Hump Day

20120426-094549.jpg Early morning jaunt through the mountains. Rode a short loop of the Headlands, bright and early at 6:30am. No one else on the trails. Felt very strong for most of the ride. Just feeling really happy and blessed to be living in this city.

Race Rig Recap

I did an event and race recap already, but feel the need to do a briefing on the race rig itself. My Epic 29er performed flawlessly the Sea Otter Classic. I dialed in both ends of the Brain for full firm, giving me the stiffest pedaling platform available. It handled really well considering the amount of climbing and speed involved on the course. There were even a few downhills that had me rattled at the bottom, but the Brain opened up and transitioned from stiff to plush smoothly. I couldn't imagine doing that race on a hardtail.

My only concern was the amount of grip the S-Works Renegade provided in the front. I think having the Fast Trak would have been the better choice given the sandy, loamy terrain.

It wasn't at all surprised to see the amount of Epics on the course, mostly S-Works models. It was hands down the perfect bike for this course.

That New Car Smell

Oh man, my wife and I got a new car this weekend! It's a 5-door Subaru Impreza Sport Limited. We've been researching cars for a while now, and thought this was the perfect car for our new California lifestyle. It features all-wheel-drive, 36 mpg, a bumpin' sound system, 17" alloy wheels and leather interior. It's been redesigned for this year, and they're super hard to get apparently. We lucked out with having the exact car package on the lot and then some. Can't wait to drive this baby to my next race, and more importantly our next road trip!

Festival Recap

I wish I had more time to spend at the festival itself. It would have been great to catch the short-track races, as well as road and the dual slalom. The picture above is the Specialized Factory Racing tent. The racers on the left are Lea Davidson and Rebecca Rusch, respective World Cup and Leadville 100 racer/winners. It was really cool to see how they prepped before each race. All the mechanics were buzzing around getting everything ready.

I drove down to Monterey by myself in a reserved Audi A3 Zip Car. I forgot how much I loved driving to far off destinations for bike races, easily one of the best things about the whole experience. Northern California has some of the most beautiful landscapes I've seen, with its rolling lush hills coupled with rocky/sandy beaches. It was about a two-hour drive south from San Francisco.

Every major bicycle brand you could think of was at the Sea Otter Classic. It's the best place to see what's new in the world of bikes; products, innovations, vendors, and not to mention all the top North American Pro riders. I easily could have spent my afternoon visiting each booth and talking shop, but I wanted to stay focused at the task ahead. I had one goal, and that was to check out the Specialized Factory Racing team booth, and meet with some of my favorite racers. I was lucky enough to catch my long time hero, Ned Overend, kicking it with the rest of the team.

Even Rapha was present, slinging coffee all day long. They were so nice to hook me up with a free musette.

Race Day Recap

After a full day of recovery I've had some time to think about my first comeback race. It wasn't perfect, nor was it as bad as I was expecting it to go down. I've had a great off-season to prepare myself physically and mentally, with the help of my trainer, Clayton of Carmichael Training Systems, as well as the support of my friends and family. It was a lot of fun and a huge sigh of relief.

Racing the Sea Otter Classic was never on my calendar till recently when my wife and I decided to move to San Francisco. With the added stress of moving and the relatively short time till race day, it left me questioning and even doubting myself. Thankfully having the time to explore the Marin Headlands gave me a quick feel for the terrain and amount of climbing to expect, but more importantly the confidence to attack the race from the start.

I started fine, leading the pack up until the gravel fire road where I decided to back off a bit, knowing I wouldn't be able to sustain the pace. The course started out very loose with a fast descent before the first steep climb, also known as "the wall", an otherwise rideable section for the more experienced rider, but ultimately a hike-a-bike section. I cleared it on the first lap.

After another short section of climbing the course transitioned to a rather long, tight and sandy single track descent. I could have benefited from better tire selection here because it was so loose and sandy. I was in 7th position at this point when I came around a tight off-camber corner a little too fast, overcompensating the turn, crashed and flipped myself over a steep slope, flipping backwards into some bushes. My ankle somehow got lodged between two branches making it nearly impossible to get up. After 20 seconds or so knowing I was in a bind, cursing and on the verge of panicking, I did the biggest sit-up known to man, grabbed hold of the branches that were pinning my leg, and unwound myself from the mess. By then I had lost two places, my left calf was throbbing with pain, yet somehow I quickly remounted my bike and kept going.

I found myself struggling to find my own rhythm for the remainder of the race. For one, it was incredibly hot. I made the mistake of not having enough water on-hand, forcing me to stop at every aid station available. The heat was a notable factor for everyone, most of whom had a hard time just finishing the 40 miles race. Even the pros didn't have it as hard as we did, only having to do one of the two 20 mile laps. Incredible. I had a side cramp for most of the first lap, and I knew I had pushed way too hard to make up for my early crash. My heart rate was pegged to the ceiling for half the race, but towards the end of the first lap I found my strength and started to catch a few riders.

I took it easy on most of the descents on the second lap, but tried to push myself on the climbs. Early into my second lap I started to feel a twinge of leg cramps. I knew then I had to back off on the power and up my pedaling cadence. I was making up time on the climbs, passing people with the quick, concentrated spin, but eventually I hit the wall, on the threshold of bonking. Luckily it happened with only a couple of miles left in the race.

I came in 9th out of 20 in my age category. I finished 20 minutes off the race leader, which isn't that bad considering my early mishaps. I made quite a few rookie mistakes, like going too hard in the beginning and not pacing myself better, especially not having enough water, but I could have done way better if I hadn't crashed so hard. I definitely would have gained at least 5-10 minutes, putting me within the top 5. Live and learn, then relearn, I guess.

Top Ten

I got 9th place in my category at the Sea Otter Classic on Friday, finishing the 40 mile, brutally hot, sandy and fast course in 3 hours and 10 minutes. I also met a long time hero of min, Ned Overend, who was hanging out at the Specialized Factory Racing booth. Such a fun experience. A full race recap soon.

Sea Otter Prep

As you may know, my first race in 10 years or so is tomorrow at the Sea Otter Classic down in Monterey, CA. I'm a bit nervous, as one should be, mainly because I'm racing a tough category and age group (Cat 1 30-34). I've been training consistently for almost an entire year now with the help from Carmichael Training, and I've never ridden better in my life.

My focus is doing the Leadville Trail 100 under 9 hours, so anything beforehand will be good training. I'm assigning the  Sea Otter as a C race, meaning winning isn't my highest priority, but perhaps finishing in the top ten would be great. The course itself is rather brutal coming in at 40 miles and roughly 7,000 feet of climbing. Thankfully moving to San Francisco and riding the Marin Headlands have given me a good idea of what to expect.

I've given myself a proper rest day today, doing a light spin around town the other day. I'll probably do a lot of deep stretching this afternoon. I've learned my lesson from the past of riding too much before a big race, giving myself enough time to recover.

My bike was filthy, so I wiped it down and gave everything a good once-over. I don't like to fiddle with my bike too much before a race, just making sure all the gears and brakes work, cleaning and lubricating the chain and checking to see if my tires aren't about to split open or explode.

The most important thing I have to keep remembering is to have fun, because then what's the point?

Wish me luck.

Hammer Time

I picked up my race day supplies. In addition to my usual Clif Bar I've decided to give Hammer Gel and Heed a try. Gels are great for that last push into a race, and energy drinks are good for keeping your sodium level topped off. Water alone can't cut it. It's probably not the best idea to try these out for the first time on race day, but I've been accustomed to gels and powders before.

Rolling with the Clouds

I'm back for more. Lots of headwind, but as soon as I dropped into the valley of the Headlands there was a calm stillness. I attacked early on and gained even more time on the Miwok trail climb. However, my early effort left me struggling for the rest of the ride, but I managed to pull together some nice times for the remainder of the ride.

I spent half of the ride battling coastal winds and rolling clouds, and finally got passed by a fellow rider on a rather steep downhill section. He happened to be going up the same way I was and we struck up a conversation while panting up a gradual gravel climb. Turns out he just started racing Cat 1 cross-country a little while ago. So nice to meet someone new on the trail, especially a potential training partner. He even showed me a really gnarly section of single-track before the ride back.

Tomorrow I have to take the day off, and spin easy the day after that in preparation for the Sea Otter Classic, which is on Friday.

Sky High

So high in the sky you can barely see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. I did another run around the Marin Headlands but reversed my route. Being Monday there were fewer people on the bridge as well as the trails. I really pushed myself and climbed my way up the Strava ranks on multiple sections.

What I'm loving about the Headlands so far is the fact that all of the headwind I encountered on my way up is blocked by the surrounding hills. It also rained a few days ago, and surprisingly most of the trails were dry with only a few muddy spots.

Our Public Bike

Today my wife and I bought a brand new Public Bike to share, something for her to ride in the meantime till she got her own mountain bike, and something we can use for grocery and coffee runs. It's nice to have a bike I don't have to worry about getting stolen. It's the perfect utility/city bike that's designed in San Francisco. We bought ours at their flagship/office store in the SOMA neighborhood.

We got the Public D8, which I felt was an upgrade from their base model. It features chromoly steel frame, internal 8-speed hub, painted fenders and a front rack with a detachable wire basket. The components are okay, but it does have decent rims and dual pivot brakes.

We immediately took it out for a spin along the Embarcadero and into Crissy Field. With our dog, Marlow, in tow we pedaled down along the beach and enjoyed the sun before making a quick stop at the Rapha Cycle Club on way back home.

The Headlands

Just finished my first ride through the Marin Headlands. It's pretty much everything I expected and more. What really surprised me was the amount of climbing there was. They were real gut busters. My legs were able to cope with it, and I just kept telling myself to embrace my inner mountain goat.

With each hill crest there was the reward of breathtaking panoramic views of the coastline. I never thought I'd get to live in such a beautiful city with an equally fun and challenging back yard. Perfect training grounds for the Leadville 100.

The majority of the trails were on fire roads with a few sections of fun single track. I covered two of the major loops. Because it was a Saturday there were a ton of hikers, but I didn't mind slowing it down a bit. Because I'm so used to the gnarly technical trails of the Northeast it felt like I was riding on pavement. I have the perfect bike and setup for these conditions.

I believe the city below is Sausalito.

Top of the World

On my second day of San Francisco riding I decided to taste what Marin had to offer. After a rain-soaked ride across the Golden Gate Bridge I found myself spinning up the side of a mountain while the sun started to come out. I found the trailhead to one of the many mountain bike trails, but decided to hold out for the weekend. Plus the trails were pretty wet. It's so unreal how remote and beautiful the Marin Headlands are.

We've been apartment hunting the moment we got here, so our free time is somewhat limited; granted we've been waking up before 6am every morning due to jet lag. Still, my legs have about two or so hours of energy before they need an afternoon recharge.

Inaugural SF Ride

First ride in San Francisco. Words can't describe how amazing and different it is. Started near the Embarcadero, up and around Crissy Field, through the Presidio, over to Sea Cliff, down along the coast, a loop through Golden Gate Park and back the same way I came. The hills just about destroyed my legs. My mind was blown.

Sea Cliff

The Coast

We Have Arrived

My wife, dog and I made it to San Francisco without a hitch. With four large suitcases in tow, including my bike, we managed to get from one coast to the other relatively easily. We're in temporary housing for now. The view is spectacular from our balcony. My bike made it safely in the new Evoc bag. So many mixed emotions going through my head right now, but mostly excitement.

Last Day in BK

So surreal when a bunch of strangers come in and pack all your belongings in half a day. We were fortunate enough to have a moving company do all the hard work for us. To me there's nothing more stressful than a move, but somehow this one has been pretty easy, despite being a 1/3 complete. We still have to find a place to live and coordinate the movers to unpack our stuff, not to mention get to the airport with all of our luggage including my bike. Almost there.

All Packed Up

My Evoc bike travel bag came in the mail this week, and it's pretty amazing. I was skeptical at first, but it packed my full-suspension 29er Specialized Epic with room to spare. Not only is there ample room for a big rig like mine, the construction of the bag itself is exceptional. There are two wheel compartments, which fit my big wheels, even fully inflated. I'm not taking chances with bent rotors so I decided to take them off just in case. It's my first time flying with a bike, so we'll see how it goes. I shouldn't be too worried about my bag being chucked and damaged like most bags, should I?