Shenandoah Mountain 100

Another year, another '100. The Shenandoah Mountain 100 is probably the biggest (and definitely the best) endurance race in the area. Also, it's part of the NUE Series. Last year, Floyd Landis, "winner" of the 2007 Tour de France (before he was disqualified) took 2nd, but perhaps more importantly, I had a great race. I finished in 12 hours and 25 minutes. Even though this was a bit short of my goal of 12 hours even, I was super thrilled to be finishing strong and felt good all day.

This year, although my goal is still 12 hours, I have high hopes of doing great. Things I climbed last year in the little ring, I'm hammering in the middle ring now, and sometimes threatening to hit the big ring. I feel like the solid diet of XC, XXC and endurance events in the spring, plus a little rest and some big rides in the summer left me at the strongest I've ever been, without having the fatigue I've accumulated in the past. I think I'm not the only one who's feeling good this year either. I'm not sure I've ever seen Dave T. riding faster than he is now. He is consistently destroying the competition at the brownie crits, and showed exactly how good his endurance is by riding the last 2 laps of the 18 Hour Scout's Honor race at nearly the same pace as he started the race. Our team captain, Shawn, may not be in the best shape of his life due to some illnesses, but is as strong as heck. I think he'll be riding strong as a crash took him out early last year, and he's got some revenge to take out on that course. I can't wait to see how the TevenBoys do. Nolan too is riding the fastest I've ever seen him, so I hope his first '100 is a great experience. I'm not sure who else is signed up from the team (Cyrus? Jeremy?), but I'm sure we're all going to put down a killer ride, and laugh our way to great finishes yet again.

Unfortunately, the BFR will be missing our great SS riders at the '100 this year. Ted's still fighting off some back injuries, while Kevin seems to be fighting his living situation (busted pipe during the first month in his new house?!) Rest up boys, you'll get 'em next year.

Pitbull - 1, Intense tubeless tire - 0

I got out Saturday AM with Kev29'er and Charlie for a long gravel road grinder. I suppose 8 days before the Shen 100 really won't build any more fitness, but mentally I wanted to get back to riding a big loop through the mountains instead of many small race course loops like we do so much. That much was a success - 80 miles later, I made it home in an appropriately whooped mindset. But not before Charlie and I had a run-in with a pitbull over near Batesville.

To preface this, let's flashback to the Twisted Tire spring cup. It rained. Miles of mucky, rain drenched singletrack, a destroyed public trail system, and many broken bike parts later, Bike Factory racing emerged victorious and won!.....a tire. An itense 2bliss 2.0 to be specific. Now granted, we run pretty much all bontrager stuff, but what the hell, it's a free tire and there's got to be some luck in the thing since it was, in fact, THE twisted tire. So I superjuiced the thing up and popped it on my front race lite, and I've been racing it for much of the summer. Not a bad tire - very much in the same genre as a bontrager XDX. And no flats all summer. Until...

On pounding creek rd on saturday, a dirt gravel track connecting Miller School rd over to Dick Woods, I saw a dog run out in front of us. Now, I'm a dog lover. I've got two of my own that I adore like my children. And every now and then they get out in the road and cause some mayhem. So I'm a sympathizer more than a bottle thrower...I hit the brakes, scoot way right, and give this one the good doggie hello. Then I saw it was a pitbull, and it was seriously pissed off. She came right for us, barking, fangs barred, looking for trouble. And I was already too slow at this point to make a move, so I jumped off the bike and kept it between her and me as I tried to inch down the road. Undeterred, she layed into THE twisted tire, ripping a big hole in the sidewall. Superjuice sprays all over for a couple seconds, but it seals the hole right up. Success! I think, but this only seemed to piss her off, and she chomped down on the tire again, this time giving it one of those jack-russell-style violent shakes, and she tore the thing apart. No more twisted tire. Nowhere to go. Finally, the owner comes running from up the driveway, wrestles the dog into submission, and apologizes profusely. We shook it off, tubed the thing back up, and rolled for home with a wonky front wobble. The lady's mailing me $30 for the tire, which is halfway cool I guess.

And I guess here's my point: I ride these gravel roads all the time. I'm pretty used to the hazards: loose gravel, feral jack russell terriers, road hunters, fast guys like Charlie tearing my legs off on the way up jarmins. All that stuff I'm fine with. The risks of gravel roads are far outweighed by what happens to guys out riding pavement.

But I need a new twisted tire. And there's only one way: http://twistedtirefall.racesonline.com/

Bring your floatie wings and rubber duckies - I've never actually seen poor far dry, and we're due for a whole bunch of rain.

18 hrs. of domination

This past Saturday was the 18 Hours on the Farm race for BFR. And as you can probably tell from the title, we destroyed the competition.

El capitan (shawn) successfully defended his title against some of the best riders in the region without having any clue he was leading until the wee hours of the morning and also stopping for 40 minutes to put some poor bastard's face back together. Our men's duo team of Dave and Ken placed first in their category and 2nd overall (only minutes behind a FOUR person team) with 22 laps. I think they had the fastest lap time as well with 42 minutes. Dave slowed down to a 50 minute lap at one point to cut down a rubber chicken for another pair of socks and stare at some full moon. Ok, if you're reading this and you weren't there, that sounded bad, but it's all true I promise. Kev29er got fifth in the duo category even after a seven hour "nap" and his partner leaving after two laps (hope you're feeling better, Jeremy). On the ladies side of things, our duo of D and Christy "99 bottles of beer on the wall" Tankersly was moved from their category due to lack of participants to our category (4 person team) and put our team of Esther, Michele, Kateri, and myself in second which we're calling first in the 4 person category. :)

And the weekend yielded plenty of firsts for this little mountain biker wannabe: first team mtb race, first night ride, first time eating brownies wrapped in pp&j, first time on a dual suspension (like riding a pillow cushion), first blow up doll attack, first time placing in a race, first time falling off a bridge, first time being chased by rabid dogs (I swear, they were right behind me), etc.

Thanks to our awesome pit crew of Jason, Caleb, Papa T., and John Cox. You guys were amazing. Caleb, I apologize in advance for the endless amounts of ridicule you're going to receive for the sleeping position you chose. Seriously though, how did you breathe? Huge thanks also to Denelle for doing the majority of the site clean-up afterwards and to Ted Shred and Liz for the much needed rides home. And I'm just going to go ahead and give the mini Tankersly sammies their own little shout out: who ever threw you in the trash should be shot, you are amazing.

The dust was horrible, I've got too many bug bites to count, and the bruises on my legs have people asking how my relationship with Dave is going these days... I can't wait for next year. Going mushy here so prep yourself: most of the running races I do are solo and I usually love getting things done on my own. That being said, I've been "on" this team for over a year but only toed a starting line once and have yet to feel like I've really been part of it enough to proudly wear the jersey. This weekend changed all that. Having a team like this behind you showing you how to jump a log, or fixing your bike, or cheering you on at 4am is an overwhelming thing and one that gave this particular newbie not only the idea that she could accomplish something like this, but the ability to have an absolute blast doing so. Placing second on a 4 person team isn't much to some but it's huge to me and I couldn't have done it without them. I wonder how some people do.

Congrats again BFR, you (ahem, we) ROCK!

Oh how true.. from one of my favorite online "webcomics", indexed.blogspot.com.

For some reason, I can't get this image to show up inline.. so, click this link
this link below for a good laugh.

Cville International Tri - 7/27

Ok. So, when you are feeling a little bored of your normal work-out... what do you do? Ah... sign up for another race. This time it was the Charlottesville International Triathlon. It was also an opportunity to participate in an event with friends from my morning Tue/Thurs run group.

Road Triathlon, Denelle? Are you serious? Yes. .9mi swim; 24mi bike; 6mi run

Sunday morning, Shawn headed to work... me too. I racked my bike next to a few friends and headed to the water to stretch. There were over 2o0 participants, but solid competition... enough people in Cville and Richmond talk about who plans on showing; many of the competitors were people I didn't know. For me... this was a work-out... low pressure... driven by the need for a little exercise. Heck, I had to remove the cob-webs from the road bike in order to prep for the event.

Women 30 - 39 were the 4th launch of the event... the water felt cool as we entered the water and prepared for the start. The first lap was ok... it took a while to get comfortable, but by the end, I started to coast and not only pass other girls, but people from other heats as well. I tried waving to a friend of mine under the water second lap... but he didn't see me... oh well.

Transition was hard... road shoes are slippery... note to self. However, I was excited to get on the bike. Yeah legs! Legs felt good... a little sore from mtb ride w/ Shawn and folks the day before, but still nice. I saw Joy about mile 4 and was happy to see that she was doing well. A little after, I was passed by a woman in my age group... incentive to pedal harder. Yeah legs! I chase down the cyclist for a number of miles. I pass my friend Jake who was having a solid race and wished him well (and teased him a bit too). A few miles from transition, I see this woman toss a full bottle of drink at a mail box; not cool... but whatever. Jokingly I say, 'Awe, I am telling on you...' Wow... what stress does to a person... she flips and starts yelling at me about my negative attitude and that she threw her bottle there so that the owner of the house would find it... oh... or so she could go back and pick up the bottle later (right). Either way, I congratulated her on her great bike leg and wished her well on a race that must have been less than optimal... Oh... then I dropped her and finished minutes ahead... I didn't even see her during the next transition.

Trail running shoes on. Race belt on. Water in hand. Its 500 m later when I curse myself for not putting on a hat to protect my eyes from the sun.... but manage without. The run is two 3 mi laps on the Dam loop+. Lap one I see my friend Kate who is spectating. Hi Kate. I also learn that I am in 2nd place. Cool. Lap two... I'm glad that I'm almost done.

End result: 3rd woman overall. 2:32:23. Swim... not so great 14th overall. Bike leg... 2nd by 10 sec and 5th place run. My T1 was a whopping 2:06... whoa. too long. It was good training and great to see friends doing so well. Another note to self: Road biking is fun; I should do it more frequently. Any mtb takers?

Morning Run Group Stats:
Joy 5th/11
Jessica 8th / 11
Annette 4th / 9
Hank 9th / 17
Jake 4th / 18

Xterra EX2-7/13

Ok, so i am a little late with a post about the Xterra EX2 event... the weekend in MD. I'm posting this on the BF site for Jason. Here you go... JH..

7:30 Saturday- Hop in the car w/ Shawn and meet Kate and Ed at the Panera
7:35 Saturday- I should double check if my mtb shoes are in the car
7:40 Saturday- Go back in the house and find my mtb shoes
8:05 Saturday- Into Panera for breakfast fixins & loading the dynamic duo's stuff into the barge
8:30 Saturday- Are we there yet?
9:20 Saturday- Shawn, why is the police man pulling us over? Arrgghh.
10:40 Saturday- Did we take a wrong turn?
11:05 Saturday- Are we there yet? Soon.
11:45 Saturday- We arrive at Rocky Mt State Park.... EX2 venue.

After dropping Kate and Ed off at a hotel, Shawn and I hit the trails. First lap we played, stopping over technical areas to pick fun (and manageable lines). The EX2 bike course is comprised of 2- 7mi laps. Each lap is 1/3 road or fast, flat lines, 1/3 root/rock gardens, 1/3 ROOT/ROCK GARDENS (really). I picked up the Ziggurat hard tail for the loop. I found the trail much easier than last.... everything rideable, which isn't the case for a majority of the EX2 participants. Two notable parts of the course are the steep climb, someone's revenge. Short, steep... but really manageble & my favorite a huge rock washout.... filled with 1' or larger rocks. First lap I was 50% on clearing the obstacle. Second lap, I tried the full suspension... which felt great against the massive roots and rocks. Ultimately, its the hard tail for tomorrow... too much flat for the full suspension. The best part of pre-riding the course was seeing Shawn 'play'. He had a blast riding through the different sections of the course.... he was like a kid with a new toy.

Race day:
Shawn and I camped, we woke, washed, ate and headed to the transition area for set up. For some reason, I wasn't feeling great about the race... I didn't have that typical excitement and something just wasn't right with my stomach. Oh well...

Swim: One, two, three strokes.... not right. four, five, six, forty... team lady with the two piece bathing suit... please stop hitting me as you swim. Swim, swim, swim, oh... darn... I'm off course... ok, out of the water. It's a two lap race with a quick run between laps. The second lap I felt better and started passing more people.... but missed my friend Kate. She was having a great swim and I knew I had to play catch-up to find her on the course.

Bike: Thank goodness I am on the bike. Its a road climb before entering the woods and I see Ed on his first Xterra. He confirms that Kate has been out for a while. I hit the woods at speed passing many of male riders that can swim... they started 2-3 mins. before. Easily I make my own path overtaking those guys that are having difficulty with the initial rock gardens (if they are having trouble this early, they are in for a long race). I see Shawn about 15 min in... he's changing a tire. During the revenge climb, I am cut off by a guy walking his bike up the hill (arrgghh). More walkers are to be found at the washout. Luckily, I warn a few of these that I am riding through... from almost a stop, I clear one of the tougher lines through the area with sufficient speed to also climb the immediate hill. 1 mi to the transition for the second loop, I see Kate. I know I've passed nearly every other girl when I see her. I see my mom at transition (hi mom!) and hit the road. I pass Kate on the road, but she's ready to stay on my wheel for the entire second lap. There is one other girl out ahead, a roadie pro... and good swimmer. Kate and I stay close for the second lap and Shawn joins us to keep us motivated.

Transition: I rack my bike. The entire rack falls. Crap. What do I do... a race volunteer sees this and helps pick up the rack. I put on my shoes... grab a hat...ooops. I forgot water... and head out the shoot behind Kate. Pass Kate. Run, run, pass another guy, another guy, another guy. I'm not feeling that strong... but they must be feeling particularly week, especially navigating the rooty trail. The run is pretty technical. At one point, you navigate a rocky ravine. Every step you pray that your ankle doesn't twist. Before heading out of the ravine, you actually climb on all fours up boulders. This is where I find Shawn... and hear him agree that the run course is just 'not rideable.' I head to the finish line... never to see the pro, but knowing that I've closed the gap on the lead she established on the swim. 200 m before the end of the race, I see my grandmother. Veering off course, I hear the spectators yelling me to the finish ( and telling me that I am going the wrong way)... but I want to give my grandmother a kiss first. I do, and sprint to the end.
1st amateur, 1st age group and winner of the regional title again; I've maxed out my points.

Kate finishes shortly after... Ed finishes strong as well. Mark IF finishes ahead of me again... he's been kicking butt these days. It must be the face of determination.... See...
Also, Shawn got in a good workout.

Oh... before I forget... the awards... so Kate and I tried to get a free race certificate for nationals... but each cert was valid for the sport race the day before. Instead we sign up Shawn and Ed. Shawn brushes the entry by saying... but I don't have a wet suit. Quickly we hear that the winner of the wet suit cert is Denelle... Will Shawn do Xterra Nevada? Stay Tuned

Posted by Denelle Grant at 6:23 AM

A few days late.. but wanted to get these crit results posted, because they are times from the short-track for the much-awaited CRC Charlottesville Off Road Omnium. Promises to be a super fast, super fun course!