Recovery

I rode a lot last week. Over 16 hours logged in. I average between 10-12 hours per week, but I was definitely in the mood to ride. This week, however, I'm  feeling a bit drained. I'll probably finish out the rest of my workouts this week, but then try to take it easy. It's the last week of the Strava base-mile challenge, and I've definitely accumulated enough miles. I've slowly learned the importance of rest, listening to your body and knowing when to slow down.

Sunday Tam

tam-sunday Did a long great ride with my friend Brian today. It was gorgeous outside, and I didn't get to ride outdoors on Saturday. The original plan was to go out to Dias and back up Middle Green Gulch, but decided at the last minute to climb to the top of Deer Park and descend down Coastal View. We ripped down everything. It was so much fun having perfect trail conditions, aside from all the hikers out. We covered 50 miles, and climbed over 7,000'. I definitely started to struggle at the end, but it was worth it.

Old Caz Race Recap

old-caz-recap-open-2 Dead front and center at the start line of the Old Caz race in Occidental, CA, the first of the Grasshopper Adventure Series, where I placed 10th overall. I managed to line-up at the front, knowing I didn't want to get caught up in the traffic of over 300 eager racers. To my far right sat Levi Leipheimer, also awaiting the start, but not as an official racer, per se. A few announcements by the race organizer, and we're off.

A full race recap after the break, but I'd like to thank Edie of Kitsbow apparel for snapping the great pictures in this post.

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I was really nervous at the start, not knowing if I came with a disadvantage racing my Open 29er amongst a sea of cross bikes. The start reminded me a lot of Leadville, a mass of hyped up dudes ready to shred. I got boxed into the middle of the lead group and wiggled my way to the outside line where I'd be able to move more comfortably. There was an immediate climb and no sign of anyone slowing down. My heart rate was through the roof, but I held my own and kept up with the lead 30 or so racers.

Upon the first drop into gravel road I knew I brought the right bike of the day, as people were slamming their brakes and sliding off the side while I kept my line and leaned in with confidence. All of my riding/training in the Marin Headlands is paying off big time as I found myself passing people left and right. The long fire road descent finally gave way to rolling country road where the ground was still frozen with spots of black ice.

Meanwhile back in the pack, my friends Peter and David got caught up in a crash over similar black ice, but near the start and on the road. It took out maybe 50 people. It really sucked for them, but I was glad I started so far at the front.

As soon as we hit the first section of flat road I knew it was critical to stay with a group and work together. I don't have much experience riding in a pace line, but I managed to hold my own, trading pulls with some really strong riders. I'm starting to see the lead group stretched out with three chase packs.

Heading into the first dirt climb I do my best to scoot past as many riders as possible, knowing it'll be the only way to make up time on the leaders. The dirt climb quickly descends down a gnarly fire road mixed with some single track. The course cuts through some closed gates where you have to dismount and climb through. Again, I gain time going down having fatter tires and front suspension. At this point I begin to see the carnage of bodies on the side of the road, fixing flats.

This marks the start of a long road climb to the halfway point of the race. I push a bit harder than I wanted to, trying to make up more time while distancing myself from the larger chase group along the flats. My Open O-1.0 shines in long sustained climbs. It probably weighs as much as most of the cross bikes out there, and that's with suspension and fat wheels. It's also the first race on my fairly new bike. It went beyond my expectations as it carved down the hills with ease and held its own and then some up the climbs. I put my head down and go to work. Nearing the top I start to feel the twinges of cramping in the backs of my legs. I'm hoping I didn't push too hard to leave me with little at the end.

This is where the fun starts. I reach the top of the climb and start to bomb down a fire road which quickly turns into a slippery mess. I pass even more bodies fixing flats and realize the lead group has got to be less than 20 or so by now. Again, I brought the right bike set up as I fly down the trail. It starts off rather smooth, but quickly turns rocky and muddy. I'm following a guy on a full-suspension 26" mountain bike and watch him tripod around each corner, causing me to loose momentum. I back off my speed knowing I don't need to put myself at risk. There's still halfway to go, and I need to make sure I recover while I can.

At the very bottom of our descent is a creek crossing. The guy just ahead of me tries to ride through only to get halfway across. I got the tip early on that it's not rideable, so I dismount and carry my bike through the crossing. I didn't want the creek to wash off my chain lube, which is why I decided to carry it. My feet, of course, are cold and wet.

On the other side I quickly mount up and pedal past the guy that was just ahead of me. I slowly pull away on the climb and make my way down the backside before hitting an intersection. A guy on a cross bike seemed to be turned around, and I decide to read the road and make a right turn based on how much more traffic it had. I ride to the bottom of that country road and hit another unmarked intersection. Left? Right? I don't know! I circle and wait 10-15 seconds before the guy on the full-suspension bike appears and leads the way. I give him my thanks. He had ridden Old Caz before, so I knew I needed to stay close.

We're soon joined by a cross racer, and the three of us start to work together as we make our way back along the second half of the course. Our pace was too fast for the cross racer and so we became two. We had built up a really good lead, and didn't want to give up what we worked so hard for. The course is beautiful here, following a creek through shady trees, but no time to enjoy the scenery, really.

We were out on our own for at least 15 minutes before hitting the main road back before the last and final climb. I spot a group of riders way out in the distance and decide to attack in hopes of bridging up to them. After a few minutes I catch up to them, but realize they were just a group of roadies enjoying their Saturday. Not a moment later a freight train of racers charges by, and I'm quick to react and jump on the tail end.

The group is composed of the mountain biker I worked with earlier, a few cross riders I passed along the downhill, mixed with a few racers I dropped on the climb. They clearly worked together to chase us down, and I knew it was critical to stay in this group. We start trading pulls, and again I hold my own. I'm actually feeling pretty strong despite knowing I've got about 8 miles of racing left, 3 of which end on a monster climb to the finish line. I have to make sure I don't blow up, and ride smart. Two cross guys turn up the pace, splitting apart our pace line. We regroup, but I could tell everyone is fading fast.

There's about 6 of us in the chase group as we make our way to the base of the last climb. Once I knew the only way to the finish was up I attacked and didn't look back. I quickly put distance between myself and the group I was just in. I catch a few riders right away as well as one of the two cross guys that blew our group apart. I'm looking at my Garmin expecting the climb to go on and on. It's getting steeper, so much in fact I gear down to my small front chainring, the first time all day. I spin and catch another rider.

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A few minutes roll by, and I get passed by a fellow 29er. He must have put in a massive effort to bridge up to our chase group and hammer up the climb. I didn't have much left to contest my position, but I knew the finish is nearby. Up ahead I see a small group of people by the side of the fire road. I round the corner and spot an even bigger group. I must be close. Before I know it I'm asked for my name as I cross the finish line.

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To my surprise I finish in 10th place with a time of  3 hours 18 minutes, just behind 9th place, and just 10 minutes behind the podium. I was super happy. Thinking back on the start, seeing over 300 people line up, I never dreamed of finishing in the top 10. I was hoping for a top 50 finish at most. I was lucky. I made the right moves. I came in with the right training and bike, and it all paid off.

At the finish I met the fine folks of Kitsbow mountain bike apparel. They make super amazing tailored clothing specifically for mountain biking, the Rapha equivalent. Edith took a picture of me and my Open bike and newly minted Open kit, courtesy of Andy Kessler, co-founder of Open Cycles (thanks, Andy!). I'm so happy with my bike, the recent tire change and knowing I crushed it on a 29er hardtail.

I wait at the finish line for a bit to see my friends roll through. I love the atmosphere after a race like this. People laid out on the ground, depleted and already swapping stories. It was so much fun. I can't wait for the next Grasshopper, though I doubt I'll do as well as I did today. I did learn a lot; race tactics, pacing, being patient and knowing when to attack. Starting off my year with a big result like this feels good. I just need to build my confidence a bit more, knowing what my limiters are and working on them.

Day Off

headlands-mlk I had the day off from work, so my friend Peter and I did a nice big ride out in the Headlands, down Dias Ridge and up Middle Green Gulch. The day started out very windy, but really sunny. It's starting to feel like spring finally. We were both feeling a bit wiped out from our race at Old Caz on Saturday so we didn't push to hard. We managed to clock in close to 40 miles with over 5,500' of total elevation gain.

It was also the first time my new Ikon tires saw Marin Headlands dirt. They performed rather well, but I'll say that the Racing Ralphs have the slight edge when it comes to cornering on gravel roads. They did feel way more secure over everything else, especially on the Dias Ridge downhill. Maybe it's due to the larger casing, but the edge of bumps got dampened nicely. Climbing wise they're about the same as the Ralphs, but I found better grip if I stayed seated while climbing. I'll be playing with PSI, and think I could go a pound or two less (currently 23/24 PSI). These are definitely a confidence inducing set of tires.

Recovery

old-caz-recovery My legs are feeling it a bit today, however it didn't stop me from enjoying the fine weather. I took the long way into downtown by way of Crissy Field and the Embarcadero. I had to pick up some food for our dog, Marlow. The bag itself weighed at least 20 pounds, which made for a nice weight to carry on my back.

Tire Testing

maxxis-ikon My new tires arrived the other day. I'm trying out the Maxxis Ikons with their EXO sidewall protection. They definitely feel beefier, but not too heavy. They're roughly 80 grams heavier per tire than my Schwalbe Racing Ralphs, a weight penalty I notice slightly, but it could just be in my head. The first noticeable quality of the tire is the large casing and overall volume. Next is the how well they grip, but I'll get into that after the break.

I took them out on my local neighborhood trail system around Mt. Sutro. It hasn't rained much this past week so the dirt was nice and tacky. Not too dry or too wet. Perfect conditions.

Spinning on the road leading up to the trails it felt like they rolled better than the Racing Ralphs, despite lab tests showing otherwise. There wasn't a noticeable scratchy sound, where tread is digging into the pavement like on the Ralphs, but a nice hum.

The Ikons immediately hooked up on the hard-pack singletrack. They also cornered more nicely than the Racing Ralphs. I think it's due to the knob spacing, but Ikons felt more predictable leaning into the turns. I even put more body english to see if I could get them to break their line. Right now I'm running 23 psi in the front and 24 psi in the rear, but because they're so much bigger I think I could go a pound or two, given my low body weight.

While the test is really too soon to give a solid review I think these tires are a really great. I'm looking forward to testing them out in the Headlands where there's more loose over hard-pack and fire roads. I have full confidence in the tire casing, which are super thick. I probably won't rip these, but it's better to be safe than sorry, especially if more of my rides and races are longer. I don't ever want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere ever again.

My main concern for the moment is that these tires aren't officially tubeless ready. I've been onto a few forums where people say the tire casing develops a blister of sorts, where the tread starts to delaminate from the casing. Scary. Hopefully that issue won't happen to me, but I hope Maxxis continues to evolve this tire.

This weekend I'm doing my first race of the season, Old Caz in Occidental, CA, part of the Grasshopper Adventure Series. While the site says the course is more suited for a cyclocross bike I think these tires and my bike will do just fine.

Super Commute

super-commute I took the long way to work this morning. Rode down through Golden Gate Park, along the coast, up into Sea Cliff and back into the Presidio. It's about a 10 mile route with plenty of climbing. I wanted to try it without breaking much of a sweat. Nothing's worse than starting your day all sweaty and sticky. I managed to keep a good tempo pace all the way there, and had a nice cool down before starting my day. It's nice to change things up, too. My normal straight as an arrow route to and from work has been getting dull.

41 Degrees

dawn-patrol-40-degrees Had a great ride this morning with the guys. It was a frigid 41º for most of the ride. The sun came up later than expected, which made for some great pictures at the top of Miwok. I brought along my GoPro, too, but I think I forgot to wipe the casing clean. I checked my footage, and there's a nice bit of haze surrounding the frame. Regardless, I felt great to be back in the saddle after being run-down by food poisoning over the weekend.

Fallen Heroes

lance I'm sure you all have heard the news spinning around, again. It'll be interesting to see how all of this plays out. How it'll affect the greater body of organized cycling, namely the UCI, and the generation(s) to come. I always wanted to believe in Lance, a lot of us did, but it's just a shame. Hopefully we can move past this quickly, and see positive results.

Poison

Ugh. I got food poisoning on Saturday evening. I'm not sure what did it to me, but it was definitely something I ate after my big ride. I spent the day watching the Cyclocross National Championships on Velonews.com, napping and watching bad movies. So much for my Sunday.

Tam Exploration

tam-exploration Today I rode with a new riding buddy, Giles, to the top of Mt. Tam, and down the backside. It was really cold in the start, but quickly warmed up. I think it was around 39º by the time we started. It was a brisk pace to the top of Tam, and I wish I had brought my GoPro with me. Epic sweeping views for most of the way.

Once we got to the top Giles showed me the backside of the Tam. It was really gnarly, littered with sharp rocks for most of the way down. We got to a main junction, and decided to explore a bit of the backside. It was really fun and unexpected. I'm definitely going back to explore. We got a bit turned around once we dropped into the neighborhoods of Mill Valley before finding our way back to Tennessee Valley and through the Headlands and home. We rode 50 miles and climbed 7,000'.

Blowing Off Steam

hawk-hill-clouds I left work a tad on the early side to get in a good loop around the Headlands, by road, before it got too dark. I've had a tough week at work, and needed to blow off some steam. It hasn't been my week of riding. I also took the longer route home by way of Sea Cliff and through the south end of Golden Gate Park. Looking forward to getting the weekend started. Let's hope the weather holds up.

The Perfect Tire Search

more-grip After slicing my sidewall wide open on an evening ride last night I'm searching for the best XC tire. I love the Schwalbe Racing Ralphs in general. They've been my tire of choice these days, however I've been hearing too many stories of how thin their side-walls are. They do make a SnakeSkin version, which comes at a cost and added weight penalty, but at this point I'm done being a weight weenie when it comes to tires. The downside is that the SnakeSkin version of the Ralphs are nowhere to be found. My only other gripe against the tire is that the tread wears too quickly.

My second favorite tire goes to the Specialized Fast Trak (pictured above). They're predictable, but not quite as grippy as the Racing Ralph. My search continues, and after a few conversations with a few buddies of mine I'm narrowing my field down to the Racing Ralph SnakeSkin, if I can find them, and the Maxxis Ikon EXO. These peaked my interest in that they're high volume, tough casing, roll fairly well, and come in at a very respectable 580 grams per tire. That's about 30+ grams compared to the Ralphs and Fast Trak, each with their respective thicker casings.

What say you? Can you recommend anything better than the Ikon, Ralphs or Fast Trak? Suggestions welcomed. I'm done worrying about getting stranded because of tire failure, especially if I'm committed to longer endurance/marathon XC distances.

Rear Tire Fail

specialized-s-works-renegade-1.8-2 I did a quick spin around the Headlands last night after work only to be dealt a bad hand by the Karma gods. My rear tire cut open, spewing sealant all over the place. No way to fix that mess. I knew I had half a charge left on my light, and no way of getting home other than calling my wife to come pick me up. I knew she wouldn't be happy about it, or the fact that I was mountain biking by myself at night. So ends my night riding. No sense in making someone else worry about my safety.