This was the fourth year of testing my metal against the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek. Each year as half of a women’s duo, my partner Melissa has always been the ringer for us and I wanted to be able to pull my half of the race as strong as she could.

Originally, this race was supposed to be a tuning race for the Burn 24 in late May. As plans have changed, boxes are being packed and I realized this would be my last race in the southeast it became clear that this race mattered more to me than I originally thought.

Prep Work

I pre-rode the course a week before race day. The course was excellent. The rock gardens were much easier and the climbs seemed to pass with less time. All good signs.

Aligning with my coach on all workouts, making sure my legs were rested and “loaded.” Bike was safety checked and then as it rained a few days before race day, I installed my more aggressive Maxxis Ardent tires (which saved my ass first lap.)

Brap, BRAP, BRAAAP

It was my year to run first lap, which is a full lap plus some road section and singletrack in the beginning to break up the field. I did my best not to blow myself up on the road, and keep a steady pace for 3/4 of the lap. Putting in some effort on the last sections of climbing and downhill gnar rock gardens.

My partner, Melissa, was rocking a single speed and turned over a pretty fast first lap. I headed back on the trail hoping to maintain our 2nd  place position. Quickly 3rd place overtook me and I never saw her until my lap was over (damn it, she was only 2 minutes a head!) Melissa held our 3rd position and we ended on the podium. I coulda/shoulda/woulda gone for a 3rd lap (5th for the team) but 2nd,4th and 5th place girls (and I) all agreed not to go out for a 5th lap. Thank god for negotiations.

Fun Facts

• Melissa rocked a 1:16 lap on her single speed

• We were in the “money” in 3rd place and somehow I walked away with cash in hand

• My high visibility yellow shoes, and Lazer Magneto pink/yellow glasses were a big hit.

• The Foundry Broadaxe with SRAM XX1 performed flawlessly, compared to last year this was an AMAZING feeling as most of the day I was fearing some mechanical that I couldn’t fix with my multi

• First place women were 16 and 17 years old! Hopefully I’ll be able to rope one of the girls, Sophie, into a race report!

• Warrior Creek is one of my favorite trails on the east coast. The Garmin has a hard time tracking milage but Strava thinks that I rode 26.7 miles with 2,752 ft of elevation.

Thank You to the Pit Crew

The day wouldn’t have been possible without a group of amazing friends. My girlfriend flew literally around the world from Turkey to get to the race. Shelley, Syd and Allen all were great support as Melissa and I came in and out of the pits. The guys from Bicycle Sport were there for mechanic assistance (though I didn’t need it) and the guys/girls from Total Cyclist had amazing encouraging words as they kicked our asses. Finally, thank you to Taryn and Jacob who watched the dogs for us so they didn’t have to be at the races all day!

Photo Credit: Lynn Willis (I purchased a full print version too!)

Going into the first race of the Charlotte Winter Short Track series I was nervous and unsure. How shell’ed off the back would I get? Would I clog up the berms for the fast single speed boys that needed to blow past me?

The morning routine was off. I’m not used to racing in the afternoons, so I was up and “Ready” about 3 hours earlier than I needed to be. The plan was to ride to the course around 12:15, race time at 1:50. Next week I plan on making it a lot closer as there was a lot of sitting around and getting nervous.

BRAAAPPPP, Race Time

Lining up among 9 other pretty fast women I knew I could hold a strong line in the trail, but half of a lap is on a gravel road or asphalt parking lot. At the moment of go I settled in quickly. My starts from cyclocross paid off , though I could have easily been 2-3 in to the woods and I was comfortably seated behind fast girl, Sarah Matchett, in maybe 5-6th position.  I was faster in the woods, she was faster on the straights. 9 laps, Sarah left me in her dust after the first lap. I settled into my heart rate,  trying not to spew Perpetuam all over as it was 70 or so degrees. My body wasn’t used to zone 4/5 in these temperatures!!

Slowly I was picking girls off. My lap times were pretty consistent, but not as consistent as I would like. A goal for the series is to find my “pace” so that my lap times get faster, not slower, as we tick them off. I found myself in 4th with two girls within eye sight behind me. Going through the finish line with “Two laps to go!” I was trying to hit a hard effort through the parking lot and look across to the finish line to see the two girls being lapped by the finisher of single speed. I still had a lap to go, but does that mean they are done? Do I just need to stay up right?? With a fear of them working together and chasing after me I kept going. Not full effort, but pretty hard.

Improvement is Motivation

Pulling through the finish in 4th out of 10 pretty fast women I feel ecstatic with my results, along with knowing internally I’ve only been training “consistently” since Thanksgiving time. I’m sure these girls aren’t on their top game, but it feels pretty good to be in front of girls that have normally lapped me in the past! I realize it isn’t a true Expert field or length, but my goals of being able to CAT up this year to Expert seem a bit more obtainable!

Amazing motivation to continue to hit training hard, listen to my coach and make healthy decisions. I can say this is my best start of a racing season ever and the most overwhelmed feeling of encouragement and motivation from my friends.

Photo Credit: CLTPhotography.com

“It’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.” – Jackie Joyner Kersee

The 2013 season starts this week for me. A week of rest which including making list and checking things off. Getting food and recipes in order. Checking over bikes. Pimping the mountain bike with gears (see photo) and taking the knobs off the cyclocross bike for some Michelin Pro4′s.

This is the time of the year that I get hyper focused on goals, efficiencies and cleaning out the clutter that piles up during the season. The season being racing, but more than that the “in season” of working within the bike industry. Over the past few months I’ve become more trim, and more focused than I have felt in years. Seeing changes in my body and mentality only motivate me more. Eating healthy, hitting the workouts my coach is lining up and really working on goal setting. Funny how that works when you clean the clutter out of your life.

I’ll be treating next week around the Christmas holiday as an office week. Lots of realignment of my territory with a new inside sales teammate and loose ends to nail down to be able to hit the goals I have set for myself in 2013-2014 with work and on the bike. This means early mornings on the bike, or early mornings at the computer so I can break away for a couple hours around lunch if it is too chilly in the mornings. There is also the Rapha Festive 500 through Strava that I’m committing myself to. Why? Well, why not?

Who’s excited for 2013 and your riding plans?

If you are a contant reader you will know my love of Strava. It keeps me motivated, up to date with my friends rides across the world and technology makes my world go around.

When I visit new places (which is weekly) I’m always trying to find new rides, routes and cue sheets. Using a split of Google, Garmin Connect and Map my Ride I’ve been doing okay. But now, Strava is allowing me download peoples routes to upload into my Garmin! I can dominate QOM’s all day long now.

Learn more….

Ideas for what to put in that stocking of the cyclist you love, or me!

Lizard Skins Bar Tape or Ergon Grips

Fresh new bar tape from Lizard Skins or Ergon GP2 grips are the easiest way to freshen up a bike. I’m also a big fan of both of these for long training miles in the winter. Happy hands = Happy Arleigh

DeFeet Honey Badger Xmas Socks

Honey Badger + Socks made in North Carolina, how much more awesome could you get?

Gels, Bars and All Things Nutrition

My personal favorites for this category: Gu Chomps, Hammer Gel in large jugs, Kit Organic Bars (live on these things while traveling)

Kinetic Koffee

Ritz and his crew love bikes, support many causes and have the best hug to be found at tiring trade shows. Your local bike shop can order, or you can order direct. My personal favorite is Breakfast Buzz, Bike Shop Girl will probably have a private label of this after the holidays!

Lights and more Lights

It’s that time of the year that either it’s dreary on your road ride or you aren’t mountain biking after work because you can’t see. Help out your cyclist, keep them riding and safe!

On the road option 1: To be seen, this is for the front and back on the road when it’s getting dark. I’m a fan of the new Knog Blinder lights as they charge with a built in USB and add some personality to your bike.

On the road option 2: I’m biased, I LOVE the folks at Light & Motion. The  gift set will add some much needed visibility and you can see with the 200 lumen headlight, unless you’re rolling at 25mph. Both are charged by a USB cable, saving the planet one battery at a time.

 On the trail: Light & Motion is what I run almost exclusively. They are water proof, bomb proof, and the company (as mentioned) rocks. If your loved one doesn’t have anything to trail ride with I would recommend the Taz 800 or the Seca 800. The biggest advantage of the Seca is being able to run on your helmet (my preference) and a separate battery so you can charge others or have backups for long rides.

Strava and Garmin Geeks Rejoice

Does your loved one ride non-stop with a Garmin strapped to their bike? Class it up a bit with this K-Edge mount.

For the Single Speeder in your Life

Endless (another NC based company) is now anodizing their cogs to order!

Road ID

EVERY bicycle rider needs one of these. Or two. Or four. It won’t prevent an accident, but it could save their life and notify you faster!

Gift Card

If all else fails, a gift card to your local bike shop towards merchandise or service would make any bicyclist happy!

30 miles. 30mph headwind. I thought it was going to be easy, it wasn’t.

Traveling between Asheville, NC and Knoxville,TN this week. Hitting up a handful of key dealers to make sure their ordering for 2013 is nailed down, they are excited about new product and to work with shop staff so they feel comfortable selling the new goods. Along with that is bike riding and beer drinking, but only after the job is done.

Yesterday evening was jam packed, first a ride at Bent Creek right outside of Asheville (see route below) and then a fundraiser for Pisgah Area SORBA Chapter.  The ride was beautiful and reminds me how much I need to work on climbing.

The fundraiser event was successful with a great band, a limited edition beer and a great raffle with tons of donations! I did my best to take notes and grab brochures in hopes to put some of their ideas in play with CABA!

Leaving Asheville around 9:30pm I started the drive west on I-40 for Knoxville. Finding a well priced Hampton Inn on the outskirts of my destination city I quickly settled in to wake up and start it all over again today!

Today’s goals are to visit a couple more key shops, hopefully land a new bike brand dealer and end the day with a road group ride out of Cycology Bicycles. Oh yes, then I drive home tonight! What are you doing today??

This is the time of year that all you want to do is ride your bike, not take it in for maintenance. One of my favorite things I would tell good clients was to ride the bike to the shop for a quick check over. Make it part of a monthly or quarterly event. As long as there isn’t anything rattling or falling off you’ll be able to ride there, tell them exactly what might be acting different since you JUST rode it, example “the rear is shifting slow going to easier gears” or “my crank clicks going up hill.” It also makes it so the shop understands you don’t want to leave your bike there. *Normally calling a head and making sure your favorite mechanic is okay with this would be recommended, along with bringing their favorite 6 pack.*

Fastest wearing items on a bike:

• Chain
• Cassette
• Tires
• Bar tape/grips
• Chainrings
• Seals on suspension (fork and shock)

Using Strava for Bike Maintenace

While I am a data geek, and spend too much time on Strava I have found that it is also an easy way for you to keep track of your equipment. Depending on your riding style you are normally able to start gauging how quickly you wear your equipment. It is also a good reminder of getting check overs. I’m able to look back since the first of the year and figure out what bikes have the most milage, do a mental check of which bikes have gotten love and which haven’t. Even if it is as simple as checking chain lube, tire wear and chain stretch. It will help save you money and headache as the season rolls on.

Click to make bigger!

Legs were moving much better today on the road bike. A good mellow 2 hour endurance pace with some spin up intervals towards the end. Really enjoying the Foundry Auger. Full write up will be coming soon as I finally snapped some decent pictures during my ride today.

Tomorrow starts the build phase of the summer with goals of cyclocross in the fall. Roughly 15 hours on the training plan this week from the coach, my main goal this week is to get back on the pony and find that confidence in my legs again. Mixed with a ton of prep work, phone calls and meetings with dealers to prepare for 2013 product…this will be a couple busy weeks!

Probably not the smartest thing to do a week before a 24 hour race, new shoes and new saddle. Yet, I seemed to find a good place for my rear on a Specialized Ruby saddle that I had picked up earlier this week at Motion Makers in Asheville. The new shoes, Specialized MotoDiva, still need dialing but mainly cleat position as the plate underneath is much different than that of my old Bontragers.

The ride was cut short with stomach issues and my legs dying by the 3rd round of threshold. 2.5 hours, one hour short, but I came home. Propping my legs up and getting a good nights rest. Tomorrow is another 4 hours on the mountain bike, planning on hitting up North Meck park for a ton of laps to test out the new lights.