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Wow. Wow. That’s all I can say about this season. It has been long, and I have worked harder than I ever have before. I have been to so many interesting places, ridden so many amazing trails, and gotten some perspective on some trails that I ride regularly when I’m at home. I won a race (Neshaminy), which hasn’t happened in three years or so, and got on the podium in one I never expected too(Marysville). I rode the 101. That alone is an accomplishment, which I plan on repeating next year. I have done so much, and come further that I ever thought I could in one season.
I’m sure though, that you are less interested in hearing about stuff that you have already heard about and more interested about the last few races of my season, since I haven’t posted an update for a month of two (mmmm… school work). I’ll start with the Terror of Teabeyry, or should I call it the Terror of Flat-berry. Yes there were two flats that derailed my efforts of reclaiming my Endurance Series podium spot. The first flat, I blew the bead off my Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires. They failed to re-seat with my CO2 inflator, meaning that I used my 1 CO2 cartridge without fixing my problem. So I started walking. I was only about 2 miles away from the first aid station too, and only 10 miles into the race. Eventually someone gave me a tube and a CO2 cartridge, and I got my tire fixed, but I had lost 45 min. I soldiered on, well off the back of the race. Sad. I got another flat after Aid #2. Luckily I had picked up a spare tube and CO2 at the aid station, so I changed the tube rather quickly, after patching the gash in my tire with a paper cup that I was carrying food in. This time though, I had trouble getting the tire on the rim and probably sat there for another 45 min. I was done racing by that time, so I set out for a 20 mile ride on my own. In hind sight it was really sad, because I was about 2 hrs behind, and there was no catching up to where I was before (top 20-ish). Sometime in the last 10 or 12 miles of the race I got caught by the sweepers on their dirt bikes. They stopped and let me keep riding, which was mighty nice of them since I heard they pulled the few people who were behind me. So anyway, I finished, dead last, in about 7:45, 2+ hrs slower than I expected to finish. Everyone was gone, and awards were already over. Oh well. You gotta have one mechanical-filled race per season right? Next year, Terror of Teaberry, I swear my revenge on thee!
Next was the short and relatively tame Bear Creek Summer Showdown, which served as the Finals for the MASS Cross Country, Short Track, and Team Cup Series’. This was an exciting event for me because I was sitting in 2rd in the STXC series, and I needed to simply beat the guy ahead of me to take the win. The STXC course was different than any other STXC course I have ever seen. Normally the STXC courses are a relatively flat, smooth track with a lot of corners that takes a few minutes to navigate. The races are measured in time not in number of laps. The Bear Creek course was a mini-preview of the XC course. It was about a mile long, had a ¾ mile rock garden and a 0.5 mile of climbing. The course was so much fun; it was a real mountain biker’s course, you needed power and technical finesse to do well (in fact a few of the elite rider who do well at ‘cross in the winter complained that it was too technical). The Sport A group was doing 5 laps. Now if you have been following my race schedule for the later part of the season, I have not done a race shorter than 50 miles in two months, so I was used to a neutral roll-out to start a race. The holeshot and the STXC race put me back in second to last (6th) place. Note to self: work on holeshot for next year. On the biggest rock in the rock garden, the guy in front of my dabbed and got off his bike, forcing me off my bike only to watch the guy behind me pass both of us (7th). Boo. So I passed the guy in front of me on the road section and over the next three laps, worked my way up into 3rd place. Then I saw him, the guy I needed to beat, in front of me. I pushed as hard as I could to catch him on the last lap, but no dice. He finished 2nd, and I finished 3rd. The race was short, but all in all it was a good day. The next day’s XC race didn’t really matter that much to me because I was not really in contention for anything. So I just raced my own race. We went off for our two laps about a half an hour after the Experts/Elites, so it would be a while before we saw them. The race was relatively uneventful as far as races go. I had pre-ridden the course the day before, so I knew all the lines, which is a huge advantage. I rode the entire race jockeying for 6th place with a guy whose name escapes me. I ended up dropping him on the last lap on a technical climb and the ensuing technical descent, so I had a pretty good race. The Bear Creek course is an IMBA-approved mountain bike course that is basically 7 miles of really technical singletrack. While most people see IMBA-approved trails as sanitized, this one shows that IMBA can also build kick-ass technical trails. The final descent started with three super-tight, super-rocky switchbacks with a shear drop on the downhill side. There were rock gardens before and after. The main difference between this years course and last years course (which was also IMBA-approved) was that this one had a lot more flow. There were rock gardens everywhere, but each one had a definite line. This is not to say that the lines were easy, oh no. There was some really difficult stuff there, everything just flowed really nicely. The course is really a pleasure to ride, and brings a smile to everyone’s face that completes it. So in the end I ended up 7th place in the XC series (much better than I expected), and 3rd in the STXC. I forgot to calculate that only the top 3 races count towards the series final for the short track, and one guy had won two races so he won. Next year though. Also the shop that I ride for, Bean’s Bikes ended up 2nd in the team cup. All in all a pretty successful weekend and a good end of the season for most.
I had one more race left though. Two weekends later, I was in my car on my way up to the middle of nowhere: Potter CountyPA, a.k.a. God’s Country. The race was the God’s Country Marathon, a endurance reincarnation of an XC race that ended in the late 90s. The course was a 15 mile loop, which we would do 3 times for a total of 45 miles. This was to be the race that really mattered for me, because I was in 4th in the MASS Endurance Series. I wanted my podium spot back. I needed to place significantly better than the guy who sat in third. At the start lined we basically stared straight up the ski hill. I was focused and ready to throw down with the big boys. The group shot up the ski hill, and I was riding right along side our two local pros and a bunch of fast singlespeeders. Excatly. The ride up the ski hill was quick, and once we hit the main climb of the course, I settled into my own rhythm. I would have liked to be able to keep up with the Bear Naked/Cannondale guys, but there is no way. I rode my first two laps with my hammer down as far as it would go, but lost a lot of my power in the process. My third lap was agonizing and painful, but I kept pushing nonetheless. I only stopped twice, both on my last lap (a first for me, usually I stop after every lap on a lap course). I finished, and two places in front of the guy I needed to beat, so I thought that I might have gotten it. I was 8th. In the end though I didn’t have the points to get the podium back, and ended up dropping to 5th because my buddy Shawn (who finished 7th) was only a few points behind me in the standings. Oh well. Still I’m really happy about that race.
So that was my season. In hindsight, my season was really just a parallel of life, from the Y-Riders Youth Series to The God’s Country Marathon. It seems fitting in a strange sense doesn’t it? So now I am done racing. I am looking forward to a few months of relaxation, riding with my friends, and winter hiking (one of my favorite activities). I’m going to chill and ride until an undecided time in December when I will hopefully begin slowly putting on base miles for next season. I want to build up a big base so I can keep my power and speed up over the entire 50 miles, 101 miles, or 6hrs of a race. I want to get on the podium for the Endurance Series next year, and greatly improve my 101 time. Next year I will try to actually stick to a definite training program for the entire season. I also want to do more 100 milers (Shenandoah, and maybe Cohutta). But that is next year…
As a final note, I would like to give a final thanks to my great sponsors. First of all, there is Intense Cycles. You guys have provided great tech support, and hooked me up with a fantastic product. I definitely would not have done as well as I have this year without my trusty Spider. I hope to continue representing you next year. Then there is Evomo. You guys make some kick-ass threads, and make me feel like less of a dork for wearing bike-related paraphernalia outside of the mountain biking world. Then there is ODI. You guys make great grips. Keep up the good work. Hayes Disc Brakes, you came into the game a bit late, but you stopped me through some of my more important races, so great job. I hope to continue riding for you next year.
So that’s all of my race updates for the year. I’ll continue to throw up some updates throughout the winter as I see fit. Until then, good luck to all with your off season pursuits and may your ‘cross season be muddy, fast, and cold, if that’s the way you like it.
Peace, and RIDE ON!
Jake
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