DS&G Slideshow

Dirt Sweat & Gears 2008!

Dirt Sweat & Gears 2008 was a huge success! I rode for team Cul-de-sac as part of a five man team and we finished 4th with 7 total laps in the 12 hours. Riding with the guys this weekend was special, because for a couple years we were all neighbors on the same street and could ride whenever we felt like it. It had been way too long since we ALL got together for a ride.

Because of my traveling and schedule last week I spent Friday night at home instead of camping out at the race. The tornado warnings and straight line winds also had a role in the decision. I showed up Saturday AM after a 2 hour drive in the pouring rain to find the rain had stopped, but left a muddy mess. After fishtailing the van through a muddy field to the campsite I jumped out, said hello to the guys, and was informed I drew the short straw (in abstention) the night before and was riding the first lap. I learned a valuable lesson in my last mud race and brought my Trek hard tail that I wouldn’t worry about getting crazy on in the slop. It was a Le Mans start to the shooting of a double barrel shotgun (Fayetteville, TN).
I jumped out to a good start thanks to good bike placement before the start, and found myself slipping and sliding all over the open field track. The 1st mile was open field riding in the mud and people jockeying for position before entering the woods. Once we hit the woods it was standing room only as everyone was walking/carrying their bikes and sliding all over the place. At mile 3, I was able to get on the bike, but quickly thrown over the bars when my front wheel became so clogged with mud the bike stopped and threw me. At another point the bike came to a complete stop on a serious downhill as the front and rear tires became thick with mud. I couldn’t get the clay to stay out of the front fork or the rear triangle and kept having to stop and clean it out every 100 ft. Miles 3-6 continued this way – walking, riding, cleaning – until I finally took off the front V-brake which gave me some additional clearance and I was able to get rolling.
The sun came out and the trail dried up a little for the final 3 miles which I was finally able to ride with some speed. Lap 1 – 2:09:09, ouch. The sun came out in force, the trail dried up, and the lap times kept dropping. I was eager to get back on the trail and redeem myself after the slow 1st lap, but I had several hours to wait while my teammates tore it up on the trail. With the exception of one bad exchange (sorry Jason) we had a great time cheering each other on and hammering out some decent times. As daylight started to become an issue we had completed 5 laps (everyone rode one) and I finally got the chance for my second lap of the day. I broke out the new 29er and hit the trail with a mission. I hit the open field with the bike in the big ring and just hammered it. I couldn’t believe what I was riding was even the same trail. I didn’t recognize most of it because it was so fast and dry. I felt strong through most of the riding, but my calves started twitching on some of the downhills in the last couple miles. Lap 2 – 1:14:52, sweet.

We squeezed in one more lap after dark and called it a day with 7 laps complete and in 4th place. The awards ceremony was a wild affair with Gary Fisher himself giving out several complete builds and signing them on the spot.

The crowd dispersed to campsites, beer tents, and the bonfire. We enjoyed some good brews and good stories before calling it a night.

Back in action

One week ago I was on the road to Georgia for the first XTERRA of the season. I had no idea what to expect, but I’m growing more excited about the prospect of continuing to compete in the American Tour Points Series. I learned some valuable lessons, not all of which I’m aware of yet, and I have four weeks of training before the Southeast Regional Championships. This championship race in Alabama will attract racers from all over the country who are trying to qualify for the World Championships in Hawaii. The pro purse of 20,000 will mean there are going to be some amazing athletes in attendance. So, not only will it be extremely competitive, but it will be an official XTERRA distance race – a long and difficult course (1.5k swim, 29k MTB, 10k run).
I’ve been traveling for work this week and that made finding time for training difficult. This week it has been one easy run and two light weight sessions. Although the easy run was a long endurance climb in beautiful Arizona. I’m excited to get back into training this weekend, kicking things off with the Dirt Sweat and Gears Race down in Fayetteville, TN. A 12 hour race with 4 buddies promises to be more than a good time. The SS is still out of commission after last week’s race so I’ll get to spend plenty of time in the saddle of the new race bike that I’ve ridden very little. It should be a great day if the weather can hold off a bit. I’m headed down early on Saturday and camping out Saturday night – good times!