Icup #8: Dear Valley

Hows that for a podium at a Wednesday night Icup race?

1, Roel Paulisen (Cannondale) 1.01.35 (Current World Champion and 10 time Belgian National Champion?!?!?)

2, Marco Fontana (Cannondale) 1.01.53 (Italian National Champion)

3, Manuel Furis (Cannondale) 1.02.40 (German National Champion)

4, Alex Grant (Cannondale)

5, Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale)

 

I flatted on the first lap but at least I got to watch these guys finish.

Not Too Shabby.

The mini base phase is going well. Lots of long slow miles in beautiful places.   

Race #5: Soldier Hollow

First race in the pro class, wasn't a lot of chat'n out on the course. Hurt. Never felt like I had good legs, survived for a 7th place finish. Plenty satisfied with that. Now its time to get some recovery and start a new base phase with lots of long slow volume over the next few weeks to get ready for Leadville and Park City later in the season. Thanks to the Colonel for the pics

Had my whole support crew there. Luke and Em above and Mom Below. THANKS!

(Mike and Dad taking pics and otherwise harassing racers)

Icup Race #4: Sundance

Sundance was bitter-sweet. Sweet because I got another W but bitter because it will be my last. I'm bumping up to the pro class for the rest of the series which means my goal will shift from winning to the pursuit of that ever satisfying "earnest effort." I plan on talking to the organizers to see if they're open to having a separate podium for "most earnest effort."

12 Hours of Mesa Verde

Posting a write-up on an event when you are still cooked from the effort is akin to a restaurant critic doing a review on an all-you-can eat buffet when they are still sweating gravy, provided there exist buffet critics.


This last Saturday Trevor Simper and I competed as a duo team in the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde. The race course is in Cortez Colorado just outside of Mesa Verde and about 40 miles from Durango. It consists of a 17 mile circuit of some of the tastiest, flowing-est, techi-est singletrack that exists in the western states. It would be hard to craft in your imagination such a perfect loop of singletrack. Unfortunately I have no pictures, as I was either racing on the course or racing to recover before I tagged-in for the next lap.

The race draws some of the best talent from Colorado (especially Durango), New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

From MTB Race News: "....the Mesa Verde race is so much fun it brought together one of the most accomplished 4-person race teams ever assembled. Mountain biking's version of the Dream Team included Travis Brown, Daryl Price, Dave Weins, and John Tomac."

After 12 hours of racing we finished 3rd in the Male Duo class and 5th place overall, with about 600 racers competing. The toughest part of the whole day may have been jumping in the car after the awards ceremony and driving 5 hours home, arriving about 3am.

Icup Race Series: 5 Mile Pass

With SNOW and rain all week, the weather gave no reason to think that the race on Sat would be anything but a muddy mess. Looking out towards 5 Mile Pass on the way to the race there was blackness hovering over the west desert. Driving into the storm it started to rain then sleet then snow. This did not bode well for race conditions or moral.

Then there was a Christmas miracle. One mile from the race site we came out the other side of the darkness and there was a bubble of dry, even sunny conditions surrounding the race course. Bizarre.

The race was long for an Icup race with experts doing 33 miles and pros doing 44. The guy who bested me down at Cholla was in the field so the plan was to race with him and then try to make a move on the final lap. We worked together on the first two laps and as I accelerated on the final lap I started to feel that unwelcome twinging in the legs and knew I was on the verge of cramping up, bad. I went hard for about 15 minutes and built a comfortable gap. I spent the rest of the final lap trying to maintain power while willing away the cramping. I couldn't stand up or my legs would completely seize up. I managed to finish out the lap protecting a two minute gap and finishing first.

Trevor (ol' White Sleeves) had a great race finishing 5th in the pro class. We are now looking forward to next Sat where we will be competing as a duo team in the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde in Colorado. We'll be tag-teaming a 16 mile course for 12 hours. Each lap should take a bit over an hour so we are hoping to rip 5 each and win the duo category.

White Rim Trail in a Day

Finally got a chance to ride the White Rim trail, outside of Moab, in one day. Total ride ended up around 108 miles, thanks to some wrong turns, and our moving time put us around 7 hours. You can see more details than you ever wanted by clicking on the Garmin link below the pics.

Started the day with myself, Trevor Simper, and Cameron Smart, all representing the Infinite Team (or the Larry H. Miller Toyota/Infinite Cycles Race Team, for short). Cameron rode by himself most of the day, he knocked out a steady pace and rode great. This was mine and Trevor's frist crack at White Rim and we rode like a couple of kids with ADHD. Hammering, stopping for pics, hammering, stopping for crashes, hammering, stopping for pics.

We rode counter-clockwise which meant we entered the canyon floor with this descent. Those who ride the trail clockwise get this tasty little climb at the end of their ride. I thought we were dodging a bullet until I was pleasantly introduced to Schafer Hill which would be the climb that gingerly escorted us up and out of the canyon after 95 miles in the saddle.

This is me (Red Sleeves hereafter) contemplating a short cut

Trevor (White Sleeves hereafter)

The trail leading us right into the rain

White Sleeves and Red Sleeves taking the obligatory self-held portraits

White Sleeves set his bike free to test their love. It came back.

This is Schafer Hill from the top after White Sleeves and I slayed it. Since I couldn’t take the hill home, stuff it and mount it over my fireplace, I settled for a pic. Looking at it from the bottom, it looks like an optical illusion or a practical joke. It seems impossible that any road could climb up and over that canyon wall.

Me, White Sleeves, and Cameron after the ride.

Click the "View Details" on the box below. Also, if you push the play icon on the map you can watch our route on satellite imagery.