Just 6 days after finishing 8th at the 2014 Cohutta 100, I was packing up again for another hundred-mile journey on two wheels. This one was a lot closer though, just a 2-hour drive from St. Louis instead of the 7+ hours it took to get to Tennessee!
In just 3 short years, The Cedar Cross has established itself as one of the most fun bike events of the entire year. The brainchild of Mr. Bob Jenkins (Team Virtus-ian extraordinaire), this ride/non-race/race is a 112-mile odyssey through the gravel roads, singletrack, and Katy Trail of central Missouri. Most riders choose 'cross or gravel bikes, but the course can be and has been crushed on everything from a vintage single-speed cruiser to a geared carbon fatbike. The soul of the event is true to Bob himself - just show up with the bike you have, give the course a good college try, and then stick around for the festivities afterward. If you want to race it, then race it. If you want to pedal with your friends, then pedal with your friends. Stopping for hard salami sandwiches is encouraged, as are picnics in front of nuclear reactors. No douchebaggery allowed.
Me and Tyler discussing the awesomeness of Cedar Cross.
Photo by Brent Newman.
So you can understand why I was eager to get on the road to Cedar Cross. To avoid an 0430 wake-up call on Saturday morning, Maria and I left St. Louis on Friday night to meet up with some jerks at a little hostel in Tebbetts, MO. Close to the starting line and decidedly NOT expensive, we found the Turner Katy Trail Shelter/Hostel to be the perfect launching point for a weekend of bicycle fun. We were hardly expecting everyone to be sleeping already when we rolled in at 10pm, but they were, so we just grabbed two bunks and crashed out! The next morning we were serenaded by Nico...'s radio crooning Merle Haggard's Okie from Muskokie. This could not be more perfect. The five of us (me, Maria, Zoll, the "other" EK, and Matt) run through normal morning routines, and I am fascinated by the boys' breakfast of tamales. So fascinated in fact, that I almost forget we still have to drive 15 minutes to the Cedar Cross start line and it's like 7:30 RIGHT NOW!! Ha! Classic Emily lateness! So we hurriedly throw the bikes onto Maria's car and peel out of Tebbetts.
Bob addressing the crowd, before the first roll-out. Challenge: how many EKs are in this picture?
Photo by Brent Newman.
We arrive at the Cedar Cross HQ with not very many minutes to spare, but turns out the 8:00 start time's been pushed back a bit as well so it's all good. I get the Thunderchicken all ready to go, and line up for the first of two neutral roll outs. Two roll outs? Yes. It's Cedar Cross. Just go with it. So first we ride over to a nearby shelter where Kayne Kirchner is waiting with his shred-tastic version of the National Anthem. Then we have a SECOND roll-out led by Bob's dad's truck out of Cedar City until we hit the first gravel section.
Bob, Luke, and Dave in Bob's Dad's truck.
Photo by Nicole Stacey.
NON-RACE NON-STRATEGY
Peat, Maria, and I on course, right about the time where we were discussing the day's strategy.
Photo by Nicole Stacey.
Let me give you a little side note here. When I'm racing the "bigger" races like NUEs, I like to ride rather conservatively. A strong finish is more important to me than a podium finish, which is WAY more important to me than a DNF...mostly because I've usually invested significant money and travel time into getting to that start line. But for local, less-big events like MFXC and Cedar Cross, all bets are off. I use these events to ride hard, above my perceived all-day threshold, because if I blow up, it's not a big deal. And if I don't blow up, then I know I can go harder at the next big race. It's SO beneficial to my development as an endurance racer to have these low-risk opportunities to push myself. So that's my plug for grassroots (non-)racing. Love it!
THE FIRST 47 MILES (START TO DROP BAGS)
Second neutral roll-out.
Photo by Nicole Stacey.
The first part of the first 47 miles are spent easing into the day. I started with Maria, Peat, SS Kate, HH, LT, Nico, and Matt towards the front, but I feel lonely for my Alpine Shop teammates so I drift back a ways to find Jeff and David. We joke about going through teammate withdrawal since we haven't trained together recently (boys were at the OGRE when I was at Cohutta), and it feels good to be reunited. So we all bring each other up to speed on our respective races and recoveries, and then I get the bug to catch up to Maria and SS Kate. Jeff, David and I work together (also good practice for our adventure race next weekend) to bridge within sight of the lead group, and then latch onto the group that Maria and SS Kate are a part of.
Lamb child minding the gate!
Photo by Brent Newman.
Right as we catch the herd, we are funneled through a narrow gate by the Lamb family and into one of the special features of the Cedar Cross course: the cow field. We are riding through University of Missouri research land, and I guess they are choosing to research grazing patterns of cattle because the course takes us through several gated sections of pasture, each patrolled by an enthusiastic Lamb child. What an awesome family! The course follows a faintly rutted jeep road that is very bumpy - even bumpier than the final singletrack of Cohutta, and I'm on a rigid fork this time!
The cow field. There is a faint two-track but mostly we are just riding through the grass.
Photo by Brent Newman.
But I focus on relaxing my upper body and pretty soon the jeep track narrows into....SINGLETRACK! ON A CROSS BIKE! Seriously this is my favorite thing ever. I don't know why - something about drop bars, skinny-ish tires, and narrow trails just plasters a huge grin across my face. Maria and I rip downhill with Jeff and David following closely behind. We pop out onto gravel and hook up with Peat for a few miles of Team Noah bonding.
Shred it!
Photo by Dave Beattie.
A few more miles of gravel, another singletrack section (wheeeeeeeee!), and the 4 of us (me, Maria, David, Jeff) are still all together. We buckle down and ride hard, trading pulls on the gently rolling Missouri gravel. We are able to catch SS Kate a few miles before the drop bag station, and continue to push the pace. Or rather, I continue to hang on to Jeff's wheel as he puts in a big effort (since he's decided to wait for Carrie at the drop bags) and pulls us all into drop bag heaven.
MILES 47 TO 84 (DROP BAGS TO KATY)
I have a moment of slight panic when I realize that the drop bag station doesn't have extra water! I've packed 24oz, and have some left in my bottles, but I really need another 40oz to be happy for the rest of the day. Thankfully, a dude in a Walt's kit has extra water than he lets me use...thanks! David and I quickly re-supply and then roll south onto another section of singletrack. Could this day get any better? No, no it could not. The Battlefinch crushes and we even stop to be super nice to some equestrians, just sharing the trail karma love. Plus I like horses. David and I pop out on the other side of the singletrack and work together to keep the pace high. I am pretty sure I'm the lead chick at this point and I'd like to keep it that way!
Rolling out of the drop bag station.
Photo by Dave Beattie.
Around mile 50 we come down a hill and make a right turn, and almost immediately my Garmin chirps "off course". I haven't really been paying attention to the cue sheets, so we ride slowly as I try to figure out just exactly where we are. And while we're inching along, my rear tire flats out. Ugh! So David helps me change it, and I spend a few extra minutes digging a very stubborn thorn out of the tread. Annoying but at least I found it now! HH rolls by, and then back again with the Rolla Green Giant as they both agree we are off course. Now that my tire has decided to hold air again, we re-trace our steps about 1/2 mile back to the confusing intersection, where HH stops to re-position the tape (so nice!) and David and I keep motoring. I am fairly certain that SS Kate is now ahead of me since she wasn't that far behind at the drop bags, so David and I go into full-blown chase mode. This is exactly what I wanted out of this day - a really hard, honest effort to see what would explode first: my legs, my brain, or my heart.
If you're going to go All Out for a rest or sprint, you've got to be able to pull the pin, hold the grenade, go all in, and not care what happens after. Focus on what needs to be done, not the consequences immediately after. Be willing to blow sky high to get what you need to get. #projectdeliverance.
http://instagram.com/p/neYOtilMpx/
The miles click over as the day continues to be perfect - sunny, some wind but not horrible, and temps that are warm but I'm loving them. David and I work together, sharing pulls with whomever we happen to roll up on next. I remember a lot of the course from last year and start checking off the landmarks - crossing Hwy 54, Ham's Prairie Gas Station, the long swooping downhill to Auxvasse Creek, and then the grunty climb up the other side. It's here that I hear a familiar voice behind us, which turns out to be Zoll and Matt! These guys have been flip-flopping with me all day, due to Matt's leaky tire and Zoll's luxurious rest stops. But we all glom together at the top of the exposed climb. They wisely stopped at Ham's Prairie for a sandwich (not hard salami though...turkey) and share some course intel that SS Kate is still ahead but with a steady pace we might be able to reel her in. My mind doesn't process the "steady pace" part of that sentence and I jump ahead like I'm an attacking roadie. Zoll calmly rides up and scolds me for trying to take on the chase by myself. It's much smarter to stick with these three super strong (and much taller) guys to work together against the impending wind and monotony of the final 30 miles. He's right, of course, so I tuck in behind as we all swoop down the "totally badass downhill" and robert onto the Katy Trail.
MILES 84 to 112 (THE KATY TRAIL)
Oh, the Katy Trail. I said it last year, and I'll say it again this year: when you get to the Katy, your mind shuts down. You think you have "just a few, flat, easy" miles until the finish line. Ha. WRONG! You have almost 30 miles of the same 10' wide, pea-gravel path between you and a deliciously cold beer. Some of it's exposed to the sun and wind, too. Physically, yes, it's easier than the rest of the course. But mentally, you're really only half-way done. And in my case, there's still a lot of gap to chew up between me and SS Kate, and the real estate is rapidly running out.
Bridge on the Katy Trail. Photo by Brent Newman.
Matt and Zoll stop to tend to Matt's tire, and David and I set the pace at a comfortably firm 16-17mph. We roll up to a Walt's rider, who turns out to be the person that gave me water at mile 47! It's great to meet Generous Ben! We begin to talk calories and David's decided that he wants to stop at mile 88 for more water. I'm feeling good about my situation, and still wanting to chase down SS Kate, tell him that I'm going to ride through. He offers to pull the next 3ish miles into Mokane so I happily slot in behind his wheel, just off to the side a little bit to hide from the cross wind. I decide to dig a sandwich out of my bento, stop paying attention for the smallest fraction of a second, and before I can react, my front wheel overlaps into David's rear wheel, knocking me off balance and sending me crashing to the ground. Owwwww. David, who escapes unscathed, stops immediately to survey the damage. I'm scraped up on my left side, and the Warbird's bars are skewed at a horrible angle. Generous Ben stops too but we urge him on once we figure out that neither bones nor bike are broken. David straightens my bars, I make sure my (brand new) shorts aren't torn, then I gingerly remount for a noticeably less tenacious chase pace. I feel pretty dumb. Overlapping wheels is a big no-no for drafting, and it's entirely my fault that I'm bleeding.
Earlier in the day, NOT on the Katy. Photo by Nicole Stacey.
David pulls me the rest of the way to Mokane, and by the time we get there, it's clear that I've only suffered mere flesh wounds - riding is just fine. David peels off and I'm left to chase on my own now. I continue hustling until the mile 93 turn onto some flat farm roads. It's nice to take a break from the Katy, but I know from last year that these farm roads are completely exposed to sun/wind and can be really tough. I do my best to keep chasing but after only about a mile, I mentally crack. I haven't got any idea how far the gap is up to SS Kate, I have no idea if it's shrinking or growing, and I've just stopped having fun. Cedar Cross, above all, is supposed to be a fun day on bikes, and I'm not here to disappoint Bob Jenkins. So I relax my pace, sit up a little bit, and very shortly am caught by Generous Ben. He is hurting too but together we can at least laugh at ourselves. We chat and make a pact to have a snack at mile 100 - Ben has a banana and I have a Snickers to contribute. It's a great idea! With our easier pace, I can look up and actually appreciate the perfect weather we are enjoying today. As I'm glancing around, I spot another beautiful sight - Zoll and Matt motoring on up to us! I am so happy to have their company and gleefully jump on Zoll's wheel as they pass by. Ben is with us too and we (wo)-man train back to the Katy at mile 97.
Missoury loves company.
The boys' company has re-energized me and we hit mile 100 soon after. I'm not paying attention to mileage, but Ben is and we enjoy a rolling banana/Snickers buffet. Yum! Matt and Zoll are crushing their singlespeeds and the pace is high for me at this point, but if I stay in their draft I can hang on. Ben drops off at some point and that leaves the three of us to make the final turn off the Katy at mile 102. Matt stops to mess with his tire one more time, but Zoll and I continue soft-pedaling. AND THEN I SPOT A LONE RIDER IN THE DISTANCE!!! Could it be SS Kate? Honestly, the rider is pretty far ahead, and I'm not terribly thrilled about the pain that a 10-mile hard chase could bring. But Zoll encourages me to go for it, so together we ramp the pace back up. It does not feel good, and I try to argue that we should wait for Matt. Zoll assures me that Matt will be able to catch us, no problem, and we definitely need to at least see who that rider is way up there. So we grunt and whine our way back up to 16-17mph and hold on.
Matt, me, Zoll in the final miles. Photo by Nicole Stacey.
Sure enough, Matt catches us and we do our best to crush out the remaining miles. We are reeling in the lone rider bit by bit, but as we get closer I'm pretty sure it's not SS Kate. At this point I'm completely fine with 2nd place; I just want to be done! We pass through the tricky section from last year with no issues, and are greeted at the finish line by an enthusiastic crowd, complete with beer spraying from water bottles! How festive! Turns out the lone rider was my friend Don, so we congratulate him on an excellent ride as everyone stuffs their faces with beer, baked potatoes, cupcakes, and SuperCookies. We also found SS Kate who didn't know she had passed me until the finish line! Congrats on an excellent ride!
Official results!
http://cedarcross.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/cedar-cross-2014-is-in-the-books/
The finish line at Cedar Cross is one of the nicest around. There is plenty of cold beer thanks to Team Fohty and Schrock Bike & Brews. It seems like everyone who rolls across the line made a new friend or two out on the course, and can't wait to have a beverage together. The whole atmosphere is just a celebration of what makes Missouri grassroots cycling great - a guy with a cool idea, the motivation to make it happen, and a bunch of his friends who want in. Thanks again Bob Jenkins for all of your hard work! Besides my Team Noah and Alpine Shop teammates, I get to catch up with my favorite ultra-runner Jim, who apparently decided 265 miles of Trans-Iowa was not enough and needed to tack on 112 more for good measure. Good on you Jim!
Beer, baked potato, blood.
http://instagram.com/p/nj4JJ_K7WO/
Photo by Zoelle.
I got exactly what I wanted out of my day at Cedar Cross. I pushed hard, suffered through a mental blow-up around mile 95, then rallied and finished over TWO HOURS faster than last year. That's huge, and I only got there because I was willing to take chances. Non-races like this are very important to me for finding weaknesses in my endurance racing armor, and then figuring out strategies to eliminate those weaknesses. AND I got to ride with some of my favorite people - thanks to everyone who kept me company out there! Can't wait until the next long one! And make sure you read about the final finisher at Cedar Cross, next year I will stick around longer!
I signed up for my first NUE series race of the year way back in 2013 to make sure I got a spot at the Cohutta 100. Turns out, 3 of my Team Noah Foundation teammates got spots as well so we had a road trip on our hands! Trevor drove down from Iowa to STL on Thursday and we had an official team meeting donut-eating festival at Strange Donuts. Since most of us live in STL, we don't often get to hang out with T-ROCK so what better way to do that than while stuffing our faces with fried dough? I think everyone got at least 3. YUM.
YumStrangeYumDonutsYum.
Then on Friday morning, Adam and Maria met me and Trevor at my place to pack up and roll out. It should be noted that Team Noah does not joke around when it comes to road trips - we loaded 4 people, 4 bikes, 2 tents, 1 cot-tent (or is it a tent-cot?), bags of assorted bike tools and gear, several clothing items made of spandex, and some food all into Trevor's beautiful black extended-cab pick-up and hit the road. We didn't make it to Race HQ at Ocoee Whitewater Center with enough time to pre-ride anything, but we did have time to meet the amazing race staff from Trailhead Outdoors, eat several breadsticks, pack drop bags, and gawk at Jeremiah Bishop before setting up camp at a nearby campground with D-Rapp and Ryan from Toasted Head Racing. Turns out, it didn't matter that we hadn't seen an inch of the course because Dan and Ryan gave us detailed descriptions (including diagrams!) of the tricky sections. And then the singlespeeders (Trevor, Dan, Adam) fretted about their gear choice while us smart ones (me, Maria, Ryan) slept soundly.
http://instagram.com/p/nO6krFq7Un/
Race morning, we woke up at 0500 to perfectly chilly Tennessee air, ate breakfast by headlamp, kitted up and drove back to Ocoee Whitewater Center for the race start at 0700. Everything went pretty well except my Garmin refused to cycle past the boot-up screen...TWICE! On the third time it finally decided to function and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I found a spot behind the NUE-trademark Kenda arch in the mid/back of the back, Maria joined me, we had a group prayer, and then GO!
Course profile with aid stations.
START to AS#1 (16.5mi, mostly singletrack)
Here's a fun fact about me: I am not good at starting races. Even with a warm-up, my legs just don't turn over like everyone else's seem to. Also, I have a big fear of being too slow in singletrack and holding people up. So especially on hundo starts, I like to casually ride off the line, slot myself somewhere in the mid-pack, and just do my own thing. It's not the best competitive strategy, for sure, but it keeps me calm and mostly crash-free. Today, it means riding Maria's wheel for the opening 3 miles of road and then into the singletrack. Most of our training rides are like this and it's good to establish a comfort zone before the long day ahead. I unfortunately don't make it through the tricky root section cleanly (had to stop for a crash ahead of me), but the ensuing scary creek crossing is not scary at all. I get ahead of Maria somehow and pop out at the first Aid Station exactly on-pace with my 10mph plan. Sweet!
AS#1 to top of Potato Patch (32mi, mostly gravel road)
After passing Aid Station #1, my main focus was eating. I didn't have any free moments to eat/drink in the singletrack (I'm only using bottles today, no CamelBak) so I'm already in a calorie hole, 1:45 into the race! Fortunately, we just have gravel roads for the next 30ish miles so it's easy to eat and drink. I chow down a ProBar, guzzle a bottle of water, and then take stock of my physical state. I am feeling pretty good, actually surprisingly good after how I've been feeling in training for the past 6 weeks (more on that in a blog post later). I don't see anyone around me and I want to change that. So I start riding a little harder. And I start catching people. Other riders are catching me too, that's for certain, but for the most part I'm moving comparatively faster than I was in the singletrack. I think it's just after Aid Station #2 that I spot a gold mine: a pink jersey just a hundred meters ahead. And ahead of it, is a purple jersey. Now I know this is stereotypical of me, but I'm just assuming that these pink and purple jerseys belong to girl riders and therefore it's time to CHASE THEM DOWN! So I burn a few matches to catch pink girl (in a Hammer kit), and I invite her to hop on my wheel as we chase down purple girl. Turns out there is ANOTHER girl up there too so now we are a pack of 4 women tackling the backside of Potato Patch all together. There are 3-4 guys floating around us too, and everyone seems super stoked to work and chat together. I'm fine with this too but also eager to see where we all shake out in the end.
I've been struggling with some low back soreness in recent training, and, while I'd hoped otherwise, today is no different. Even before Aid Station #1 my low back was barking. Now, more than 30 miles into the day, it's definitely unhappy. I try to solve this by locking out my fork, adding a few gears, and standing on a lot of the stair-steppy uphills. It helps a little, but I'm also scared that my legs will pay the price later for the harder effort. My only consolation is my singlespeed teammates, who do this ALL THE TIME, so I just tell my self to HTFU and ride like Peat, Dwayne, Trevor, and Adam. It can be done! Plus, using a taller gear on the climbs makes me faster, which means my race will be over sooner (as long as I don't explode)!
As we near the 45 mile mark, I start to get anxious for the Potato Patch descent. Each little declination in the road has me asking, "Is this it? Is this the start of going down Potato Patch?" Only pink Hammer girl and one other guy are left from our earlier pack of 8, and we are all eager to stop climbing. There is one sort of fast down hill that swoops by an awesome overlook, and I make a mental note to check that out on the way back. I must have been thinking really hard because I almost miss the left-hand turn that marks the official start of the real Potato Patch descent. I see the paint markings at the last minute, skid to a near stop and just barely bring the SegSlayer around in time. Pink Hammer girl bunches up closely behind me and the two of us let loose down the side of the mountain.
down Potato Patch, AS#4, Pinhoti loop, AS#5, up Potato Patch (16mi total w 4mi singletrack)
Not long after we begin the descent, we see the lead riders climbing back up and they look like they're hurting (well, everyone except for Mr. Bishop, he's flying). I see Trevor and give him a whoop as I fly past. And the road keeps pointing downward! Even after a quick stop at Aid Station #4, we KEEP DESCENDING. I am trying to eat a turkey sammy I picked up at the Aid Station and also maintain control of my bike - I probably looks ridiculous to the riders coming the opposite way. Then, just short of what feels like the Gulf of Mexico, we take a ralphie onto the revered Pinhoti Trail. The section we get to ride is AWESOME. My back is really hurting, but I can't stop smiling as the singletrack weaves through the Georgia pines. We have a short little climby section and then a long, flowy, fast descent to Conasauga Rd. When I pop out onto the gravel, I'm pretty spent. Sure, the trail was amaz0rs fun, but my back has had enough of playing rear suspension for the day. And, pink Hammer girl has caught and decisively passed me. I'm feeling pretty low, and there are still 45 more miles to ride, plus a huge climb!
When things are going badly for me, the first thing I do is eat. Today is no different. I dig out some snacks from my bento and get to work emptying my bottles. The second thing I do is start thinking about why I'm here. I think about Noah, whose 3rd birthday would have been yesterday, and Dwayne, who stayed in St. Louis to support his family instead of racing Cohutta today. I "conjure up a sense of gratitude" (my favorite saying from my yoga teacher) that I get to ride my bike through beautiful terrain in perfect weather, in relatively good health. These things do not suck. I can make it. And around the next bend, I catch a glimpse of pink Hammer girl's kit. She's still well ahead of me, but these curvy gravel roads have a way of distorting time; a small 60-second gap can seem like ages if the lead rider is out of sight. So I remind myself to keep chasing.
I continue mashing up to the bracelet station, where race volunteers give us a stretchy purple bracelet to prove we've done the whole Pinhoti loop. Then we keep climbing up to Aid Station #5, where I stop, completely get off my bike, and load up on calories. Another turkey sandwich and new bottle of CR333 from my drop bag. A PB&J sandwich, PB M&Ms, and Oreos from the Aid Station. I stand there, idly munching away, when the Aid Station volunteer gives me a funny look. This snaps me back into race mode and I exclaim "I'd better get out of here before I eat too much!" He laughs, agrees, and wishes me good luck.
http://instagram.com/p/nRYbrBNf3o/
The climb back up Potato Patch is HOT. And steep. And buggy. But, my legs are still willing to turn my 39x36. I know cross-chaining is horrible but I've got a mental goal now to keep the SegSlayer in the big ring for the rest of the race, mostly in honor of Peat who is always telling me and Maria to pretend the granny gear doesn't exist. And that goal propels me up the slopes of Potato Patch with a lot of effort, but not that much suffering. Don't get me wrong, this is a long, tough climb, but for some reason it's not miserable like I thought it would be. Maybe that's because I am softly singing "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain When She Comes" to myself. And eventually I make it to the top, turn right, pass the pretty overlook, make another right turn, and then, boom! Worst part of the course is over!
top of Potato Patch to AS#7 (23.5mi gravel)
Just because we're done with Potato Patch, doesn't mean that the climbing is over. There are still lots of little roller ups, they are just connected with more descending than climbing. On one of these bumps, I see a familiar kit up ahead. What the what? No, it's not pink Hammer girl, but instead it appears to be my teammate Adam, crushing the course on his rigid Kona Unit SS. It takes me a roller or two to catch him, but when I do, he's struggling with cramps and stomach issues. I offer just about everything in my over-stuffed bento (I ate so much at AS#5 that I haven't really touched my food since then), but nothing sounds good to Adam's unhappy tummy. I tell him about my big ring plan and he encourages me to keep crushing it! So I ride on, stopping briefly at Aid Station #6 for more calories (don't really need these) and water (really need this, it's hot!). The volunteers tell me that pink Hammer girl is about 5min up the road, and just as I leave, Adam rolls in, having dug deep and found a second wind. We high-five and I take off in pursuit!
not a lot of pictures, so you get to look at Strava!
http://www.strava.com/activities/134722724
This section of the course (miles 74-88) is REALLY fun. The descents are long and curvy, and it is a great chance to work on descending. I try to find the little pocket of dirt on the inside corner of each gravel turn, giving my tires maximum opportunity to carry speed through the turn without me braking too much (something I am working on). It's important to get in a rhythm to really fly down these hills. I am alternating between chasing hard ("you totally got this! you're gonna catch pink Hammer girl! keep riding strong!") and then, weirdly, lolly-gagging in a few spots (1 walk break and 1 pee break that had no urgency to them whatsoever). I try not to dwell on my bi-polar riding and am really happy to see Aid Station #8 come into view. One last visit to my drop bag yields some delicious cookies, and encouragement from the awesome Trailhead Outdoors volunteers.
AS#7 to FINISH! (8.5mi gravel, 8mi singletrack)
The guys at Aid Station #7 encourage me to go catch pink Hammer girl. I am extremely well-fueled at this point, and I know that I've got to catch her before the singletrack starts in 8-ish miles, so I continue chasing on the gravel roads. There are several long hairpin turns where we can see the trail ahead/behind us, but there are no riders to be found, and especially no pink kits. My heart starts to accept that I am running out of real estate. I keep my big ring promise to Peat and do my best to maintain good energy as the miles tick off. As we're approaching the top of a climb at mile 96, I see two things that greatly improve my spirits: the final Aid Station tent and a girl rider!
Alas, this girl is in a black/green kit, but it still feels really good to move up a spot this late in the game. She has stopped at the Aid Station and I make a snap decision not to stop at all, and instead use every scrap of advantage I can for the remaining singletrack. I swoop into the Chestnut trail system behind another rider and try to keep his wheel in my sights. The trail is probably really fun on fresh legs, arms, and back, but in my current state I'm just being pummeled by the roots and rocks. And the fun continues as we merge onto the Thunder Rock Express trail! Despite the "Express" in the name, the trail has several parts that are decidedly NOT DOWNHILL. I am not pleased, and neither are my hands or back. I know I can ride better and softer than this, and I remind myself of that out loud, "STAY ON THE TRAIL EMILY! KEEP IT TOGETHER!" I might have said this more than once. My line choice improves only slightly but the miles keep creeping by. I have no idea how many are left before the finish, and every slight uphill in the trail means a huge effort. I just want it all to be over without black/green girl catching me!
Finally, FINALLY, the trail dumps out into the Thunder Rock campground where we slept last night, and I know it's a short one-ish mile ride to the finish line at OWWC. Relief! My legs are thrilled to be back on pavement and offer up a respectable pace. As I'm turning onto the OWWC bridge, I spot Trevor walking back to the truck with his prizes so I know I'm 0-for-2 in NUE podium ceremonies, but at least I'm 2-for-2 in NUE finishes! My final time is 10h38m for the 103-ish mile course, with about 16,000 feet of climbing.
POST-RACE
Trailhead Outdoors doesn't make a big fancy production out of the Cohutta 100, but they do take EXCELLENT care of their racers. At the finish line, there is water, cold pop, finisher's mugs, and delicious sweet potato fries and wraps from Ocoee Dam Deli. And did I mention the ENGRAVED STEM and t-shirt we got at packet pick-up? Super nice! I snag some food and pink Hammer girl is right there too! Her name is Simona and we chat for a long time about the race - she finished 4 minutes in front of me. She is super nice and I'm looking forward to a rematch at Mohican in May!
I eat my food while soaking my tired legs in the Ocoee River. It's the perfect temperature! I also get to meet two riders from Columbia (as in South America) who are visiting the States just for this race! Cool! I cheer for Adam and Maria as they finish, and then we pack up Trevor's truck for the overnight return drive to St. Louis. It's a tough slog back to Missouri, not helped in the least by a sliced rear tire and a subsequent 2hr tire change, but we got some help from an endearing Illinois resident named Booger. Not joking, he was awesome. We finally make it back to The Lou just after sunrise and I collapse in an exhausted heap!
Women's podium!
Photo stolen from Jen's fb page :)
So there's my race! I ended up 8th chick, and pink Hammer girl (Simona) was 7th. Despite not catching her, I was very pleased with my race. That's a lot of climbing for a flatlander, and I felt I handled it well. I raced very true to my style, which is staying steady and strong all day. Congrats to Brenda Simril for taking the overall women's title, and for my adventure racing virtual-buddy Jen Moos for taking 3rd! That's it from Team Noah Foundation! We'll be comin atcha next from Ohio at the end of May, at the Mohican 100! See ya there!
Despite the best efforts of a particularly nasty winter, the race season is upon us and I couldn't be happier! This weekend kicks off what looks to be my most ambitious season yet. I'm going to be all over the country racing with my Alpine Shop, WABAR, and Team Noah Foundation teammates. Hopefully we'll be at a starting line near you! If you want the quick and dirty version, just check out my Schedule/Results page. Here's the long version:
start of Cohutta 100 2013
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/national-ultra-endurance-nue-series-cohutta-100-2013/100-miler/photos/263298
APRIL Cohutta 100mi mountain bike race will kick off the NUE series for me. I'll be joined at the start line with my invaluable training buddy Maria who has been riding really well in the last few months. I hope to stay on her wheel as long as possible! Adam and Trevor will also be there, throwing down in the single speed division. Yeah Team Noah!
Nerd alert! Team Alpine Shop on scooters at MISSION 2013.
MAY
...is a doozy with quality racing/training action almost every weekend! We'll kick things off with The Cedar Cross, 112mi gravel grinder in central Missouri, hosted by the one and only Bob Jenkins. If you haven't met Bob (of Team Virtus fame), you will be a better person just after shaking his hand. So come to Cedar Cross and experience greatness, and the thrill of riding singletrack on a 'cross bike. Then I get to race with the Alpine Shop boys at the MISSION 18hr adventure race in Versailles, IN. We won this race last year, and are hoping to compete for the top spot again! Then I have a tentatively scheduled training weekend over Memorial Day with my WABAR teammates, location TBD. What's a WABAR? It's a conglomerate team I am a part of for my first attempt at a multi-day race later this year. WABAR stands for WEDALI-Alpine Shop-Bushwhacker Adventure Racing because we have people from each of those teams represented. Simple, right? To finish out May in style, I'll head off to Ohio with Team Noah Foundation for my second NUE race, the Mohican 100.
David and me during Plot/Pedal/Paddle 2013.
JUNE
Thankfully, I have a couple weekends off after the madness of May, and then I'm heading up to northern Illinois for Plot/Pedal/Paddle 18hr adventure race with Alpine Shop. There is another NUE race that same weekend (Lumberjack 100 in Michigan), and it was a really hard choice between the two events, but adventure racing comes first for me, so PPP it is! The very next weekend we will be fine-tuning the race strategies of WABAR at Stubborn Mule 30hr in Wisconsin. I have wanted to do this race ever since I started adventure racing because there is a mule on the shirt! So excited!
Andrei, me, Rachel, Mike of WABAR!
JULY
There is "only" one thing I'm signed up for in July: Cowboy Tough, a 3.5day point-to-point adventure race in Wyoming. It will be the first multi-day race for me and Andrei; Rachel and Mike raced Untamed New England in 2012 as a 2-person. They going to guide us newbies through the joys of sleep deprivation! With 4 solid navigators on our team, we are hoping for multiple orienteering relays (definitely won't happen, but we can dream, right?).
me and Andrei at 2012 CPT Nationals.
AUGUST
After we recover from Cowboy Tough, Andrei and I are going to team up again for the World Rogaine Championships which are being held in the US (South Dakota) for the first time since the 2004 event in Arizona. Jeff and David will be there too, running as a 2-person male team, while Andrei and I take on the 2-person mixed teams. There are a bunch of other SLOC and MNOC people competing too! Party time! Excellent! Just one week after orienteering for 24 hours on foot in the Black Hills, I will race Thunder Rolls 24hr adventure race in Northern Illinois with Alpine Shop. Our legs are going to be absolute crap, but we are just hoping that everyone else's will be too!
Karkhagne section of the OT in winter 2014.
http://instagram.com/p/kd2VuuK7ZO/
SEPTEMBER
We are not lacking for grassroots racing here in Missouri. Several fine people associated with the Ozark Trail (including one Mr. T. MOnster) are organizing the inaugural OT100MTB race and I intend to be on the start line for one of the most soul-crushing hundos offered in the US. The curious thing about this race, is that there is no one thing that is particularly difficult. None of the climbs are that epic. None of the trail is especially technical, at least not for extended distances. But it is the unrelenting, rugged singletrack that just works on you for mile after mile and will push each rider deep into their own pain cave. I can't wait. If I can swing it, I'll head down to Georgia for Fool's Gold 100, the NUE Series finale, and destination of one of my favorite road trips of all time!
me and Jeff at 2013 USARA Nats when we switched pants.
OCTOBER
October's a big month with big racing. Alpine Shop will probably be making the trip to Maryland to compete at USARA Nationals, a 30hr adventure race with the best teams in the country. We finished 8th overall last year, and we definitely want to improve on that! Then it's back home to Missouri for 2 of my favorite ways to end the season - Burnin at the Bluff 12hr mountain bike race, and BTEpic 55my mountain bike race. Both of these events serve up serious singletrack with an even better after party.
#TBT from Hat's bachelorette party, that's me on the far right, preeeeeeetty close to what I'll be doing in November...passing out!
UFF-DA!
So that's my season. I'm sure November will be spent in a largely vegetative state, hopefully eating lots of vegetables instead of lots of cookies. It's ambitious with a ton of travel: I'll be racing in at least 8 states, not including Missouri! Hopefully I can keep the race report machine cranking along so you can head all of the ins and outs of this crazy season of racing. One thing's for certain - I've found some of the best teammates a girl could ask for, and I can't wait to spend time with them in the woods!
The first adventure race of the year is always exciting. For Alpine Shop, we'd already done a few individualraces together, plus mash-ups with Bushwhacker and Tecnu, but there is something special about getting the team all on the same start line at the same time. Plus, we now had Doug back from injury, recovered from a separated shoulder suffered before Castlewood 8hr. Needless to say, our spirits were extremely high as we met at our favorite commuter lot, loaded up 5 bikes on the Sona-van (Jeff, David, Doug, me and Carrie who was racing with Momentum/Alpine) and hit the road to Lake of the Ozarks, MO for the Bonk Hard Chill 12hr Adventure Race.
Okay, this is from LAST year's Chill, but I just love our team selfie so much, I had to include it this year too.
We stopped at our favorite Mexican place in Sullivan for late lunch. We sang a few verses of The Quark Song. Jeff told us his new favorite knock knock joke. Yes, it is good to be back with the Alpiners. We roll into the host hotel, Tan-Tar-A Resort, and spend some time unpacking/piddling with bikes and gear before going to the pre-race meeting at 8pm. Gary makes things short and sweet, handing out maps almost right away and we head back to our room to plot points and eat pizza. Race morning we're up at 0530 and it seems everyone slept just fine. I change into my race kit and, rrrrrrrrrrip! The seam on the inside right leg tears, leaving a big hole in a rather unfortunate place. Oh, this is not good! Visions of extreme chafing run through my head as I explain the problem to the guys, and the fact that I didn't bring spare tri shorts. David doesn't see what the big deal is. Doug offers to fix it with duct tape. Jeff suggests asking other racers for spare shorts, or switching with him. He also tells me that most likely, once we start racing, I won't even notice. So I decide to tape the hole closed, then wear tights for the whole race, and hope that nothing chafes too badly.
Huddling before the start.
It's colder than we thought outside and we are all struggling to stay warm as we drop off our bikes in Ha Ha Tonka State Park, at a spot that we visited during the 2012 Chill when I raced as a 2P female team with Sunny. WHOA! Then it's over to the Race HQ at Mother Nature's Riverfront Retreat. We have some extra time to get ready, so I play a little soccer with 35 Down, one of our main rivals today, but they're a fun bunch of people that I'm stoked to kick it with. Then it's time to line up for the National Anthem, and then Gary says GO! START/SEPARATOR
Start map, 1:10k.
Before you start reading this race report, here's a little choose-your-own-adventure-race game: Click on the "Start map" above and then decide what you would do in this situation: You're start at the triangle with PFDs and paddles. Your team can split up to collect passport and canoes, locations marked on the map. Then choose to either put in at the close-by river access and paddle to CP1, or portage everything about 900 meters (and over a 130' hill) to CP1. What would you do? Who would do what? Leave your decision in the comments if you want.
Not us, but this is what we looked like coming into CP1.
Here's how Alpine Shop does it (after much obsessing Friday night, seriously we talked about different scenarios for a few hours before deciding on this one): Everyone starts wearing their PFD already, and the paddles already assembled. I run to the passport pick-up and grab the passport, while the boys run to the canoes and tape the paddles inside, and the three of them start carrying the two boats up the road. I run back to meet them, and then Jeff and I take one boat while David and Doug take the other. We each hoist the boat onto our shoulders to make it easier to carry, and hike up and over the hill, then down to CP1. We punch our passport, put into the Niangua River, and start paddling in about 5th place. PADDLE 1, CPs 1-4, 9mi, 1:54
Paddling 1-2-3-4.
Beautiful morning for a paddle! Photo by SuperKate.
We put in on the steamy Niangua River and get to the task of paddling. I'm actually pretty excited for my first paddle of 2014 since I've been working on getting physically stronger and want to see if that training will translate into faster paddling. But first, I have to get my hands to thaw out after their blood flow was cut off during the portage. That's harder than it sounds because temperatures are hovering around 30F, cold enough for the spray to freeze on my paddle shaft, and I'm not wearing warm enough gloves. But Jeff, always the encourager, reminds me to flex/unflex my fingers with each paddle stroke, and that combined with a few well-timed sunny sections gradually brings my hands back to life. We pass a 4P male team, 9 Balls, early in the paddle and as we say hi, they tell me they read this blog! Awesome! Maybe some time you guys can do a guest post about the origin of your team name? Also, who is this team and what's going on?
Doug and David at the put-in.
We reach just about the only route choice in this section, an island near Baker Bluff that we was discussed during the pre-race meeting. Gary (race director) told everyone that the river-right channel is more open but requires a short portage, and the river-left channel is more technical but can be paddled through. Actually, Gary didn't use the words "more technical", he just told us that the locals call the river-left channel "The Gauntlet". David and Jeff are really good boat handlers so of course we pick "The Gauntlet". It's actually not that bad, a few sharp S-curves but we are rewarded with dry feet and a closer view of Team Fusion and 35 Down ahead of us. Sweet!
Doug and David lead me and Jeff (and Toporadicals) into CP4.
We get an even closer view of 35 Down just as we are approaching CP3. We come around a slight bend in the river and see 2 of their teammates standing in the river, boat sideways. They've tipped on a really shallow gravel bar! Thankfully they didn't get submerged but we still feel really bad about how cold they must be feeling. We make sure everyone's got enough clothes before paddling on and punching CP3. We do this about the same time as a 2P male team, Toporadicals, and then we stick together for the rest of the paddle. At the take-out in Ha Ha Tonka State Park, it's really hard to force our legs to work again, but it's awesome to see SuperKate as the race volunteer! We fly through a gear check and then get to run!
Jeff and me bringing the boat up to the truck.
TREK 1A, CPs 5-7, 1mi, 0:21
Jeff, me, Doug, and David run into CP7/TA.
We drop the PFDs but carry our personal (princess) paddles on this next section, a tiny trek up to the bike drop where we get to visit some cool features of Ha Ha Tonka State Park. CP5 is on top of a fake island, and as we run up the trail we pass Fusion and Toporadicals on their descent. High fives abound! The trail up top is rather technical, and I laugh to myself as I think "just another day in the life of an adventure racer - running a techy trail with a fully-assembled kayak paddle". It gets even better as we bushwhack down the side of the fake island and straight into a mud bog. David does a total faceplant, but the paddle actually helps him extract himself from the mud! CP6 is at the base of a million stairs that we climb to the top of the bluff for a short run into CP7/TA, where we arrive in 3rd place! Race volunteers hand us a new passport and a new clue sheet with 23 CPs to plot for "The Big Trek". We all have our jobs in TA: Jeff calls UTM coordinates, I plot, David route-plans, and Doug gets food/water/gear ready for everyone.
Me plotting, David route planning, Jeff calling coordinates.
Doug getting the trekking passport ready.
TREK 1B, CPs 1-23 on new passport, 15km redline, 3:37
Rogaine trek, we went clockwise.
We race out of TA with a solid game plan: run hard, nav clean. We pick off two nearby trailside CPs (11 and 12) in quick succession and then head up to CP13. On the way to CP7, we spot the new green jerseys of 35 Down just leaving the cave entrance. This is a scenario we don't like so much: being on a similar route as another fast team, so we fret a little bit about how hard we're going to have to run to get separation. But then, mysteriously, 35 Down disappears to the west as we continue north to CP1. We're a little confused, but we think they're getting CP11 still, and are relieved to be by ourselves in the woods. We press onward to CPs 1, 5, and 2, and then make a last-minute decision to go straight to 3 (instead of getting 8 on the way, we'll get it later instead), then 10 and 9. I had a lot of fun running with Tecnu in California, but there really is nothing like trekking with my own teammates in the wide open Missouri woods. I'm so proud to call these guys teammates. Go Alpine Shop!
We don't see another team until we are leaving CP8 (after attacking it from the south) and they look like they're maybe just starting out since they're still all wearing jackets. All of us have been stripping layers off like mad since the frosty paddle ("Doug, can you put this in my pack?" has been on repeat all morning) and we are thrilled to be running hard in the sunshine. We take a low route to CP14 and CP16, then up high to CP17 and CP20. On the climb up to CP23 we see the 4P male Extreme Electrical Race Team bashing through the woods in the opposite direction, and then our very own Carrie who is racing with Momentum/Alpine! We are all really excited to see her and she tells us that they haven't seen any other teams coming from our direction. This might mean we are in the lead! On the ridge run to CP22 I get a little excited by our progress and trip over a branch, executing a perfect faceplant into the leaves. Brilliant! But thankfully nothing injured so we keep running. CP19 throws David a curveball with the different spurs, we go up the one next to our intended route, but once on top of the ridge he figures things out and we attack CP19 with only a few minutes lost. Then we've just got 3 more left, CP21, CP18, and CP15, all in a straight line back to TA. We knock those out feeling really strong and proud of ourselves for trekking well so early in the season, on an unseasonably hot day as well.
Running back to TA after our trekking loop.
Transition!
Running into TA, we're thrilled to hear that we're the first team back with all of the CPs. Everyone drained their bladder during the trek so we refill, drink some super-hot Monster, eat melted Oreos, pack up the paddles, and hit the road on our bikes. BIKE 1A, CPs 8-14, 26mi, 2:16
Biking from TA/CP7 clockwise back to CP14.
We first ride to CP8, where we turn in our trekking passport to the race volunteer and he confirms that we're first on the bikes. This is great news of course and we make a plan to ride strong but not killer on the way back, since we know there is a huge climb in the last mile on Tunnel Dam Gardens Rd. We drove that was to get to Race HQ this morning, and we rode it last year during the OGRE. We first go and get CP9 as an out-n-back, and are able to establish our gap is more than 2 miles. More great news! Some not-so-great news is that I'm not feeling particularly speedy, and neither is Jeff. So David tows me and Doug drafts for Jeff until we're both feeling better. Then we just continue to ride as a team through the rest of the course. I've raced with a bunch of different people in the last 2 years, and I can say that no other team tows more than Alpine Shop does. And I'm not really sure why - for this bike leg we weren't riding excessively hard but still turned in the fastest split by about 30 minutes. That's not meant as a boast, it's meant as advice for other teams: work together more! Our friends at Bushwhacker wrote a great how-to article about making your own bike tow, and they included some great insight:
The key for successful towing, is that neither person, whether it is the tower or the towee, should put in any more effort than they were putting in if they weren't towing. The effort should remain the same, but the overall speed will be faster than the slow person, and slower than the fast person.
I could go on and on about the benefits of towing, but this is a race report, so I'll get back on track. The rest of the ride is really smooth. We crush a couple hills, enjoy the scenery from the top of Tunnel Dam Garden Road (really GORGEOUS!!), fly down and grunt up the last hill, and then get set to punch CP14. It's at a gate just 500m from the finish, except as we approach we see a car and 2 race volunteers waiting for us. This can't be good... BIKE 1B, CPs 15-20, 1mi, 0:24
David and Jeff receiving the bonus map.
It really does say bonus!! Start at CP14, collect CP15-20 in order on bikes. Bikewhacking allowed.
...instead of riding straight into the finish line, we're met by SuperKate (again!!) and another volunteer who have a special present for us: a bonus map! It shows 5 more CPs all on ATV trails around the Race HQ. At first, we're not that excited. But then SuperKate offers us one of her famous cookies, and Jeff does what he does best: rallies the troops. We all let some air out of our tires and get ready to shred! And honestly, once we're on the trails, it's really fun. David leads us cleanly around the bonus loop and by the end we're all grinning again. FINISH 8:46 total time
Finish line!
Hugs and smiles.
We finish with a signature Bonk Hard Racing cowbell serenade! We're really stoked on the day: we ran a great race, we're the first team back, and we feel like 2014 is off to a great start. As usual, Gary wants to hear about route choice, so we unfurl the map and chat about where we went. After a few minutes, he asks non-chalantly, "What did you think about CPs 4 and 6 on the big trek?"
Did we really just do that?
We all look at the map, and then look at each other, and there's a collective sinking of hearts. CRAP. We didn't GO to CP4 or CP6. They're hung a little to the west of the rest of the controls on the trek, and we just didn't see them when we were route planning in TA. Because we were plotting on the clock, we didn't do our usual double-check of counting all the CPs on our route. There's no time for blame, we just make sure there's no chance to go back and get them (it would be a long-ass ride that no one feels like doing, plus it's against the rules since we turned in our trekking passport already), and then decide that our fate is not in our hands anymore. CP4 was worth 2 points, so we finish with 47 out of 50 possible points. The only thing left to see is the finishing times of other teams, and how far down in the standings we'll fall.
David and me post-race. With the map, natch.
We're bummed, obviously, but the hot post-race barbeque and on-site showers go a long way in raising our spirits. We all pig out, clean up, and then hang out to cheer on the rest of the teams. It's Team Fusion across the line next, and they have all of the controls, so they win! Congrats Fusion!! 35 Down finishes next and we're really glad to see them recover from their canoe incident with a stellar race. The top 5 are rounded out with everyone's favorite Tiny Trail Ninjas, Toporadicals, and our early-paddle race buddies 9 Balls! We land in 6th place with our error but by now it's all water under the bridge. It's great to hear race stories from all of the teams, and it makes me really appreciate the adventure race community we have in the Midwest. We have some stellar navigators and athletes who take adventure racing seriously, along with a great group of newbies who are just getting into the sport, and we're lucky to have terrific competition whenever we race with Bonk Hard.
Hanging out with Team Fusion after the race! Well done team!
