Scout Camp XC - Virginia Mountain Bike Series

Cat 2 Men, 18 Miles

By: Brad Walker

First as always I want to thank Flying Dog Brewery and a huge thanks to Bike Dr of Frederick as Brian, Dan, and everyone else is always very helpful, friendly, and of course helping me be the lightest racer I can be without putting me in an unsafe situation as I have been known to break everything that I touch when it comes to mountain biking! Next thanks to the group of locals that help to put on the races down in Virginia. It was my first time riding so far from home and the venue and hospitality didn’t disappoint. So I decided to do this race as a tune up race to get headed in the right direction to peaking before the Maryland State Championships at Greenbrier State Park on April 21^st which is my most important race this year. So I make the trip into the heart of Virginia and find myself in Maidens at what looked like a Boy Scout camp type of place that had a 9mile loop that they use for an 18 hour endurance race from what the locals were telling me. Mountain biking is a lot like life in general, you learn from your mistakes and try to do things different the next time in an effort to have a better outcome. Last weekend I made the critical mistake of not hydrating correctly and I paid for it dearly. Another thing that I did last race that I wanted to do differently was the type of cadence I was using. Instead of using a lower cadence and using more muscle to power the bike I wanted to use a higher cadence and use more cardio to power the bike. I could get into the reasoning such as fast/slow twitch muscle fibers but no one wants to read that crap and I don’t want to write about it. I’ve pointed out before that racing is more than riding a bike, for the majority of us non gifted athletes including myself, I need a plan and I try to stick to it and modify as needed. Like the saying goes “everyone has plan until they get punched in the mouth”. So hydration and a faster cadence is the plan today. The race director calls the cat 2 racers to the start line and my heart rate is gradually increasing in response to the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Before I know it the bell goes off and I’m sprinting down a gravel road for 50 yards before the right hand turn into single track. Having a little experience racing, I know that getting the hole shot is extremely important as it can sometimes dictate the rest of the race as passing in tight single track is difficult. I get the hole shot and three of us are already building a good lead on the chasers. I hold the pace and tire of the two riders and we hit double track down hill and my choice of a fully rigid frame keeps me from keeping the pace as I have to be a little more careful with my line. The 9 mile loop goes by in a flash and I’m sitting comfortably in 3^rd. I’m feeling pretty good and hydrating more than I can remember and the warmer temperatures have me sweating and I love every second of it. I’m using a faster cadence and my cardio is taking most of the brunt and my legs are feeling good so I keep the pace I’m on as I can’t see the leader or second place. Around mile 11 I get bridged and passed and keep close enough to stay in sight and I feel like I push it and catch up but I don’t want to burn myself out to early with plenty of time left. Mile 14 comes up quick and another racer in a different class bridges and I let him pass in an effort to get pulled for a little bit and make a late surge. It’s always nice to get pulled instead of trying to pace yourself. I have found that I can go faster and be more efficient following a slightly faster rider than riding alone. So I let this guy pull and within 2 miles of the finish I tell’em I gotta go and my plan for a higher cadence pays off as I have the energy and muscle left to drop down in a much higher gear and crush it for the last two miles. I catch the guy who had my precious podium spot and finish the race in 3^rd. Nice when a plan comes together and I have a nice glass and water bottle to show for my efforts. Till next time…

EX2 - 6 Hours of Cranky Monkey

3 Hrs Solo

by Brad Walker

First a big thanks to Flying Dog and our sponsors. Next a thanks to Ex2 adventurers for not disappointing for a great start to the season. I have never ridden at Rosaryville and I will definitely have to make the trip back down for the next 6 Hours of Cranky Monkey. So let’s see, this winter has been cold, wet, and way too long so not much time for training but the miles that were put in early are paying off as I can tell that I will be at peak racing shape earlier than last year. It is so hard to go into a race and tell yourself that it is a month early and you won’t be in the best shape so take it easy and enjoy yourself. This is of course not the way my brain thinks so every ride is a race and every race is as if it’s for the yellow jersey. Well the race directors have the 3 hour solo racers line up for the prologue of about a mile before hitting the single-track of what will be an 11 mile loop repeated as many times in 3 hours. Most races are started by classes but for some reason they started the entire 3 hour solo class together, beginners, sport, and experts. This is pretty hard as you never really totally know who you are racing. Racing bikes is a lot more than just riding a bike, there is a lot of strategy to racing mountain bikes, especially as you move up in class and become the top percent of the class you race in. Once in the top tier you will find that the times are very close and it becomes a chess match. One wrong move and you can go from leading to falling out of contention fast. So not knowing who you are racing is difficult as you can find yourself chasing someone who isn’t even a threat to your podium spot. So the race starts and I find myself in the top 5 or so riders after the first mile and heading into the single track. Around mile 3 the field starts to span out and I find myself by myself and trying to keep a consistent pace for what I would expect 3 hours racing would be for the sport class. I was assuming that times under an hour were going to be very close to being the time needed to be in contention for a spot on the box. I assumed after mile 8 that the 4 or 5 riders in front were experts and I should start pacing as the lead sport racer and race my race. The first lap comes and goes in a flash, legs are warmed up, it’s not too cold out anymore and I’m feeling great. At the end of each lap we are told to dismount and walk/jog through the timing tent, this is a little odd to me as I’m not racing as part of a team but as a solo rider, dismounting takes time and allows the chasers to catch up a little more. Regardless I dismount, jog through and I’m back on the saddle racing through the pit areas. At this time it’s not hot out and I’m not really paying attention to hydrating correctly. As a rule of thumb, I’ve always tried to drink a bottle every hour, and even more if it’s hot or I’m riding really aggressively. So I head into the single track and I can tell there is one rider on my wheel who is in my class so I take off and try to gain some distance and keep him from bridging the gap. I’m keeping a very strong pace and feeling great and the miles go by pretty quick and before I know it I’m dismounting again with a solid minute on the guy chasing me. Heading into the 3^rd lap I’m figuring it will be the last lap of the race, I have a little less than half a bottle of water left and don’t think anything of it since it’s not hot out and I’m not thirsty really, this is the bad chess move that will prove to be the difference in a podium spot and solid finish. So about mile 4 of 11 my left leg cramps extremely bad. I’ve heard of endurance riders especially talk of hydrating and cramping, it’s never been an issue of mine as I’ve never cramped during an event, after is a different story. I’ve always guzzled water from a camel pack but I’ve switched to bottles in an effort to take some weight off my body and put it on the bike. Unfortunately grabbing a water bottle on tight twisty super fast trails is pretty tricky and I’m worrying more about riding fast than hydrating. So I try to put the leg out of my mind as its hurting but not keeping me from pedaling, I go over a log and my right leg cramps up and it was a different cramp than my left. This cramp was more like a Charlie horse and I had to dismount and stretch my leg. The chaser catches me as well as another by the time I can muster the strength to get back on and push myself to ignore the pain. I take off and ride as fast as I can and another rider catches me but I can only push as hard as the legs will go. I have plenty of gas left but when I try to push harder, the cramps come back. So I sit back and pace myself to the finish. I ended up in 6^th place which isn’t too bad but it’s bad for me since I was in contention and knowing if only I had hydrated correctly I would have a nice little glass to show for my efforts! Regardless, this is racing and it’s very strategic and takes mental strength as well as physical strength. The difference in winning and losing is very thin. Next race is the Greenbrier Challenge which is home to the Maryland State Championships and happens to be my training and home course.