BSTRA Ride, Roll and Run Relay

Where to begin?  About two months ago I saw a post on my mountain biking group's forum.  There was this CRAZY relay race happening in Douglas State Forest on 4/29/12 put on by the Bay State Trail Riders Association (BSTRA).  The race was three legs - a 6.8 mile horse ride followed by an 8 mile mountain bike ride followed by a 5 mile trail run.

Rick Nelson from my mountain biking group, Team Bums, had found an equestrian on the BSTRA forum looking for a runner and a rider to fill out a team. Rick signed up for the ride and I agreed to take on the trail run.  The race was the same date as the Massasoit Lung Opener, which I had ridden the last couple of years.  I chose this instead.  I like the message the race is about - sharing the trails with all other users.  I also liked the proximity - Douglas State Forest - and the cost - $45/team.  Plus Mike Cove's insurance agency was sponsoring the race and he's a great guy and a mountain biking friend.  Way to go Cove Insurance Agency.

The race maps were posted up on the BSTRA blog a month or so ago and I checked them out.  I was smitten with the run course.  The only downside I saw was that it followed the horse course and had the possibility for a literal crapload of horse crap.  When I saw the mountain bike course, I realized that it was not a mountain bike course at all.  80% paved (with passing traffic) roads and fire roads.  A little piece of trail that is slightly more technical, but all in all, the course was a hammerfest, not a skills course.

Rick got out and pre-rode the course a couple weeks before the race.  He completed in in just over a half hour and was shooting for a race day time of sub-30.

A few days before the race, I got out and did a trail run at West Thompson Dam.  I was feeling good.  Very good. I never pre-ran the actual course, but if you ask my wife, she'd probably tell you that I know the Douglas trail system better than my neglected yard.

Rick is the only one who had spoken with our rider, Justine, before the race.  The report I received was that her horse was fast.  Not just fast.  "Crazy fast."  She was planning on bringing a companion horse and rider to do the race with her; perfectly allowable per race regulations (and actually mandated for riders under 16). 

So Rick was solid, Justine was solid and I was solid.  Hoping for good things.  Little did I know what was to come.

I was also hoping for some good karma.  Rick had been helping the race organizer with all things mountain bike and I went out two days before the race and leaf blew the one semi-tech section. 

We met at the park this morning at 8 am for registration.  I pulled in right at 8 and Rick and Justine we already there.  Justine's riding companion was named Ryan.  They had driven up this morning from the Cape.

Team 32

 The format of the race was the horses going off first, but so the trail didn't get too crowded they were starting it time trial style, with horses going off every two minutes.  That meant that even once you'd finished the race, someone coming in behind you could still beat you.  By the time we got over to the registration table, they were booking for 9:22, but it looked like the first horse for 9:00 am had just been scratched, so we scored the first spot!!!

We got ourselves together and our rider was ready to go at about 8:50 or so.  It was just before then that we learned another guy, Joe, who was not actually racing, was going to go out with them as well. I wasn't too sure about this as I thought the race literature had said "a" companion horse.

The woman starting the race, not the organizer, came over and was trying to call up team 25 to start first.  We were team 32, so asked what was going on.  Some minor confusion, but she said she'd let us out first.  There was no 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go.  Just, "You can start now."  And they were off sans fanfare.

Rick rode his bike up to the transition area, in a field about a mile away.  I jumped in the Element with my two favorite spectators, Cori and Harry Paton.  We pulled in and made some small talk with the other racers waiting for the horses to come in.  The couple of volunteers up at the transition explained what to expect to the handful of teams already up at the transition (most folks were still down waiting for their horses to take off).

We were told to expect between one and two hours for the horses.  The first horse came in at 40 minutes.  And it wasn't ours.  Then the next one came in and it wasn't ours either.  Not only that, they hadn't seen our horse on the trail.  And our horse was the first one out.  Uh oh.

After the third horse came in, I drove my car back to Rick's car to get his cell so he could call and figure out what was up.  As I neared the parking area back at the horse start, I pulled over and spoke with one of the race volunteers.  She knew the deal with our horse(s).  Apparently they had gotten lost and had ended back up at the start three times.  Super uh oh.

I grabbed Rick's phone anyhow and drove back to the transition.  At about 10 am, an hour after our start, Joe, the guy who was riding with our team, but was not on our team, came in with the relay bracelet (in lieu of a baton).  We learned that one of the other horses had lost a shoe and was not finishing.  Aargh.  Things looked bleak.  Rick took the bracelet anyhow and headed out.  Not sure what number biker we were out.  Not sure that it mattered.

Rick heads out

I did know, however, that Rick is fast.  Really fast.  I was surprised when he came in 40 minutes later.  Especially since he did it in just over 30 when he wasn't racing.  Rick had missed a turn as he came out to the Wallis Street lot and got back on the road.  He took a left instead of a right (and was not the first one to have done that).  He ended up riding all the way around a lake that was not part of the course before coming full circle and getting back on the course.  3.8 miles later.  Given that, 40 minutes was admirable.  Damned good, in fact.

I had, while waiting for Rick, seen one runner go out and make it back to the transition area minutes later, having immediately become lost.  That didn't worry me.  I had studied the map, knew the woods and knew the course intimately.  Once Rick flew in and I learned of his missed turn, I took off.

I went out a little too hard immediately, but caught my stride and was feeling good within a half mile.  I did see a volunteer talking to some horse riders pretty soon in at an intersection.  And more horses coming out of someplace that wasn't even on the course.  What the heck?  As I approached the first uphill, I came up behind three horses riding three abreast across the fire road.  Called out "Runner back" and they moved over. They called out to me that they had missed a turn.  I shouted out where transition was, but kept on going.

Up the hill.  And a left towards White's Highway (SW Main St).  I saw the first (and only) runner I would encounter and worked to catch her.  I caught her just after we crossed White's Highway.  After the initial turn that other guy missed, I thought the course was pretty well marked.  There were plastic plates with arrows marking the turns (orange for runners) and also had a circled L or R for left or right.  I didn't have any trouble.

After crossing the road, I came to the rockier portion of the trail run, but remained sure footed and feeling good.  I crossed back over White's Highway and back onto the fire road.  Just a couple of miles on fire road and paved road to finish.  Mostly downhill or flat.  Super.

I came across the same three horse riders three abreast again and called out my "Runner back" again.  This time instead of moving over, they started to run the horses.  They were faster than me, but not a lot faster.  After a tenth of a mile or so, they slowed to a walk again and I was right behind them still.  This time they moved over.  I came back to the same volunteer and asked if we were taking the little shortcut we had taken in out as well, or were taking the cart road straight out to the fire road.  He didn't know.  That frustrated me a little.  I know he was a volunteer, but this is exactly what he was supposed to know.  Ugh.  I headed straight instead of taking the shortcut.  It was the right decision.

I motored past the transition and headed down the park road to finish up.  Hammered out the end and finished the stated 5 mile trail run in 35:33.74.  Super happy with that.  I was the third runner in.

Finishing

Now to figure out what the hell happened.  One thing we quickly learned was that Joe was persona non grata at the BSTRA events.  Word on the street was that he lacked trail etiquette. Rick had talked to the organizer and he recommended since our team's horse never came into transition (actually walked out on the road) and Joe was not really on our team, we would take a DQ.  My first DQ ever.  Great.

Apparently the organizer went over to Joe after the race and gave him a piece of her mind, basically telling him he was not permitted to attend any more BSTRA events.  She told us that he was told he could ride, but since he wasn't on a team, he should go out last just for the ride.  He states he was told to go out first.  I have no idea what happened.

Post-race with our new rider, Joe, added in

Apparently everyone was talking about team 32.  I think there was a feeling that our riders were riding too fast for the conditions.  Our actual rider, Justine, said that she was going fast because this was, after all, a race.  I don't know enough about horses to take an educated position on this.

We stuck around for a lunch supplied by the race of baked pretzels, fruit, sandwiches, chips and desserts.   Yum.  Also had a great (free) 10 minute deep massage by Lisa Carrachino-Tangney, a massage therapist who had set up there (and knows Karen Potter).  It was painfully delightful.

We watched the awards ceremony.  It was tough because I think I had a great race and Rick would have as well had he not gotten lost.  I was talking to another rider who was heading up a sandy fire road and said Rick passed him like he was standing still.  Did I mention Rick is strong?

After they announced the awards, I spoke to the organizer to see where I actually placed in the.  Rick was there with me.  She apologized for us getting caught  up with the riders we got caught up with.  In the end though, if we didn't get DQed, we would have been DNF for the thrown shoe.  It wasn't really our racer's fault.  I'm not sure sending someone else on with the bracelet was a great idea, but whatever.  Again, it didn't matter.

When the organizer looked me up, she had my run time as 48 minutes.  Again, I started my watch at the get go and stopped it as I crossed the finish line and had it as 35:33.37.  I pointed this out and she double checked her math.  She noted a mistake and then marked my time as 37 minutes and change.  Still a minute and a half off, but not worth fighting given the DQ.  As I scanned the results over her shoulder, I don't think I saw anyone faster than the 37 she quoted me, but I could be mistaken.

As I was headed home I had a message from Rick saying he saw where he went wrong in the Wallis St parking lot.  The lot had a sign pretty high up on the right exit, but Rick followed up the left exit, which was not signed. I took another call from him later on and he explained the exact extra miles he had completed.  That sucks Rick!

All in all, a good day.  This was the first Ride, Roll and Run Relay (there were some Triple Crown participants also, doing the entire thing solo).  I expect they will learn from some of the issues that they had and that this can be a great race in the future.

And for your entertainment, here's a guy after the race screwing around on his mountain bike.

Nope

Yep.

Big River Management Area - Rhode Island

The Wednesday night group and the Bums have been getting out to Big River in RI a bunch lately, but I just haven't had a clear schedule to make it happen.  That all changed today.  After rave reviews of endless miles of fast, flowy singletrack, my anticipation for a killer ride was palpable.

Dave Violette and I drove down together.  We pulled into the lot on Hopkins Hill Road in W Greenwich, RI, at 9:30 am.  There were 11 riders in our group all together - me and Dave, Bryan Quach, Ron Erickson, Chris LeClair, Brandon O'Neal, Alby King, Ben Stone, Jess Bly, Dan Russell and Marc Dupuis.

A few of the guys we were with knew their way around a bit.  We were trying to rely on some GPS routes from previous rides as well.  In the end, we still got mixed up pretty well in the beginning anyhow.  I think it was the too many cooks in the kitchen syndrome.  It made for plenty of cart road and several turns arounds, but I guess it gave us some extra miles as well.  We ultimately worked it out though and got on track.  I can't recall everything we rode as I was just following the tire in front of me, but there were some super cool techy trails with some decent climbs interspersed with the smooth, flowy singletrack that was promised.

Brandon on the rocks.  Not neat.

A couple of the highlights of the first section of our ride include Quach riding off the side of a bridge crossing a stream and all of us blasting down a trail called the Ravine, which wasn't too long, but what it lacked in distance, it made up for with awesomeness.  It swooped back and forth up and down the sides of a deep gully several times.  As fun as a roller coaster.

My favorite thing though was probably a teeter-totter we happened across purpose built for mountain biking.  Great sign next to it - "You have to go faster than you think."  A bunch of had a go at it.

 

 Big Ben fearlessly hits it first

 

And then Jess!

This is Dan's second go.  

First crash was better, but not a family show.

And Daring Dave! 

My first shot.  Ugh.

And success!

We got a little misplaced on the way back to the lot and did some pretty serious climbing.  I didn't think the biggest little state in the union had that many hills.  

We made it back to the lot for a snack break at about 1 pm and with just over 17 miles under our belts.  I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that was akin to a slice of cheese pizza after a night of drinking.  Best peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever.  EVER.  

Mid-ride snack

After refueling and losing Ben (who was getting ready for 80 - 90 miles on the road tomorrow), we headed back in. 

We got through a great initial descent (leaving the inevitability of a long schlog of a climb out).  There were countless rocks and logs to launch off.  We hit the bottom and after crossing a stream had a brutal climb out of the ravine.  After that there was some great, flowy mountain bike specific stuff using all the natural features the terrain had to offer.

At a split in the trail we were faced with two options - the first a tough climb to a vista and the other a super technical trail called the Azorian Driveway.  We decided to do both, first climbing the hill and then coming back for the Driveway.  After climbing what I think they called the Elephant Trail, we arrived at the vista.  The guy who owns this land is a mountain biker and set up a couple of Adirondack chairs and a mailbox.  Here's the mailbox.

Snacks left by the most awesome mountain biker I've never met!!

Team Bikeman - Alby and his Salsa sidling up to Brandon's Big Unit, by Kona.

Chillin' like they do in the Adirondacks.

The thank you shingle to the candy man.

After we took in the view, we descended for the technical Azorian Driveway.

Bike philosophy

After finishing up the Azorian Driveway, we hit a couple of other trails.  One aptly named I See Dead People, which is what much of our group was starting to look like.  We made the decision to head back out and, after that climb we knew was ahead, made it back to the parking lot to grill up some sausages and have a beer, courtesy of Jess.  Thanks Jess!

All told, I had 22.93 on my bike computer averaging 8.4.  A couple other guys had 24 and 25 miles on their computers and GPS units.   All in all a solid day riding.  I'll definitely hit Big River again.  And next time I'm holding those guys to endless miles of fast, flowy singletrack!