12 Hours of Tsali - the race report

The 12 Hours of Tsali has officially come and gone and being that the course was super fast and not very technical I had an excellent time. GRT Racing held strong throughout the entire race keeping our lap times right around the 1 hour mark all day. We had no mistakes or mechanicals and everything flowed very smoothly.

The team unanimously nominated me as the lead man in the race taking the reins and running in the Le Mans start. I kinda wanted to lead us out normally leaving those duties to B-Rad but he was busy in Chattanooga laying waste to other runners on Raccoon Mountain. Two weeks leading up to the race I was pondering on my strategy on what to do. My plan of attack was to start out the run which I considered short, as fast as I could, place my bike as close to the start as allowed and ride by any runners who might have been faster than me.

As we lined up for the start I tried to get as close to the front as possible but ended up 3 rows back packed in with everyone like sardines. As soon as the race started I took off hoping to weave through traffic and get closer to the front. I got hung up behind a couple of slower guys before working my way around to the outside and moved up along side the front pack as fast as possible. I did fairly well with staying up front but several of the runners were faster than I had expected.




Yes I am completely off the ground, it's how I run.



Once I got to my bike it was a cluster of runners trying to pass and riders trying to get moving and not run over anyone. Once moving I jumped on some guy's rear wheel as we weaved through the swarm of people. Once free of traffic I stomped on the gas.




Mark kept telling me he's not a runner and would be walking but obviously that was not true.



One thing I forgot was the length of fireroad we had to ride before hitting the singletrack. I had over exerted myself during the run and paid for it on the fireroad accents. I got passed left and right. It was until we hit the singletrack that I was able to get my breathing under some what of control. Just before the race I had downed a chocolate gel which was trying to fight it's way back out.

I had to back off a bit while I got my stomach under control and once that happened I was able to get back on the gas and work my way around some of the slower riders. The longer we raced the better I felt, I hoped I was not pushing myself too hard as I didn't want to blow up before it was over but I couldn't allow myself to back down with three or four riders in front and behind me. I held my pace and hoped for the best. Once in the pits I checked my time which showed 51.47, I though surely I had brought us back in at least in the top 5, that wasn't the case.

Going into the race I wondered if racing the sport class was the right thing to do. Some believe that if you have been on the podium you should move up to the next class. I think that if you win you should definitely move up the following year if you return to that same race. My pondering on whether we were sandbagging being in the sport class was put to rest as soon as the first round of laps were posted. Even though we were running fast and consistent laps we were in 10th place.

As I stood there examining lap times something caught my eye in the beginner category. The top 5 or 6 teams were posting sub 50 minute laps, faster than at least half of the sport field. Not only were the top beginner class riders running faster laps but the field was 3 times as big. I went from wondering if we belonged in the expert class to wondering if we belonged in the beginner class. The Gone Riding races obviously draw alot better riders from a larger spectrum than the races I'm used to but I have no doubt that a large portion of the beginner class did not belong there. I really wished there had been a co-ed class but I felt fine with our placement and settled into the race and concentrated on having fun.

Finally I was able to call on the JET to race knowing the course was really better suited for the hardtail bikes but I went ahead with it especially since I had seen several other JET9s and even a RIP9 on the first lap. I worried about being a bit slower on the JET but it was not by much. My second lap I turned in at 55 minutes 35 seconds. Unfortunately the entire lap was plagued by a creaking headset which I think was loose. I actually haven't taken the time to check since my Fox F29 is due in at any time.

For lap three I went back to the AIR9 to get a better feel of lap times since my first lap on it included the running portion. My third lap I felt awesome, the AIR9 felt like a rocketship. When I stomped on the pedals it immediately responded. My 3rd lap while not any faster than the second was only 6 seconds slower.

I never really thought the JET would be faster but I was pleasantly surprised at how fast it was. I plan to take it along with the AIR9 to the H8R race in Haw Ridge next month where it will be more at home with all the roots and rocks.

too be continued..............

riding with 2 old friends and the infamous "Trixie" crew

Yesterday after some back breaking trailwork I loaded up the two white squishy bikes for some singletrack fun at Warriors with Melinda. Upon our arrival I notice all the Trixie riders gearing up for a spin through the woods. So rather than ride with the ladies I opted to ride with the guys so they could talk all girly and stuff.

Mike T. aka the "Local Cult Hero" had texted me earlier, something along the lines of "Rodney Warriors 6". Infamous for his one liners that take a few minutes to decipher I pondered a minute or two and then forgot about it. Upon our arrival at the trail head I realized he meant "Riding Warriors at 6, come out if you think you can hang".

As we suited up and the normal trash talking began, I noticed not only were all the Trixie riders in attendance but a couple of old friends of mine were there as well. One of which I used to hang out with alot. We spent countless hours at Warriors together cursing singing and making others look like chumps on a couple of occasions. Speaking of Trixie riders, Mike I want a Trixie t-shirt dammit! All the good deals I've given you on my old bikes and the $20 you shorted me on the Karate Monkey sale, it's the least you can do.





It took me a second to recognize the Monkey with it's new fancy wheelset. The white rims, wow very nice! It almost made me throw down an offer to buy it back. I'm still pondering that offer Dirty so hollar at me if you decide to sell.





Although we didn't spend a whole lot of trail time together the Mary did hang out in my bike room for a year or so until the Local Cult Hero finally conned me into selling it to him for a ridiculously low price. Both bikes were in good shape and made me proud to see them run again.

Kind of like it's time with me the Mary doesn't see much trail time either, I'm not saying the LCH doesn't ride much... well yes I am but even if he did, he has so many freaking bikes he could ride a new one everyday for two months before any of them see a second ride. I would say he easily has more bikes in his basement than some of the local bike shops.




The new NTMBA T-shirts are finally in, no funky colors this time. Get one while you can, $15. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Today is the day that the Lord has made, it's also the day where I will make the JET9 pedal like a dream. Easier? Heck no, Smoother? Yes! Hopefully there will be alot less chain droppage as well.

Bike @ Bays this weekend, hopefully we won't see any rain but if it does I'll still ride. Those trails with their sand based composition drain better than any in the area. Yesterday while working on the new Chestnut trail I was amazed at how well it held up just after two big storms, no mud.

Chainless bike race? You better bring it!

giving a little back and a greasy chain

Things have been slacking around the blogosphere not just here but everywhere. I guess people are spending more time outdoors rather than blogging about being outdoors. It's 12:41 am and I'm stuck at work so I'll take a minute to see if I can come up with anything entertaining to say.

Rather than spend a bunch of time putting in miles on the mountain bike in an effort to boost my summer racing I've pushed alot of my focus to giving back instead of always taking. What I'm trying to say is I've been doing some much needed trail work. In the past 2 years my commitment to doing trailwork has been kinda slim, mainly due to my work schedule but I've finally found a way to work around this. I've been doing most of my trail work during the week and I've even found a few other folks with odd ball schedules to help out.

Trailbuilding can really be enlightening and fun, especially when you get to reap the rewards of your hardwork.

We've really made alot of progress with the new trail that's being built at Bays Mountain. Even though the volunteer turnout has sucked the excellent soil conditions have made thing flow smooth and very efficient.

Not only does trailbuilding make me feel good it's an excellent workout. It's not quite as fun as mountain biking but it is free and the reward for your work will last for many many years.

I can really only think of one negative thing about trailbuilding and that is the lack of help we get. With the HUGE potential that we have here in NE Tennessee for building trails and the large mountain biking population it's really sad to see how little others give back. We have a ton of opportunity for new trails right here in our backyard but we are moving at a snails pace taking advantage of it because the few who do show up can only do so much.

I can think of 3 separate projects that need our attention just at Bays Mountain that we could be doing but will have to sit on the back burner for a while. Just the other day I had to turn down a request for help building a totally new trail system because I knew we are to understaffed to do the work. I don't want to promise anything I can't follow through with and I knew it couldn't be done and I felt bad for saying no but it had to be done.

Enough of the negativity, this weekend should be a good one to stick around town for. Bike @ Bays is back again and this year will probably be the biggest yet. Really it gets bigger and better every year but this year we've gotten even more support from the local bike shops than we have in the past and we've added a new event, the Chainless Bike Race. A gravity fed race down Azalea where riders see who can get down the mountain the farthest without the aid of pedaling. Costumes have been encouraged so the spectator's view should be entertaining. I think a video recap will be a must for sure this year.

There has officially been a change in the tide in my bike room. A official attempt to sell the JET was made and the out come has been declared a failure. Some will say it was because my asking price was too high and that may have been the case but it was probably for the better. After 2 weeks on Ebay and a few decent offers one which I almost took I decided to pull the plug and keep the JET. I never disliked the JET in any shape or form, it's a great bike I just had a yearning for the singlespeed life again but I think those days may be past for me or at least on hiatus. With past back issues and Melinda's recent back injury it has gotten me thinking maybe the singlespeed gig just isn't what I need right now. The JET is a ton of fun and some of my reasons for trying to sell it where due to some drivetrain issues its had. I finally put in an order for a new rear derailleur and a chain guide to remedy any and all of the drivetrain issues I had. Another thing that kept me from truly falling in love with the JET was the lack of a proper fork, one that was meant to be on that bike. The JET is sporting a tapered head tube but since it's birth in my bike room it's been running a regular straight 1 1/8" fork. Today I officially ordered a new fork with a tapered steer tube and I went ahead and went for the thru axel. Why not go full bore and make this one bad ass bike. No more half ass building here. Vanna White is officially going to be sporting nothing but the finest duds I can afford.

I've always been a Rock Shox kind of guy but this time I went with Fox, I've heard good things about them and rather than buy a new wheelset to accommodate the 20mm Reba I'm keeping the Mavics and converting the hub to a 15mm which is what the Fox fork uses.

I looked around trying to find a good chain guide since I refuse to be normal and use a front derailleur. I run all of my bikes 1x9's which tends to hurt more on big climbs but makes me look tougher when I clean them. I gotta do something to be a little different.

The complexity of the JET9's frame due to a rear shock mount makes it difficult to run a simple chain deflector so I went with some a bit more fancy with the bottom bracket mounted MRP G2 mini. They come in a wide variety of cool colors but I decided to stick with black since I like my chains greasy.

bringing the pain......... on myself

Man am I tired, I feel like I've been riding hard everyday since the 6HWC but actually I've only been on the bike twice. Our local club has taken on the task of building another trail at Bays Mountain in an effort to make the park more mountain biker friendly. When I first started riding there it was all fireroads and well fireroads. I take that back there was one doubletrack trail that also serves double duty as a small creek during rain storms but now it's starting to take shape of a mini version of the Grand Canyon. I think I've put in close to 15 hours this week of trail work which is huge for me. Normally I miss most workdays due to my job but I finally decided I'm going to just go out on my own and work by myself if I want to show any support. Trails are an awesome thing and I can't stop thinking about how cool it's going to be when this one is done I should have been resting this week because this weekend is the 1st race of the TN Cup Endurance series, The Ocho, at Panther Creek State Park is one of three 8 hour races B-Rad and I are competing in this summer as a duo. I have never competed in a series before so I'm pretty excited. I just hope that I can keep up with the terror B-Rad is going to lay down on the race course. I'm afraid all of my efforts off the bike might be leaving me feeling a little used up this weekend when the flag drops. In an effort to re-energize I'm only going to put in only one workday this week at Bays, I shouldn't but I can't help myself, I'm a bit obsessed with building this trail for some reason right now. I'm sorry there is no new videos to watch, I've yet to look at any of the footage from the 6HWC race last weekend, maybe next week. I did finally mount up my new tires today, the Bontrager 29-4's, they're a little on the beefy side of things but I'm going to give them a whirl this weekend and maybe order another more racier set for the summer. All the tubeless tire swapping I've done lately has improved my skills a bit and maybe having two different sets of tires to run is doable for me. So I'm at the crossroads of what to do about the JET9 again. I rode a lap at Warrior Creek with Melinda and had an absolute blast on it. The sections that chattered my teeth on the AIR9 Saturday disappeared underneath all of that squish. It is still up for sale but I ain't letting it go cheap, like I said before I'm in no hurry to sell it.

getting ready for the big show no matter what they say

Rain, yeah that what we've got, good for people who like rain bad for me. The weather forecast for this weekend is up in the air right now if you ask me. Last year I would have said, "It's gonna be awesome! Just check the forecast." Right now the call is for rain today and tomorrow for sure no doubt about it. Fri it's a 30% chance and Sat and Sun it's nothing but clouds and sunny skies. I have several pessimistic friends who like to tell me just before we leave, "It looks like rain for you all weekend." Don't you just love those people. Never the less I'm paid up for the race and my campsite so I will be racing unless they cancel it which probably won't happen. Being an optimist I look at it this way, if it does rain there is a better chance for me to get closer to the podium because no doubt there will be some pansies who will stay home. Another good thing about all this rain is it knocks down the pollen count, yay for me and my allergies.

If you haven't been paying attention lately this weekend is the first big race of the year for me, The 6 Hours of Warrior Creek. I'm pumped, excited, and giddy like a little school girl. Melinda and I were planning to head down Thursday after work until we realized Friday is the first official day of the season for Bandit's Roost campground. So instead of making a late night of it and camping out in Wilkesboro's WalMart parking lot we're opting to leave early Friday morning. Luna Cycles is setting up shop with a whole fleet of sweet Niner demo bikes at the trailhead and we plan to be there to sample the goods. Fingers crossed there might just be a SIR9 in attendance.

If you haven't been over to Warrior Creek in a while there is some new trail that's been added, the section shown above is one of my favorites. Just around the corner, over the bridge is a really cool rope swing. You can see it in action here along with what it's like to ride the trails there when wet.

Speaking of SIR9's, I called my LBS and Niner has a couple in stock in my size and color. So on a whim I threw up a couple of pics of the JET9 on my local club forum to see if I would get any bites. If you're interested in a 2010 Jet9 give me a shout.

It's in perfect condition with less than 100 miles on it. I'm selling it frame only with the headset, seat collar, and Thompson seatpost. I might let the Reba go with it for the right price. I'm in no rush to sell nor do I need the money so any low ball offers will be ignored. Shoot me an email if you're interested and we'll talk prices.

Race-ready 29er full suspension, updated for 2010

3" of CVA™ suspension

custom valved Fox RP23 shock

Compatible with 80-100mm forks

Tapered headtube technology

Hydroformed tube construction

Custom forging throughout

The headset is an FSA that comes with an adapter if you don't have a fork with the tapered steer tube.

I spent a good portion of the evening sorting through my GoPro stuff, charging the batteries for it and my Flip cam. I also spent some time thinking about new angles to shoot from and such so anticipate a new video coming down the pipe in the next week.