Training Log Archive: bbrooke

Event: RMOC Camp Tahosa
 

Event: Roan Cliff Chaos (~MTBO)
 

Roan Cliff Chaos MTB Adventure Race -- I entered the intermediate category (first MTB race in ~15 years...).

The "adventure" aspect meant we could do the loops in any order (although the order for the loops was pretty obvious, and they were one-way). We had to pick up a plastic poker chip at the far end of each loop to prove we had been there.

We left from the Garfield County Fairgrounds and rode as a pack for the first few miles up to the trail area. From there, everyone took off at their own speed. I was at the back of the pack, which was fine because that meant I didn't have anyone tailgating or pressuring me on the singletrack, nor anyone just in front to block my view of the trail.

At the very first downhill switchback, I realized (as I skidded off the trail) that I didn't have any rear brakes. Or, rather, I had to pull the lever all the way to the handlebars to get any braking at all. I'm not sure what happened between my ride last Thursday (when it was working fine) and race day, but I was able to adjust to using more front brake.

The course was desert-y and scenic (piñon pines & junipers), rolling (no long uphill grinds), with plenty of rocky sections I had to walk, and some segments along ledges with drop-offs where I also chose to walk. I was leap-frogging almost the entire time with a guy who was better at the rocks (where I'd let him pass), but slower on the climbs (where he'd let me pass).

On the second-to-last loop (Suburban Decay), I thought I had opened up a big gap on that guy. I was puzzled about where to go at the end of the loop, which ended at a dirt road, since I didn't see any arrows or pin-flags. So I just kept going down the road. The next thing I knew, I was heading into the finish chute from the wrong direction. Uh oh. They sent me (and a few others) back up the road where I caught a trail and came through correctly -- but I still felt like something wasn't right, since other people were already on the trail, not entering from the road like I had done.

I was just going to ignore that unsettled feeling, since I was ready to be done, but then I realized I only had three poker chips instead of four, and that I had missed an entire segment of the course. ARGH!!! So much for my map reading skills. :-\

There was a 60-minute penalty for each missing chip, and the race director told me it would probably take 30 minutes to go back for the last loop & chip -- so I headed out. The extra loop wasn't so bad, and I was glad in the end that I had done the full & correct course (otherwise I would have felt like a cheater, even in last place...).

I finished "DFL" out of 13 people on the intermediate course (the leap-frogging guy passed me while I was screwing up the last loop). But...since there were only three women, I ended up on the podium. ;-)

This race was part of Rifle's "Western Adventure Weekend", so I showered and then wandered around town for a while checking out some shops, the craft vendors, potato pancakes at a Polish place (deep fried -- not so great -- I was expecting something more like latkes), and a rolled ice cream place (banana & nutella -- DELICIOUS!).

I had to kill a few hours before the band started, so I went back to my hotel room and fought against the urge to nap. By the time I rallied myself off the bed and back over to the festival area...the band was almost done and I only caught the last few songs. Too bad, because they were really good (Mingo Fishtrap from Austin).

Overall, a very fun day.

* Map (my course did the red & yellow segments; my screw-up was missing the turn-off for Upper Upper Sidewinder and Paul's Trail...):



* Random internet photo from the race area ("Rusty Shovel" trail):

Rode from the race finish area back down to my car at the fairgrounds.

A half day of work, and then clothes packing, food packing, bike / gear loading, and driving to Rifle (3.5 hours -- soooo much congestion along Hwy 93 (all the way from Eldorado to Golden), and then on I-70 (until I passed Silverthorne)). I squeaked into packet pickup with just 15 minutes to spare.

Final prep work for tomorrow's Tahosa meet -- mainly, following up on all the usual emails from people who missed the pre-registration deadline.

Easy "pre-race" spin, out and back on the Coal Creek Trail.

I signed up for Saturday's MTB race thinking it would have a "5K fun run" vibe -- but now I'm nervous that I'll be DFL. :-P

I'm also *really* disappointed to be missing the Tahosa meet (actually on the verge of tears) -- but I think it's the best thing for my foot.

- Data entry for year-long waivers.

- Created OE2010 files and start cards for Saturday's meet at Tahosa.

- More email follow-ups...

I had planned to go to the 6pm deep water HIIT class again, but a thunderstorm moved through at 5:45 pm and it was blustery and chilly. So I went for a walk instead, after the storm had passed. My foot had just a mild ache after the first mile...so I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm already registered for the ~MTB-O and 5km run in Rifle this weekend, so I'll have to miss RMOC's rescheduled Tahosa meet (and it's probably best to not tax my foot yet, anyway).

- Membership database updates & email confirmations.

- Composed Camp Tahosa HTML email reminder with photos. Posted JP's Camp Tahosa course notes on the meet details page; created a Facebook ad for the Tahosa meet.

- Zillions of long-overdue email follow-ups.

MTB from home. I stopped by the LoCO workout location to say hello, and then went out-and-back on Coal Creek / Mayhoffer-Singletree.

While I was out riding, I felt very grateful that I have enjoyable, pain-free exercise / recreation options while my foot is jacked up. I feel fortunate that I live in a place with lots of options, trails, and facilities, and that I have the job flexibility and financial means to enjoy those things.

Days are getting shorter...

Another water aerobics class. This one looked like it would be tougher, based on the description ("Deep Water HIIT"), but the instructor wasn't as much of a taskmaster as the woman on Friday.

Also, it was less summer camp-like, since it was cloudy and borderline chilly (I went at 6pm this time instead of noon).

But still fun and better than nothing.

Dirty Bismarck MTB loop, with a detour through downtown Louisville for avocado toast & iced tea on my way home.

I wanted to get out earlier to beat the heat & crowds. But, as it turned out, it wasn't that hot* and there weren't too many people on the trail (it's narrow single track in a lot of stretches -- hard to pass without stopping).

I was dreading the long & steep Coalton hill with its several false summits, but I made it up in one go, without stopping. Yay.

I stopped a few times to take photos, loan out my pump, and give directions, and otherwise went at a casual pace. 2:39 total time, 2:27 moving time. Good news: this didn't aggravate my foot at all.

*It is now 98 degrees at 2:45 pm.