The Pinnacle 2012 - Race Recap

Thunk.  Thunk.  Thunk.  Thunk.  Thunk.  Thunk.  What the hell?  I raise my head from my pillow.  It's 4:00 am on the nose, an hour and ten minutes before the alarm is set to go off.  What's that noise?  Thunk.  Thunk.  thunk.  I look out the bedroom window to watch a car with a flat tire driving down the road.  It's stopping and going, presumably undecided as to how to handle its current dilemma.  It eventually drives away.  Thunk.  Thunk.  thunk.  Thank god.  I roll over.  Maybe a little more than half awake.  I didn't get to sleep until after 10 pm.  I need more sleep before the race.  I put a pillow over my head.  Don't think about the race.  Drifting back off to... Thunk.  Thunk.  Thunk.  Thunk.  The driver changed his mind and is driving back past the other way.  It's over.  I'm doing this on six hours sleep.

It's Father's Day and my wife has magnanimously given me leave to ride the Pinnacle again, but has opted to go visit her own folks with Harry rather than schlep him 2.5 hours each way to Newport, NH, and back. I can't blame her.  She's made that trip with me three of the four previous times I've been up.  I believe that makes her eligible for canonization.

Anyhow, I wanted to get on the road by 6:00 am and had no trouble achieving this goal given my early rising.  A quick kiss on my semi-sleeping wife's forehead, shove a couple of last minute things in the cooler and out the door.  Mission accomplished.

I know racers like to talk about nutrition, so I'll let you all in on a little nutrition secret of mine.  A dirty, little secret.  Dunkin Donuts blueberry cakes.  Two of 'em.  If you show up before 6:00 am, the donut lady may have to go get them from the back room.  You might wonder why they're not warm if that's the case.  I find it better to pretend I didn't notice.  And an XL french vanilla hot coffee with cream and sugar.  There, now you can be middle of the pack in sport, too.  You're welcome.

I learned a lesson last year while driving up for this race.  I'd like to think it's as insightful as the donut lesson, but I think most of you probably already know this one.  Listen to the GPS.  It's better than you at figuring out how to get there, wherever there is.  Last year I struck out on my own against the advice of my Garmin.  An nearly missed the race.  This year I listened.  And you know what?  I was there an hour before the race started.  When you arrive early instead of late you have time to do things like consider your gear as you get it ready, use the bathroom, pre-ride.  All useful tasks in preparing to race.

On my way in to grab my number, lucky 245, I run into Brian Spring.  The only other guy I know there racing sport.  He was supposed to have been at the Grind two weeks earlier, but as it turns out had fallen ill and forfeited his preregistration.  That seems pretty sucky to me.  Here he was not preregistered and was ready to race.  Ever a mystery, Mr. Spring.  He was doing quite a bit better as of late and only had a lingering morning cough.  Things were looking up for Brian.

I grabbed my number, hit the head (school bathrooms beat the not-so-proverbial crap out of portapotties) and went out to do a little pre-riding.  Trying to preserve the delicate balance between working out the kinks and not overdoing it.  I climbed up and did the Plummet a couple of times.  Everything seemed to be firing pretty well and the small section of trail I came across looked super.

Pinnacle Plummet!!!!!!

At 9:15 we headed over to the start area for the racer's meeting.  As we were getting ready to hear what the director had to tell us, a guy came up to me and said, "You're Rob, right?"  Turns out that he had read my blog posts and was one of the two guys who beat me out during the last stretch of the Glocester Grind.  Nate Elder.  He is also the first person I've met who knew the blog before he knew me.  I thought that was pretty cool.  Almost cool enough to forgive him for stealing my Grind podium.  Elder.

When I had first arrived in Newport I recall having been a little chilly when I exited the car.  The early morning clouds were still breaking and the sun hadn't made it in to warm everything up yet.  By the time we were ready to race though, it was much warmer.  76.1 F according to the thermometer on my bike computer.  Most folks were standing in the shade.  I knew it would be plenty warm, but was thankful that most of the course would be shaded.

I found out at the racer's meeting that Sport Senior and Vet I would go off at 9:30 and that Vet II would be out two minutes after that to give the crowd some time to thin before hitting the singletrack.  The Elites and Experts would be going off after our race, at 12:00.  The novices were off on the heels of the Sport groups.  At 9:32 we were off, right on time.


I had lined up well and had a pretty good position as we were about to hit the first section of doubletrack climbing.  At least I thought I had.  Just as we were going in about half the field passed me.  Geesh.  I wasn't last, but was definitely the last 25%.  I started to get worried, but decided to remember that this is a long race and there would be plenty of time to earn my position in the end. I also knew there would be a fair amount of doubletrack throughout the course in which to grab places. 

So I didn't get too caught up having lost those places.  I grabbed a few back in the first quarter mile before we hit the short piece of paved road and about five more taking a slightly gnarlier, but very doable, line up a hill on a wide piece of trail.  That helped clear my head. 

The course is challenging, but fun.  The Pinnacle is about 550' of vertical per lap (I think).  The Sport group was doing a half lap, cutting out the second half of the ascent, followed by two full laps.  Full laps were just a shade over five miles.

The full lap had a steady climb up to begin.  Over a couple of small bridges and dumping out at a pair of water towers.  That's where the course turns to a jeep road that climbs.  And climbs.   The beginning lulls you into a false sense of being able just to drop your gears, drop your heads and pedal.  About a third of the way up though, it gets just a little wet and the turns to large, loose stones interspersed with wet ledge.  Pay attention or prepare to unclip.  Mistakes are generally not forgiven.

After what seems forever, but is probably a third to a half mile, a singletrack forms along the left side of the jeep road and the course veers onto the same.  It's still pretty tough going for a while until it settles into a pattern of very welcome switchback climbing.  The switchbacks eventually dump you back on the road you had been climbing and you follow jeep road up to the Pinnacle.  That's where the fun starts.  There a long fairly straight descent that eventually throws you onto a short piece of fire road before you do a little more singletrack climbing and then hit some fun rock ledge built into the trail.  That takes you into the pump track which takes you into the berms.  From there its pretty much all down to the start/finish area where you start to climb back up and do it all over again.

Let me back up.  I said berms and moved on like they were inconsequential.  These berms, however, are the bomb.  High built rock piles covered with dirt letting riders fly into the turns and out just as fast.  These are berms that you read about.  I know this because you just did.

Jon Modig comes through the berms racing Expert Junior.

2012 Olympic Mountain Biker Lea Davison killin' it.

And Steve Segenchuk, racing Expert Vet II, killing himself to hang on!

 Experts!

I noticed pretty early on that my left hand was killing me on the descents.  My finger is still not quite healed from a sprain about three and a half weeks before the race, but it's really more my palm on the bar that's hurting.  Not sure what that's all about.  I'm kind of falling apart.  Whatever it is, it's stealing away a little downhill confidence, but almost instantly feels better whenever I start climbing.  Of  course then my legs and lungs start to groan.  No injury there.  Unless you allow that I might have sustained a broken will.  To do hill repeats. About 42 years ago.

Other than that, feeling pretty good.  I was gaining a couple of spots here and there and giving up less, so that's got to be positive.

Climbing up the second time, I've got company.  Another guy in my age group I later find out by looking up his number is Colin Johannen.  He was chatty and recognized my Bums kit and we talked about the Treasure Valley Rally.  Really nice guy.  Except for his ability to hold a conversation while climbing like it's no thang.  I didn't like that about him.  Anyhow, Colin said he absolutely adores the TVR.   Nice to hear such great feedback.  Chatty Colin pulled away and I was left climbing on my own.

The rest of lap two was uneventful.  I climbed.  I descended. I rode well.  I rode mostly alone.  Around the top of the climb I was passed by a mountain goat in a unitard.  I'm cool with that.  If you're rocking a unitard, I expect you to pass me.

Third lap was a schlog of a climb, but once I hit the top, I gave it everything I had.  That said, it was tough gaining on the downhill.  I don't think the extra gear has as much impact as it would during the climbing.  As I hit the pump track though, it started to pay off.  I was catching glimpses of folks in front of me and before I knew it I was passing El Unitardo.

Shortly after I started running into the novice group, presumably finishing their second lap.  All were super cool and moved over before I said anything.  They even offered some words of encouragement.  I tried to reciprocate, but was pushing hard.  Hopefully I didn't come off as an ass.

After getting by the novices, I hit the berms and heard a racer coming up on my wheel.  I figured it must have been one of the people I'd recently passed.  I held my position for a little bit and when I couldn't shake whoever it was, I let them pass.  Guess who?  Elder!

I tried stepping it up to hang on and make it a spring to the finish, but this guy's got kick like nobody's business and I was soon alone, my salty tears running down my sweaty face.

I did finish strong and came into the finish a mere 11 seconds post-Elder.  As it turns out, I've been just behind Nathan Elder all season. One place behind him at Weeping Willow.  Two behind at Glocester.  And now one behind at the Pinnacle.  Going to have to work on that.

My final stats:

1.7 mile warm up.
13.368 miles raced
1:40:07 elapsed
    19:39.50 - Lap 1 (1/2 lap)
    40:20:08 - Lap 2
    40:09.42 - Lap 3
32.9 mph max
8.3 mph avg
8th/19 in Sport Vet II

After the race I had a chance to speak with Brian Spring, who came in a few minutes after me.  His cold, it seems, was only abated when not climbing mountains on bicycles.  He said he was coughing like crazy through the course.  Still finished a respectable 12th.  Nice work!

After the race, I put my bike up on the Element and walked the course to get some pictures and video. of the Expert and Elite heats.  Those racers are sooooo fast.  It's awe inspiring to watch.

 Experts!

Steve pays homage to Gene Simmons.  Or maybe Michael Jordan.

Nearing the top on lap 3.  Probably questioning riding 69 miles yesterday.

Alby loves to dress up as his favorite superhero.  Bikeman.

I later learned from Steve Segenchuk that Lea Davison, one of two women on the Olympic Mountain Biking Team, raced the elite heat.  She's the one killing it in red in the video clip below.

All in all, another great time at the Pinnacle.  Maybe I'll work on the hills between now and next year.  Next confirmed race - the Hampshire 100 where I'll be racing the 100K option in August.  May try to get the Hodges race in before that in early August.

Glocester Grind 2012 Race Review

 I was going to write this blog earlier, but I just got out of that last mud pit a few minutes ago.  Two other guys were still stuck when I finally got out. I grabbed a picture before I left.

This was my third year doing this race.  I'm becoming a big fan of the Grind.  It's uber-technical and I ride it pretty well. This year it is the second race in the EFTA series.  It was a last minute addition after some confusion and another race having to pull out.  I hope they're back again next year.

I showed up for the elite/expert/singlespeed/sport heats going off at 11:00 am.  The novices had gone off earlier and most were wrapping up as I was getting ready.  The day before the race it had rained two inches.  Pretty much non-stop, all day.  I think I've managed to stay dryer while swimming than I found myself to be during the disc golf tournament I had played in on Saturday.  But that's another story.

The good news is that Sunday I woke up to drop-dead gorgeous temps and blue skies.  I conjured up some hope that maybe things would have dried out a little.  Those hopes were quickly dashed as I took my first glance at the earlier heats coming out.  Mud, crud and more than a little blood.  

Upon arrival I bumped into Steve Segenchuk, Matt Chandler and Jon Modig.  All racing expert.  Matt and Jon had ridden to the race together and showed up early enough to ride a full warm-up lap.  My deductive superpowers were substantiated.  Muddy it would be.  I was able to pick up a couple of good pointers on what to expect and how to handle it.  Probably not as good as riding it myself, but I saved the legs and the drivetrain.  In the end, I have to say I'm content with my decision.

Cori came down to the race to assume her role as spectator extraordinaire.  We kicked around for a little bit checking out the goings on, collecting my number, snapping pictures and getting geared up before I took my bike to the road to stretch out the old gams.

Team Bums - Me and Matt Chandler

 Unlike Weeping Willow two weeks prior, the sports were grouped with the experts this time, so no hopes of being the first group out at my start time.  We watched the elites, experts and singlespeeds go out, then queued up ourselves.  My wave was 12 riders between 40 and 49 years old.

Next up!

The course starts by wrapping around a sizable lawn before heading into the woods.  I was middle of the pack by the time we hit the trees.  Having learned from my mistakes last race, I fell into the line and did not try to pass in places that had a higher likelihood of losing me spots than gaining them.

The course is advertised as three laps of six miles apiece, but in reality is closer to 4.75 miles per lap.  I slowly picked up some places, but wasn't sure exactly who it was I was passing due to the numerous groups that had gone out in front of me.  I was riding well, but was stuck in line and, as lines go, was getting caught up periodically. Keeping it out of my head, I focused on riding the smart race.

Some of the highlights of the course include several really tough rock gardens.  I think if I were in a battle defending against an army of mountain bikers, I might lay a line of rocks exactly like these to stop them from getting through.  There were also some pretty deep mud holes.  You never quite knew what you were getting into.  Thin, watery mud.  Thick, goopy mud.  Super stinky mud.  My favorite though is the mud hiding the unnavigable rocks with eel-like roots twisting through them.

Just over the rock.

And Modig doing the same.

There were a couple of bridges as well.  One was topped by plywood.  As it turns out, wet, muddy plywood is not grippy.  This was one of the course features of which I had been forewarned by Matt and Jon, who both fell during their warm-up lap.  First time through, I decided t try going through the water instead of testing the bridge.  It did not work.  I dabbed. I am not sure if dab is the right word.  Dab sounds light and graceful.  While it was only my feet that touched, the sound was more of a ker-plunk.  Next two times I rode the bridge.  I rode it slow and I rode it evenly, but I rode it all the way through.  I think Ted Stevens may have had something to do with its construction though, for it was truly a bridge to nowhere, landing me squarely in a mud bog.  The only hope was to risk a wheelie drop off the end of the plywood and hope to get ample purchase to pull through the mud.  I succeeded.  Somehow.

One thing I really thought was pretty cool in the race was a new area that was clear cut.  I'm not great with eyeballing area, but it had to be several acres.  The course followed the clear cut area all the way across and then turned, came back all the way, headed into the woods again and then came out and back again.  This resulted in being able to see riders strung out all the way through this barren wasteland.  I found it to be a gorgeous scene.


I had a couple of good crashes in the second lap.  The first was resultant of a poor job navigating through a pretty tricky rock garden.  I went down pretty hard, but just some bumps and bruises to me.  I also smacked my brake lever and bent it.  Still rideable though.

Brake broke

The second crash was in one of the aforementioned mud/rock/root pits.  That one was a little more problematic.  I forgot to mention that 10 days before the race I sprained my left middle finger.  Really sprained it.  It was quite swollen and I couldn't bend it.

I think it's twins!

Post-race and slightly mangled

 Race day (and still today, almost a week later) it was splinted and protruding from my left handlebar.  The good news is I get to flip everyone off.  The bad news is its pretty vulnerable and I couldn't used it for things like holding onto the handlebars and braking.  This second crash caught the splint on the brake lever or handlebar and ripped it almost all the way off.  Ouch!  I had to stop in that mud pit and take the time to rebend the splint to it's original form and fit it back on.  That involved removing gloves and all sorts of other time consuming nonsense.  Lost some good time there and a wee bit o' confidence.


The beginning of the third lap I was going back and forth with another guy.  He looked young, but I wasn't sure how old.  He was certainly super friendly and we chatted a little. He had driven down from New Hampshire for the race.  I finally asked and found out he was in the 19 - 29 age group.  Not my competition.

I wasn't really sure what place I was in, but in the wasteland near the end of the third lap I was passed by a guy whose number was close enough to mine to know he was definitely my age group.  I just couldn't hang on as he went by.  Another passed me with probably a mile or less to go.  A little frustrating, but I kept plugging away.  They were the only two who got by me in the end.

I finished the race in 1:55:06.  As it turns out, before I was passed in the last lap, I was in second place.  Those two guys put me into fourth.  After nearly two hours of riding, I was 25 seconds out of third and 37 seconds out of first.  Still pretty happy, but would have loved the podium.

Other folks I know who raced finished as follows:

Steve Segenchuk: 1:41:07 - 4th of 9 starters (7 finishers) in Expert Vet II.
Matt Chandler: 1:41:25 - 5th of 10 starters (8 finishers) in Expert Vet I
Jon Modig: 1:39:51 - 2nd of 4 starters (4 finishers) in Expert Junior

Congrats to Jon for the podium.  And for outracing Steve and Matt (and, of course, me).  And congrats to all who came out and made this race great yet again this year.

Post-ride all were a muddy, muddy mess. So muddy that I didn't even mind heading across the street like many others and washing up in the pond.  It didn't smell that great, but neither did I.   

Next up, The Pinnacle in Newport, NH, on 6/17. 

Little muddy

Pond scum

Tour of Italy

Well hello.  It's been awhile since I've done anything worthy of a post.  But I'm back with some big news.  And yes it is about biking.

I'm going to Italy.  To tour Venice and the surrounding area by bike.  With my girlfriends.  It's going to be awesome.  It's going to be epic.  Rob is envious.

Here is the itinerary:

Day 1: Vicenza - Individual arrival. A nice and cosy historical city centre characterized by the buildings of the famous architect Andrea Palladio (16th century).
Day 2: Vicenza – Bassano del Grappa (approx. 25 miles/40 km)From Vicenza you cycle towards Marostica, famous for its castle and the chessboard in the main square. The last stop is Bassano del Grappa with its covered wooden bridge and the “grappa”.
Overnight in Bassano del Grappa.
Day 3: Bassano del Grappa – Treviso (approx. 38 miles/62 km)You enter Asolo, which presents us with the only real uphill section of our ride. The downhill run takes you to the land of Prosecco vineyards and on to Maser. The trip ends in Treviso.
Overnight in Treviso.
Day 4: Treviso – Mestre/Venice (approx. 24 miles/38 km)Leaving Treviso behind you follow the course of the River Sile up to Casale. At the end of the trip Venice awaits for evening among canals and narrow streets; accommodations are in Mestre.
Overnight in Mestre or Venice. A supplement applies for lodging in Venice.
Day 5: Mestre/Venice – Chioggia (approx. 20 miles/33km)
Leaving Mestre this morning you head into Venice pedalling on the 2.5-mile (4 km) bridge “della Libertà”, then to Tronchetto harbour. From here you take a ferry (payable locally) along the canal Giudecca to Lido. It is the most exciting day, pedalling on two narrow islands that divide the sea from the lagoon: Malamocco and the island of Pellestrina.
Overnight in Chioggia.
Day 6: Chioggia – Padua (approx. 37 miles/60 km)You pedal along the two rivers that carried trade in and out of Venice in this area centuries ago: Bacchiglione and Brenta. You continue on to Strà, famous for the majestic Villa Pisani. On arrival in Padua, you will find the great basilica dedicated to St. Anthony, the historic Caffè Pedrocchi and Prato della Valle.
Overnight in Padova.
Day 7: Padua – Vicenza (approx. 30 miles/48 km)The Bacchiglione River points the way out of the the city and you reach Costozza, a little town at the foot of the Berici hills. The bike path passes in front of Villa Rotonda, the most famous of the Palladian villas. Just before entering Vicenza you see the Villa Valmarana ai Nani with its marvellous frescoes by Tiepolo.
Overnight in Vicenza.

Day 8: Vicenza - Departure from Vicenza. 

So that is 6 consecutive days of cycling for a total of 174 miles.  I'm going to need to train for that.

And there seems to be vineyards along the way.  Which means there will be some wine tasting.  And bike riding.  Together.  I'm going to need to train for that.

It's possible I could get a flat tire.  And my husband won't be on the same side of the Atlantic as me.  Uh-oh.  I'm going to need to train for that.

So what is my plan?  It's super laid-back.  Ride often.  Ride with friends in places where we can do some sightseeing, have a glass of wine, and continue riding.  For the next four months, I will spend a lot of time in the saddle.  Get some instruction on changing a flat.  Practice it a few times.  Hope (and maybe freak out a little) that I don't get a flat in Italy.  Ride some more.

I'm also going to read this:

Venice:  Pure City

And watch this:

Under the Tuscan Sun

I'm going to consider the book and movie my cross training. 

Have you ever done a similar bike trip?  Any advice on how to prepare?  I'd love to hear any bits of experience or words of wisdom!!

Ciao!

~Cori