Jennifer Dilworth Hynes — mtbchk

I just officially signed up for the Burn 24-hour race.

My first Solo 24-hour race.

I’ve done it the last two years on all-female 4 and 5-person teams, but never alone.  I did the Cowbell Challenge 12-hour race solo last year.  It wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, so hopefully this will be the same. 

I went ahead and spent the extra $12 to get Brian his own event t-shirt.  Maybe he’ll remember that when I’m ornery in the middle of the night while he’s trying ever-so-patiently to be my support (emotional, culinary, and mechanical support).  I get cranky when I’m tired.  I’m pretty sure the t-shirt won’t cover all that he’ll give me that weekend, but hopefully it’s a start…

After a lackluster Clemson race on Sunday (report coming soon), I’ve been off the bike for a few days, mostly due to weather.  This has allowed me to get some much-needed maintenance done on the SS.

I rode Monday at Beatty, two laps, recovery/messing around/casual/daydreaming/wedding-planning pace.  I rode the Titus.  I missed the SS.  David Thomson was there riding (no helmet).  Of course, I had no idea who he was, but it was pointed out to me later that he was the best all-time ACC basketball player ever.  I guess I’m not up on my basketball knowledge.

I got semi-motivated when I got home from riding Monday and started pulling the SS apart to change out the bottom bracket.  I got as far as pulling the cranks, realized it was 9:00 and I hadn’t showered after riding, nor had I had dinner.  So, that’s all I did.

Tuesday (yesterday), some friends at work took me out to lunch to my favorite place — the Tea Room in King’s Mountain.  It was their “Congrats” for the engagement.  That place is the epitome of southern belle-ness; housed in an old house with VERY good food and lots of old white-haired ladies.  Due to our big lunchtime hoopla, I didn’t do a lunch road ride, but I was planning on going to the Diva ride early to do a couple of laps at N. Meck and then meet up with everyone for the group ride at 6:15.  Well, I was tired, so I took a short nap in the parking lot of NM, then I talked to my mom about wedding plans, then I started to get ready to ride.  By the time I was ready, people were showing up for the ride and the sky was getting dark.  The bottom dropped out around 6:00, so there we stood, ready to go, in the pouring rain.  We waited for it to pass over, but it just kept coming down.  So, back into the Xterra goes the bike, changed clothes, and everyone went to Lupies for dinner.  I wasn’t very hungry, so I had mac-n-cheese and cornbread and water.  $2.01.  I’m cheap, I guess.

Tonight was supposed to be the first race of the local summer race series.  It got rained out.  So, I got re-motivated, removed the old crusty, creaky bottom bracket on the SS, installed a new one, put on a new chain and re-installed my cranks.  It’s like a new bike.  It’s a happy bike, can’t you tell?

So far this week, I’ve only ridden two laps at Beatty, and at a slow pace.  A total of 1:10 riding time in three days.  Very sad.  I don’t care WHAT I do, I’m riding tomorrow, whether it’s during lunch, after work on the Booty loop, or, if it’s dry enough, I’ll take the Misfit (SS) to Beatty again to run the new BB and chain and work out any bugs.

This week’s Cane Creek Series race is in Sanford.  Not my favorite race, but not terrible.  Racing-wise, my mind has been totally focused on the Burn 24 hour race.  I went through and tweaked my packing list and my fueling strategy.  I feel more prepared after doing that.  No more bad dreams, anyway.  I had lunch today with a guy at work who’s done several 24-hour road races and placed very well.  He went over some strategies and training for the month leading up to the race.  I don’t know if I can follow all of his suggestions, (I’m not that structured), but a lot of what he said made sense and I’m at least TRYING to do it.  I’m less concerned about my physical ability to ride for 24 hours and more concerned with my mental fortitude.

I’ve been a little preoccupied in the last few days (I can’t imagine why…).  I finally finished the very long race report from last week at Tsali.  Here it is:

Tsali has been one of those races that I’ve deemed an “A” level XC race for me for the last couple of years.  It’s not because I like it, and it’s not because it’s my favorite course.  It’s one of the largest races in the Southeast, and it’s part of three different series (Cane Creek, SERC and AMBC).  A TON of people show up, and competition is usually pretty stiff; with racers from throughout the southeast.  It’s a relatively long course for the Sport racers (just shy of 20 miles), but given the relatively fast speeds, the duration is roughly the same as the other regional races I do.  It’s considered a “roadie” course - smooth and not technical. Nothing against roadies; I sure as heck know I couldn’t hang in a road race; but let’s face it - they aren’t the best when it comes to roots, rocks, and sketchy turns.  Tsali has very few of these.  The only real advantage the mountain bikers have here is the narrow singletrack that snakes along by the lake, a couple of creek crossings and other very short technical sections.  Otherwise, it’s a hammerfest.

Just like last year, the preride on Saturday was muddy after a heavy thunderstorm Friday night.  The usual enormous mud holes were there - the ones that are muddy and deep even during a drought.  On top of that, much of the “Right Loop” was messy and slick.

By Sunday morning, the trail had dried up fairly well.  The huge mud holes were still there, but they’re ALWAYS there.  (grrrr…).  The Beginners went off at 9:30, so we went to watch their start.  That’s always entertaining.  There are guys in full team race kits standing next to other guys in sweatpants and sweatshirts.  It’s not too hard to tell the sandbaggers from the newbies.  The Juniors’ start was the most entertaining.  There was some pushing and shoving about 30 feet after the start line which led to a huge pileup, with handlebars caught in wheels, spare tubes tangled around seatposts, and angry, yelling kids. 

Our race was supposed to start at 11:30, so after my food routine, I started warming up around 11:00.  A lot of good that did.  I was messing with my rear derailleur, since it was skipping a bit.  I got it worked out during my warm-up, but I was anxious to see how it would do on the trail, under a real load.  I pulled up to the start line around 11:25.  There was a HUGE group of women standing there.  Due to the huge numbers of sport riders and the fact that the women were the last sport group to start, we didn’t actually start our race until about 12:00.  So much for the warm-up.

At the line, they separated out the 19-29 and the 30+ women.  They didn’t have a 40+ like the other races I do.  There were 27 30+ class women and 14 in the 19-29 class.  They moved the 19-29 gals up about 20 feet, but then started us all together.  That doesn’t seem fair to me, but whatever.  They scored us all together, but separated us out by age group for the Cane Creek standings.  Just starting with 40 racers is hard, but it’s even harder when the hole shot is highly coveted and you have 14 people with a head start…

At the start, I got a pretty good position in front of most of the 30+ riders, and fell into the middle of the 19-29 pack going up the gravel road.  It was very fast, as racers all want to be first to the singletrack.  I entered the singletrack about 12th or 13th overall, and quickly passed a couple of riders who sprinted to the hole shot and then lost their speed once they got in the narrow, winding trail (roadies…).  I was keeping pace with the front runners and feeling good. Then….. I hit one of those big deep mudholes, which happened to be at the bottom of a wide uphill.  I went into the mud and slowed dramatically to keep from sinking my front wheel into the abyss, came out and tried to downshift to my little chainring for the climb.  It wouldn’t shift. It just stuck.  My front derailleur/chain locked up to the point that I couldn’t pedal forward, I couldn’t pedal backward, and I’m stalled, off the bike, running up the hill trying to get the pedals to turn with my hand.  About 8 or 9 girls all passed me as I ran up the hill.  One (Theresa) even asked if I was ok, and did I need anything?  Nope - just fine.  Thanks, though.  Racing with good sports is enjoyable.

I spent the rest of the race trying to catch up.  I passed several of the girls that had passed me on the hill.  Others also passed me along the way, though, so I had no clue where I was overall.  I’d keep pace with a racer until I could pass, and then I’d hammer to catch the next racer.  Overall, getting by wasn’t an issue.  Only once did I get stuck behind a girl who was fast on the straightaways but would grab handfuls of brakes going into every turn or every root.  That got pretty frustrating.  I kept saying, “on your left”, and would try to pass, only to have her speed up.  Finally, the two girls who were able to pass her earlier were steadily getting further ahead.  I said, “Don’t let them get a gap on us”, trying to get her to keep the speed up.  She just said, “Fine - just pass me” and pulled over to let me by.  I never saw her again after that. 

Once I got past her, I managed to catch up to and eventually pass the next two racers.  I caught the first one in the last 3.5 mile section along a relatively open section of singletrack.  I caught the next one at the steep, rutted climb in the last section of the race.  We were all off the bikes walking, so we maintained our positions at the top of the steepest part.  I was re-mounting as the lead rider in the group was trying to get going.  I gave her a little push to get going, and we continued up the long hill together.  At the top of the hill, I passed her and began pushing the big ring for the rest of the race.  There was no real climbing left and I wanted to put some more time on those two and possibly catch anyone else that might be within reach.

I never caught anyone else, and finished what I felt had been a strong race.  I was hoping to match or beat last year’s place.  Once they finally posted results for the women’s class, I had to count down the sheet, since we were all grouped together (both age classes on one page, differentiated by color codes).  I knew I was 17th overall, and 11th out of my age class.  I must have counted wrong, because when I was able to look at the results online later, I found out I was actually 9th in my class.  Whoo hoo!  Top ten out of 27 in the class - better than I had hoped for.  Last year I was 13th out of 20, so I’m progressing.

The next race is Clemson.  I did well there last year - 30 seconds out of 1st, and actually spent some time in the lead.  Hopefully I can match last year’s effort.  I imagine there will be more competition this year (only 4 in my class last year), so I just hope to beat my own time.

BROUGHT A CARAT!

Whoo hoo!  Thanks, Brian!  I love you!

Work this week has been full of audits and stress.  I did manage to ride during lunch Tues-Thurs.  That seems to take the edge off.

Rode with Mel Tuesday at Beatty, when she decided to start a blog about how much she hates V-brakes.  Hehe. I’ve got to find some tiny barbells so she can work out her pinkies.

Had a consultation with a Sports Nutritionist on Wednesday.  That was pretty good.  She told me I need to eat more.  I’m not so sure about that, but I’ve been having a really hard time balancing my fueling needs for racing with my caloric needs for losing weight.  It seems like a neverending struggle for me.  I just need to decide if I want to cough up the money to use her consulting services.

Headed to Atlanta Thursday after work.  Got “home” around 8:00, hung out with the ‘rents and went to bed early.  I slept for 11 hours.  I don’t think I’ve done that since college.

After sharing a sushi lunch with Mom at her school (she teaches 4th grade), I rode at Blanket’s Creek Friday.  I really like these trails.  I used to have my doubts about machine built trails, but SORBA has figured out how to build interesting trails with technical difficulty using a Dingo.  It’s obvious they’ve been out there working lately, as there are some new berms and trail additions (re-routes, I think).  Blankets is fun.  There are three loops — the beginner loop is just that — beginner (although I’ve never ridden it.)  You can see families with very little kids on it.  The intermediate loop (Dwelling Loop) is Tsali-esque, with some roots and rocks and logs, with some interesting lines for the huckers if you’re looking for them.  This loop offers a great warm-up and aerobic workout.  I rode it twice.  The Advanced Loop (South Loop) is longer and more difficult with several larger rock gardens, some more advanced options, switchbacks, and narrow cliff-side riding over rocks.  It also has a decent amount of climbing.  I did this loop twice, too, but was hurting by the end of the second time around.  I did about 20 miles total.  When I got back to the car, I was privy to a conversation about there not being enough single women that mountain bike and I just smirked.  Also, someone must have seen my NC license plate and wrote “PISGAH” on my back window.  Hehe.

I’ll probably ride at Chicopee today, near Gainesville.  That’s another SORBA trail, with some decent climbing and tricky switchbacks.  It’s another fun trail, but a little more advanced than Blankets, I’d say.

I had a dream last night about the BURN 24-hour race.  It was wierd.  I arrived to set up all my stuff next to the Dirt Diva teams, but this group of wierdos kept moving my stuff because they were putting out chairs and tables and desks so people could sit and watch the race and do arts and crafts.  Then they tried to put up a dancefloor where my camp was.  Also, the BEERRUN team’s camper and generator hadn’t shown up, so I didn’t have anywhere to plug in my light, but their whole team was just sleeping in sleeping bags in the middle of the field.  VERY WIERD dream.  I guess I’m getting nervous about being ready for this…

I’m still working on the Tsali Race Report.  It’s long.

Youth Unlimited (YU) is a group home for at-risk youth in Sophia, NC, just outside of High Point.  It is an old farm, with several open fields and a bunch of wooded areas on 155 acres.  You would think there wouldn’t be any mountains there, but it is definitely a “rolling-hills” kind of area, similar to and close to (almost part of) the Uwharries.  The trails were built over the last 6 years primarily by the youth living there, the staff and other local resources.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, since the trails are normally closed to the public to protect the privacy of the clientele. 

We arrived at the trails around noon on Saturday for the preride.  As we’re driving down the long gravel road to the complex, I’m getting nervous.  There are definitely some steep hills and rocks here!  There is a nice (large) creek running through the middle of the land.  From the driveway, you can see trails diving up and down the hills and across the creek.

Once we got going on the trails, I knew this would be a fun race.  The first half of the course is all short steep climbs.  Plenty of granny gear grunts, and several fun rock gardens, quick turns and roots.  It seems like it’s either all up or down.  There’s really nowhere to take a break or catch your breath.

After you cross the creek, the trail levels out a little, with some flowy sections and several large log pyramids.  The trail winds around a bit, comes in and out of the woods a few times, and then turns up another large hill.  At this point, the trail splits.  The beginner trail goes to the left and the rest goes right.  This section is called “Stag”.

Stag begins with a sharp turn to the left and then a very steep climb to the top.  It’s not a short climb, and I don’t actually know anyone who made it to the top without walking.  They said they had to build it that way because it’s very close to the property line.  At the top, you can catch some good breezes.  From there, it’s seven very steep, sharp switchbacks to the bottom.  I only rode the first few during the preride.  They were very loose and sketchy.

After Stag, the trail heads back across the creek, along the main field where we parked, dives down another fun hill and straight up the other side and around the field again to the finish.  Overall, this is the most technical trail we’ve raced in the last few years.

So, Sunday’s race was hot.  Madonna was there again, but she didn’t preride and was depending on me to tell her what to expect.  Off the starting line, I was second into the singletrack behind a 40+ woman, and in front of Madonna, with the rest following.  I yelled back to Madonna that I didn’t want her right behind me because I didn’t want to hold her up.  She responds with, “I’ll just follow you for the first lap to learn the course, then I’ll pass.”  I stayed ahead of her for the first ~4 miles, missed a downshift in a quick-turning rooted climb, and let her by.  I stayed behind her from there, calling out all the upcoming obstacles (aren’t I nice?).  Madonna kept asking if we were getting close to Stag, and I kept saying, “You’ll know it when you see it.” At one point, I could see Beth von I. behind us, so I said, let’s lose her.  We did.  Sometimes it’s nice to be working together with your teammates!

Then we hit Stag. I yell, “THIS IS IT!”  By halfway up the hill, we were both walking.  At the top, I jump back on, ride the short flat part and start down the switchbacks.  The downhill is steep, and you can see people on the switchbacks below.  All I saw was Madonna’s head traversing back and forth.  Oh my gosh, she’s riding it.  I rode the first four switchbacks, hit the really loose steep one, and bailed.  Of course, this is where the photographer was.  DOH.  I walked it to the bottom.  I finished the first lap a couple of seconds behind.

At the beginning of the second lap, I started to fade.  Madonna put a bigger gap on me and I struggled through the climbs.  At one point, an expert warming up passed me and reminded me that everyone else probably felt as bad as I did.  I passed John Harvey sitting on the side of the trail.  He says, “My strategy has changed.  It WAS to go fast.  Now, I just want to finish the race”.  I could relate.

Once I realized that I was fading back because I was bonking, I got back to my senses and started downing the Hammergel in the flask I had on my stem.  Within just a few minutes, I felt much better and I picked up the pace.  I started gaining on Madonna.  I caught her when we hit “Stag” again.  Again, we both walked up the steep hill, and again she rode down the whole thing while I only did the first four of seven switchbacks.  I yell, “you’re my hero!”

From then until the end of the race, I could see her, but I couldn’t catch her.  She finished first, about two minutes ahead, and I was second.  It was another great race for the Divas, since Cathi had already gotten first place in the beginner’s race earlier.

This was by far one of the most fun XC races I’ve done.  The course is a blast.  It’s challenging, both technically and physically.  I left all I had on the trail. 

Next week’s Tsali race will be a drastic change from YU - smooth, fast, and flowy.  It’s a “roadie course”, with very little technical challenge.  It’s also the biggest non-NMBS race in the series, with huge groups on the starting line.   Spinning, anyone?