What year is it?

It's hard to believe it is January already. Have kept myself pretty busy and the weather makes it hard to know what month it is. But, I do know next season should have started already in some form or another. I can't say I am happy that the year is over, but it was not quite the year I had hoped. It was not a terrible year, but I felt slower than the previous year. But I did have some pretty crazy rides. Here is a little year in review for 2019.

The year started out good enough at the Dirty South Roubaix. Legs were not fully ready yet, but did good enough. Weather was a little colder than preferred. The next weekend was the Death March. I had some high hopes that my legs would be feeling pretty good for this race. I teamed up with Bushong again and we were going for all the check points. The weather was not very nice to us. It rained most of the day, I think there was some hail and we were frozen solid. We ended up taking the shortest way back to the car and taking the dnf. The worst part was when we made that decision, we were still 10 miles out. It took me 2 months to feel part of my one finger.

After that race I headed to Pisgah with the People's group and had some great rides. I was really hoping this would be a big boost to the legs. The rides really hurt, but the company and views were all worth it. A few weeks later I ended up heading down the Land Between the Lakes and doing the April Fools Gravel Camp. It was a pretty new race, but they did a good job and had a good party set up after wards. Overall I had a good ride, but the legs faded in the second half. It was a fun time and I will probably be going back this year.

Next up was a race that I was really bummed I could not attend the year before. The 45 is part of a pretty new promoter's races. I can not reccomend the Boondoggle races enough. It still has a grass roots feel. Not very expensive, but is ran like a pro. Just because it is new doesn't mean it is easy. The starting list is filled with who's who from the NUE series. There were a couple other races I didn't make, but the new 3 race series is on my must do list this year. I can't way to get back to Cave Run.

Next up was PMBAR! What a race. This race is one of the hardest things I have ever done (every time). Every year is completely different and you never know what could happen. This year was a monsoon. It was another crazy day on the bike. It rained even more than Death March, but was not as cold. There was crazy lightning and thunder, hail and it rained so much that we were riding down a creek. It was a day to remember for sure.

Next up on my list was the Mohican 100k. I came in to this race with weaker legs than I should have. I was not recovering from the effort at PMBAR very well and life was busy and kept me from riding as much as I should have. Even with not feeling the strongest, I did have a better ride than I expected so there are no complaints there and the after party was pretty solid from what I remember.

Then I headed up to Michigan to attend my first ever Lumberjack 100. This is a race that I have been interested in a while. I have heard nothing but good things about this race and the only complaint I have is that I don't live closer. After last years Mohican 100 I was not sure if I would ever do another 100 miler. After the the Lumberjack I immediately said I would come back and do it again. Legs were still not where I hoped, but with everything considered, they treated me pretty well and I really enjoyed the race. I will be going back, just not this year.

I had some time before the next race on the schedule. I had some vacation time, did a beer ride and the local road ride. It was good to be on vacation some and was still getting some good rides in. There was a new race that popped up on the calendar. It was a 6 hour race in Ky. How could I pass this up. It sounded like a great time. The KY 6 hour was a super fun race. There is something about the 6 hour race that is a lot of fun. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of traffic, but everything else makes up for it. I have not seen anything about another race this year, but if there happens to be one, I sure hope I can attend.

I then made the trip back to Fools Gold. This was my 3rd time there. This is a hard loop that is still a lot of fun. My legs still felt heavy, but they once again did a great job for me. I really like this race and would not be disappointed if I go back again this year. My full plan for this has not been decided just yet. This race is back in the NUE schedule so that might made this years race a little different.

In between this time and my next race was the HMBA Epic. This is always a good time. The music is good, the beer is good and the trails are awesome. Several good people to hang out with for the weekend. I hate to think of all the years I didn't attend. It is not the cheapest event to attend, but it sure is one of the best times.

My next race was a race that I have wanted to do for a very long time. The BT Epic has always seemed interesting to me, but seemed too far away. I am not sure why I thought that since I have gone farther for races. The other thing is that it sells out very quickly. There is not waiting if you want in this one. This race was pretty cool. They have a nice big area set up at a camp ground for the start/finish. There is also vendors and beer tents set up. The race alone is a good one and when you add the party, it is one heck of a good time. I hope to get in for this years race again. 

I also attended the Obannon Woods Adventure ride weekend. It has been a while since I have been back there and they have been doing a lot of work . There are a lot of good trails that have been built. We also spent several hours on the AHT. It didn't take long to remember how hard that trail is. I need to make more trips back there. In fact, I went back the next weekend to get even more.

The last big thing of the year is always Gravel Grovel. I did the least amount of GG specific riding leading up to the race. Heck, I didn't even know what bike I was going to ride a couple weeks before the race. A last minute decision had be signed up again in the SS class. The weather was not going to be good. It was once again going to rain on me all day on the bike. It seemed like the trend of the year and might as well go out in a bang. Well, the weather didn't hold back and it was a very wet ride. Very deep creek crossings and it was much colder than I would have liked, but still warmer than Death March or at least it seemed like it. Maybe I was dressed better this time? I didn't have a fast time, but was just happy to have finished. Most of the racers either didn't show up or dropped out.

My overall miles for the year were down a lot from last year. My legs seemed weaker, but they always seem weak. After last year, I had high hopes that I could improve on what I built and be even stronger this season. That didn't happen like planned. I am really the only one to blame for this. All I can do is hope that I actually do a better job at putting in the work. I have several races I am already signed up for and a couple that I hope I am quick enough to get in before they sell out. Here's to a strong 2020 season or at least another great year full of uncontrollable laughs and plenty of good rides. Hope to see you there.

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2019 Gravel Grovel Swim

If you have read my previous post about Gravel Grovel you would probably be wondering how much gears had helped me for this year. Well, you will have to check back next year and see if you have any more luck knowing that answer than I do. As much as I would really like to give this race a good run with a geared bike, this was not the year. First of all to give it really a good run I would have to be riding stronger than I was this year. I didn't get the training done leading up to the race like I would have liked and was not as strong as I should have been. Also as the race was getting closer and I was keeping my eye on the weather, it was looking like a very high chance of bad weather. I figured I needed to just take the bike that can handle the worst weather out of all the bikes and changed to the SS class.

Is it that time already

It is getting the time of year that I normally start doing a lot more gravel rides. I usually get some Gravel Grovel recon rides in and start wondering what kind of finishing time I can get. This may be the first year in a very long time that I have not rode any of those areas recently. This year is full of a lot of unusual things. Before I get in to all of that, I need to start a few weeks farther back.

After the BT Epic I was pretty run down and had some aches from the hard effort. I didn't have the motivation to get out as much I needed. I also ended up doing something I didn't think I would do, I bought a full suspension geared bike. I was not expecting to do that at all, but this year after PMBAR I could not help from wondering how that kind of bike would be a lot more enjoyable for that area. Some things ended up happening so that all the stars aligned and there I was, an owner of another new bike.

The new toy

I ended up taking ownership a few days before the O'bannon Woods Adventure Ride. I figured if we were going to ride the AHT, then why not take my new ride and see what it was all about. I did get a couple minutes on it in the yard to get some things adjusted, but didn't really spend much time on it. I have never been to this event, but I have been to the area a little and heard that the event was a good time. I got there a little late on Friday and could only check out a little section of trail. Saturday the event ride was around the park and stuff. The group I was with wanted to check out the AHT. It didn't take me very long to remember how rocky this trail could be and how many hike a bike sections there were. The new bike was riding pretty good, but I was having an issue with my back brake and basically ended up riding most of the day with only a front break. It sure made some of the sections pretty interesting.

It turns out that the brake pads were completely worn out. I tried to put new pads in, but I could not get the pressure to build and make the brakes work. So much for a nice new bike. Someone was nice enough to loan me his bike for Sunday's ride. Saturday's ride kicked all of our butts, but it seemed like everyone wanted to go back and give the AHT another go, but this time add a little more of the sections we didn't' ride. My loaner bike was a hard tail SS. Not anything I wouldn't have been on anyway if I didn't buy the FS bike. I was still worn out and the trail was even harder than the day before, but I didn't do too bad on the SS. I didn't climb a couple hills that I would have with my eagle and I was missing the FS on some of the rocky downhills, but it was still a great day.

Thanks Blake!!

So, after the event I went back home and tried to get the brakes to work. I tried a lot of different things, but never could get them to work very well. The next weekend I had planned on heading up to the Story area to get a good gravel ride in, but with the weather being good enough for trail riding and not getting much interest in joining me, I figured I would head back to O'Bannon and get another good trail ride in while it was good. I ended up stealing a caliper from my Spot to get it back up and rolling. I went to do some of the AHT again, but I skipped some of the harder sections. I will say that with both brakes working, this bike was a lot of fun. Eagle also was pretty crazy at what I could climb. It was another big, fun day.

Now this leaves me sitting in the another strange position for the year. I no longer had a working gravel SS that I normally ride for Gravel Grovel. This had me thinking about all the times I would ride my Speedster gravel bike and wonder what kind of time I could get at GG on it. But, I just didn't feel right not riding the SS. I had been contemplating this for the last month or so, but always ended up telling myself to just ride the SS. With this bike now only having 1 working brake, I figured I might as well see what the whole geared thing is all about and if I can get a good time on it. I know there are several gravel road sections that are not really the greatest on a SS and a couple of the climbs really hurt too. Now I am signed up in a different class than normal, riding a different kind of bike than normal and not even staying in the cabins like I usually do. I am not sure what I think of all that. I can only hope that no matter what bike I actually end up riding, it is a good day and I can have a fun time. I am sure that no matter how I ride, there will be at least some good times had. Guess we will see soon.

2019 BT Epic

I have wanted to check out the BT Epic for a few years, but it just never seemed to work out for me. It was brought up for this year and I found a taker that was interested in going. So, I made sure and was ready to sign up when the event opened since it normally sells out pretty quickly. This is a 50 mile race that uses the Berryman Trail and the Ozark Trail for the route and starts and finishes out of the Bass River Resort. The race is open for 650 racers and did sell out very quickly.

We headed west on Friday morning. Made a quick stop at our weekend house and then headed toward Bass River to get our packets and go for a ride. The house was pretty nice for a 20's themed place, but hope you don't want use a tv or a microwave. The trip over to the start area was not too long. We decided to ride the loop at the end of the race since it was about the right distance. After the long road climb and gravel road section, we hit the trails. It was a pretty fun loop with plenty of rocks and switch backs to keep you on your toes. After we finished the loop, we headed up the start hill to where it drops in to the trail section. I was definitely second guessing my 32x19 gearing choice, but I was going to stick with it.

2019 Fools Gold 60

This weekend was this years Fools Gold race. There was some changes from last year. They added some trail to the race and made it a 60 mile race and not a 55 mile race. I am all for more trail and less gravel if possible and 5 more miles didn't sound like a big deal. I ended up heading down with a few other guys. We were sharing a house any way or should I say garage. A little more on that in a minute. The E squared group headed to Evansville Friday morning to join the other two riders. Some were running a little later than planned (including me), but it was really didn't make a huge difference. After doing some bike jenga on the rack, we finally got 4 bikes and all of our gear loaded up. Then the train that included Butch, Bob, E2 and myself rolled on out of town.

The trip down was long and included some standard traffic issues at Nashville and Chattanooga, but overall was not too bad. We did have some mapping conflicts that routed us down some back roads, but it did lead us to the house even if it looked like we might not be heard from again. When we finally found the house/garage, it was behind another house and looked pretty sketchy. We found our way in and it actually turned out to be not too bad inside. Guess that's why they say don't judge a book by its cover. After getting unloaded we headed toward the course to get a little ride in.

2019 Kentucky Six

I was really disappointed when the Tri-State 6 hour series was dropped down to only one race and then even more sad when that race was cancelled. I tried making the trip up to the John Bryan 6 hour to fill the gap, but as soon as we checked in to the hotel the race was cancelled for weather. When I saw this race show up on the schedule and I didn't really have any conflicts, I knew I had to attend this race. I was just hoping the weather would cooperate. I don't think they expected the number of people interested in racing to be as good as it was and they had to put a cap on the number of entries. Good to see other people still want this type of race to happen too.

The only real thing I didn't care for was the fact that the race was on Sunday. This was not a deal breaker since the race was fairly close to home, but it does make me drive home after the race. I headed over Saturday afternoon and got there in time to get a good spot for the pit tent. The other racers in the group showed up and we went for a lap to check the trail out. It had been a couple years since I have been here. The course was different then the last race. It was a pretty fun loop with a plenty of variety. After the ride we headed to The 857 Taproom and Grill to eat and re-hydrate. It was a real nice place and good service.

Hanging out for the rest of the evening was fun and I even got a pretty good night sleep. I came in to this race with very low expectations. I am not riding as well as I was last year and had really slowed down a lot since Lumberjack. I have been trying to get back in to the groove and get stronger, but my legs have just not been responding. I also knew there were some really fast guys signed up for the SS class, so even if I was riding well, it would take a great day or a mechanical on their part to beat them. I was really just here to support the ride and get some good training in for Fools Gold and BT Epic.

Photo credit: @lauralou644

The morning moved along pretty quickly. I made my coffee, ate breakfast and did the last minute things to my bike to get ready. As normal on race mornings it seems like you have a ton of time only to be running around last minute to get to the line. Since I was running a little late to the racer meeting, this unknowingly put me in a great place to get a good starting position. I didn't want to be in the front row, but I did want to be fairly close to it. I know my bike of choice can be an issue on the wide open prelude lap, but I also wanted to be right behind the fast guys when we hit the trail so I can minimize the conga line.

2019 Lumberjack 100

If you have not read the post on the day before the race and would like to, you can find it here.

Saturday morning came around earlier than I would have liked, but that is pretty typical. Most nights I don't really sleep that well and this night I woke up a few times. Every time I woke up, it was still raining. This was not exactly what I was hoping for. I normally can ride in the mud pretty good, but I didn't really want to ride 100 miles in the mud. After sleeping as long as I could, I finally got up and moving. Made my typical breakfast and had some coffee. My stomach didn't really like my breakfast and I didn't eat all of it. I could have used a little more coffee, but it was all gone and I didn't feel like making any more. I got everything ready and loaded up. I was feeling more anxious than normal and not really sure why. I know it was going to be a hard day, but I didn't really feel a lot of pressure on my self. I just tried to relax as much as I can and go with the flow.

We headed out to the venue. Once we got there we needed to take our coolers and pit gear to the pop up tent. Since we parked in the overflow lot, it was a little bit of a walk. It probably would have been a good idea to try and drive over to drop everything off. Once we got over to where the tent was, it took us a minute to find it. The rest of the group dropped it off the night before and we were not sure exactly where it was. After I got everything set up I headed over toward the bathroom line. The line was very long and I didn't really feel like I had time to wait. I headed back to the car to get ready the rest of the way. Then I headed back to the start area. I hoped the line would be smaller, but it really was not and I just had to hope I was good enough.

Photo credit: Rob Meendering

I headed up toward the front group. I thought I might be a little too far forward, but I figured I would get dropped enough on the road and wanted to be as far forward as I can when I hit the woods. It was cold and still raining. I was wondering if I had too much on or maybe not enough. Looking around I could see all kinds of different clothing choices. It seemed like I was about in the middle of the choices and figured I would be good enough. There was a few announcements that I didn't really catch and then off we went. I tried to go as fast as I could with out completely blowing myself up. I found a few wheels to jump on and felt like I was doing as good as expected.

After the road section we jumped on a fire lane kind of section. It was still pretty fast. I was getting passed by some riders, but I felt like I had a small group I was keeping pace with. I also didn't feel like I dropped too far back, but it is really hard to tell. As we hit the trail section the group I was with was riding at a good pace for me. I had a few people I would pass and there was also a few that would pass me. I didn't really feel like anyone was holding me up or making work harder than needed. There was a couple climbs that I had to take at a slower pace that I would prefer, but nothing I was too worried about. I just kept the pace up the best I could with out over doing it.

Somewhere along here Dustin came up on me. He rode behind me for a little while and eventually I was worried I was going too hard and he went around. I tried to hold his wheel the best I could with out hurting myself. I was a little worried about going too hard. Either I was going too hard or Dustin was taking it too easy. I didn't figure I should have been riding at his pace. But, I'm still not sure if I was going too hard or not.

Photo credit: Rob Meendering

We came through the pit area together. I think he got ready and left before me. I tried to keep moving and leave as quickly as I could. The end of the first lap was a little hard on my legs. I started the second lap taking it a little easier and trying to recover. I walked a few more hills, but still felt like I was moving at a constant pace. Not too far in to this lap I was really feeling it. I must have gone too hard the first lap. Lovins caught me along this section and I jumped on his wheel and tried to keep up. I kept hurting more and more and feeling really run down. It didn't take me too long to start to feel like I really needed to make that bathroom break I wanted to do in the morning. I figured I was pretty close to the rest top just before mile 20 and could go there. The rest of this section of trail was not very pleasant. I was really needing to make it to the rest stop as quickly as possible. I was hurting very bad and not riding very well.

I was just about to the point I was going to just stop and I saw the leis hanging from a tree and knew I was right there. I had to let Lovins go and try to take care of myself. I made my stop and took in some pickle juice and coke and took off as quickly as I could. I immediately felt better and started to roll along at a better pace. The lap still felt like I went very slow, but I was getting faster near the end and was starting to feel better. I still hurt, but was improving. I rolled in to the pit area after the second lap, grabbed a new bottle, drank some Mt. Dew and took off as quickly as I could.

Photo credit: Rob Meendering

Feeling better at the end of the second lap than I did after the first, I started the 3rd lap in a little better head space. I was still tired and walking the steep sections trying to reserve as much energy as I could. On the first double track sections a pair of women came by me and I jumped on their wheel. The pace was rolling well and I was dong good enough hanging on. I think they felt like I wanted to pass in the trail sections, but I was just happy to have some wheels to help keep my pace up. There was a small group that formed and we rode together for a good section of trail. As we hit the rest stop, I wanted to make a quick stop to get more pickle juice and top my bottle off. I didn't take too long, but I was too slow to keep with the group. I was on my own again.

It didn't take too long and I found a couple more people to ride with. The pace was still moving good and the sections I was walking, I was really not going any slower that the rest of the people around me. I guess I was walking at eagle pace. Toward the end of the lap I could really tell the end was near. I picked up the pace and was riding pretty well. I was really hurting and just ready to be done. The last section took a little longer than I remembered it would, but eventually I was in the section that was all down hill to the end. Finally I came in to the last little bit before the end. It was awesome to see Lovins standing there cheering me on and giving my a high five. I rolled through the finish line and just like that I was done. I ended up finishing in 9:19 and in 19th place SS.

I hung out a minute talking with a couple friends and then made my way over to the beer tent before heading to our pit area. I tried to put a couple things away and sit down for a minute catching up with everyone. It didn't take me very long before I was really wanting to get changed. Then I headed up and got in line for my awesome pizza. A couple more beers and hanging out with everyone making sure we were all done and ready. Eventually we headed back toward the house, but not with out making a stop for some more pizza and ice cream. The rest of the night was full of aches and pains with a good amount of beer an laughs.

Sunday morning we were up pretty early so we figured we might was well start the long journey home. The trip was long, but not too miserable with rain on and off. We eventually made it home and I was back in the real world just with a lot more parts of me hurting. Looking back I am really torn at how to feel. Before the race I would have said that to finish under 10 hours would have been considered a success. With how well I rode and how bad I felt second lap, I can't help but think that I could finish in under 9 hours. That kind of feels unreal to me. 9 hours just sounds so fast for me to be able to ride 100 mile race. I don't understand why this race is so fast. Even if I would finish in 9 hours or less, I still have a ways to go to make it anywhere near the podium. SS may be ded, but the class is not lacking on talent.

Last year after the Mohican I was not sure if I would ever do another 100 mile race. After the Lumberjack this year I would easily say yes to doing this race again. I am not sure if I will next year yet, but out of all the options for a 100 mile race, this one is right up there. I will have to make that decision sometime early next year. Until then I will just have to try and figure out where I am falling down on my training plan and try to finish the year off riding strong. I am not sure exactly what is in store for the rest of the year, but I am getting closer to making some of those decisions. Hope to see you at the next one.

Mohican 100k 2019

Sorry I'm a little slow to get this posted. I was waiting for more event pictures to be posted, hoping I was in at least one of them, but somehow I was not in the right place or the right time. I only have a couple pictures where part of me made the shot.

This year I didn't do the 100 mile version. I decided to take it "easy" and to the 100k. I am signed up for Lumberjack 100 and didn't feel like doing two 100 mile races 2 week apart. As it got closer to the race I was very thankful for this decision. Life has been busy and I have not been riding as much as I should be and I was taking longer than expected to snap back from my efforts at PMBAR. My last ride the week before the race had me feeling that maybe I was turning the corner, but I was sure I would still be struggling more than I could be.

After a long day of driving through construction traffic I was ready to get there. I got away a little later than I had hoped and the drive took a little longer than expected, but somehow I ended up getting there about the right time to check in and join the pre-ride group. I tried to take it easy and loosen the legs up but not do a bunch of damage. I felt like I rode well enough, but when we were done with the ride, my Garmin said my recovery time was 24 hours. That is not good!! I don't have that long before the start of the race and that is some of the higher numbers I have seen. Maybe I really did need to be worried about how bad I was going to ride. After the ride I got cleaned up and we headed out for a bite to eat. I tried to not stay out too late, but ended up heading back to the motel later then I should have, but could have been worse. 

I made sure everything was ready for the next morning and got to bed as early possible. I actually slept pretty well, but a little more time would have been nice. I headed down to the lobby to get some coffee and check out breakfast. It was not exactly what I wanted, but close enough that I decided to eat stuff there and not get out what I brought to eat. I was ready earlier then normal and soon enough I needed to put the finishing touches on my pregame setup and headed out the door to meet the rest of the group in the parking lot. The little ride in to town doesn't take very long and really is not enough to be a good warm up, but I was not going to do any more than that.

We kind of pulled up along the side of the pack. It was a little farther on the side then I normally would have gone, but it was closer to the front than if I would have went all the way to the back. Once the race starts, it will be all spread out pretty quickly anyway. After all the announcements we were finally ready to get underway. It seemed like we got there kind of late, but it still took a little while before the race was actually started. Then they said go and we were off down the road.

PMBAR Monsoon of 2019

Pisgah Productions

After last years race we quickly wanted another shot at this race to see if we could do better. We had a lot of time that was wasted and figured we should be able to get all 5 check points. So, when it was time to sign up, I didn't waste any time to get us signed up and its a good thing since it sold out very quickly. It is amazing how many people sign up to do this very difficult race, but here we were right with all the other crazies.

The house had a great set up for bikes

We got there on Friday and went for a short ride after getting settled in to the house. We took the 8 mile climb up to Bracken and enjoyed the trip down. We were a little worried about the trail conditions with all the rain they had had, but everything was in pretty good shape. The weather also kept changing for the weekend, so it was hard to tell what Saturday would hold for us. The most recent forecast showed the rain holding off a little while and we hoped it would hold off long enough for us to get finished, but we really didn't think we would be that lucky.

Climbing to Bracken