You should change this to 100% in. You can sleep outside my apartment for the double.
Chronicles of a Cat 3 Schlub
- Thread starter MadisonDan
- Start date
And we're back!
MTBNJ Short Track Race Dave's Not Here#1#2#3 All Eggs In One Basket/One Race To Rule Them All!!!!!
Silly Sport Race
After getting to the BSA at 7am with the rest of the team to set up, I was happy to see the course in such good shape. I rode a lap putting up all the tape we laid out the week before to block wrong way's and such. I was hopeful the rain would pass quickly or not be too heavy. Fast forward to 10:30am. The course looked like this.
@Norm calls us to the start, and I slide into the second row of our 28 person race. The horn goes and we're off. Well, almost. I took a few turns of the crank to get clipped in, which was more frustrating than anything. By the time we reach the end of the gravel road and make the left onto the backside of the lake, I'm firmly in the back half of the back of the race. Man, this hurts. Legs and lungs are clearly not ready for this type of effort. The trails on the other side of the lake are soft, mushy, peanut butter and the back end of the bike was all over the place. I probably could have dropped a few psi's in the rear, but it wouldn't have made me go faster, just less squirmy in the mud.
The first lap I managed to stay in contact with a few guys in front of me, but as we entered each of the following laps, I continued to bleed spots. I finished 24th of 28, but happy to be out racing again. Fitness is nonexistent, which is not surprising, and recovery takes longer.
I slid off course on one section, after the switchback climb, but before the double bridge in the section that usually stays wet. The rock up on the high side of the fire road gave me trouble 2 of 3 laps with the mud/rain. The course rode great in the CCW direction.
Thank you to everyone that came out to support our race. It's always great to see more kids out tackling what is a challenging course, and all those in the Beginner race, hopefully you'll come back out for more in the future!
Photo cred to @capedoc @BrianGT3
MTBNJ Short Track Race Dave's Not Here
Silly Sport Race
After getting to the BSA at 7am with the rest of the team to set up, I was happy to see the course in such good shape. I rode a lap putting up all the tape we laid out the week before to block wrong way's and such. I was hopeful the rain would pass quickly or not be too heavy. Fast forward to 10:30am. The course looked like this.
@Norm calls us to the start, and I slide into the second row of our 28 person race. The horn goes and we're off. Well, almost. I took a few turns of the crank to get clipped in, which was more frustrating than anything. By the time we reach the end of the gravel road and make the left onto the backside of the lake, I'm firmly in the back half of the back of the race. Man, this hurts. Legs and lungs are clearly not ready for this type of effort. The trails on the other side of the lake are soft, mushy, peanut butter and the back end of the bike was all over the place. I probably could have dropped a few psi's in the rear, but it wouldn't have made me go faster, just less squirmy in the mud.
The first lap I managed to stay in contact with a few guys in front of me, but as we entered each of the following laps, I continued to bleed spots. I finished 24th of 28, but happy to be out racing again. Fitness is nonexistent, which is not surprising, and recovery takes longer.
I slid off course on one section, after the switchback climb, but before the double bridge in the section that usually stays wet. The rock up on the high side of the fire road gave me trouble 2 of 3 laps with the mud/rain. The course rode great in the CCW direction.
Thank you to everyone that came out to support our race. It's always great to see more kids out tackling what is a challenging course, and all those in the Beginner race, hopefully you'll come back out for more in the future!
Photo cred to @capedoc @BrianGT3
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Liked for pictures of OOS disguised in plain clothes...
H2H Race #2
Ringwood Rumble
Saturday April 20, 2019
Men’s Cat 2 19+
After missing the first H2H race down in Florida, this was my first XC race of the year. @Team Town Cycle had the course up on GPS a couple of weeks prior, and I managed to pre-ride the larger loop two weeks ago with a bunch of teammates. The Cat 2 loop is mostly similar, but shorter by about two miles. Lots of climbing and lots of rocks. A mix of fire roads and some sweet single track.
Friday, we were supposed to get rain all day, and most of Saturday also. By Friday evening, the rain had not started yet, so I was hopeful that we might be ok. The Cat 2 race was scheduled for 9am, so I hoped to be out of the house by 7am to get there with over an hour to spare. At 6am when I woke up, the rain was just starting. By 6:30am, it was coming down really hard, with lots of wind and thunder. I started to think of bailing. Rain is fine. Thunder and high winds are not. I sat around going back and forth between going and not going. I was mostly leaning to not going. Looking at the radar forecast on a few apps made me confident that bailing was the right choice. At 7:45am, I was right at the drop dead decision time. Leave now, and just barely make the start, or wait any more than 5 minutes more and miss the gun. The rain in Madison at this point had mostly let up, so I changed quickly and sped up 287 towards Ringwood. At one point I hydroplaned a little at 70mph, which was scary AF.
I pulled into the lot at 20 minutes to 9, changed into my shoes real quick in the back of my car, topped off my water bottle, taped a Gu to the top tube, ripped a Gu, and rode to get my number plate.
I picked my way thru the back of the other classes to get up to the starting line. 5 minutes to spare.
There are only 13 guys preregistered, and I think 11 of us at the line, maybe 12. We go off up the fire road, and it is a mess. The rain was still coming down at this point, and there were tone of puddles and streams on the starting fire road. I slowly drifted my way towards the back of the group. Up the first climb, down that sketchy descent going into the right left hander, I was second to last. Going down that fire road on a hard tail with all the mud and run off was super sketch.
Over the next mile or so, I was behind Tyler from Hb, never letting him get any more that 10-15 yards ahead. Going over a rocky stream crossing I think is where he dabbed and I was able to get by. I put in a little dig and opened up some room. There was so much mud, and the rocks were so slick I didn’t really look back much, for fear of making a simple mistake and taking myself out. I kept my HR in the upper 170s, trying to not go into the 180s for very long. The climbs hurt, and the descents were fun. I knew who was behind me in my class, so when others came up behind me I gave them all clear lines to pass.
Despite all the rain, most of the single track was in great shape. The fire roads, not so much. Going down the White Trail was friggin awesome. That trail is bulletproof. There was a bunch of rock sections towards the end that I needed to walk. They were super slippy. I know I rode more of them on the pre-ride two weeks earlier, but it was dry then.
With about 1.5 - 2 miles to go, I caught a glimpse of one of the two guys I knew were in my class that were behind me, so I pushed a little harder to try to keep him back there.
At about .75 miles to go, I slipped out on a small, simple rocky bit, and went down. It was hard enough to scrape up my shin, thigh, and forearm a bit, but not enough to do any real damage.
I got back on and moving without loosing more than a few seconds and hammered the last short section back down to the S/F road without any further issues. Knowing where I was on the course definitely helped manage any anxiety about how I would finish.
I rolled thru the line, in 7th place, out of 12 starters, totally gassed. Chatted with a few of the other racers, said good luck to other MTBNJ teammates that were just getting there, then went back to the car to try to warm up and change out of the mud soaked kit.
Great job by the folks at Team Town Cycles for putting Ringwood Rumble on.
Hope everyone can make it out to Mooch Madness on April 28th. The course is awesome. Climbs, rocks, flow. Register here
Ringwood Rumble
Saturday April 20, 2019
Men’s Cat 2 19+
After missing the first H2H race down in Florida, this was my first XC race of the year. @Team Town Cycle had the course up on GPS a couple of weeks prior, and I managed to pre-ride the larger loop two weeks ago with a bunch of teammates. The Cat 2 loop is mostly similar, but shorter by about two miles. Lots of climbing and lots of rocks. A mix of fire roads and some sweet single track.
Friday, we were supposed to get rain all day, and most of Saturday also. By Friday evening, the rain had not started yet, so I was hopeful that we might be ok. The Cat 2 race was scheduled for 9am, so I hoped to be out of the house by 7am to get there with over an hour to spare. At 6am when I woke up, the rain was just starting. By 6:30am, it was coming down really hard, with lots of wind and thunder. I started to think of bailing. Rain is fine. Thunder and high winds are not. I sat around going back and forth between going and not going. I was mostly leaning to not going. Looking at the radar forecast on a few apps made me confident that bailing was the right choice. At 7:45am, I was right at the drop dead decision time. Leave now, and just barely make the start, or wait any more than 5 minutes more and miss the gun. The rain in Madison at this point had mostly let up, so I changed quickly and sped up 287 towards Ringwood. At one point I hydroplaned a little at 70mph, which was scary AF.
I pulled into the lot at 20 minutes to 9, changed into my shoes real quick in the back of my car, topped off my water bottle, taped a Gu to the top tube, ripped a Gu, and rode to get my number plate.
I picked my way thru the back of the other classes to get up to the starting line. 5 minutes to spare.
There are only 13 guys preregistered, and I think 11 of us at the line, maybe 12. We go off up the fire road, and it is a mess. The rain was still coming down at this point, and there were tone of puddles and streams on the starting fire road. I slowly drifted my way towards the back of the group. Up the first climb, down that sketchy descent going into the right left hander, I was second to last. Going down that fire road on a hard tail with all the mud and run off was super sketch.
Over the next mile or so, I was behind Tyler from Hb, never letting him get any more that 10-15 yards ahead. Going over a rocky stream crossing I think is where he dabbed and I was able to get by. I put in a little dig and opened up some room. There was so much mud, and the rocks were so slick I didn’t really look back much, for fear of making a simple mistake and taking myself out. I kept my HR in the upper 170s, trying to not go into the 180s for very long. The climbs hurt, and the descents were fun. I knew who was behind me in my class, so when others came up behind me I gave them all clear lines to pass.
Despite all the rain, most of the single track was in great shape. The fire roads, not so much. Going down the White Trail was friggin awesome. That trail is bulletproof. There was a bunch of rock sections towards the end that I needed to walk. They were super slippy. I know I rode more of them on the pre-ride two weeks earlier, but it was dry then.
With about 1.5 - 2 miles to go, I caught a glimpse of one of the two guys I knew were in my class that were behind me, so I pushed a little harder to try to keep him back there.
At about .75 miles to go, I slipped out on a small, simple rocky bit, and went down. It was hard enough to scrape up my shin, thigh, and forearm a bit, but not enough to do any real damage.
I got back on and moving without loosing more than a few seconds and hammered the last short section back down to the S/F road without any further issues. Knowing where I was on the course definitely helped manage any anxiety about how I would finish.
I rolled thru the line, in 7th place, out of 12 starters, totally gassed. Chatted with a few of the other racers, said good luck to other MTBNJ teammates that were just getting there, then went back to the car to try to warm up and change out of the mud soaked kit.
Great job by the folks at Team Town Cycles for putting Ringwood Rumble on.
Hope everyone can make it out to Mooch Madness on April 28th. The course is awesome. Climbs, rocks, flow. Register here
Last edited:
H2H Race #4
Stewart Poison Ivy Mousetrap
Saturday May 11, 2019
Men’s Cat 2 19+
MTBNJ’s Stewart PI Mousetrap is without a doubt, the fastest and flowiest race in the H2H Race Series. After a mechanical DNF last year, I was really looking forward to this race. Some rain overnight created some soft mushy spots, but overall the course was in great shape, and firmed up nicely as the day wore on.
photo @Norm
I started near the back of my Cat 2 19+ race, and settled into my pace. With so many miles, I was able to ride at my limit, and pick up some spots as the race progressed.
photo @capedoc
I was surprised how quickly my Schwalbe Racing Ralph’s shed the mud after each mud hole. They hooked up nicely on all the high speed turns, which Stewart has a TON of.
photo @BrianGT3
When it was all over, I rolled over the line in 9th place, which I was really happy with, considering the last mile I was running about 10psi in my rear tire. Thankfully, my Stan’s Crest wheel was able to hold the tire on despite such low pressure. I’m pretty sure I had a small puncture that the Stan’s NoTubes Sealant took care of fairly quickly. Thanks to everyone that came out to support our race, and especially to Stan’s NoTunes and Schwalbe for getting me to the finish line today.
photo @???
Stewart Poison Ivy Mousetrap
Saturday May 11, 2019
Men’s Cat 2 19+
MTBNJ’s Stewart PI Mousetrap is without a doubt, the fastest and flowiest race in the H2H Race Series. After a mechanical DNF last year, I was really looking forward to this race. Some rain overnight created some soft mushy spots, but overall the course was in great shape, and firmed up nicely as the day wore on.
photo @Norm
I started near the back of my Cat 2 19+ race, and settled into my pace. With so many miles, I was able to ride at my limit, and pick up some spots as the race progressed.
photo @capedoc
I was surprised how quickly my Schwalbe Racing Ralph’s shed the mud after each mud hole. They hooked up nicely on all the high speed turns, which Stewart has a TON of.
photo @BrianGT3
When it was all over, I rolled over the line in 9th place, which I was really happy with, considering the last mile I was running about 10psi in my rear tire. Thankfully, my Stan’s Crest wheel was able to hold the tire on despite such low pressure. I’m pretty sure I had a small puncture that the Stan’s NoTubes Sealant took care of fairly quickly. Thanks to everyone that came out to support our race, and especially to Stan’s NoTunes and Schwalbe for getting me to the finish line today.
photo @???
Mid-Atlantic Super Series
Glen Park Singletrack Shakedown XC
July 27, 2019
Cat 2, 40-49
This race popped up on the radar a month or two ago when @DanBrodeen posted up in the Rides, Races, and Events thread, otherwise I probably would have missed it because I really don't follow the MASS races very closely. Glad I saw this! Glen Park typically hosts enduro races, which aren't my thing. Not knowing this park, I kinda went in blind, as well as not really in shape.
The course is fairly straightforward. It's about 2.5ish miles long, with somewhat equal parts flat, climb, flat, descent. Do that for four laps in Cat 2. Shouldn't be too bad.
I rolled into the lot about 9:40am for my 11am race. @seanrunnette was nearby in the lot, and @jShort was already out on course in the Cat 1 race, for six laps. It was a short ride over to registration/start/finish where I grabbed my plate and watched some of the fast folks come thru.
I hung around for a bit, drinking water and loosening up my legs a little, and then a Gu as start time approached. The start area was well marked with signs for each age group, and I found my way to the 40-49 area with 10 other guys. We got a countdown and we were off into the grass prologue before rolling onto the dirt. I settled in, at what I thought was almost last as we hit the first climb about .5 miles into the race. Oh boy. Heart rate straight to 186. This hurt a lot. Difficulty breathing, legs still not really loose. Ugh. So typical start for me. By the time I reached the top of the climb on lap 1, I was still feeling pretty bad. Then we went down. Whoa man! That descent was fun, I was bouncing around a little, but that's to be expected on a hard tail bike. Right on the edge of eating shit several times, it wasscary exhilarating. At the bottom, you cross a small stream, then back onto the grass field thru the finish area, then back at it again for another three laps.
Towards the top of lap two's climb, I may have thrown up a little. After that, I felt a lot better, even if my fitness didn't show it. I caught and passed one guy that I knew was in my class that I had been chasing since the beginning towards the top of the climb, and opened up a nice gap quickly. Ripped the descent again and hit the halfway mark.
The next two laps went about as well as I would have expected at this point. Kept my pace as high as I could without blowing up on the climb or crashing out on the descent, while making sure the guy I passed didn't reel me in. By finish line I was done. 100% cooked.
Results were posted very quickly (10 minutes tops), and I was 7th of 11.
Strava lap times were:
18:52
20:30
21:06
22:08
Strava descent times were:
3:21
3:23
3:27
3:37
Thanks to Dan Brodeen and the Pocono Bike Club for a fun event. Wood dew again.
Make sure you check out Dan's next event, Cranks Around the Campfire, Aug 23-25 at Allamuchy.
Glen Park Singletrack Shakedown XC
July 27, 2019
Cat 2, 40-49
This race popped up on the radar a month or two ago when @DanBrodeen posted up in the Rides, Races, and Events thread, otherwise I probably would have missed it because I really don't follow the MASS races very closely. Glad I saw this! Glen Park typically hosts enduro races, which aren't my thing. Not knowing this park, I kinda went in blind, as well as not really in shape.
The course is fairly straightforward. It's about 2.5ish miles long, with somewhat equal parts flat, climb, flat, descent. Do that for four laps in Cat 2. Shouldn't be too bad.
I rolled into the lot about 9:40am for my 11am race. @seanrunnette was nearby in the lot, and @jShort was already out on course in the Cat 1 race, for six laps. It was a short ride over to registration/start/finish where I grabbed my plate and watched some of the fast folks come thru.
I hung around for a bit, drinking water and loosening up my legs a little, and then a Gu as start time approached. The start area was well marked with signs for each age group, and I found my way to the 40-49 area with 10 other guys. We got a countdown and we were off into the grass prologue before rolling onto the dirt. I settled in, at what I thought was almost last as we hit the first climb about .5 miles into the race. Oh boy. Heart rate straight to 186. This hurt a lot. Difficulty breathing, legs still not really loose. Ugh. So typical start for me. By the time I reached the top of the climb on lap 1, I was still feeling pretty bad. Then we went down. Whoa man! That descent was fun, I was bouncing around a little, but that's to be expected on a hard tail bike. Right on the edge of eating shit several times, it was
Towards the top of lap two's climb, I may have thrown up a little. After that, I felt a lot better, even if my fitness didn't show it. I caught and passed one guy that I knew was in my class that I had been chasing since the beginning towards the top of the climb, and opened up a nice gap quickly. Ripped the descent again and hit the halfway mark.
The next two laps went about as well as I would have expected at this point. Kept my pace as high as I could without blowing up on the climb or crashing out on the descent, while making sure the guy I passed didn't reel me in. By finish line I was done. 100% cooked.
Results were posted very quickly (10 minutes tops), and I was 7th of 11.
Strava lap times were:
18:52
20:30
21:06
22:08
Strava descent times were:
3:21
3:23
3:27
3:37
Thanks to Dan Brodeen and the Pocono Bike Club for a fun event. Wood dew again.
Make sure you check out Dan's next event, Cranks Around the Campfire, Aug 23-25 at Allamuchy.
H2H Series
Aistriu Mayhem Mountain Bike Race
November 15, 2020 (Rescheduled from March)
Cat 2 - Men 19+
And we're back! Well, for one race anyway.
Mayhem is known as a flat AF course, with lots of tight twisty single track, some fire roads, a sketchy wooden stair descent, a bunch of bridges, and one short steep climb to punch you right in the ding dong. The loop is about 6.5 miles, and Cat 2 was locked and loaded for 2 laps.
This being 2020, staging was a little different. We lined up three across, with about 10 feet between each row. Rows went off in 30 second intervals, with timing adjusted afterwards using the timing chip on the number plates.
I rolled into the lot with a little less than an hour to start time, so I grabbed my number, got changed and ready, quick trip to the facilities, and rolled over to staging. The weather was about 50, partly cloudy, with winds mostly calm. We staged in the ballfield where the corals were marked out with flags. There were 6 of us in the 19+, with two groups ahead of us. I was lined up in the front row of two. The starts were timed every 30 seconds to the second, so there was a defined countdown from 10. As the group ahead went off, we rolled up to the front row, got our countdown, and were off.......
3..2...1...GO! It took me two revolutions to get both feet clipped in, because rusty, but I was in the lead anyway. The first hundred yards or so was fairly open before hitting the ST, so either of the other guys could have passed if they really tried, but they didn't. I hit the ST with a little gap on the other two. This first section was really the only "not smooth" part of the whole course. Some roots at strange angles, but no rocks or anything else to speak of. We made our way thru the woods, over a few bridges, and I was still comfortably ahead of the other two, or was that two guys from the second row that made their way up? I dunno, my HR was already in the upper 170's, so all I could do was keep it there and hope for the best. In the first 2-3 miles, I caught and passed a couple stragglers from the class ahead.
Around mile 4ish, I got passed by two guys, who turned out to be the second row guys in my class.... Fuck. Not surprised, but fuck. We hit that punchy climb, then the washed out descent, and they rode away on the fire road. That was pretty much it for the rest of the lap and the second lap. Picked off a few guys, got dropped by a few others.
I finished 4th, about 2 minutes behind 3rd. I have no idea when he passed me, or even who he was.
Here's some photos.
That concludes the 2020 race season.
Aistriu Mayhem Mountain Bike Race
November 15, 2020 (Rescheduled from March)
Cat 2 - Men 19+
And we're back! Well, for one race anyway.
Mayhem is known as a flat AF course, with lots of tight twisty single track, some fire roads, a sketchy wooden stair descent, a bunch of bridges, and one short steep climb to punch you right in the ding dong. The loop is about 6.5 miles, and Cat 2 was locked and loaded for 2 laps.
This being 2020, staging was a little different. We lined up three across, with about 10 feet between each row. Rows went off in 30 second intervals, with timing adjusted afterwards using the timing chip on the number plates.
I rolled into the lot with a little less than an hour to start time, so I grabbed my number, got changed and ready, quick trip to the facilities, and rolled over to staging. The weather was about 50, partly cloudy, with winds mostly calm. We staged in the ballfield where the corals were marked out with flags. There were 6 of us in the 19+, with two groups ahead of us. I was lined up in the front row of two. The starts were timed every 30 seconds to the second, so there was a defined countdown from 10. As the group ahead went off, we rolled up to the front row, got our countdown, and were off.......
3..2...1...GO! It took me two revolutions to get both feet clipped in, because rusty, but I was in the lead anyway. The first hundred yards or so was fairly open before hitting the ST, so either of the other guys could have passed if they really tried, but they didn't. I hit the ST with a little gap on the other two. This first section was really the only "not smooth" part of the whole course. Some roots at strange angles, but no rocks or anything else to speak of. We made our way thru the woods, over a few bridges, and I was still comfortably ahead of the other two, or was that two guys from the second row that made their way up? I dunno, my HR was already in the upper 170's, so all I could do was keep it there and hope for the best. In the first 2-3 miles, I caught and passed a couple stragglers from the class ahead.
Around mile 4ish, I got passed by two guys, who turned out to be the second row guys in my class.... Fuck. Not surprised, but fuck. We hit that punchy climb, then the washed out descent, and they rode away on the fire road. That was pretty much it for the rest of the lap and the second lap. Picked off a few guys, got dropped by a few others.
I finished 4th, about 2 minutes behind 3rd. I have no idea when he passed me, or even who he was.
Here's some photos.
That concludes the 2020 race season.
This just happent
Sevenz
Well-Known Member
Yes Dude!!!!
iman29
Well-Known Member
FS for the win! Merry early Xmas for you.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Whoa! Congrats!
Just make sure to do it in the right direction, unlike some uncategorized real schlub I know...
so your coming to WCW tonight? see ya there!