Mountain Bikes & Other Things: April 2010

The title of this post changed in my head. Last Thursday I was already thinking of "Anger Management" when my mountain bike ride @ BCSP went all wrong. No, I didn't crash. No, I didn't get hurt. No, I didn't have to walk out of the woods. And that's why I changed the title post.

Going on little sleep and a little cranky already, I decided to try out my new 1 x 9 setup; Heather graciously agreed to go with me. Little did Heather know the foul language she would hear that night every time my chain skipped up and down the gears. I made it around the North Tower & Aynes loops before succumbing to frustration. (Sorry, Heather!) If you're like me, this "annoyance" makes concentrating on technique, form, cadence, and looking ahead nearly impossible as my brain starts focusing on the negative. BAD ANGELA!

While reading Three Cups of Tea that night thinking about the children in Korphe, Pakistan, I came to the conclusion - again - how much of a spoiled brat I am. Wah--my shifting isn't perfect. The kids in this region fortunate enough to attend school once a week literally do math problems in the dirt with sticks! Having not finished the book, I'm anticipating the fate of a new school that Greg Mortenson promises to deliver.

I also calmed down on the way home when I realized that's one of the reasons I went to BCSP that night--to get the kinks worked out. Yes, there will be kinks; identify them, fix them, and move on! Granted, once every couple of years, the red-headed temper flares up.

Many who know me have heard me say, "There's only 1 hill worth going up--Bear Wallow Hill--because the downhill is SO SWEET!" Most descents in this region have a 90-degree curve or a stop sign at the bottom mandating caution while slowing momentum. Bear Wallow lets you ride out that momentum with some nice, sweeping curves.

Anyway, I have a new, favorite hill now. I never thought I would say those words. I set out yesterday with one goal--to do that hill. Riding past Gatesville, the road takes a 90-degree left turn. After a mile or so, the road just starts creeping up--very gently, in fact. A creek filled with flowing water and cool rocks accompany the rider through dense leaves. There is no steep grade; I can accelerate on this hill! While there's no downhill on the other side--well, not immediately, it is truly a pleasant climb. OMG--another phrase I never thought I would say.

Without clearly checking maps, I ended up missing a turn and found myself staring at a Dairy Queen in the distance. Huh? Where was I? The signs indicated Trafalgar. Not knowing my way home through Morgantown backroads, I doubled back in search of the missed turn. I missed it again. My map showed a named road while road signs displayed county road numbers.

Knowing storms were looming, I turned back the way I came and descended the awesome hill on Sweetwater Trail (N. Peoga) Road. It was worth it! Boring, I know, but I returned the way I came making for a 60+ mile out-and-back. I had some options, but the skies were getting darker and shorter/faster won over exploration this time.

I walked in the door 3 seconds before it started pouring. I helped myself to a bowl of chocolate ice cream (who am I kidding? I didn't use a bowl.) and watched the delayed Little 500 race on HDNet. Some days are bad, some days are good.

Another mini-vacation! I just want to say how extremely fortunate I am to get to do such exciting things. Last Thursday, Mr. Wonderful and I packed up our van and headed to Bryson City, NC to the Tsali Recreation Area to embark on some trail riding. In addition to our goal to get in some trail time, I wanted to test out the new bike (frame) build on a race course.

It's awesome when the bikes ride inside the vehicle.

Getting a late start on Thursday, we came upon 2 traffic snags that delayed our travels. Historically, I've been like George Costanza in the Seinfeld episode (I think Bubble Boy) when George loses Jerry because he wants to make good time. Perhaps my nonchalant attitude about traffic jams came about because of technology's distractions, specifically my iPhone.

I hate Pigeon Forge. Yet, there I was stuck--for 45 minutes--looking at all of the offerings this tourist trap has to offer. Hubby and I started discussing the origins of the name of this city. With my Wiki app, I learned the population of this town with the lone stretch of road is 5,083.

SERIOUSLY?!?!? Seeing more cars than that at 2 stoplights, I wondered if the unemployment rate was near 0%. Apparently other people DO like Pigeon Forge and want to see everything it as to offer.

Anyway, tourist town behind us, we continued through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's beauty stuns me every time I drive along that path. I could live here. Eastern KY, TN or Western N.C. It's breathtaking.

So, we arrived at the campsite a little late after stopping by the grocery; quickly set up the tent and made some dinner.

Now I want to share with you how much I love car camping and why. Above was our abode for the next 4 nights--The North Face Trailhead 8 (an REI dividend reward for dutifully using our credit card.) Yes, it's supposed to sleep 8 people, and we enjoyed it all to ourselves. I can fully stand up in this tent!!! We took an air mattress and slept on it! It sure beats carrying your tent in your backpack--along with the thermarest to sleep on.

And can I mentioned the food now? We ate real food since we had a cooler and a gas stove. By real food I mean, bacon (not just on the first day), pancakes, fajitas, pasta, etc. No freeze dried crap. (As if I eat that stuff anyway when backpacking.)

That night, as the temperatures dropped into the high 20s or low 30s, I went through my usualy ritual of getting up in the middle of the night to pee. Brrrr! The covers weren't quite keeping me warm. At O'dark-thirty, I broke out the sleeping back and snuggled in. Ahhhhh--warmth!

We spent the next two days riding, riding, and riding. The trails are phenomenal. Early Friday, I learned I had worn out some of my bike parts when I got chain suck 3 times. YES! I am riding enough (or not changing the chain often enough) to have worn out the front chain rings. I really, really, really, wanted my granny gear for this course and was lucky that some Columbus folks could bring me some new rings before Sunday's race. THANKS to Jacob, Amanda (riding for Shamrock Cycles), & Emily for bringing these to me.

The boys changed these out for me, and I was good to go.

Sunday's race was HARD. I knew it would be. In 2008 I did the Knobscorcher and cried at the finish. No kidding. I hurt so bad and was so thankful that it had ended, I cried. There has been only 1 other time this happened; it was last year's 6-hour race in Kentucky when I had to pee so bad.

The 30.5 mile race had over 2500 feet of climbing, which also means it had some phenomenal downhills. I felt good about my descents and cornering. I was loose and focused--a difficult feat for 3-hours. But best of all, this was probably the first race where I didn't have the demon voice in my head saying, "Gosh it hurts so bad I should just quit." I stayed racing the entire time; and did so happily. My reward was catching 2 girls at the end. Sadly, I had enough gas to pass only one while the second finished ahead of me. Still, I had to give it my all in the last mile to ensure I wouldn't get passed back. EXCITING stuff!

I know I lost much time stopping to let the Sport men go by and, um, walking up the really steep, rocky hills by the Overlook. But I was having fun. The weather was perfect and despite already sore legs, I felt good. Race day was the final day of a hard, 3-week training block; I didn't have grand expectations with or without being sore. But I did want to feel good. Despite placing 18th out of 23, I was happy with my effort. In looking back, I shaved off 15 minutes from my 2008 time. This made me ecstatic! While the course and conditions were a little different, I'm going to credit some of that gain by consistent training.

Other lessons learned. DRINK, DAMMIT! For the two days prior I didn't consume much water and ran out on the course with about 45 minutes left to race. 70 oz in my camelback and 25 oz of Heed in the bottle. Gone. My upcoming XC races won't be as long as this one, so I shouldn't have that problem again. But I can help prevent dehydration by drinking a lot prior to the race.

Some people are just total buttholes. A couple of Sport guys impolitely asked (told) to get around me on a flying descent. I wasn't about to stop (as there was no place to pass) to let them go by at that particular moment. They would have to wait for a better place. So, I was heckled, again, impolitely for a few more seemingly long seconds. So much for being good sports. I'm glad I didn't let it bother me too much; it was much too beautiful where I was to let words get to me.

Still need to work on muddy sections. I hesitated too much in puddles and creeks. Plow through it! There weren't many muddy sections, but I did slow down too much losing precious seconds (or minutes?), especially when I needed more juice to get back up to speed. What happened to all my skills drills from earlier in the year? My reality check tells me I need to start incorporating them again--frequently!

In a nutshell, that was my North Carolina trip. There's so much more to say; you'll have to trust me that it's a beautiful place. It's certainly worth another road trip. Any takers?

More pics.....

The Thomson trail littered with Rhododendrons.