bike races are winding down,
the weather is still good for getting out and it’s the kick off of the holiday
season…which means less work and more time to bike and spend with family.
Mountain biking is now more about going out on an adventure and less about
training for the next race.
This was a different Thanksgiving for me this year.
Instead of going to the in-laws for the usual turkey dinner I spent the day at
the hospital. My dad had esophagus cancer 4 yrs ago and due to complications
from the operation to remove the cancer his lungs are in poor condition.
Thursday it got to a point that he had to go to the hospital so he could be put
on a respirator. In the past 4yrs I have become somewhat numb to events like
these, I mean I hope for the best but am ready for whatever comes at me. These
days I try to focus on being there for my mom, she needs the support.
My support for dealing with things like this is getting
out on my bike with friends. As we all know getting out on the bike can turn
one’s mood around and help us to make the best out of any situation. The day
after Thanksgiving I spent the morning mountain biking with Utah and Falco at
Ringwood State Park. No matter what crap goes on in our life cycling seems to
make everything feel better. I am grateful to have my health and buddies to
share a ride at one of my favorite parks in NJ.
We met at Ryerson School and rolled out at 7:45 as other
cars began to filter into the parking lot for post Thanksgiving rides. Despite
the frosty grass and cool temp’s it didn’t take long for the climb up warm-puppy
to warm us up. With Falco up front we got into a nice rhythm as we headed out
toward Shepard’s lake on Skylands trail. Our 29” wheels flowed over rocks (with
an occasional dab) that seemed to be created by the geological process. Its hard
to believe these trails where built by Jorba, they feel so natural.
Bombing down a fire road Falco ripped his sidewall and
got a hole in his back tire. Yes the boy works at a bike shop and was too lazy
to set up his tire tubeless. No worries he uses a Gu pack as a boot on the
sidewall and has a spare tube, oops wait he has a hole in his spare. Utah pulls
out his spare tube from his bag of tricks and discovers that his has a hole as
well. This reminds me of HS days of carrying condoms around in my wallet that
break before they ever see any use. I pulled out my condom and gave it to Falco,
no hole…good to go.
After the Shepard’s lake area I have no idea where I am,
but I do know we are heading toward the old boy scout area on some of the most
technical trails of Ringwood. By the amount of fresh leaves on the ground you
can see that this is the path less traveled. The rocks are now more randomly
placed and menacing. At one point my hand slips off my handlebars while going
down a rock and I start heading over the bars only to be saved by my stomach
hitting the bars. I think it may have been better if I went over,
ouch!
The old BSA area brings back some fuzzy memories for me;
I camped here in the late 70’s as a scout. It’s tough for me to recall this area
on a bike; if I had more time I’d hike around here to jar my memory. I’ll settle
for a picture instead.
The ride back to the school from this area is incredible.
Some sections are crazy rocky, some are floweee rocky and some offer great
views. This section beat me up some more and I started to get sloppy as my body
began to get tired on the uphill technical stuff. After descending the downhill
rocky switchbacks we came upon a stream crossing that Falco picked the perfect
line across. Utah aimed for that line but slid off a rock and his front tire
sank into 3 feet of water. This is never a good thing; he did his best to stay
dry but ended up doing the backstroke in the current. Which I must say the
stream crossings where certainly at high tide this time of year. Luckily we
didn’t have far to peddle to make it back to the cars.
Rolling back to the school in less then 2.5hrs we managed
to cover about 14 miles. My Garmin 500 is never 100% accurate in the woods. This
ride was exactly what I needed to deal with stuff that life throws at you. From
time to time everyone has unpleasant things to deal with but we can all be
thankful for our family, friends and the opportunity to get out on a bike and
enjoy ourselves. Keep on bikin!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Six Hours Cathedral pines. through the eyes of a Capers
Couldn't have asked for a better day for 6+ hours racing mountain bikes on Long Island, in the middle of November. As expected, this year's Six Hours Of Cathedral Pines was a real treat and an opportunity to shake things up a bit while in the midst of cyclocross season. This would be my second year participating in this event and I couldn't be more stoked to race it again.
Hit the road around 6AM with teammates Rob Perazzo, Dana Napurano and Chris Brawley (Pooriggy). We crammed 4 bodies, 5 bikes and a ton miscellaneous shit onto and inside Rob's little Toyota.
Arrived at Cathedral Pines County Park about an hour before the start. We hooked up with Kirt and Dave Clapp at the gate so that we could all park and pit together. Shortly after, the Gozicks rolled up.
I don't see much value in warming up before long format races like these, so my pre race ritual became a bit more laid back than normal. I picked up my number, kitted up, ate and cruised around to check out the scene. Chatted it up with several friends and teammates. The vibe was good.
After the pre-race meeting, all 300 or so of us lined up for a mass start. I picked a spot towards the front and shot the shit with my buddy Dan Brodeen. As we were talking, the gun went off without warning, taking us completely by surprise. Unprepared for this, I leaped onto my saddle cyclocross-style and pedaled like a madman up the prologue. As with any race, I did my best to pick through the riffraff to secure a decent position towards the front, leading up to the singletrack.
The Mass start is as crazy as you've heard - Photo by Jennifer Carlson
There was a bit of congestion as we entered the woods but thats unavoidable considering the volume of riders. There were some hang-ups on the first series of hills but I managed to dodge & pass those folks and kept pedaling. I wasted no time jumping ahead of riders that were not moving fast enough and by about 25 minutes in, settled into a nice groove with a group of about 8 guys. We hammered out the remainder of the first lap which ended up being 51 minutes exactly.
I continued riding with this group for just about the entire second lap, always keeping someones wheel a couple feet in front of mine. Half way through lap 2, I spot my teammate Rob and he takes the lead for a while. we pushed the pace a little bit harder and banged out a 49 minute 2nd lap. I'm feeling pretty good at this point. While passing through the transition area, I pull up alongside Rob, we exchange pleasantries and I take the lead into the singletrack. Always a good feeling when you have a friend to ride with. Rob stayed relatively close behind and was never out of site. By now the group had mostly broken up into smaller pods of 2's and 3's as we continued to hammer through the sweet, flowy Long Island singletrack.
I kept a consistent effort, onwards through the next several laps but It wasn't before long that something evil began lurking within my legs. I have never experienced this before in a race, and that evil was the cramp monster! The cramping was relentless and hung around for the remainder of the race. The only way to suppress the pain was to pedal faster. Slowing down only caused my legs to lock up. At times I found myself shifting to an easier gear to spin a faster cadence. Nevertheless, I fought through it and did my best to maintain momentum. I still had plenty of gas in the tank.
I really had to force myself to eat every time I came around through the transition area. I didn't want to loose any time so my stops were 30 seconds or less. I mostly ate on the go, which was rather difficult with solid foods. Nearly choked on a cliff bar. That was ugly.
At the end of Lap 5, Chris (Pooriggy) catches up to Rob and I. We all pass through the transition area together. My cramps are at their climax right now. I downed almost an entire bottle of water, a banana and a package of chomp blocks. Chris Takes off and thats the last I see of him. Rob decides he doesn't want to ride anymore and bails right then and there. This is OK for him as the registration numbers were so low for his age group that at this point, he wins by default! I congratulate him and take off for lap 6.
For the next 2 laps, I find myself mostly riding solo with the occasional wheel sucker latching on. Dialed into autopilot mode, my bike rails the twisty turns with speed and finesse. I am quite literally in that special place called "the zone". James Brown's "Get on the Good Foot" is on repeat in my brain and my groove is unstoppable. By now many of the other racers are really beginning to fade, none of which were racers in my class. I 'm passing folks like like crazy. Well, passing as courteously as one could. We're all here to have a good time so I did my best not to be a jerk.
Towards the end of lap 7, I look down at my Garmin and see that I have passed the 6 hour mark, so an 8th lap isn't going to happen. I have a huge gap on the next rider in my field behead me so I ease up and cruise the last mile or so to the finish line. I end up wrapping it up with 7 laps at 6:11 and a 5th place finish. Not a bad day!
It wasn't until I dismounted that it hit me how beat up my body felt. It's the good kind of soreness though, the kind you earn!
I was pleased to learn that every single one of my teammates threw down strong finishes in their respective classes. Outstanding! Quite a few podiums were had for MTBNJ..
Results
Rob Perazzo 1/1, Cat 1 Male 19 to 29 Laps 5, Time 4:18:26.9
Dana Napurano 3/5, Cat 2 Female 30 to 39 Laps 5, Time 5:51:12.6
Eric Capers 5/23, Cat 2 Male 30 to 39 Laps 7, Time 6:11:11.6
Chris Brawley 3/27 Singlespeed Open. Laps 7, Time 6:02:22.7
Chris Gozick 7/27 Singlespeed Open. Laps 7, Time 6:17:09.3
Kirt Mills 3/19 Male Duo Relay Laps 8, Time 6:38:19.5
David Clapp 3/19 Male Duo Relay Laps 8, Time 6:38:19.5
ChrisG - Photo by Wayne Lewis
Dana - Photo by Anthony Benavides
Capers - Anthony Benavides
Iggy on cruise control - Photo by Jennifer Carlson
Kirt doing his part - Photo by Wayne Lewis
RobP drinkin' up - Photo by Jennifer Carlson
Part of the crew enjoying the delicious post-race chili.
Hit the road around 6AM with teammates Rob Perazzo, Dana Napurano and Chris Brawley (Pooriggy). We crammed 4 bodies, 5 bikes and a ton miscellaneous shit onto and inside Rob's little Toyota.
Arrived at Cathedral Pines County Park about an hour before the start. We hooked up with Kirt and Dave Clapp at the gate so that we could all park and pit together. Shortly after, the Gozicks rolled up.
I don't see much value in warming up before long format races like these, so my pre race ritual became a bit more laid back than normal. I picked up my number, kitted up, ate and cruised around to check out the scene. Chatted it up with several friends and teammates. The vibe was good.
After the pre-race meeting, all 300 or so of us lined up for a mass start. I picked a spot towards the front and shot the shit with my buddy Dan Brodeen. As we were talking, the gun went off without warning, taking us completely by surprise. Unprepared for this, I leaped onto my saddle cyclocross-style and pedaled like a madman up the prologue. As with any race, I did my best to pick through the riffraff to secure a decent position towards the front, leading up to the singletrack.
There was a bit of congestion as we entered the woods but thats unavoidable considering the volume of riders. There were some hang-ups on the first series of hills but I managed to dodge & pass those folks and kept pedaling. I wasted no time jumping ahead of riders that were not moving fast enough and by about 25 minutes in, settled into a nice groove with a group of about 8 guys. We hammered out the remainder of the first lap which ended up being 51 minutes exactly.
I continued riding with this group for just about the entire second lap, always keeping someones wheel a couple feet in front of mine. Half way through lap 2, I spot my teammate Rob and he takes the lead for a while. we pushed the pace a little bit harder and banged out a 49 minute 2nd lap. I'm feeling pretty good at this point. While passing through the transition area, I pull up alongside Rob, we exchange pleasantries and I take the lead into the singletrack. Always a good feeling when you have a friend to ride with. Rob stayed relatively close behind and was never out of site. By now the group had mostly broken up into smaller pods of 2's and 3's as we continued to hammer through the sweet, flowy Long Island singletrack.
I kept a consistent effort, onwards through the next several laps but It wasn't before long that something evil began lurking within my legs. I have never experienced this before in a race, and that evil was the cramp monster! The cramping was relentless and hung around for the remainder of the race. The only way to suppress the pain was to pedal faster. Slowing down only caused my legs to lock up. At times I found myself shifting to an easier gear to spin a faster cadence. Nevertheless, I fought through it and did my best to maintain momentum. I still had plenty of gas in the tank.
I really had to force myself to eat every time I came around through the transition area. I didn't want to loose any time so my stops were 30 seconds or less. I mostly ate on the go, which was rather difficult with solid foods. Nearly choked on a cliff bar. That was ugly.
At the end of Lap 5, Chris (Pooriggy) catches up to Rob and I. We all pass through the transition area together. My cramps are at their climax right now. I downed almost an entire bottle of water, a banana and a package of chomp blocks. Chris Takes off and thats the last I see of him. Rob decides he doesn't want to ride anymore and bails right then and there. This is OK for him as the registration numbers were so low for his age group that at this point, he wins by default! I congratulate him and take off for lap 6.
For the next 2 laps, I find myself mostly riding solo with the occasional wheel sucker latching on. Dialed into autopilot mode, my bike rails the twisty turns with speed and finesse. I am quite literally in that special place called "the zone". James Brown's "Get on the Good Foot" is on repeat in my brain and my groove is unstoppable. By now many of the other racers are really beginning to fade, none of which were racers in my class. I 'm passing folks like like crazy. Well, passing as courteously as one could. We're all here to have a good time so I did my best not to be a jerk.
Towards the end of lap 7, I look down at my Garmin and see that I have passed the 6 hour mark, so an 8th lap isn't going to happen. I have a huge gap on the next rider in my field behead me so I ease up and cruise the last mile or so to the finish line. I end up wrapping it up with 7 laps at 6:11 and a 5th place finish. Not a bad day!
It wasn't until I dismounted that it hit me how beat up my body felt. It's the good kind of soreness though, the kind you earn!
I was pleased to learn that every single one of my teammates threw down strong finishes in their respective classes. Outstanding! Quite a few podiums were had for MTBNJ..
Results
Rob Perazzo 1/1, Cat 1 Male 19 to 29 Laps 5, Time 4:18:26.9
Dana Napurano 3/5, Cat 2 Female 30 to 39 Laps 5, Time 5:51:12.6
Eric Capers 5/23, Cat 2 Male 30 to 39 Laps 7, Time 6:11:11.6
Chris Brawley 3/27 Singlespeed Open. Laps 7, Time 6:02:22.7
Chris Gozick 7/27 Singlespeed Open. Laps 7, Time 6:17:09.3
Kirt Mills 3/19 Male Duo Relay Laps 8, Time 6:38:19.5
David Clapp 3/19 Male Duo Relay Laps 8, Time 6:38:19.5
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