1st place overall on a singlespeed, CT Classic 2010

Last weekend I finished 1^st place overall (Geared and Single Speed all ages) in the CT Classic mountain bike race on my single speed.  Time: 10:42:17, Distance: 73.29 mi, Elevation Gain: 11,146 ft.  This is a great race and is a fundraiser for MS.  There is also a two day event that takes place at the same time.  The weather was a huge factor.  Over half the entrants didn’t even start and some who did had to bail out which made the actual finishers a pretty slim amount.  The majority of the race is above 10,000 feet on arguably some of the best single track in Colorado.  The race is brutal with extreme weather (I have had 6 inches of snow fall in an hour with lighting in the middle of August on it), highly technical sections, jagged rocks in long tallis fields, huge exposure on ridges and long rocky downhills.  I felt good, because of the moisture it took more effort to pedal but aside from the hike-a-bike sections it was mostly ridable.  About a half mile from the finish I went over the side of a steep 50 foot slide down heading down to the river below but somehow I caught the trail with my left arm and my rear tire with my right hand which prevented me from a big fall.  Just ended up with some big scrapes down my left side.  It would have probably taken 30 minutes just to get down to my bike which would have for sure been damage if I hadn’t caught it and who knows what would have happened to me!  Here is a link to an article in the Durango paper //www.durangoherald.com/article/20100726/SPORTS/707269965/CT-for-MS.  Here is a link to my garmin tracking http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42041825?sms_ss=email.  I wish I could have taken some pictures of the harsh tarrain that the tires had to withstand.  I cant do it justice just in writing.

Kokopelli Trail Race Redo 2010, Singlespeed

Finished the Kokopelli Trail Race last weekend, better late than never but had to keep up the tradition.  We ended up having to do it as a time trial two weeks later because of the weather on the actual race weekend which was mud, rain and snow.  This is a non-sanctioned renegade race (These are popular in Colorado and the southwest) which is acceptable to be done as a time trial but is preferred to do on the same date every year.  There are a number of races like this in the southwest.  Because of the logistics and the fact that there are not a lot of people who can finish them (or dumb enough to put themselves through such misery) they have no entry fee or trophies and consequently no permits required.  This is actually one of my favorite races of the year so I didn’t want to miss out.

The race use to alternate directions each year but in 2007 they tried to shut it down in Fruita so it has, and probably will, always start in Moab from now on.  Starting in the town of Moab is a lot less conspicuous than 75 racers in a remote parking lot (closed at night) outside of Fruita at midnight.  Since we were doing the time trial version on our own myself and a friend Jeff Hemperley (Who I got to start running Racing Ralphs) elected to start in Fruita at midnight on 5/30 and ride to Moab. 

I like starting in Fruita better but it is definitely harder with the majority of the climbing at the end.  We had almost a full moon which was really cool shining off the Colorado River and the cliffs.  The first section of the ride is pretty technical and riding in the dark with a 25 pound pack was challenging on a single speed.  The temperature was a bit cold but not to bad in the desert.  When we started the three killer climbs we had already ridden 80 miles of ups and downs with about 4000 feet of elevation gain.  Within about 40 miles we had almost 13,000 feet of elevation gain with a 20 mile downhill at the end into Moab.  I used a cadence sensor this time and as I suspected before it would be better to run an easier gear next time.  My average cadence was 58 where normally I would be in the high 70s for a long ride like this.  Tried a new race fuel as well which was a bunch of McDonald’s cheeseburgers.  I never eat them normally but they actually worked out great even after 12 hours. 

We both ran Racing Ralphs and had no flats or any other issues.  The tires worked great!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35328291?sms_ss=email

 Filling my bottle in the early morning

 Oops, Wrong turn

 We filtered water out of this, no other reasonable choice!

 A long brutal hill

 Me, looking down in the valley we just road uphill from, for a long time

 Jeff cruising down to Moab

 Power food, every 4 hours we had one each

 Me at the top of the Rose Garden

 Home stretch

 

Finished in about 18 hours without stopping!  Off to the brewery for grub

1st Place, SS Solo 12 Hours of Mesa Verde

Just finished 1^st place in the Single Speed Solo overall at the 2010 12 hours of Mesa Verde last weekend, 131 Miles, 12,752’ elevation gain.  Finished 2^nd out of all 119 solo racers, including all the geared bikes.  Also had the fastest single speed solo lap time for the race.  www.12hoursofmesaverde.com  The race was capped at just over 600 racers and filled up not long after opening registration.  It has been labeled the premier southwest mountain bike endurance race.

The Racing Ralphs performed excellent with no problems.  This trail is a real test for tires.  It has been described as a rollercoaster ride on a bike and there is an advantage for anyone riding on tires that can really stick in the corners and also withstand the jagged rock sections.  I started out in 4^th and worked my way up to 1^st about 50 miles into the race.  Even though it is a nationally recognized race with bikers from all over the US it was great to win in my hometown.  There was some great competition in other classes as well.  The Trek team battled it out with the “Local Legends” team (John Tomac, Dave Wiens, Travis Brown & Daryl Price) finishing within two minutes at the end. 

1st Place SS Solo, Dawn till Dusk 12 Hour race

The Dawn till Dusk 12 hour race in Gallup NM went well last weekend.  I finished 1^st in the single speed solo 0-39 with 10 laps equaling over 124 miles and over 12,000 feet of elevation gain.  There were just under 500 total racers.  This was the first time anyone in the single speed solo category did 10 laps which is the most laps any geared solo racer has historically done as well.  This year 5 single speed solo racers did 10 laps which made it a very competitive and exciting race as we were pushing each other the whole race.  The trail was a bit dusty but overall pretty nice on the sweet spot of the single track but the edges were soft and aggressive cornering was a challenge.  Lap after lap I cornered faster and faster as I became more familiar with the trail and the Schwalbe Racing Ralphs really stuck to the ground well.  My plan was to ride laps consistently and not come out to hard at the beginning.  This put me behind for most of the race but after a hundred miles I passed up my competition with some great lap times.

1st Place overall on a SS (Shared) Sedona Big Friggin Loop

I was thrilled with the tire performance again in my most recent race, the “Sedona big friggin loop race”, which is part of the Arizona endurance series.  I shared the overall 1^st place finish with another racer who recently switched to Racing Ralphs after I told him about how happy I was with them.  Together we managed to survive the 60 mile route which was very technical, had difficult navigational challenges, and dangerous river crossings.

2nd place SS solo, 2010 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo

16 Laps.  I recently switched to the Schwalbe Racing Ralphs for the 24 hours in the old Pueblo where I took 2^nd and had no problems with the tires for the full 260 miles even considering all the sharp rocks and cactus on the single-track trail.  The tires performed great. 

Race Across America, RAAM 2007, 4th Place

Team Crank and Burn, 4th place in RAAM 2007.  Check out all the Race Across America coverage at http://www.crankandburn.com/ .  I broke my clavicle two weeks before the race, had a plate and screws put in, and road the entire race.  I won't say it didn't hurt!