Tuesday, June 25, 2013

2013 Coolest 24 Hour Race Against Cancer -- 3rd Place

Saturday-Sunday, June 22-23 @ Olmstead Loop in Cool, CA.
Rigid Niner One 9 w/32:21 gearing, Racing Ralph 2.4 front 2.25' rear
Single-Speed Class. 3rd (would have been 2nd in Open Class...doh!). :)


Ended up with 15 laps, ~170 miles and ~18000' vert. gain. I was amazed that I never felt exhausted, just lost strength and energy over the course of the race. No pit crew so I pitted every lap for a new bottle and often to eat real food. Was in 2nd until 10 minutes before the cut-off. Far surpased my goal of more than 126 miles (from my only other 24 solo in 2011). Read the long detailed version by clicking anywhere on this sentence. :)
Good Times!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

PMBAR 2013 Finished!

Saturday, May 4th @ Pisgah National Forest, Brevard, NC.
Rigid Niner One 9 w/32:21 gearing, Racing Ralph 2.4 front 2.25' rear
Partner: Jay Lundi (for the 4th time) on his Rigid Specialized Carve.

This was a tough one. It was wet and muddy with waaaay too much hike-a-bike. It ended up pouring rain and we finished ~52 miles and 10k feet of vert. gain in ~12.5 hours. I actually felt pretty good the entire day but Jay was having some tough times. Still, as always he gutted it out for the qualifying finish in spite of near hypothermia. :) Good times in the Blue Ridge Mtns. Click this link for the full write-up: http://sobrider.blogspot.com/2013/05/pmbar-2013.html

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

2012 TBF 50 Mile MTB Race -- 7th Place DFL

Saturday, October 21st @ Granite Bay Trail System (Folsom Lake).
Niner One 9 w/32:20 gearing, Racing Ralph 2.25's
Single Speed Division, 7th place

Four Laps (1:06:54...1:10:20...1:13:35...1:11:34) for a total of 4:42:24
I was fat and out of shape for this event (and not riding much at all), but itchin' to race.  My goal: finish!  Really enjoyed the course. Did not cramp until lap 3 then fought them off the rest of the event.  Thought I did better than 7th (out of 7...my first ever DFL) and if I raced in the 40+?  Would have been 23 out of 26.  Part of this is due to the quality of riders here in NorCal, but most of this is due to me being really out of shape. 10 minutes faster (easily done when in condition) and I would have been 4th in SS.  So, my goal is to compete in the same race next year and see if I can put my results where my mouth is. :)

Long Write-up




Tuesday, May 29, 2012

2012 Burn 24 -- 2nd Place

Saturday & Sunday, May 26th & 27th @ Dark Mountain Trails, Wilkesboro, NC
Niner One 9, 32:20 gearing, w/Schwalbe Racing Ralphs 2.25.
Due Division with Jeff Dennison (last years, 40+ solo winner).
I pulled 13 laps, Jeff pulled 14.
Jeff and I came in 1-2 in last years 40+ solo race.  Unfortunately, Duo is 'Open', (no age categories) but we did well against some young guys and came in 2nd.  I pulled the fastest and slowest laps and Jeff pulled one more lap than I did.  Getting on the podium again in such a large event was an amazing way to end my racing in NC.  Thanks Jeff for being a great teammate.

Long Write-Up

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

2012 Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race (PMBAR) -- Finished!

May 5th, @ Pisgah National Forest, Brevard, NC.
Niner One 9 with RaRa's at 23psi.
32:21 gear ratio.
Officially we came in 67th out of 75.  This was actually a victory as the goal is to get 4-5 checkpoints and get back to the start ASAP.  All you want is a qualifying finish, no injuries, No DNF and no DFL.  Mission Accomplished.  There were so many mishaps, misdirections and mistakes (redundant, I know, but fitting for this event)...earning a qualifying finish was a huge victory.  Glad that Jay and I could get this one in after my injury knocked us out last year.  Of course Jay almost killed us on the way to the event, but that is a story for the long version.  Great tough event; glad it is over. Thanks Jay for being a great PMBAR partner the last three years.

Monday, April 16, 2012

2012 Meltdown at Harris Lake, 6 Hour Race -- 5th

Saturday, April 14th, 2012 @ Harris Lake County Park
Niner One 9 w/32:20 gearing and Maxxis Ikons at 23 psi.
Single-speed division, 5th place. Rode 9 laps for ~60 miles in 5:36.
Felt good for what is likely my last local TORC series ride.  I rode about as hard as I dared.  Legs were burnt after this race and for some reason my arse was sore (using the same type seat as usual?). Thinking that it might have had something to do with too much sitting on a very bumpy (rooty) course.  Anyway, I am very happy with my effort (would have been 2nd in the 40+ division) and hope these events make me stronger for upcoming events like PMBAR and Burn24 (both in May).
Read the long write-up here.

Monday, March 12, 2012

2012 Curse of the Crab 6 Hour Race -- 3rd

Saturday, March 10th, 2012 at Lake Crabtree County Park.
Niner One 9 w/32:20 gearing and Maxxis Ikons at 23 psi.
Single-Speed Division, 3rd place. 9 laps & ~60.5 miles in 5:42 (~10.6mph)
Sick (puking) a few days before the race, stomach not great, energy not great, but otherwise I felt good.  Actually felt better ~4 laps in, after I was way behind.  Good part about racing from behind is that you pass, rather than being passed. :)   Good Times!
If bored, read the long write up here.