Stoopid 50

1st Single Speed, 7th Overall

Full Results (coming soon)

Strava Datas

I woke up way earlier than I needed to.. as usual the morning of a race.  I just get so excited!  I love waking up in my own bed, traveling overnight to races is really not my thing, I need to remember that for future racing seasons.

For pre-race calorie intake here we go... 2 bowls of oatmeal piled high!  1 PROBAR (peanut butter), 1 bagel with jelly, 2 cups coffee, 1 GU with caffeine (on the start line).  Not quite as much as normal but my stomach was not feeling great for some reason so I held back a bit.

My dad drove to the race with me and while I raced he volunteered!  It was a great fathers day!

I started with 2 tubes, enough food to last the entire race (2x PROBAR, 2x PROBAR Fuel, 3x GU gel, 2 other granola type bars) 1 bottle water, 1 bottle Cerasport.

Starting line pic taken by my dad

I was not sure who would be my competition at this race.  My goal was to go for the overall win and get the SS win in the process.  I heard there was a guy named Chris who might be fast but other than that I really didn't know who was in the race.  Most races post a Confirmed Riders list on bikereg.com but this race did not have that.

From the start I stayed up front in 2nd or 3rd position for the 2 or so miles up the road/gravel hill that had only a slight incline.  Every year this is not very fast, but at the end everyone puts in a big effort to get into the single track 1st... after the first 5 or so people enter the single track there is always a huge bottle neck.

I was so happy that I was easily 3rd into the single track. I did not have to put in a huge effort and I felt very comfortable with my position.  In less than 1 mile I dropped my chain :( :(  This was super bad!  Not only did it take me 6 whole minutes to figure it out and get it back on but I was also now in about 100th place in the middle of 6 - 7 miles of SUPER skinny single track (trees brushing you on both sides) and no where to pass, but I also left my TULEBAG and flat fixing supplies... I will never see those again.

For the remainder of the single track I passed when I could but when I could was not very often.  I was nice and said pleaseeee and thank you but still I didn't get very far.  I was even behind a guy wearing sneakers and baggy shorts for about 10 minutes!  oh man... not good.

"Well maybe I can still win the Single Speed... Almost for sure I won't be able to catch the geared leaders but I am going to do my best!"

Soon after I left the single track there as a HUGE 20-30 minute climb up a mountain!  So fun!  After the climb on the descent I finally caught the 3rd place (finished 2nd) Single Speed racer by buddy Thom Parsons of DirtWire.tv!!!  Thom is the man and he has been getting faster every race he enters this year!  We chatted for a bit and he told me that Topher who as sitting in 1st SS was just a minute or so ahead.  I went ahead and caught him quickly on the next uphill.

Photo by Shenandoah Mountain Touring.. on one of the final climbs I think

Topher told me that he thought he was 1st SS but he was not sure.  So I put my head down and set it in my mind to catch the next SS guy.. if there was one.  Topher was riding with his hands off the handle bars on a flat section, while I was full out on the gas.  Haha.. he crushes the downhills but it was obvious that his heart is just not in it when the rocks turn to road and you have to Time Trial to the next section of super fun trails.  He is definitely his own guy.

(post race DirtWire.tv interview with Topher)

The rest of the race was full out Time Trial mode.  Head down.  Zone 5.  Push the pace and never ever let up.  In these situations I find that daydreaming helps.  There were so many times that I could not see anyone in front of me so I would daydream that the 1st place geared group was only right over the next hill... "just keep going and u will catch them"

This race is definitely one of the most fun races and I put it as an A priority race every year.  One day I will win this race!!!!  It is a life goal of mine :).  It will take some luck to not get any mechanicals or flats but one day I will win it.

After all the climbing and awesome single track was done I made it to 1st in Single Speed and 7th overall.  I could not believe it when I crossed the finish line and Dan Wolf had finished a few minutes ahead of me in 6th!!  Wow!  That guy had a super awesome race!  Congrats to him!

2nd place was Kevin Campbell who I beat by a hair at Michaux Maximus earlier this year... not that I could have beat him again but at least I could have been close!  ah what could have been....  NEXT TIME!!!

I highly recommend this race to anyone who wants a super challenging course that is well marked and well supported.  Chris Scott and Shenandoah Mountain Touring puts on the best races hands down.

 

(post race DirtWire.tv interview with Chris Scott)