2012 Urban Assault bike race

Great race action this weekend at the 2012 Urban Assault bike race here in Richmond, VA. This was my 2nd time racing in the expert class for a local XC event, and I really enjoyed the ride and the fast pace. It's nice not to have to work your way through the waves of people that have started before you. This has often been the case while racing in the sport class. However, the flip side is that you don't feel quite as fast because you are not passing people often.

The weather was excellent and the trails were dry, dusty, and super fast! I enjoyed the way the race course started this year. Winding around Bell Isle parking lot kept things interesting and the long dirt road section evenly paced riders out.

Overall the race went well for me, with the exception of a high speed crash in Forest Hill. I clipped my right foot on a root or rock or something and was immediately ejected with extreme prejudice! I estimate the incident cost me about 40 seconds and I've got some new body art and sore ribs, courtesy of the trail. I'm just glad I was not seriously hurt.

The remainder of the race continued without a hitch and at a blistering pace. Jeff Lenowsky was racing in the expert class and at one point was nipping at my heals. I had to work hard to fend him off and finally pulled a decent gap. It was cool to race with such a well known and accomplished rider. 

I've put together a short video of the race I created from my GoPro footage.
Check it out, and if you like this kind of video action, make sure to follow my blog for more upcomming races!

Cohutta 100 Pre-ride

I'ts been a while since I have posted, but I'll make up for it ith some sweet videos...

First off is a pre-ride of the Cohutta 100, check it out!

50/50 in the RVA for 2012

The 2012 50/50 started nice and brisk abut 7:20am and would warm up into a classic cluster fudge. The typical cast and crew assembled for the day's ride and would soon be scampering through the city.



Early in the morning, the motly crew blasted through Carytown and the museum district, taunting the overindulgent new year's eve revelers with our loud hooliganism.





We made our way to Church Hill via a multitude of questionable railraod causways and a seemilingly continous processions of sketchy traffic violations. Stay on the front of the train or get dropped off the back like a new years resolution.



After making our roost on Church Hill, the urban ride transitioned to the questionalbe and ghetto phabulus pirate trails. One of our crew got to sample a rusted I-beam to both shins. In the 50/50, There will be blood.



A bit later, and after mechanical fixes and various types of refueling, the ride headed out towards the port of Richmond and we skirted a large stone quarry I had never ridden near before.

Then, the ride stiched together southside city pavement, a "wheelin" gravel road, train tracks, and some county roads. We stopped for lunch before kicking it over to Pocahontas State Park. I got a front flat while the ride cranked through Poco and was promtly dropped off the back. Plassman don't care.

Finally, we were mountain biking. The group rode most of the old trails and all of lakeview. My legs were aching pretty good at this point and we stopped for water while sizing up the situation of a rapidly fading day.

The crew formed into fractured set of pacelines as we headed back to Richmond via Courthouse road. I struggled to hold a wheel and was eventually cranking along solo for the majority of my ride back to the house where we all started.

Throughout the day, proper riding nutrition inevitably got cast aside or left behind. On the final stretches of road back to Richmond and up Riverside Drive, my legs and body were bonking pretty good. Kickig it solo at this point left me little motivation to ride enough extra road and trail to make it an even hundred so I settled for 88. Not my preffered way to end a -group- ride.



An awesome feast of homemade Chilli, Dip, Cornbread, Cookies, and other treats awaited back at the start/finish residence. Soon, calories and beer had me feeling like a man again. A hella big thank you goes out to Brandy & Travis for hosting.

The ride was everything I expected, and more or less. I'm already looking forward to wrecking myself next New Year's day.

Cheers!

Tidewater Challenge - Racer's point of view

Tidewater Challenge was really fun this year and I had a great race.

I used my handlebar cam to capture race footage and made this video. Enjoy!

Birthday Present

Birthdays are a good time to treat yourself. So I did with a quick get-away to Douthat State Park last Friday/Saturday.



Originally, Pisgah was to be the destination. However, rustling up an accomplice to ride in Transylvania Co. down in North Carolina did not pan out. So, as not to let a beautiful weekend wither, a quick decision was made to roll out to Douthat for riding and camping.



Friday provided the perfect blend of crisp fall air and high clouds with a low sun breaking through to illuminate the polychromatic landscapes of Virginia’s mountains. Driving west was filled with some of the best interstate views I have seen in a while.



Nearing the WV boarder, I exited the interstate for a close up view of the mountains. A twisting road leading into Douthat greeted me with warm fall shades and I reciprocated with a wide smile. My worries about getting a camp site were fortunately a waste of time. I was able to pick from about 4 or 5 lakeside camp sites.



Finally I was ready for my ride that would circumnavigate the park on ridgeline trails with some excellent climbs and descents. The trees were absolutely stunning with a vibrant variety of colors that were amplified by the cloudy skies and sharp contrast with dark limbs and brown leaves on the ground. Sometimes a ride where you are by yourself delivers you to a deeper Zen and so it was as I enjoyed just rolling through a sublime fall landscape.



As night drew near, I flowed down the trails back to the campsite. A quick trip to Covington let me gather proper fireside fair at a local grocer. Soon I had a nice fire waiting to smoke the brats and beans I looked forward to. After some grub and IPA I settled into a nice slumber in the crisp air under the stars.



Morning on the lake produced a fog that was eerily skipping across the lake just before the sun broke over the eastern ridge of the park’s mountains.



A few more hours of riding and it was time to return for lunch to finish off the brats and pack up my gear. Heading back to Richmond, I realized that this would be a great gift to give myself every year.

Video - Pisgah Stage Race- day 4 Black Mountain downhill

I finally got some free time to start looking through all my videos for the Pisgah Stage Race. Here is a quick video I shot from my hadle bar cam while descending Black Mountain on stage 4. (click on the photo)

Stage 5 - 2011 Pisgah Stage Race

Stage 5 - Transylvania Loop

42 miles. 6,400+ ft of elevation gain - MAP

The final stage of the race was started with a chilly road ride. The weather for the day was about 40-50 degrees with a lot of wind. A splendid blue sky and beatifull leaves completed the fall weather.

All the riders lined up behind the police escort as we rolled out. Traffic was stopped at the highway and people cheered us as we started the 5 miles or so of road to Turkey Pen road.

I stayed with the lead group and pacelined with all the top racers and that was really fun. In one section I found myself at the front and took my pull as Jeremiah Bishop pulled aside. Pretty cool to mix it up with the big boys.


Turkey Pen road was a gravel climb that eventually brought us to the trail head of the 1st single track climb. I pushed my arm warmers down and got to work. I remembered the fun descent that follows, really fast, leafy and lots of drops.

Next up was crossing a stream (small river) 7 time in 40 ish temps. I was relieved to get off this section and start the gravel climb, needed some body heat. Miles later and the aid station came into view.


Now the real work began with a long climb up the sides of Laurel Mountain to the top where the Pilot Rock descent started.


This is a very technical descent with lots of rock gardens and switch backs. Very technical. About midway down is a challenging rock garden where the giant white squirrel cheered us on.



I almost got took out by a stray limb near the bottom. Relief is what I felt when I dropped out on the fireroad and got a chance to give by body a rest from the pounding descent.

Eventually the fireroad gave way to a familliar single track climb. When the trail turned right instead of going up the side of the mountain I was really thrilled. The descent down Avery Creek was off the chart, and super fast. There were some drops that snuck up real fast and I just had to hop down em as they came. I passed a few riders here and got got some good footage.


When the horse stables came in to view, I took the advive of the race director Todd Branham and emptied the tank on the last climb. I paced off another rider and eventually was able to pull away from him on the way to the trail head and I hiked up to the final descent.

Finishing the last downhill was fantastic and I had a huge grin flowing down the trail.

4:46 4th place Open Men

I was really pleased to have placed 4th in open men for my second run at the Pisgah Stage Race

Thom Parsons was staying in our house and has posted a ton of cool videos on www.cyclingdirt.org

After the racing ended the party began at the awards dinner and party. What a great finish to my favorite stage race!

Cheers!