In true Denison fashion we decided to finish off the Bike and Triathlon season in spectacular fashion with one of our busiest periods of racing yet this year. First off was race 4 of the 5 week Wednesday evening races of the Fall Flash Series at the Prairie City SVRA. I raced fairly well, and felt really strong, during the first couple laps it felt like the rest of the experts were holding something back. Keeping in mind the MTB stage race (see below), I pretty much shut it down on the fourth lap. I still finished in 5th place in the Single Speed Expert category, as I had the week before, but I was much closer to the front. I had raced more conservatively, knowing that I had a busy weekend ahead.
With Wednesday’s night race behind me I turned my attention to an event that had captured my interest from the moment I first read about it, the Folsom Cyclebration MTB Time Trial. The idea of a MTB time trial really appealed to me, and the fact that it was being run on a trail I used as a regular lunchtime ride while I was at my previous employer made me think it was an event that I could really do well in. The course was pretty flat, so I a big would be called for. I’d been running a 34x16 setup at Prairie City and that was my steepest gear so I stuck with it. In retrospect, I could have gone even bigger, live and learn I guess. I started as the second SS Expert, and was able to catch the person in front of me pretty quickly. I took the tricky "Rabbit Hole" course option slowly but cleanly, rode hard and managed to finish in 18:01, which seemed like a pretty decent time. The next guy up, however, came in at 17:51, then the guy after him was 17:41. I sat in third until the very end, when a late entry pulled out a 16:34 and blew out everyone. Ah well no podium, but it was still a blast being able to ride those trails so quickly.
The next day was the Saturday and Team Denison was splitting up to attend different events. Kyle and Shane were doing the TBF Kids Series Championship, and I would be attending stage 2 of the Cyclebration MTB Stage Race at Granite Bay. Since I was entered in the Expert Single Speed category, I would be doing four laps of the 7+ mile course. The weather was warm but not too hot and I was feeling pretty good so I was hoping for a good result. I started the race and was somewhere around 3rd or 4th place when I took a wrong turn and had to backtrack to get back on course. I rode the rest of the first lap pretty cleanly and fairly aggressively and managed to pass back up all those who passed me up when I made my navigation error, the leaders, however were long gone. I spent the next 2 laps working hard to maintain my position, but towards the end of lap 3 I started feeling a bit bonked and was getting worried because my water bottles were getting a bit low. Lap four turned into a sufferfest when my legs started cramping up and I had to get off the bike a couple times. On the second and worst of the cramping episodes, they guy riding behind me saw my legs cramping up and said something like "Oh… your legs!", both of my hamstrings had contracted into two quivering tennis ball sided masses on my legs and there was nothing I could do but stand there biting my bike seat. I managed to recover enough to finish the lap and ended up 5th of 6 on the day and 4th of 5 for the stage race. Not the best result but it was an adventure.
Kyle and Shane both raced pretty well Saturday. Though I didn’t get to see the race myself, Shane swam well as usual, but still hasn’t figured out how to ride quickly and was last after the bike. A good run let him close much of the gap, and he finished the race in a pretty respectable 36:04. Kyle had a fairly solid all around performance, with a decent swim, a good bike, and an excellent run. Kyle’s efforts were good enough to earn him 5th place.
The next weekend, the 20th and 21st, was also a busy one with Shane swimming Saturday and Sunday and John running a cross country race on Saturday. Shane’s freestyle looked pretty good in warm-ups, and sure enough he had a best time in the 50 free. His butterfly seems to have lost a step since championships, but it was still good enough to earn him 6th place overall.
John is still figuring out cross country racing and is starting to work his way up the pack. Its pretty encouraging and I think that with some practice and a lot of effort he could turn into a pretty solid performer. It’s a long season and it will be interesting to watch him develop, hopefully one of these weeks I’ll be able to make it out to a race so I can see him run for myself.
It’s been a really busy time of the year for Team Denison. We’re starting to wind down now finally for some much needed recovery time. John and Shane are still racing but the rest of us are already starting on our off season training plans and what our plans for next year will be. Stephanie is going to be doing the California International Marathon this year and I’m considering it too. Watch this space and see what happens.
