Indian Summer

What a glorious morning for mountain biking! It was pitch black when I hit the road, on my way to meet my riding buds for our weekly Tuesday morning Marin Headlands dawn patrol. It was an unusually warm morning and the sun wasn't rising. I was the only one without a proper light setup, but I knew the trail well enough to get down the first descent.

I still had dead legs from my race on Sunday, but found them on our way back. We ran into a group of roadies at the start of the last climb. They continued on road, while we made our way up dirt. I wanted to see if I could beat them to the top, and decided to give it a go. Full gas. They must have taken the tunnel back into the city, and didn't see them at the top, but did run into another group. One of the riders happens to be the guy that helped me purchase my Specialized SL4 over at Mike's Bikes. It's fun to see people you've met out on the road.

Quick Transition

I'm feeling really sore from my race yesterday. I really gave it my all, and my upper body especially feels run down. Today I have my usual rest day, and tomorrow I start back up with my intervals, which is going to be hard to do considering the weather is so nice in San Francisco at the moment. I could do this workout outside, but I wouldn't have the same focus as training indoors. My power-meter is still out of commission, but I've been happy using just my heart rate monitor. I'm actually looking forward to settling into steady-state intervals as I see the most fitness gains, next to doing straight up power intervals, which are my least favorite things to do in the world.

Putting the Hammer Down!

I ended my season with a bang, finishing 3rd, Cat 1 in the 30-39 age group, just behind 1st place pro and just in front of 2nd place pro, so I'm pretty sure I finished in the top 5 overall. I felt really good throughout the race. I definitely had the legs today. I was a bit worried, not having ridden the trails here before, that there was a lot of descending and not enough climbing. I decided to go out really hard in the first lap and see how long I could hold my position.

I made the dumb mistake by forgetting to bring a jersey. I prepped the night before and swore I had stuffed one in my bag. Luckily I had a Rapha base layer so I didn't look completely out-of-place, but I did miss having pockets to carry tools and food.

I setup a mini aid station just past the lap marker. I had plenty of bottles and food stashed in my little cooler, but didn't dip into it. The course was shaded from the scorching sun, and I hydrated well enough throughout the week to need more than the single bottle of water. No more energy drink mix for me. My stomach feels better for it, but maybe I need to try a few different brands.

The first lap was intense. I started with the pros, Cat 1 19-29 and 30-39, and held onto 3rd place for quite a while before the descending started. I graciously let people by me, knowing I'll see them on the climbs ahead. Unfortunately there weren't that many sustained or tough climbs except for the very end of the lap. They call it the Dead Heifer, with an average grade of 20%. The Headlands Heifer is named after it. Good thing I had some practice on grades that steep.

My bike performed flawlessly. No drivetrain or suspension issues. My Specialized Fast Trak tires saved me at least three or four times from crashing. I've been super impressed with their performance ever since I made the switch.

The rest of the race was really fun. Lots of switchback short climbs, lots of loose over hardpack (common NorCal terrain), and lots of fast single track. The only bad part of the race was having all the Cat 2 stragglers in the way, but most of them cleared the way when asked.

Knowing it was only a 20 mile XC race I put the hammer down early one and paced myself with each lap. I could have pushed a little harder towards the end, but there was just too much descending for me to take that risk. Having done Leadville and the marathon nationals it felt really good to do something not quite as enduring, especially a race just 40 minutes north of the city. It also felt really good to step onto the podium, something I haven't done in at least 12 years, back when I raced as a junior, as well as a sport senior.

Sadly, it's Marin County's only race of the year, but I'm looking forward to it again. Great to see a lot of familiar faces and that the mountain biking community in the bay area is strong.

Weekend Cruise

 

I learned my lesson at the marathon nationals to not put in too many miles/hours on the bike the day before a race. Today I opted for my Public D8 cruiser bike for getting me around the city. I've got some slight modifications I'd like to do for a more aggressive ride, but otherwise it's perfect for hilly San Francisco.

Tomorrow is the Tamarancho Dirt Classic up in Fairfax, CA, just 3o minutes north of where we live. I'm excited to do this race since it's so close to home. While I'm not expecting to do spectacularly well, since my focus is on marathon, and I'm just not that explosive off the start line. My game plan is to be conservative on the downhills while attacking as much and as hard as possible on the climbs, knowing it's a rather short 21 mile course, consisting of three laps.

Missin' Out

Tomorrow 7,000 cyclist will tour Northern California's most beautiful roads. I, however, will not. I missed out on Levi Leipheimer's Gran Fondo this year. I didn't realize how huge and popular this ride was. I missed the deadline for registration as well as last minute swaps. Oh well, at least I've got the Tamarancho Dirt Classic on Sunday.

By the way, anybody want to crew for me? My wife's tied up with plans, and I'll be up there by myself. Not a biggie, since it's only 21 miles. I doubt I'll even need a second water bottle.

Nothing Exciting

Spent some time in the saddle, indoors, on my trainer. I've got a great view of the fog blowing through the trees outside my window. Daylight is escaping too quickly these days, and the mornings are pitch black, too. It's been hard staying motivated this past month. I've been working too hard and it's been pretty grey outside. Piecing together my Open bike is fun, but I'm getting burnt out spending so much time online.

Tamarancho Dirt Classic

I signed up for the Tamarancho Dirt Classic coming up this weekend. It's just 30 minutes north of the city, and I've never ridden the trails! Luckily the course is three laps of a seven mile course. I may even check it out Friday or Saturday just to make sure I'm not in over my head. This is quite possibly the last race of the season for me before I settle back into the long training miles of winter. No cyclocross season for me, although very tempting.

To prep my body this weekend I did some indoor intervals this evening, and will probably do another set on Thursday before winding down on Friday and Saturday. Much like marathon nationals I'll be pushing hard, but not too hard.

Project Leadville – My Open O-1.0 is Coming Along

I got word from Pro Bike Supply down in Newport Beach, CA that my medium Open O-1.0 frame has arrived.

Right now all I'm waiting for is the 2013 RockShox SID forks to become available. I had my reservations about the Keronite grey finish, but did a little more research and found the technology to be really cool. It's lighter and more durable than a powder coat process. The grey would also look nice with the matte black finish of the frame.

I'm also about to pull the trigger on a new set of ENVE wheels, built with DT Swiss 240 hubs. I'm going all X0 silver, too. My new race rig is almost there!

Mt. Tam Fall Epic

Just got back from doing an epic ride through the Marin Headlands, Muir Woods and to the top of Mt. Tam and back. Close to 60 miles, over 8,000' of total climbing, four and a half hours later I'm feeling wiped out to say the least. It's been a while since I've punished myself on my local trails. I just came off of my marathon nationals high last week, and it felt good to ride at my own pace.

Sometimes it's hard to gauge what to bring along on a ride through the North Bay. One minute it's cold and foggy, the next it's broiling hot and dry. It just depends on what side of the hill you're on. The temperature variance can be as much as 20º.

The view from the top of Mt. Tam is always amazing. That tall sliver of a spike near the center of the photo above, just past the incoming fog is where I started my ride. It's halfway point, and I dial my suspension for the crazy descent back into the fog below. I flew down the trail, passing a few other riders on the upper fire road section, but had a wide open shot on Coastal View, setting a few personal records on Strava.

Saturday Cruise in the North Bay

My wife and I dropped off our car for service in San Rafael, and brought our bikes while it was in the shop. We had a couple of hours to kill, so I planned a nice cruise around the area. We rode around China Camp and up into Lucas Valley, where we checked out a bunch of Eichler homes, day dreaming of the day we actually live there.

Anywhere in the North Bay seemed like a great place to live. Lots of different kind of riding within miles of each other. We passed a bunch of riders getting ready to hit the trails in China Camp. In Lucas Valley we rode by a bunch of roadies on wide lanes cutting through the rolling hills. It was really beautiful and sunny. We're looking forward to exploring more and more of the area.

Golden Morning

This morning I rode through the park and up into the Marin Headlands. Nothing special, other than the fact that the roads were filled with people, all clamoring up the hill to get the best view possible for the space shuttle fly-by. Cars were parked in the bike lanes, people swerving all over the place to grab the last square inch of park-able space. All the while I'm trying to enjoy my normal morning ride where I go to clear my head and be far away from cars and the city. Despite the craziness it was a beautiful morning for a ride before work.

Marlow In a Bag

Here's my dog, Marlow, in his special riding bag on my way out of the office. I think he likes it. He doesn't try to jump out or cause too much trouble. He careens under my arm to get a better view as we ride along.

As a side note, what was up with today and all the crazy bike commuters? Was it national race everyone you see day? I swear just about everyone I passed was hell-bent on catching up to me, riding on sidewalks just to scoot by and beat the light.

Almost Every Morning

Gotta love this view. I spin up to the top of the Marin Headlands a few times a week, sometimes on my mountain bike. The ride hasn't gotten old for me, and probably never will. The area has something for everyone. For me, it has monster climbs and the sense of being out in the middle of nowhere.

Recovery

Still feeling zonked from the long weekend. Besides commuting to work by bike I've decided to give my body a rest. Looking forward to seeing all the Interbike posts trickle through the internet this week. I'm hoping to see something new for my Open O-1.0 build. It feels good be back home. It's going to be another crazy week of work, but luckily I don't have any upcoming races so I can slack off on my training for a bit.

The Long Way Home

Had a great time in Bend racing the marathon nationals. My parents came down from Vancouver, WA the night before and surprise visited me. I saw them on the last loop of the course. Afterwards we went out for some good Thai food. On Sunday I drove back to San Francisco, and enjoyed the scenery for the entirety of the 9 hours in the car by myself.

Marathon Nationals - Race Day

I had a decent time racing the marathon nationals. I finished 8th place in my age category, just 5 minutes off the podium times. It was 55 miles of twisty, dusty single track, never really climbing that much, with about 6,000' of total gain. It felt slightly harder than Leadville, mostly because the course was more technical than I'm used to.

Descending isn't my strong suit, so I got passed a lot. I didn't want to risk crashing early on. The trails were so much fun to ride, but I couldn't really find my rhythm till the second half of the race.

My start wasn't that good, and I knew going into the first few miles that this was definitely a B/C race for me. I think I rode too much the past couple of days. At the start I got passed immediately by my entire group, but I knew it was going to be a long day so I let them go, hoping to reel them back in later.

My legs were fatigued the entire time, but I was happy that my nutrition was really dialed in. I went with a CamelBak instead of bottles, which was a huge help considering how twisty and bumpy the trays were, making it difficult to drink otherwise.

Now 8th might sound like a good placing, but it was out of just 12 racers. The competition was hard, considering it was a nationals race. My overall time fairs pretty well, but I knew I could have done slightly better if I had saved a bit more energy leading up to the race.

Again, just happy to have finished it, and to have my race-day nutrition dialed in; not eating too much in the morning, not going with an energy drink, just eating GU Chomps and maybe a Clif bar at the end.

Parking lot full of mountain bikes/bikers, all getting ready to suffer for four hours.

My friend, Ryan, just destroyed the course and competition, coming in 2nd place in his age category. The kid is insane! He also won both Downieville's XC and enduro events last month.

Marathon Course Pre-ride, Part 2

I pre-rode more of the marathon nationals course today, and ran into some friends from the bay area, as well as making a couple more. It's probably one of my favorite things about mountain bike racing, besides the traveling, getting to meet people who share the same passion at the same level. We're all out in the forest, enjoying the sun and trails, trying to figure out the right lines to pick and going over each others bike set-ups.

I split off from the group and decided to check out the mid-day loop. I probably should have stopped for the day to save some legs for tomorrow, but I couldn't help myself. The trails are that much fun.

I Have Arrived

After nine hours of driving I finally made it up to Bend, OR. I left around 7am and made good time, allowing me to squeeze in an afternoon course pre-ride. I wanted to make sure I got a feeling for the terrain and overall course, figuring out where the start and finish were.

The drive up was great. I hadn't been through Kalamath and that part of southern Oregon. Since I wanted to make good time going up I only stopped once for gas, grabbing a few snacks, but no lunch. I did make good time, but I felt like crap in the afternoon.

I didn't have too much time to explore. The start of the course was mostly fire road before cutting into some single track. The trails consisted of deep dust and sand, never climbing for too long before descending. Great for trail riding, but really exhausting for cross-country racing. At 50 miles it's going to be a tough day on Saturday.

Tomorrow I pick up my race number before I head out to pre-ride more of the course.