DANI WYSS WINS THE RACE ACROSS AMERICA 2009!!!

Arriving in Annapolis, MD after completing 3021 miles, Swiss rider Dani Wyss wins the solo male division with the second fastest time in RAAM history at 8 Days 5 Hours and 45 Minutes. Dani becomes a two time winner of RAAM.
Race Across America website:

I can honestly say I have never spent much time getting to know much about this event/race. I knew people did it but it never interested me so I just moved on. I was checking out the website and race reports and I have a new found respect for the people who do this race, especially the solo riders. It is freaking insane. The best quote I could find to describe the toughness of the race was this:
"Less than 200 solo and tandem racers have officially finished solo RAAM earning the title of RAAM Finisher, compared with over 2000 individuals who have summited Mt. Everest". Considering this race is very close to the top rung of endurance events this dude rocked the course in a mere 8 days! I am humbled.

watching the wheel go 'round...

I was working on my bike today and removed a large clump of leaves that was jammed between the front rim and inner bead on the tire. The clump of leaves found it's way into my tire at mile 5 in the Lumberjack 100 when I was stuck amoung a group of riders when the lead rider crashed on a rooted turn and the subsequent pile up had me grabbing too much front brake and over the bars I went. It was a harmless endo and I quickly re-mounted to discover something large stuck to the side of my front tire. The force of the crash had packed the leaves into the side of my Racing Ralph. For the next 9.5 hours (95 miles) I watched this lump of leaves go around and around. I soon found this classic Pretenders tune going around and around in my head for hours.

Watching The Clothes

2009 Lumberjack 100

Here we go! Saturday, June 20 will be the Lumberjack 100 near Wellston, Michigan. This will be stop #3 of the NUE series. I love the feel of this event! More later...




UPDATE:
The 2009 installment of the Lumberjack 100 was yet another successful outing for race promoter Rick Plite and his crew. The hand water pump broke (no plumbing in this neck of the woods) at the Big M ski area the night before the event and thankfully Rick was able to secure plenty of H2O for everyone. It's a good thing too as temperatures climbed after a night of rain gave way to a steamy day. The rain kept the sand down and a new course record was established. It's amazing that the top 2 finishers, Jeff Schalk and Christian Tanguy were only separated after 100 miles by 30 seconds! Schalk blistered the course with a winning time of 6:48:06!

My goal was to beat last years time of 11+ hours and I would try to get in under 10 hours. The trail was in perfect shape and the course was anything but easy. After last month's Mohican 100, I was looking forward to 100 miles of fast, flowing singletrack but quickly realized how difficult this venue can be. There is no 2-track or fire roads to recover on here.

My first lap was sketchy with lots of traffic and a few greasy spots I found it difficult to ride the trail efficiently. I was braking when I should have been letting it all hang out. The group I was riding with piled up at mile 5 and I went "slow-motion" over the handlebar. No harm. Traffic thinned by lap 2 and it just kept getting harder and harder for me. I felt slow. I was sweating like a pig and I continued to take in nutrition and fluids. I was trying hard to avoid any cramping. About half way in lap 3 I was really struggling and my legs felt like lead. It felt like I was lacking power on the climbs and failing to maximize any forward momentum. I realized I needed to utilize my singlespeed skills more and hammer on the short climbs. Spinning was slowing me down and sapping my energy. With 7h30m on the clock I set off on lap 4. I needed to turn a 25 mile lap in less than 2.5 hours to make my sub-10 hour time. Alas, it was not to be, although I did manage to nip another old fart at the line to take the tenth spot in the Masters 50+. As a team we introduced many members to the Lumberjack 100 this year and there were many personal success's throughout the ranks. By mid February when registration opens up I am sure many will forget about the grueling nature of the event and sign up again. Heck, I'll sign up just to get another pint glass, t-shirt and patch!

Daniel and his finisher patch:



RESULTS

Ruby XC - USAC Series #4

OK, OK. I'll get the ball rolling on today's race while it's still fresh in my head. Like the Bloomer Park trail, the Ruby Campground trail just plain confuses me. Simply put, I never really know how to ride the trail fast and clean in one continuous effort. Today I did neither, although I was happy to walk away with a lukewarm feeling of satisfaction. My first mistake was driving back from the West side of the State very late last night and failed to pack up my stuff the night before and also check out my bike. Remember, always pack the night before. DOH!
I made it to the park in time and riding conditions were great. Ruby is a great trail to scope out the day of the race as you can pretty much ride the 5.27 mile trail in a half hour. I didn't ride the whole trail but chose to pre-ride several sections. My biggest mistake was failing to check-out the water crossings, entries, exits and the depth. It turns out the water was deep and the crossings were basically unrideable.
Sport riders wading the river:

Three minutes into my semi pre-ride and my wide-ass SS handlebar clips a tree and forces my face into a neighboring tree. Stoopid move.

No problem. I ride on and discover my BB5 brakes are not working. The pads were contaminated with something and they weren't working. I figured I just wouldn't use the brakes. AMIRITE?

Anyhoo, we line up and there are a whopping 5 riders in the 50+ Expert men. We start out and it's Calvin Stewart taking the holeshot with Big Gary in hot pursuit. I fell in at third position and we stayed together until the first big climb. I jumped off and ran like hell. I did this on almost all the sharp, steep climbs as it was much faster that I could ride them. The 32X16X29'er set up was great along the river but it was a bear on the climbs. At the first river crossing I rode in and came to an abrupt stop midway (I blame it on a boulder the size of Delaware) and proceed to fall over in the river and mash my shin onto the sharped edge of another submerged boulder but I pressed on.

I quickly made the decision to run the river crossings.
La Ted unclipping:

Lap 2 was feeling good and I was actually getting in the groove when I started lap 3 I noticed my front tire getting squishy and bailed out of the trail near the start/finish and asked Robert Linden if their was a neutral support tent that might have a 29" tire. Nothing. I cannot believe I did not have a spare or levers or CO2. The announcer on the PA system then makes a plea for a 29'er tube. (Insert cricket noises here). Nothing. So I run up the first hill to where Jenni was stationed and she said she would go check her car for a tube. I sat down on her cooler, look down and start to eat the wild strawberries at my feet while I sheepishly watched other racers riding past. Jenni returns promptly with a couple of CO2's, levers and a patch kit. No tubes. I grab the stuff and head back down to the main area where my bike was. Phil and another guy (not sure what his name is but he's my new hero) had found an extra tube for me. Awesome! I swap it out and off I go. It was difficult to get the rhythm back after a 20 minute break but I was happy to be 2 laps closer to getting this "EPIC FAIL" debacle over with. Laps 3-4 were uneventful which was fantastic although it still feels like I'm riding in circles. Tight course! It's events like today's that make up for all those uneventful races where everything goes off without a hitch. Planning and preparation cannot be stressed enough. The team compound and support was top notch. All in all, it was another successful Greyhound experience. Great job everyone!

Ruby Campground - USAC race #4

Register:
Event flyer:

Next up on the radar is the Ruby Campground XC. Although I'm not a huge fan of the Ruby venue I decided this would be a good event to chaulk up to training and prepare for the Lumberjack on the following Saturday. I'll have 6 days of rest in between. This course and it's water crossings will have me running the singlespeed in my age group versus using the geared rig. The last time I raced here I succeeded in trashing my drivetrain. It's all good and I'm geeked to get out and try out this trail on one gear. More later...

more tire talk...

Since tires are considered the connection to the trail, there seems to always be endless discussions on the virtues of tires and the various characteristics that each type impart to the bike and rider. Tubeless, tubed, high-volume, TPI, low profile, semi-slick, etc., etc. Although I'm generally not a tire geek and usually just "ride what I brung" I did make a decent tire decision at the Mohican 100 when faced with the dilemma of what to run on a course that I had little experience with. The rocks are much sharper here than in Michigan and I needed something beefier for the back. I decided to leave the Schwalbe Racing Ralph on the front and swap out the Geax Barro race on the back with an old IRC Mythos XC 2.1 that I had laying around. The Mythos is a $12.00 tire paired with the $75.00 Schwalbe. As far as I was concerned it was a pretty good match up for the Ohio terrain and hooked up well. I feel if I had run that thin walled Geax Barro race tire on those gnarly sections of trail I would have flatted more than once. It was risky going with a cheap, old tire that may have failed but the risk paid off for me. Sure, it would have been easier to plop down another $75.00 on a second Racing Ralph for the rear but I'm all about doing things on the cheap. Great choice IMO.
Geax Barro race:

IRC Mythos XC:


Schwalbe Racing Ralph:

Mohican 100 race report

From the Ohio Mountain Bike Championship Series (OMBC) website is the following description of the Mohican 100:

"100 mile loop consisting of 11,000+ feet of climbing along mostly singletrack, doubletrack or dirt roads, spanning 4 counties through some of the most remote and scenic areas in the rolling hills of Mohican Country. Climbs of nearly a mile, with elevation gains of 300+ feet, rock gardens, streams, and more"! And more.

Two words. Epic freaking tough. Seriously. Ohio's Mohican 100 was amazing. MIKEWOODS!! and I arrived in Loudonville, OH. on Friday and camped at the Mohican Adventures campground. At $10.00 a night to camp this place was worth every penny and the race rolls past my campsite (twice) and eventually finishes at the main campground below.

They also have cabins (note the ridgelines in these photos):


At packet pickup we saw the Cannondale rig pulling in front and center to set up their team support circus.

Back to the campsite to fill our drop bags and fuel up:

I set my alarm for 0445 and by 0630 we were spinning on the mile long bke path to downtown Loudonville to line up.

The race rolled out on the main drag and immediately kicked upward to the crest of this huge ass hill. The first rider to the top and finish the race would get a $200.00 preem.
Looking down on the town:

Looking up:

After the initial roll out on country roads the course soon found it's way into the Mohican State park and it turned into a huge group ride negotiating the trecherous singletrack. I was relieved that this portion of the race was in the beginning while the legs and mind were fresh. It was a test of patience waiting in line behind numberous riders and you were always at the ready to make a pass when the rider in front of you faltered.
Refueling at Aid ststion 1:

After aid station 1 (20 miles in) I saw my buddy Mike on the side of the trail fixing a flat. He had what he needed so I kept going. The aid stations were top notch. The volunteers working them were incredible. Colorful characters slinging Hammer products, food, lubing chains and filling bottles. The idea of drop bags is new to me and the thought process that goes into each bag can be daunting and a deal breaker if what you need is not at the right station. At aid station 3 (mile 46) I spotted Steve Kinley's (a fellow 50+ rider) untouched drop bag and I knew he was behind me somewhere and it gave me some much needed motivation to stay ahead of him. Turns out he had a mechanical 20 miles in had to drop out. At the 50 mile mark I was pretty well cooked. I was struggling with the idea of how I was going to find another 50 miles inside of me. We would exit some singletrack and end up on paved or gravel roads that were no easier and offered little recovery. The vertical in this area rivals something closer to West Virginia. We kept ducking into sections of singletrack that felt like mile 2 at Pontiac over and over, and over. At mile 60 the majority of riders were gone, opting to ride the 100K. We found ourselves on an old railbed which was a nice relief and helped get the average speed up for a few miles. Then, more hills. Watch for the arrows:

I marched on. At mile 80 I was basically walking any long hill. I was walking faster than if I were to try to ride and spin. That logic went out the window when I watched Michigan rider Danielle Musto spin away from me up some long ass uphill. I guess she and several other riders missed a turn at some point and found themselves off the trail. Although I thought the course was well marked, I often found myself wondering if I was indeed on the right trail. Huge uphills, followed by huge downhills. I had no idea where I was so I had to keep going. At around 90 miles we entered the Mohican Wilderness area and the singletrack there was actually easy to ride. With decent bench cuts and swooping turns I was feeling pretty good. At the end of this singletrack the trail spit out at the campground and routed the riders through the campground up a few more kick ass climbs before finally making it's way around to the finish. My time was 10:28:11. WOOT!

I was relieved when I saw MIKEWOODS!! roll in about 20 minutes behind me and I knew he was safe and off the course. By the time we had arrived, all the Great Lakes beer had been drunk and they had run out of commerative pint glasses. Darn 60 milers put the hurt on the beer. Still got the T-shirt though. We changed and headed back to the finish area for some Mongolian BBQ.


The timing was old-school which was fine, just don't expect anything on-line for a few weeks:

The awards were cool. Lots of swag. What's up with Tinkers pants?

Jeremiah Bishop retrieving the Mohican tomahawk after it fell off the board it was attached to:


Cycling news article and results.
With 2 Michigan riders (see the Velonews link) in the top 5 it was a fantastic day of riding. Great time!
Velonews story