I was lucky to catch Stage 5 of the Tour today (Dalton to Brasstown). Cat and I dodged clients and made our way to the top of Fort Mountain (where we were just a few weeks ago for Saul’s Raisin Hope ride). It was definitely fun, although not as much excitement as the top of Brasstown (where I hung out last year).
Stage 3 in Chattanooga (above)
Really, it was only a matter of time before I tried this out, so the Raccoon Mountain Road Race made perfect sense for me to jump in on, especially with so many of my teammates also riding. What wasn’t so perfect that day was the weather: drizzly and temps in the mid 40s, with wind chills dropping things to around freezing with gusts up to 30mph. Ick!! But hey, I’m an adventure racer and have been through much worse… right?!
The women’s Cat-4 race (basically that means beginner) was the last division to start, at 2:50pm. This was definitely weird, as I got to sleep in a bit, have a big breakfast (Lorraine’s Oatmeal Bar – good fuel!), and get some cleaning done around the house. I headed over to Raccoon Mountain around 1 to get checked in and organized. Our coach John had reserved 2 campgrounds at the front for us, complete with an EZup tent filled with wonderful things from our sponsors (the new Tea Cakes & Elixir from LunaBar are amazing!), mobile bike shop for last minute tuneups, and 5 trainers set up for us to warm up on – which was definitely needed on a nasty day like this! I think we all changed at least 3 times, trying to figure out the best combination to keep warm, but not overheat in.
We rolled down to the start, circling to keep warm & calm the nerves until the juniors took off. A few minutes later, our motorcycle (guide? marshal? leader? I gotta get this road lingo down…) signalled it was our turn. The first 2 (or was it 4?) miles were neutral, meaning the race wasn’t yet started. Finally, we were turned loose…. I expected to launch forward, but we didn’t. In fact, we continued in a nice easy pace for awhile (thanks to the controlling games Cat & Dreama had going on – nice work!) Early on, the wind was horrible. I remember one gust of wind that pushed Star a good foot to the right… definitely a scary moment! It was on this stretch towards Nickajack that it started sleeting on us. *lovely*! There was a small decent at some point where the leaders picked up some speed. It took some effort, but I kept up with them, latching on wisely as I knew if I was dropped here, I likely wouldn’t get back with them.
We hit Nickajack Lake (mile 15.2) seemingly quick, which meant the Stair Steps were right around the corner: a series of 6 hills where we would gain about 600′ of elevation. Here I dropped off the back of this front group a bit and worked hard not to fall too far behind. I did pass Cat, telling her I’d see her soon (that woman can descend like nobody’s business!) Upon reaching the top (and seeing fellow Vixens & company cheering us on), I kicked it into high gear, trying to gain every second I could. The break ahead didn’t look that far away, but they benefited from having eachother, whereas I was fighting the wind all by my lonesome. About halfway through this last stretch, I hear a voice – the downhill diva herself has arrived! I jumped on Cat’s wheel and we worked together for the next few miles until the final ascent. We had closed the gap significantly with 1 mile till the finish.
Soon, Jesus signalled 1km to go (seriously… there’s a huge sign that reads Jesus is Coming). I pumped it up one final notch, trying to ignore the lactic acid tearing up my legs. In the end, I finished in 11th place (out of 23), with a time of 1:35:34.989 on the 27mile course. (yes, all the way down to the thousandth of a second!) Teammates Gina & Collette easily took 1st & 2nd, with a time of 1:32:25. Dreama & Star also rocked it with top 10 finishes. Lisa is who really amazed me though… she fell early on (just a few miles after the neutral zone ended) after catching someone’s rear wheel. She was ok, but flatted in the process and found out the hard way we had no wheel truck following. Luckily the good graces of a support vehicle helped her out with a wheel and she hopped back in the race, finishing strongly.
Big thanks to everyone braving the elements and cheering us on, and to photographer friend Tim who came out and snapped a gazillion pictures, certainly catching every bit of emotion that ran across my face (and I’m sure a few nose-clearing shots that hopefully won’t be publicized!)
I definitely walked away with a very positive feeling… I really don’t think I knew what to expect, and what I did experience was much different than any other event I’ve raced in. Definitely looking forward to the next one!
I’m not sure how time has flown by… I still haven’t written more about the Checkpoint Zero AR, and already I have several other happenings to post about.
Today, the Tour de Georgia rolled into Chatt and the Vixens were on hand to help make sure everything happened smoothly. We were originally going to be at the finish line (and then part of the awards ceremony), but apparently a truckload of barricades never made it downtown, so we were shipped off to block roads. Yeah, it sucked not to see the finish line festivities, but knew the need was important. Once the roads were blocked, we had to be on our toes with rush hour traffic starting and cars pulling out of lots, not happy about us saying they couldn’t go anywhere. We were expecting riders to come through starting at 4:05, but they didn’t show up for about another 25 minutes – talk about ancy! The leader and first chase group came flying by… and few others… then it was another 20 minutes before the peloton came racing thru. And in that whirlwind, it was over. Oh, except for some of the SCV guys and other random riders trying to catch a tailwind.
Afterwards, we headed to Big River for a post-event part sponsored by Litespeed. (And I ended up hanging out there till I headed home.. missing the Suck Creek/Lynskey party, and feeling pretty guilty….sorry guys!)
My normal teammates decided this morning that we weren’t going to do the annual Blue Ridge Mtn Adventure Race – an event in north GA that I’ve done/been at for the last 4 years. Ironically, I received an email from an old friend last night who was looking for a replacement for herself on her team. Both her and her husband are great people and solid athletes, although they don’t race a lot. Since it’s last minute, the team spot would be complimentary…
hhmmm….
OR
The Raccoon Mountain Road Race is going on the same weekend. I had already told the Vixens I was committed to another race. But now, committments are gone and my schedule is mine for the planning. It would be a good first road race to do – I’m familiar with the course (riding it again tomorrow night) and it is a bit favorable to me (decent climbing which I’m pretty ok with, and the descent (my worst thing!) is not bad and I can let loose on it. Also… the Vixens are volunteering as Bike Valets at the museum Saturday and there is a big party that night at the museum – Cycledelic. (The race is Sunday).
hmm…
trying something new, while staying in town (and maybe getting caught up/ahead on stuff so I can play hookie the next week and watch the Tour de Georgia)? or… be gone basically all weekend, attend the reunion that is Blue Ridge, race hard for 8 hrs with people I don’t really know, then chill at the cabin (hot tub?!)
too many pluses and minuses for both to count. and there really isn’t a wrong decision (just a hard one!)
let me know what you think!
Oh yeah… guess I haven’t said it yet. I joined the new women’s road cycling team here. Several of the gals I ride with are on it, so I thought I’d support the cause. Plus it will be a great way for me to learn more about road cycling in general and get comfortable with the many problem areas I have (like descending & drafting). And maybe even try out a race or two! (Hey, I have to try something new this year!)
Today a bunch of the Velo Vixens headed down to Dalton, GA to participate in the Raisin Hope Charity Ride. The event was organized by local pro cyclist Saul Raisin (team Crédit Agricole) to benefit the Shepherd Center, a spinal cord injury rehab hospital down in Atlanta that was crucial in Saul’s recover from a serious bike crash overseas last April. Riders could choose from 3 ride lengths: 13, 35 & 50. Of course, we opted for the 50 miler, which included the climb up Fort Mountain.
Dalton is only 30 minutes south, so we drove down that morning. Unfortunately we weren’t ready to make the 8am start with the group. We didn’t have to start then, but this was my first road cycling event and I thought it would be cool to do so. I got a bit ancy, but once we starting rolling, all was good – and it was fun to pass people of course 
I had to get in the mindset that this was an event, not a race!
We had a 14mile warmup before we started the climb. Dalton sits around 800′, with the summit of Fort Mtn a bit over 2800′. Luckily the grade was very doable and I just spun it on up (afterall, wasn’t I still in recovery mode from the CPZ AR last weekend?!) It went on forever, but really wasn’t as bad as I had expected! (When Rebecca & I drove over it on our way to Helen I was getting a bit concerned). The group reconvened up top before beginning the descent (which was the same route we had just climbed). Going down was ok, but I still get freaked out with speed. The switchbacks weren’t too bad so I was able to let loose a bit more than normal. Still, I was the last one down! (but I was the first one up… so does that count for something?!) That descent really took a lot out of me (funny, as most people relax here! me, just stress + tension…). We had another 20 miles to go and I started to drag on a bit. I have trouble with the whole drafting/paceline thing, so I was usually fighting the wind myself. With about an hour to go, I got a bad pain at the bottom of my neck / inbetween my shoulders that lowered my spirits a bit. (It’s not an unusual thing – had it a few times last weekend during the paddle and toward the end of long biking sessions). But regardless of these little downers, getting to the finish was great. In fact, the whole day was pretty amazing. After the ride, a big bbq was served (ok, so not my ideal lunch, but I can still appreciate it), great items raffled off, and tents from vendors to peruse. Pro cyclists Kevin Livingston & Nathon O’Neill were also present. The Vixens tracked down Saul to get a quick pick before headed back home (we had a booth at the Outdoor Expo going on at Coolidge Park).
The Checkpoint Zero Adventure Race went well and my team, Charbon’s Outfitters, kicked some ass out there. We ended up finishing in 11th place in the coed elite division, after racing for 29.5hrs and nailing all but 3 checkpoints. a full race report will come soon – meanwhile, here is one pictures from race photographer Will Ramos. He’s got a gazillion pictures that are still being uploaded.
This week has been catching up with food, sleep, and trying to get stuff done around the house, but not being too successful. My friend Jim who has a bike tour company has been hosting one of his Slovenian tour guides, Luka, for the past few days, so it’s been fun showing him a bit of the local scene (it’s his first trip to America). I think all of us are ready to pack up and head overseas!
I’ve had two good road rides this week as well. The Tuesday Night Ride wasn’t much of a recovery ride for me, as we ended up climbing the mtn. Tonight I joined the Velo Vixens on a practice ride of the Raccoon Mtn Road Race route. I’ve joined the team too – hey, gotta try something new this year! It was fun and I held on to the front gals, but definitely need to get the whole drafting/paceline thing figured out soon.
dreama came up with this fun day of training to end 2006 with. we had a good size crew for this inaugural event, plus gorgeous, unseasonably warm temps. we started off on road bikes from the red bank bi lo and rode about 20 miles up to soddy, where we dropped our bikes at the hotwater road trailhead for the cumberland trail. we put on our shoes for a there-and-back run (10.2 total miles) on a great section of trails, taking a break on a nice rock overlook. back at transition, a few people began celebrating the new year early, with some beer & jager shots. finally, back on our bikes for the ride back to the start. a few pics are below; more are located here.
