So I have completed my first 12hr race. I actually struggle with saying I "completed it". I didn't meet my goal of 12 laps, and I quit when I still could have done at least one more lap.

Saturday morning we were up before the sun, eating and packing the truck. We arrived at Vail sometime around 7am. I was really stoked that more than one person helped us schlep our stuff from the parking lot to our canopy. It was a long walk and we had a hard day ahead of us. After carrying all the crap I was already tired! Once we got everything set up I did small prep tasks and waited to get my kit on till the last possible moment.

When we rode over to line up I decided I didn't want to be at the back of the pack. I slid forward in the crowd, then spotted Luke and slid farther forward. :) Luckily no one got pissy with me for crowding in. Then the race started, I hit the start button on my Garmin and tried to stay calm. Luke was going fast so I tried to hold onto him. All of lap one went something like this. I kept telling myself that I was going too hard, but then either someone was right in front of me and I would feel compelled to draft or pass, or someone would be right behind me and I would want to hold position. I got to ride with Mary for a little bit which was cool. Every time I looked ahead a ways I would see Luke and think that it was cool that I was holding steady relative to him.

I also noted that there was a guy in my class with giant Pearl Izumi letters on his back. He was climbing strong, but I would pull away on the descents. For the first three laps we would swap positions at least 4 times. I hope he did well in the race, I am sure if he held that pace he was on the podium.

The first three laps went by really fast. Every time I would pull into the pits Luke was just pulling out. Things were going well for me.

Lap 4 things took a bad turn.

I was going strong and really enjoying the descents and passing lots of other riders on the DH sections. Then on the Ridgeline descent I pinch flatted the rear tire. I thought, "$%$#... no I can take care of this and get going quick. not a major problem."

Wrong.

I replace the tube and start inflating with my one and only CO2 that I had with me. I had used probably half of the CO2 when I discovered that the tire had popped off the bead on the other side (the one I wasn't paying attention to) and the tube was in danger of going pop. I quickly deflated the tube (only carried one per lap) and re-seated the bead. I emptied the rest of my only CO2 into the tire to find that I had maybe 20psi in the tire.

There was no way I could finish this lap without flatting again with that little pressure. Now things were bad. I started asking people passing me for a CO2. Most didn't stop. When Jens came along he stopped and offered his CO2, but it didn't fit my inflator! Sorry for holding you up Jens, but thanks bro. The next rider along was a girl I had met in the shuttle line at Fontana. She stopped too and offered a CO2, again it didn't fit. I was getting desperate though and this stop was nearing 10 minutes so I asked to use her inflator. She gave it to me and I was unfamiliar with the way it worked. I was trying to get it to work and nothing, nothing... The CO2 that was in it had been spent! So she gave me her other cartridge and I loaded it and filled my tire. I didn't get her name but want to thank her and tell her that I owe her big time!!!!!

Back on track. I finished the descent and caught the girl near the bottom. I rode with her for a while and we chatted. She was the only girl on a 4 man team so I joked that I would look out for the 3 angry guys that wanted to beat me up for slowing down their team mate. :)

I was kind of pissed that I had lost so much time with a flat. I decided that if I worked hard I could maybe get back to where I should be. I kept thinking of getting to the "pointy end of the race". I thought of the race as a spear and I wanted to be closer to the front than the back.

I almost left the pits without a new tube and TWO CO2 cartridges, but grabbed them and was off. Lap 5 was going good. I was still turning a decent pace and felt pretty strong. I was passing some people and being passed by some, but it seemed that nobody around me was going my pace. It was strange this feeling of being in no-man's land. I had fallen back from the leaders, and guessed that I was ahead of the slower riders. I didn't get to ride with anyone around my speed.

On Ridgeline I was descending strong and thinking about making up time from the flat tire the lap before. At the bottom of Ridgeline the trail makes a right hand turn onto a fire road and I was blazing down the trail. I missed my line and went a bit wide and slightly into the grass. I don't know if there was something in the grass, or if I had damaged my tube farther up and it waited to let go with the stress of a hard corner, but as I leaned the bike through that corner I heard the all too familiar hiss of air rushing out of my back tire. I screamed, "^%# NOT AGAIN!"

I was close enough to the aid station that I rolled over to it and started working on my tire. Jason Ranoa's dad was there and he said he heard me yelling. I was quite litterally deflated, in more ways than one. I asked if he had a floor pump but he didn't. This fix went much smoother than the last but I did burn both my CO2s and lost probably another 5 minutes or so.

Once I got rolling again I struggled. Mentally I was broken. Physically I was feeling crappy. I had expected to have Allison pass me but she never did. I would have been really happy for her company. I knew then and there that my race was over and that I wouldn't be able to get near the front after two flats. It was very depressing. I wanted to quit, but remembering Allison's blog post earlier in the week I resolved to not give up. Manns are not quitters.

Lap 6 I forgot to get a new tube and CO2. I realized this part way up the Marine Corps climb. I decided that I had to dial it back on the DH sections. I was afraid if I flatted without a way to fix it, I would totally break. I decided to make up for it by rallying on the easier portions. I was cranking hard and decided that I was out of the race, but was now just racing myself, my own demons in my head. I would put in hard efforts on slight inclines or declines to make up for slowing down on the high speed descents.

Then I started cramping. The first cramps came on the steep sections of Bridges and came back every time I put in a hard effort.

Lap 7 the cramps were moving all around on my quads, on the bright side I remembered to get a tube and CO2s. I was thinking that sooner or later more of the muscle was going to cramp than I would be able to work through. The cramps seemed to only hit localized spots though and I would will myself to work through it and keep pedaling.

Lap 7 marked another milestone. I got off and walked up a steep pitch for the first time. I hate walking my bike. For the first 6 laps I managed to not dab on course at all. Not once. I was proud of that and it was about all I had. When this happened it was like a spear had found a chink in my armor. My cramps seemed to get worse when I walked. My spirits were low, but I kept telling myself that Allison wouldn't quit.

When I came into the pits Allison was off her bike and getting changed. She had quit. I knew when I saw her standing in the pits that I wouldn't make my goal of 12 laps. I needed something to lean on mentally.

I stopped briefly in the pits and then headed out. I checked in at the finish line and then straddled my bike and started pedaling. I couldn't get my left foot in the pedal. As I rode past a few friends they were heckling me to start pedaling. I was laughing because I wanted to pedal but couldn't get my damn foot clipped in. Finally I rolled to a stop across from our pit area and got off the bike. What I saw was that my XTR pedal had grenaded. Awesome. Never had that problem with Crank Brothers. I walked my bike over to the pits and Luke donated his pedal to me from his bike. I was stoked to have it, thanks Luke!

On Lap 8 I decided that Allison quitting was a good thing for her. What I could lean on was the fact that she didn't quit in June or November. She had endured then, and I could endure now.

I was being passed more often. My pace had slowed down to a crawl. My HR was no longer responding to hard efforts. My legs were responding to hard efforts though, with streaks of cramps! I was walking up steep spots with regularity. I was no longer hydrating properly, or eating much on course.

Before I went out on Lap 9 Luke and Allison put my light on my bike for me. Night riding is sort of a novel thing for us. We ride at Vail at night one night a week. I am at ease with riding at night. Once it got dark on Lap 9 I decided that the novelty of night riding was over rated. I was sloppy on the bike and things were jumping out at me. I just wanted it all to end. Interestingly enough I stopped cramping for the most part.

When I got back to the pits after Lap 9 I told Allison I was only doing one more. I was broken. At this point there was still around 3 hours left to race. I was pussing out.

Lap 10 was the absolute worst. It was the first time I didn't make it up the steep hill across from the pit area. I was broken and riding by myself. I walked a lot more than before. I knew it was my last lap and that I was quitting early. I was giving up. Several times in the lap I thought that I could maybe just go out for one more. I had plenty of time. Even if I walked most of the course I had enough time. I was hurting though. The waves of cramps had given way to a horrible ache in my shoulders and neck. My legs hurt horribly and seemed to stop responding. My chest felt like I could no longer take a full breath. My arms were shaky and I was afraid they weren't going to hold up to another Ridgeline descent.

On the climb up Ambulance I caught up with Troy. He was broken as well and was finishing his 8th and final lap. For the first time I rode with someone else for more than a minute or two. It was nice to talk to someone on course. When we got to the top of Tunnel I let another rider pass before descending. I immediately found that it was a mistake because I was riding his rear wheel the whole way. It sucked to not rail my favorite portion of the course on the last lap. On the way up Vicks I caught up with a pair of women that were finishing up as well. They were on lap 7 or 8 and were totally done. I chatted with them some. It was nice to have people to talk to.

When I got to BMX I caught another solo rider. I decided that my race was over but that I could beat this one guy to the finish line. It would be a tiny victory for me. I dug deep. I pedaled hard. Tucked down behind my bars I was racing again. It was invigorating to have something to race for after so many laps of just beating myself up for the sake of beating myself up. It was close. I was right behind him through the jumps. Around the berm under the tree I was riding in his dust. When we hit the asphault I shifted to my big ring and tucked down. I could feel the gap closing. Turning left off the asphault I was right on him. I hit all my shift points and was on his wheel when we came off the sand and onto the grass. I shifted again and powered past him through the pits. I beat him to the line.

It was a small victory and he probably went out for another lap, but I had had enough and shut off my light and my Garmin. Allison met me at the finish line. It probably took me 45 minutes to change.

Much respect to those that compete in these events successfully. I wouldn't call what I did successful, but I learned some things and through experiencing it have a different perspective. From now on I will be happy to be the pit bitch and do my best to support the real endurance riders.

Some thoughts during the race:

-The people that invented packaging need to go back to the drawing board. The evil that is done to an endurance racer via packaging is horrible. Someone please make edible packaging. Thanks.

-Every now and then when suffering up a climb I would think to myself, "It has been a long time since I got lapped by Tinker." That guy is not human.

-A DH racer on a HT XC bike does not make a good Endurance racer. Especially if you throw in a few fast chunky descents for him to break parts and flat tires on.

-If you think a tire is too wimpy it probably is. I should have stuck with some decent meats on the bike.

-No matter how fast you descend you cannot win an endurance race without climbing fast, for a really effing long time, without slowing down.

-Quitting isn't the worst part. The day after riding my MTB for 92 miles is worse.

This past weekend I raced at the SRC Annual.  Saturday I raced my last race in Sport XC, and Sunday was my first race in Expert DH.

Saturday we were up with the sun and driving to Fontucky for the first time in quite a while!  It is our home venue, but there aren't many races out there during the heat of summer.  Unfortunately the heat of summer is not only unkind to the atheletes, but it also is hard on the trails.  In quite a few places the trails are breaking down with the lack of water and maintenance.

I was looking forward to the XC race because it has been quite a while since I got to race with an early season nemesis.  I got spanked in the Winter Series by Ryan and wanted to see how my fitness is coming along when measured against a good competitor.

Before the race I warmed up with a few different people and chatted some.  It is always fun to hang out before the race with everyone and talk smack!  We were called up to start with two age groups in front of us so I wasn't on the front row.  I decided before hand to shadow Ryan and try to use some strategy in the race.  Before I knew it we were off and Ryan and I were at the back of the group.  We picked off a few riders here and there before the asphalt climb and when we turned up the road Ryan turned wide.  I took it he didn't want me breathing down his neck so I took the inside line and started to spin.  Not far into the climb I noticed one of the riders in our AG was up ahead a ways and I wanted to pass more people before we hit the next single track section so I stood up and got my climb on!

The rest of the lap was pretty uneventful, I was out in the lead and passing lots of riders.  One guy crashed on a sandy descent right in front of me, but he seemed to be fine so I pedaled on.  My heart rate stayed manageable and I didn't put myself in any difficulty.  I passed Allison on the flats before the Start/Finish and told her she should not be coasting on the descents.  (at least soft pedal!)

The second lap I didn't stand on the asphalt, I opted to sit and spin.  On the first descent I managed to wash out my front wheel in a corner and crashed pretty good.  My bars got twisted up and I had to stop to straighten them (you will see this was a trend for the weekend!)  I pushed a good pace the rest of the lap and won by a decent margin.

After the race I felt really good.  This was the first XC race that I can think of that I didn't blow up at some point on the course so it is time to move up to EXPERT!  :)  I had a great year of racing in Sport XC and will miss all the guys that I raced with (except those that also move up).  Hopefully I can continue to train and improve my fitness and maybe finish mid pack in the Expert field.

After the XC race I went and practiced the DH course some.  It was a fun course with not much technical challenge.  The wall was being used which sucked because I was riding Allison's DH bike and it only has a 32T chainring on it.

Sunday morning I was back at the track practicing early and my first run was STELLAR!  I felt great on the course.  That didn't last long though as all the rest of my practice runs were pretty hurting.  In my race run I had a good start and felt fast through most of the top of the course.  Unfortunately there was a really loose and dusty left hand corner near the middle of the course that layed some smack down on me.  I washed out the front tire and managed to knock my bars out of alignment AGAIN!  I had to stop and straighten them AGAIN and saw any chances of a top finish evaporate.  The bottom of the course went well and I avoided getting passed in my first Expert DH race. 

I finished back of the pack, but I wasn't last.  I learned some things that I want to implement for the next race and can hopefully improve on my results.  I will continue to work hard and train, of course, but it will be primarily XC oriented.  I am hoping to maintain pretty decent DH speed, it is hard to be a multi-discipline rider!

So this race wrapped up my '08 racing schedule and I feel that I was very successful in my first full year of racing.  Thanks to all who helped me out, rode with me, raced with me, and laughed with me.  I am looking forward to more great racing and fun in 2009!!!

This past weekend I raced Cross Country at the Mt. SAC Fat Tire Classic.

Early Sunday morning we left home headed for the venue with blue skies overhead.  The sun was still rising and we could see ominous clouds on the horizon as we drove North.

Allison had mentioned a chance of rain in the forecast, I had opted to keep my tires light with low rolling resistance.  This meant a Kenda Karma up front and a Stan's Raven out back.  The tires that I felt would be good for a muddy course were on Allison's bike so I didn't have much of an option really.

At the venue it had rained over night and it was alternating between drizzle and light rain as we checked in and started warming up.  I rode the first half of the course during warm-up and my tires packed up horribly.  It was like riding with the brakes on.  I had lots of mud clearance, but the added weight and resistance was severe. 

Before the race start I found a nice patch of grass and did my best to scrape off the majority of the mud that had accumulated.  I also tried my best to stay warmed up which meant that I didn’t get onto the front row of the start.  I managed to squirm up to the second row just before GO, I pedaled hard and picked the inside line on the first corner putting myself in the first few people up the first climb.  I was first to the bottom of the first descent and second onto the first single track section.  My plan to not get caught in a bottle neck worked perfectly!

The first lap was going pretty well.  Unfortunately entering the tunnel that goes under the road my tires slipped out from underneath me.  The combination of slick tires, mud, water, and a painted line on concrete conspired against my desire to remain upright.  I was quick to remount but the leader had pulled a gap and continued to do so, he was out of sight by the end of the first lap.

The second lap I was feeling the effects of the hard start.  My trip up the first climb was not as fast.  I sat up and took some Hammer gel before the first single track and noticed that there wasn’t anyone on my wheel.  Riding through the single track section I picked up a branch/weed in my drive train.  As it wrapped itself around my cassette it started taking out my gears one by one.  My chain was soon skipping so badly in every gear that I was forced to stop.  It took at least a minute to break and pull out the majority of the weeds and several riders passed me.  It is quite heartbreaking to watch a hard earned lead disappear like that.

Once remounted I found myself in great company, Steven Smith is a fellow racer one AG up from mine who passed me like I was standing still in every race during the Winter Series races at Fontana, we rode together for the rest of the race.  The rest of the second lap was pretty uneventful, the rain had stopped and the course was improving quickly.

On the third lap I once again picked up a stick/weed in my rear wheel.  This time it lodged itself in between the cassette and the spokes/hub rendering my bike into a fixie!  After a quick stop to remedy the situation I remounted and found that I had not lost much time.  I powered up the next climb and caught Steven who was also extracting a hitchhiker from his drive train.   The rest of the last lap I put my head down and did my best to power through the climbs despite my calves threatening to cramp up.

I finished first for my AG and somewhere in the top 10 for Sport racers.  I had a great time racing in the rain and mud for the first time, and had a total blast cheering for the beginner racers like Troy.  Next race, Fontana XC and DH.

Well sometimes racing means you are horribly disappointed.

After all the work for the last two weeks preparing for this race, it was over for me less than 1 mile in.

Before the race I went out and pre-rode a lap of the course.  It was mostly fire road but the relatively short climbs are ideal for my power to weight ratio and I felt that I would be very competitive.  My legs felt great and I had a good strategy for the race.

As we lined up I was looking for guys in my class and it didn't look like there were very many.  I was not happy with the low turnout as I had hoped for a good race.

We waited for what seemed like forever, it was somewhere around 10 minutes, and then were off.  I pedaled hard to stay near the front as last year the first bottle neck was nasty.  Up the first climb I picked off a couple of riders and felt awesome, my heart rate was staying pretty low.  This was going to be great!

As we turned to head down the first steep/loose descent I passed a guy so as not to be held up, unfortunately there were a pair of roadies just ahead of him and they slammed on the brakes.  I was looking for passing opportunities and found one near the bottom.  I passed them both but the damage was done.  I was in a tall gear and didn't carry enough momentum into the next climb.  I stood and was putting all I had into the pedals when my chain snapped. 

I flew forward on the bike smashing my knee into the crown of my fork.  My knee left a big chunk of meat on the knob on the crown and was now bleeding pretty good.  I stood there begging for a SRAM Power-Link to fix it, I was offering 20 bucks for one, nobody helped me out.  I debated running the remaining 3.5 miles of the lap to continue racing, but the pain coming from my knee changed my mind.  The race was over for me.  My first DNF.

Although I am dissappointed and now dealing with a very swollen knee and no riding, that is racing.  When I can ride again I will be back on the training for the next race and for next year!  I will now make sure I have a light chain tool and a power link with me during races.  :)

So yesterday was a rough day of racing.



I didn't feel stellar during my warmup.  I think we went too hard the day before the race.  At the start line I met the guy who I expected to be the odds on favorite.  We joked around a little and then were off. 



On the first climb I went a bit too hard.  I expected to be able to recover at the top where 2N10 does quite a lot of rolling hills, but had a bobble around 25 minutes into the race.  Not a bobble with my bike though, I dropped my freaking gel flask!  I had just passed my wife who had a 2 minute head start and was having a fantastic day (she was right behind the Pro women).  According to my feed schedule I took a shot of gel and then was trying to put the flask back into the holder and fumbled it.  Allison later told me I should have just left it, but I was afraid of not having any calories for the rest of the race so I skidded to a stop and ran back to get it.  By the time I picked up my bike I had dropped a position (from a close second to third or fourth).



So then the chase was on.  I did my best to control the negativity that was circulating in my head.  Soon we were onto the descent and I let it fly.  I opened it up and passed a couple of people on the short single track section.  Once back onto the fire road I tried to keep the hammer down and did my feeds at the right time (thanks to picking up my gel flask). 



At the top of the last big climb I wasn't far behind second so I shifted to my big ring and attacked on the descent.  I caught second and passed him after being forced to follow him down some single track.  I was now back in second with only descent between me and the finish line so I decided to let it all hang out and try to catch first.  I was blazing down the fire road, drifting the corners all the way to the berm on the outside.  I passed several riders and then was on the last single track section.  I passed three more riders on the single track and was just going balls out, full speed, no brakes.



Then it happened.  Coming out of a left hander there was a big rut.  I unloaded over the rut before I noticed what was after it.  A big dip and then a huge tree root maybe 6" high across the trail.  I did my best to soak up the impact of the root but it wasn't enough.  I DOUBLE FLATTED.  I only had one tube so with about two miles left I just rode on two flats to the finish.  I lost one spot and dropped to third for the day.



I waited around for a long time expecting to see Allison come through...  but she didn't.  I got really worried and started asking girls that I knew were behind her if they saw her.  Finally one girl said that she saw her with a flat (whew!  flat is WAY better than a crash).  I guess a big nail went through her rear tire and she had some difficulty fixing it.  In true Mann style she finished the race even though she was dead last.  I am so proud of her.  She could have DNF'd but she stuck it out and finished.  Before her flat she had gapped all the Expert Women and was right behind the Pro Women.  Sometimes luck plays a big part in racing.  Better luck to both of us next time!

Today I got the best customer service at Intense.  I had an issue with my Socom frame that they dealt with in the most professional and customer friendly manner.  I am not a sponsored rider, nor do I get any sort of factory deal, but they gave me great customer service!!!  I will definitely continue to spend my hard earned money on Intense bike frames.



Thanks Intense Cycles!!!

One to go!  I won the race this past weekend.  From now on I will be racing in Expert DH.  My times aren't too far off the podium times for the Expert guys so I shouldn't be in the way on race day, but we will see.  Those guys are FAST!



It looks like I will have to retire my DH bike.  Fortunately, it looks like the crack/buckle was a product of a manufacturing error.  I have my fingers crossed that I will get hooked up.  If not, I will have to steal Allison's Demo 7 to race on!



This coming weekend I will be racing XC.  It should be interesting to see what happens.  I know somewhere on the course I will be wondering why a DH racer is out there suffering with a bunch of skinny roadie types!  With any luck I will have some fun out there in between all the climbing (the course can't all be up, right?).

No post.  The summer has flown by.  Funny how that works.  It seems like only yesterday that we were anxiously anticipating the time change so that we could ride after work, yet strangely enough at the same time it seems like Vision Quest was a lifetime ago.

When Allison and I laid out our race calendar for the year the summer months had almost no races in them.  Unfortunately most of the summer races occur quite far from the sun scorched land that we live in.  It takes a lot of money to travel to races and we decided to conserve a bit in that regard.  We had a couple of good trips that certainly helped the summer fly by (Colorado is just such a magical place), and we really put in some heavy riding.

All of the miles/hours of riding have left me in top physical condition.  I can say without hesitation that I am currently in the best shape of my life.  As a test of fitness we traveled up to Rim Nordic for the last race in their series and although the intensity was a bit of a shock to the system I did pretty well.  Allison tore it up and I was very proud of her and her efforts.

The month of September has a couple of races in it again.  First up is a DH race, then an XC race.  I have really neglected DH this summer, both my bike and my skills.  Hopefully I can do well at the finals and win the jersey.  With any luck my bike will stay in one piece, it is now cracked pretty badly.  The XC race is going to be interesting.  I will give it my all and see what happens.  My fitness is good and my new frame/fork/cranks have been awesome.

This fall/winter I will be racing some more XC races including the Socal Triple Crown series.  The only other DH race for the year will be the Fontana Annual.  I will also be training with Allison as she will be working hard toward her goals for next year.  We don’t yet know exactly what races we will be doing, but at this point it looks like next year we will be traveling to more races.  If things keep going the way they are now it looks like our winter training will be pretty intense!

Stay tuned, things are heating up for sure!

my profile soon. Headed back east for a couple races.

It had been a while since we had gone on a road trip not associated with racing, so after all the stress of work/racing/training it was great to get out last weekend and go camping in Downieville!  Three days of riding up there and it was really hard to come home.  I can't think of a better way to spend our 5th anniversary!

I didn't compete in the 12hrs of Temecula but I have been training with Allison and I devoted myself to making sure she had the best possible race.  She did awesome and I am very proud of her.  I would never have expected her to finish first in solo women (she beat all solo female competitors including the pro riders).

I have decided to do my best to improve my fitness over the next few months.  I will be hitting the gym two days a week to maintain upper body strength for DH racing, riding lots of road miles (commuting to work, lunch rides), and putting in as much time on the mountain bikes as I can muster.  I hope to find some time and training partners for DH, but it is difficult and fuel costs don't make it easier.  Most of my time will be spent on the XC bike.

I keep thinking about what my racing schedule should look like for next year.  I would like to make sure that everything lines up and I can do some races that will be both enjoyable and give me a good shot at podium spots.  So far I think I will shoot for Counting Coup, Keyesville, Downieville, and the local races.  I may give the endurance racing thing a shot since I am training with Allison anyway.  At some point I am sure that I will reach a level that I can no longer compete in so many disciplines.  I will be forced to narrow my focus and I really don't know what specific area I would pick.  If only there were more races like Keyesville and Downieville, all-mountain races that rewarded a well rounded athelete, then I think that would be my primary focus!