Neo Power Series #1

1^st Place

The GT was at full power for this race even though I was distracted. Last week I bent a pedal and I’ve been riding on it since. Even though I was able to get a replacement for the race, my non-drive side hip felt bad. It didn’t feel as though I could push hard without it hurting. To make matters worse, I got my handle bar tangled in an electrical cord that was hanging from a tree at the top of a climb and smashed some of my favorite bits into the back of my stem.

However, the course at Manitoc is great and its shame that we only get to ride it one week a year. Unlike years past, despite the rain, the course was very fast. Before the race, I had been whining about not having enough knob on my tires for the slick course, but I was sarcastically told to “just bring out more skill”.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. My average speed was nearly 14 mph, which equates to crossing lots of wet roots at a good pace. The race distance was 30 miles and since I have been doing longer races it felt great.

Caesars creek is always a great place to ride. The hillsides and low valley areas are filled with trees and roots. It also has many high-speed corners, which made my bike the perfect choice for this race. I have been there a number of times in the past and had the chance to run the course in both directions. For my money, the path on the right is the best way to get started.

A week ago when I was racing in Michigan, the guys mentioned that there 29” bikes were catching me in downhill to uphill transition areas. They said that they could see my suspension working and that they would have to tap their brakes to keep from running into me. My rear suspension is set up to be active, so they may have a point. However, the guy who said this was nearly five minutes off my pace. Despite that, I added pressure to the rear and was surprised at how much better it climbed.

The day was not without its downside, a rider confronted me in a weird way asking, “How’s your mouth”. How is my mouth? I didn’t want to know what he was talking about, but that didn’t stop him. A couple weeks ago at Lake Hope while trying to kill Steve Hill with pace, I find this guy. From a good distance out, I say “rider up” and nothing happens. Now we are on top of the guy, “RIDER UP”. Taking his time he answers back, “I’m looking for a spot”. To which I respond, “Get off the trail”.

It works like a charm and we are on our way. Later, I hear that the guy is deaf in one ear. That would have been a nice thing to know, but it doesn’t change the facts. He’s holding a grudge and he said that he has some kind of great dirt on me. Well, I have done over 300 races in which I have been lost, kicked, punched, pushed, disqualified, and spit at. It’s a sport and things happen, so there is plenty to tell.

More fotos are here :)

This race is part of the USAC MTB Michigan State Championship Series and it draws a huge crowd. The Pro Men were first to leave and we were followed shortly there after by a huge wave of experts. The promoters did a great job of keeping lap traffic down by starting the hundreds of sport and beginner riders two hours later at noon. It also helps that we raced three ten mile laps. Even though we kept a strong pace, we never caught any lap traffic, which was nice.

At the start of the race, there was a call up to the line, which I was left out of, as I have not been a part of this series. To get onto the front line I had shove my bike between two riders who gave less attitude than I expected.

Everything started as it usually does with a super fast race to the woods. I entered the single track in second place and followed as a Bell’s rider laid down a ridiculous pace. I found out later that this was his job. However, his reign was about to end. He slowed on a switchback while climbing and I made a pass on the inside of the turn. Now in the lead, I could hear the rest of the pack begin to panic. Instead of working as a traveling roadblock though, the Bell’s rider who gave too much acquiesced and let the pack through in one big clump. Yea, it was going to be one of those kinds of races.

I pushed hard out front and the pack wore down to only a few riders by the end of the first lap. Judging the situation, I decided to let someone else work for a while. Back into the woods on the second lap, I was sitting comfortably in third place. The two riders in front of me were more than capable of widening the gap on the rest of the field and best of all they were beginning to fight one another. Being pulled to the finish at mach ten and getting a ringside seat to the action was more than I could have asked for.

The GT Marathon functioned flawlessly. In fact, it allowed me the confidence to ride at full speed on a completely unknown course. I pedaled through two wheeled drifts, took bad lines over drop-offs, and blasted over rocks and roots when I should have been slowing down. The bike is more than capable.

More photos from the race

Race to the Hills - WVMBA #10/OMBC #8 Lake Hope

1st Place

On the way to the race, I decided to enjoy my bike as much as possible. My mission was accomplished within the first two miles as I was going way to fast and ended up going right off the trail. When I got back on the path, I was in fourth place sitting right behind Steve Hill. Quickly I made a pass on the inside of a turn to end up in third right behind Ben Ort and Tim Carson. Tim was riding fast on the down hills and all of us were doing a lot of drifting through the corners. It felt like my rear tire was doing most of the steering as I tried to slow down for each turn. I could actually feel topsoil hitting my legs under braking. It was nice to be in a group of fast riders doing such an incredible job on the trail.

 I was in this group for about two miles before my opportunity to pass came. Ben is a great climber and he was able to close the gap that Tim had put on him.  When the two of them came together at the top of a hill, I used the chance to pass them both. Now at the front of the race, I opened up a solid gap on the field, but concentrated hard to get back into my rhythm rather than launching a larger attack. In hindsight, this was a mistake.  It gave Hill the time necessary to pass Ben and Tim. I didn’t know this was happening, but five miles down the trail he linked up with me.

If I couldn’t get rid of him I would have to go head to head with him at the finish. I raised the pace repeatedly, but I could not shake him. During this, I was getting a great understanding of his fitness level.  It gave me confidence for the sprint finish and I started looking forward to it. Sadly, he got a little loose on his bike and he hit a tree. I was not going to wait around and I won without any contention.

Congratulations Justyna, She did her fourth novice race the same day and finished fifth. However, she became the victim of trail bullies who pushed her off her bike as they passed. She landed in a ditch cutting her thigh, shin, and shoulder. She feels much better now. However, I regret to say that we currently have no leads in the investigation.