Twilight Crit

In the midst of finals week, writing a race report:

8.8.08, portland twilight criterium sponsored by healthnet; cat 3, $3000 at stake.

It was a perfect example of an American criterium: short technical 800 meter loop, bumpy, L shape around downtown Portland city blocks.

The race started. 1st 4 corners were intense. Crowded road, sprint out of each corner, heavy breaking into the next. Speed increased. Eventually (1 lap) we were strung out all the way. I thought I was last rider. I glanced back, and there were people behind me. Good, I thought, at least I'm not last rider. Now move up. Course was too technical to pass very much. Then a dude crashed on the straight away after the start finish and slid on what looked like his cheek bone on the curb for 10 meters with his legs up in the air. Then more crashes. In the corners. Each time, the riders in front didn't even notice, kept going. Riders behind the crashes (like me) in back slam on the breaks to avoid the pile up and carnage, and then desperately sprint to try and catch back on. Found my self in a group of maybe 10, and I thought we weren't that far back, but they weren't going full gas. So I went full gas for about 2 laps, and then it was someone elses turn. But it wasn't enough and we were pulled just short of 1/2 way through. I complained to the officials and told them we should have all gotten a lap, because we were all held up by multiple crashes, but they still pulled us, then I apologized a few minutes later for complaining. I do have to say the the Oregon racing association (OBRA) is top notch and they put races on like none other.

Through the crashes and suspense, it was fun. Got the fever back so to say. More races on the horizon, after this week though.

Henry Hagg

I raced 50k today, via 2 laps around the muddy hagg lake. It wasn't the birkie but hey, It also wasn't 10 degrees! It was however on the same day. It was frosty at the start, but it really turned in to a perfect sunny day. I was warned, not to slip in the hagg mudd, which was slick at times, and I was also warned that I would really start to feel it at about 3 hours into it. And it did. Although I didn't collapse or break down and crawl, I was sluggish for the last hour. I really kept event on the down low. No worries, just finish. Training run. Well, pinning on the number and the gun went off... I was racing I guess.

The Start: 50k is called an ultra-marathon, and they start out really slow. Really slow. I've done long running races (road marathons) and I guess they start out slow too, but when you have to go 50k through trails and an unknown quantity of mudd, I guess it's OK, and probably smart to start slow. There was a pretty elite group there today, and I took it out with the defending champ and we ran in 6th and 7th until about 8k. Then he literally put the hammer down and was out of sight before I could look up. He went on to set the course record. He's doing western this year (the biggest 100 miler in america). So I knew I wasn't going to keep up with him and I knew I was probably running too fast at this point in the race, but I wasn't really sure what was going to happen, this was my first ultra trail run. Basically I just cruised along until my friend Sean caught me and we ran together and chatted for a while. Sean lives in Sisters and we ran together and raced against each other in shorter races and it was really good to be running with him here, in his element. (He's run alot, ok more than alot, of ultras, and has been in magazine ads for montrail shoes). We were chatting and then all of a sudden we got to the 2nd aid station. I'd seen aid stations at ultras before, and they have huge spreads of food and water and energy drink. I didn't really know if sean would stop for long, I kind of imagine stopping for a while having a snack and tell some jokes, and then get going again, but after sean got his bottle filled, he was gone, and I never caught him again. Went on to finish the first lap (plus the 5k out and back section) in 2:14.

The second lap: So I don't know if I've been watching the show lost too much or what, but I kept hearing footsteps behind me, the whole 2nd lap. There were 3 guys that passed me on the second lap, but it was strange, I basically though some one was right behind me the whole time. The second lap was pretty hard my legs were sore. I probably didn't have the milage required to actually race 50k (longest training run: 3 hours) 2:56 actually. But that's ultra running. Survival is the goal and making it to the finish line is what everyone wants (because they have hot dogs!) I walk the bigger uphills, and there were not really big hills on this course. I've always had alot of respect for guys like Jeff B, and Sean, who've run the big boy races at Big Horn, and that was before I'd done any ultras. And Big Horn - I'm telling you what, that is one helluva tough course. I ran the lowly 30k which was almost all down hill and suffered like a dog. But those guys did the 100 miler and 50 miler (and each won). And here I was at Hagg (where there are multiple pavement sections) (albeit short), but it was tough. These ultra runners are TOUGH.

The Mudd: It was muddy, but by hagg lake standards it was like running on tarmac. After the race this was talked about as the least muddy hagg ever. It hadn't rained in a couple weeks in town, and it was fairly cold (frost this morning), so it was prime conditions for a course record, which did happen. I ran about 40 minutes off the pace, but for my first ultra I'm totally stoked and it was super fun, even though I'm really sore now. I think I made the top ten, and my time was a respectable 4:24 (about). Not bad for the first 50k. I was thinking I might suffer so much during this that it might be my last 50k, but after finishing it... maybe I'll be back. I'll post pics if I can find some. Alot of folks were taking photos out there.

So back to the daily grind now. Tomorrow is sunday, day of rest, but I have alot of stuff to get done for school, but that doesn't require much movement.

UPDATE: Evelyn Dong (Lives in Bend, ski's for XC Oregon / Subaru factory team) won the American Birkebeiner today. Congratulations Evelyn. YOU ROCK!

Mt Hood stage race - cat 3

I've been slacking in the blogging department lately, but I had a stage race last weekend, and we've been moving to Portland and it's been busy.

Last weekend was the Mt Hood stage race. I did it last year, in the cat 4 division, and this year I was in the Cat 3s. The field was strong, and about 80+ strong to start the race. On Thursday there was a 66 mile circuit race that consisted of 3.5 laps around a course that was about 18 miles. 9 uphill and 9 down. We went up the hill 4 times, and each time the main pack got smaller. There weren't any real break aways, just some tempo riding at the front. I did not ride at the front that much, until the last lap, when I sprinted ahead of the field for about 30 seconds. It wasn't really an attempt at breaking away, Just a surge or whatever. Then I went back in the pack, and stayed in until about 1 kilometer to go, when the pack slowly pulled away and shattered. I ended up 28th and about 1.5 minutes back from the winner. It was Therapeutic Associates teammate Scott Gray who won the stage, so that meant he was in the leaders jersey, and he would be the last to start in the next days individual time trial. Sweet!

Back when I did triathlons I think I was a pretty good time trialer, because I rode alone, alot. Now I do alot of group rides, and few solo rides out in the wind. So my time trail skills are not on par with where they maybe should be. I got passed by 4 people (we started 30 seconds apart, so do the math) and finished the TT over 6 minutes behind the winner of the TT, but I only moved down one spot in the GC (overall standings) so that wasn't all bad I guess. oh yes it was I was 52nd in the ITT.

The big day was Saturday, 89 miles in 90 degree heat through the mountains east of Mount Hood. It was super tough and my teammate spencer and I almost were dropped on one of the climbs in the middle of the race. The pace was hard, on the uphills and people were getting dropped on most of the climbs. The downhills were easy, and I was surprised that nobody pulled through, to increase the pace. Most of the downhills were straight open roads and we were going fast, but there was constant breaking, which got a little annoying. By the time there was 20 miles to go, there were probably 30 people left, and one guy off the front by minutes (he would win the stage). I was not cramping, so I guess I drank enough, but I knew I was feeling it, but I think everyone else was tired too. Scott (teammate) dropped his chain with about 15k to go, so I waited for him and pulled him back to the pack. It was nice of me to do, but I think he would have made it back anyway. He was still in the top 10 overall, and stood to move up in the GC because he's a great climber. I held on to the pack until about 5k to go when the race got really hard and turned onto the road that goes up to the Mt Hood meadows parking lot. I limited my losses, and finished in 26th just over 7.5 minutes back from the leader, and I beat pro mountain biker Evan Plews. If you're pro, and you don't want to have some no-name cat 3 say that they beat you on their blog, then you should be racing with the big boys, and the other pro mountain bikers like Carl Decker. I moved into the top 25 after Saturday's road race.

On sunday was the criterium, and our team (Therapeutic Associates) won all of the primes. The crit course was super fun, but there were crashes, all which seemed pretty minor. I suffered in the back of the pack, when I should have been in the front, because I think it's easier riding in the front, with less braking into the corners, and less chasing out of them.

So the race was a success, but I need to time trail faster. I used my old bike w/ areo bars and a disc wheel and still lost more than 6 minutes (in the end of the 4 days I was less than 12 minutes behind). Laurie got some pictures of my back in the criterium, and I'll post those if I can find the camera cord after we are finished moving to Portland (we move for good on Monday June 11th). I'm planning to do the cat 3 Cascade classic in July in Bend.

Later Skaters.

P3 2007, 7th

It's finally over, all the training, stress and planning for PPP07 is done, and the race went off superbly. I ended up finishing 7th place in the mens elite division. Everything went pretty much as good as I could have hoped for. I took one warm up alpine run and thought, well, this is going to be nuts. I have to say though, when the gun went off, I had my best alpine leg in my 3 year PPP history. I could actually see the leaders when we started the nordic leg (but that didn't last long). The conditions for the nordic leg were unbelievably good. It was firm and fast. The bike was good, I actually passed people unlike last year when I didn't see anyone until the run. After the first mile of the run, I got into a rhythm and was able to go pretty good. I didn't tip over in the kayak, but I also didn't enjoy any minute of that leg. I think I paddled OK, but I don't paddle often, and think a bit more practice would have come in handy. I would have been able to concentrate on going forward, rather than staying straight and upright. OK, so I know this is the most boring race report ever, and I don't have any really good stories, except that I didn't have any common PPP problems, and went as fast as I could. There were good stories though. I heard of one guy who lost his ski in the alpine leg, and had to climb back up to get it, and then when he finally got done with the bike leg, he had to run the 5 mile run in socks, because his support crew wasn't there with his running shoes. My neighbor who borrowed one of our kayaks tipped over twice. XCO all star Brayton (5th overall) was in 3rd, when he tipped over on the river, losing minutes and missing the podium, in his first ppp. The US Ski team had a couple of teams entered, and they went fast, with the mens team posting the 3rd fastest time of the day. I guess the moral of the story is, the PPP was a major success for me considering from last June 2006, until February 2007, I gave a pint of blood every week to get rid of extra iron, which took a tool on my training and fitness. My goal was to get back to where I was last spring at this time, and I think I did it, and then some. 2+ minutes faster. So that's good news.

Ski ya later!

2007 XC National Masters

This year here's how it went down... Last year it was fairly cold (no klister) and this year it was warm (klister).

Thursday 15km Skiathlon

We got new snow the Tuesday before the races and it was cold at night, so I was hopeful for hardwax conditions, but that was not the case. It was sunny on Wednesday and everything transformed. We used klister, covered by a hard wax, I know this is not really acceptable, but I don't remember which wax was on my skis. There were a few of us getting wax advice/instructions from XC Oregon speedsters Brayton and Zach. We were able to get the skis going good though, with good kick up the hills and decent glide. Races like this, I learn that I need to be better at double polling. That's what I get though, for only half heartedly being committed to off season (and in-season) strength training. The skate was on the flat part of the trail, that is not usually groomed up here. Most if not all of the trails at bachelor are up and down with very little sustained flat, and skiing the flat was hard. I used to be a midwesterner, and the flats are very common. I'd never complain about a flat trail, because it was what we did. It was like doing a big VA loop with a little bigger hill in the middle of it (back when we skied at the VA in high school). I can't give much age group podium strategy talk because my age group was a whole 2 people!!! But I was behind Joe Jensen from Idaho, and he's the same one who beat me last year (this year by a little bit more), but the main difference being that I gave 35 pints of blood (iron overload) from June through February, and he didn't. Try training thought that ordeal!

Saturday 15km classic

It was warm on Friday, and it never froze on Friday night. So it was like skiing in firm slush. The track was not super soft, but some spots were choppy around corners, but it was pretty good considering how warm it was. Kudos to the grooming team at Bachelor. There such a deep snowpack here, that it becomes like ice underneath where they groom, so even the warm days they can work out pretty decent grooming in most conditions. The swix recommendation was 2-1 mix red-universal klister. A pair of fast gliding no wax skis might have worked well on this day. For me, I had an ironed in base of green toko klister, and then I put a little silver and red mixed w/ universal. I skied a bit, (around the stadium and up and down blue jays... and I didn't think the kick was enough so I had brayton put a bit more klister on (panic waxing), for some more red. In retrospect, I'm still split up on whether or not this was a bad idea, because on the downhills during the race, i could feel the kickwax on my skis. I guess it was good for going up the hills, but I think i could've used the original wax. Plus when I was cleaning the klister off after the race it was a total mess. I did a fair amount of classic skiing this winter, but on the klister days, I skated. That probably didn't help me in choosing my skis and/or wax either. As for the race, I felt OK... I was skiing with a 25-29 skier, and on the flats, I would pull away (even w/ the extra wax), and on the uphills he would catch me. His ski's must have been slower than mine, so maybe my wax wasn't so bad. The end of the race there is a kilometer long uphill, and he passed me. I tried to hang on but had nothing left for the sprint. I skied hard and was satisfied w/ the result.

Sunday 30km Skate

This was the biggest race in terms of total people. My only real complaint is that they split up the age groups (and this goes for all of the races really) staring the 34 and under first, and then the 35-39, etc. This spreads things out alot, at least for us, when there are a wide range of speed. It probably works better for the older age groups where you'll have like 15+ in an age group, that are competitive. If you start too many at once, the way the start is setup, it would be complete chaos, so maybe the small groups are justified. On race morning, I was laying in bed, thinking it was going to be hell up there skiing in the snow... Thought about not going, I was a bit tired from the previous 2 out of 3 days of racing... But I still went, and got up there, and sat in the car for a bit, and was thinking, this is going to be hell... It was snowing pretty good... There was new snow today, and I was justifiably worried about the conditions. There was about 5 inches of snow in the parking lot, and it continued to snow. But once again the grooming was good, and firm, with just a bit of new snow on top. Since we were not the first wave, the earlier skiers had packed it enough, so the new snow was really not an issue. It was warm enough so it would pack, and didn't stay powdery. It was pretty fast too. So, the race started and as usual I fought hard to hang on to the lead group of skiers in my wave, and did for a while, the first 5 k is for the most part, almost all down hill... and then when we got to the uphill sections it was a bit more difficult. There are some super hard climbs in the middle part of this loop, and then the flat section (same flat section as skiathlon). I was a bit bummed, that on the first lap I couldn't have skied up the big hill a bit faster, because I was nearing the top, and Pat Weaver passed me (I had 3 minute head start) and put in a small gap, and then I skied behind him not losing much time at all, over most of the flat section. It would have been nice to draft off of him during that part, at least for a while. The second lap, I managed hang on, and ski hard the whole way, but it was hard. The last uphill before getting to the stadium was a 'gut buster' to say the least.

Well that will pretty much put a wrap on my ski season, until the PPP (commonly referred to locally as 'the Bend olympics') in May. I'll still get up for some skiing, but I'm converting to riding my bike and running more right now.

New Years Relay

I had originally not planned on ski racing this weekend. Then I was invited to join a team called the nordic superheros. The New Year's Relay, at Mt Bachelor, is not like regular ski races. It's more like Halloween, on snow. Our team was the Incredible Hulk (me), Spiderman (Larry) and Batman (Jason). I skied the opening leg, which was classical technique, and the other 2 skate skied. We were first place in the 19+ open category. The defending champion (Beckie Scott) wasn't there. Last year Beckie skied all three legs by herself and won outright, and there were some pretty good teams too, one consisting of 2 former olympians. She retired from ski racing after last season with a number of olympic medals (including gold) and 2nd overall in the world cup last season.


spiderman, batman and the incredible hulk. 2006 relay champions!

Happy new year!

Thrilla in the milla

Raced in the 2nd installment of the weekly September cyclocross series the Thrilla in the Milla. It is a pretty sweet little bike race where you're supposed to ride a bike that's in between a road bike and a mountain bike. I ride a full on mountian bike though, because I don't have a CX bike. There's usually a few obsticles where you are required to get off the bike and jump over them. So it's not easy.

I haven't been training hard or training to race lately, so I knew I would be hurting through this one. It started out fast and I was pegged way too early and by that time, I just tried to maintain position. Last year I was pretty strong in the B race, so either the Bs are stronger or I'm slower, and I'm thinking that the weekly trips to the red cross have just a little bit to do with it.

No worries though it was still fun, and I got to suffer a little bit. The weather is supposed to be changing here at least for a couple days, and this time of year, in this area that could mean that either fall is going to happen, or winter. But then we could get more summer in a couple weeks too.

Laurie leaves for a couple weeks tomorrow for Paraguay, on a mission trip with Operation Smile. Should be a great experience for her. She's going to stay a couple extra days to travel a bit. So I'm flying solo, party at my house!

Smith rock time trial this weekend. stay tuned...

Cascade Classic Day 2-3

On to the Time trial. Since my weekly trips to the blood bank, one of the things I've noticed is my recovery times seemed a bit longer. Well after going all out the day before, it was time for a morning time trial (only 6.5+ miles) with a start time at 9:04:30am. It went OK, well except for the fact that like 3 people passed me. That was kindof a drag, and it didn't really seem like I was able to get all of my power on the pedals. One of the top objectives for next season is to improve the time trialing. I didn't finish last, but i was bottom 10.

On to the Criterium. Lining up for the start:

So if we had to follow that guy all day, it might have been a bit stinkier. The GTO lead out the first lap, and it smelled like a combination of burning rubber, and super hot exhaust that didn't really smell like normal car exaust. Maybe more like race car exhaust, I'm not sure. Anyway, the GTO lasted for 1 lap, and we had to go for 50 minutes around a downtown course of about .7 miles. This kind of racing has it all, it's fast, fun, scary, intense, hard, and fun for everybody to watch. I had alot of people cheering for me, so it seemed, and all I heard was "Go Ryan!, Start moving up!" on almost every lap. So when I heard that I didn't want to look back, because i might have been the last in line. The fact was, I was constantly trying to move up, but I just couldn't get more than about 1/3 of the way to the front. There were prime laps (where you sprint for a prize) like every 3rd lap it seemed, so the pace was pretty relentless. I wish I knew our average speed, because we were flying. I finished in the pack, again making it a step closer for the goal for the weekend. Finish (No DNF), and don't be DFL.

Sunday would bring a circut race with 4 laps around a common training loop west of Bend. I've ridden these roads many times, and that should have played to my advantage. Well, it was pretty cool to know the course real well, as the majority of the field was from out of town. Next year I'm going to use that to my advantage more. I made it one lap and then I got dropped. I did too much work at the front of the pack early, and then on a steep climb (Archie Briggs road), I just couldn't hang on. I rode the last 3 laps solo, to make it in 3rd from last on the stage. (oh well, bottom podium) I made it through my 3rd and hardest (by far) stage race, and my 1st Cat 3 races and I didn't finish last. But I finished. The 5 units of blood I lost in the last 6 weeks was definatly a factor. 6 weeks ago I was approaching top shape, and during the last 6 weeks I couldn't train with the intensity I had in April and May. I'm really determined to come back full blood and de-ironed next year, and plan to come out swinging. Watch out.

Until then I think I'll do some yard work.

Cascade Classic: Day1

The first (of 4) stage of the Cascade classic took us through some pretty good scenery. Photo of the CAT 3 pack going down the first descent after a 4 mile climb to start the race. The 1st stage was a 74 mile road race that started out with a tough 4 mile climb to the base of Mt. Bachelor. That went OK, and was followed by a long descent (later to be climbed) and about 50 miles of rolling hills through pine tree lined roads. The course was like a lolly pop with an out and back, with a loop in the middle. It was in the 80s or 90s, a really hot day, and it was made worse by a tail wind on the return, so there was not as much wind blowing through the 'peleton'.

I started this race with 2 water bottles, one with HEED and one with water. My lack of training in the mid-day heat was evident in the choice to only bring 2 bottles. I would later pay for that in the last 10 kilometers of this race.

I was dropped on the last climb, and at 2 points had to stop because my hamstrings were cramping up. I did make it to the finish line with a smile. There were many casualties on the last climb and I was only one of them. My first CAT3 race went OK, and with more water, I could have placed a bit better, and who knows what the 5 pints of blood that I've lost in the last 6 weeks have done.

Day 2 includes a 7 mile TT and a 50 minute downtown Crit.

Bike Racing 101 - some lessons learned at Mt Hood

Here we are back in Central Oregon after an action packed weekend of bike racing (and a few heated ping pong matches). The weekend started early Friday morning, when we decided that it would be better to take the car, instead of camping in the Van. This would require us to drive back to West Linn after the bike race on Friday to stay w/ Laruie's bro. Then I would make the trip to the time trial on Saturday solo. Worked out nicely; we got to spend a little time w/ Laurie's brother & fam. The accomodations were excellent, thank you very much.

We awoke to rain in Central Oregon on Friday. That can only mean that it's basically raining everywhere from Bend on west, because it's not common to have much rain. It rained through most of the drive to the race actually, where it was still raining. Needless to say it was going to be a wet race. (Soaking wet and cold too) It was a 2 loop circut for us w/ the race starting and immedatly descending about 9 miles, and then back up 9 miles. I was shivering and soaked at the bottom of the initial descent. There was hardly any attacking. then a guy starts slowly riding faster, and everyone just let him go gradually. Turns out he was a real strong rider, because him and another guy got almost 2 minutes on us. That's the problem with a cat4 race, is nobody really wants to work very much, and working together almost never happens. I stupidly didn't attack until about 1km to go to the finish, and ended up 8th. I should have attacked with about 5k to go. It would have split the field alot, and well, That was lesson number one. ATTACK!!!

Lesson Number 2 came at the time trial. I was going to get all nostalgic and wear my old school sleeveless NDSU cycling jersey. For one it's really tight, so less wind, and also it's a cool green color. Well, I got to the starting line about 3 minutes before I was supposed to start, and this big official guy says (in a very mean voice) 'you gotta find sleeves!' I'm sort of dumbfounded by just how mean he was, and lipped off a little bit, but he was not nice at all. He said "this ain't no triathlon". I know there's a sleeves rule in road races, but I figured that this was a time trial, so it would fly. Give me a break this isn't the freaken tour de france here. I sprinted back to the car, and got my Team jersey and numbers, and then almost missed my start (I had 15 seconds when I was clipped in ready to go.) I finished a crappy 28th losing over 2 1/2 minues. Lesson number 2: Gotta have SLEEVES!!!

So I wasn't super happy w/ the TT, because I knew the race really happened on Sunday (73 miles of climbing and desceneding.) It was pretty rainy again, but the sun came out a few times during the race, so not a complete wash out. We got to the race and there was a slight break in the clouds, so it was possible to warm up a bit out of the rain. I rode a little bit and then made it to the start about 5 minutes early. At stage races you have to sign in. They close sign in 15 minutes before the race start. Lesson Number 3: SIGN IN EARLY!

Unfortunatly the gal (probably a volunteer), was mean to me also, I'm sorta new to this whole program and I guess I was supposed to bring an extra set of wheels, because they have neutral support at these races, where a van follows the pack, and if someone flats they can get you new wheel. So they drew my name and as the gal was telling me that I had to be there 15 minutes early and sounding not nice at all, and then she notices that I was drawn to have a set of wheels, she get's even more angry. I didn't have time to find a set of wheels that I didn't even bring, and it was too late to try to find any. I think I was supposed to get a penatly but so far it hasn't shown up on the results. what ever. Lesson Number 4: Bring Extra Wheels!!!

The first of 3 summits was probably the hardest, for whatever reason. After that, the descent was down right scary. Wet roads and very twisty. I think I wore almost all the way through my brake pads this weekend! Then the same two guys eventually got out in front again, gaining minutes on the field. A group of about 10 riders emerged on the second climb, and I was in it. About that time (w/ 5k to go to the 2nd summit) I notice a slow leak in my rear tire. and no wheel car in sight!!! So I roll as long as I can and at the last moment the van shows up, and I got a new wheel, and then I had to CHASE my ass of to try to catch up. I chased for a long time. But I did catch back up. Another Super fast descent but dry roads this time, thankfully. If you're a fearless descender, you could really make time up in a cat 4 race anyway.

On the last climb, I started to do little attacks, because nobody would carry a sustained pace at the front (except me, and everyone was on my wheel). So I let someone else by, and he pulled for a while, and when he stopped, I'd attack. I think it worked a bit to tire people out, but again, I should have started it sooner. It was a grind to the top, but I made it in 7th place for an overall place of 7th in the GC (General Classification). I was super happy with the overall result and had such a great time that I hope to race at Elkhorn in 3 weeks. (We'll see how I feel) Sorry about the long post.

Blood donation #1 tomorrow.

Pole Pedal Paddle

The PPP. 6 different segments. 5 different sets of gear. 2 crew members. 3000+ feet elevation loss. 2500+ total participants. 2 hours of pain.

Well, I was a bit worried about the weather. It was great weather. We did have cloud cover and mist when we arrived about 2 hours before the start, but it cleared up slowly, and it was high overcast at the start.

The race starts at the top of one of the chair lifts at Mt Bachelor, where you set your skis and then go down the hill about 50 meters where, after the start, you run up and click into your alpine skis. I didn't exactly get the jump I was hoping for, and it seemd like I was suddenly behind by 3 gates in the giant slalom course. Those guys take off like rockets on that part, maybe I should practice that more. The last time I downhill skied was last years PPP. Oh well, my main objective was to stay upright, and I was successful. I was screaming down the mountain w/ the lead women, and there were a couple stragglers who wandered onto the course in full on snow plow mode, which made things even more exciting. After a minor glitch in the 1st transition, I was racing on my XC skis. Hoping to make up a little time, I was pushing it pretty hard. At the end of a long winding descent, there was a hard left. I was carrying a bit too much speed, and proceeded to crash. Hard. And since the snowpack of about 14 feet has melted to about 6 feet, there are no longer embankments on the sides of the trail, it's more like a drop off. So as I was trying to make the corner, I proceeded to fall, and slid right off the trail and down the bank. As I was crawling back up, I nearly took out a couple of other skiers. I struggled a bit to regain my composure (and speed), but was back at it in a short time-Passing a few people for the second time. I was crusing until the bike leg where I have to say I felt a little sluggishon the couple of uphill sections, before the really fast descent in to Bend. I had my sights on a group that seemed like they were about a minute ahead of me. I caught one of the guys right at the end of the bike and caught another 2 in the first couple miles of the run, where it was sunny and hot. Luckily I had shorts under my tights that I took off after the bike. It was really hot. I was in 7th place to start out the kayak, but Tav (eventual 7th place finisher) had a faster boat, and I paddled as hard as I could but just couldn't stay on him. Fellow XC oregonian Colin also passed me and I finished a solid 9th place. All in all it was pretty fun. It's such a festival of Central Oregon, with a wide range of athletes all the way from the elite olympic caliber athlete all the way to the ordianary people just doing it for fun. It really is somthing to see. I took some photos, check out the slide show here! If I get any from the Ski portion of the race I'll add them, but we didn't bring a camera up there.


Hope all is well. Phlebotomie's start in 15 days.

RUMBLE

Yesterday was the Peterson Ridge Rumble. 32 kilometers trail running. 28 were pretty real smooth. 4 were pretty darn tough. They turned out to be the last 4k, and it was not because it was the hardest section of the course. The Rumble would be my furthest run this spring by about 8 miles, so it was a bit of uncharted territory. I was feeling good though until about 2 miles to go. My legs were real sore, so I was just going to survive to the finish line. I'm stoked about a good result (3rd overall). I jumped over a big log in the first 1/2 mile (that most runners were going around, I might add), and whadya know the guy from the local newspaper was taking photos, and I ended up on the front page of the sports section! Pretty sweet! Sorry for the quick report, I'll try to find more pictures and post later.

late-

Ski Report: NM 2006 Skiathlon

Today was the beginning of the National Masters. YEA! It was pretty cool. XCSkiworld.com is making it happen and is pulling off a great even up here in Oregon. Any midwesterners on the fence about coming to this next year, should seriously consider it. Excellent snow conditions are pretty much gauranteed.


My friend kevin leads a group of skiers into the transition. That's me behind 233, with the blue headband. Bend Bulletin Photo.

The conditions today, when we got to the parking lot at Mt. Bachelor, were a steady 31 degrees with about a 30 mph wind. It felt very cold at the start area, but I knew (from skiing at the trails there almost every weekend) it would be hot when we got in the trees. The kick wax wasn't too tough today, swix vr65. My skis were a bit slick, but they were gliding awesome, and there was only one major uphill on the 2 loop classic course (so we skied the hill twice) I went w/ the vr65 over the staart grip tape (my trusted backup this season). I got in a quick warm up, and got the skis in the transistion, and then we were lining up to start. I was scoping out the age group competition. Not huge numbers in my age group which was expected, this event catered more toward the 50+ crowd. And they are serious about it too.

I got out of the gate without trouble. The race overall was fairly smooth, the classic was about 8k, and there was a stretch that was against the wind, where I tucked behind the group I was skiing with (including my age group competition). On the 2nd lap when we merged on to the course w/ the start of the womens race it was a bit exciting. In the 1st K there is a pretty significant downhill with a sweeping corner. I had to pull the bob and weave to get through, but I made it! whew. It was the last time I would encounter major traffic for the rest of the race.

Leading up to the race I'd done 2 mock skiathlons, and each time it was a suffering death march, especially on the skate leg. I was concerned about that trend continuing today, so I took an extra moment through the transition, sort of took my time w/ my skis and poles. I got out on the skate leg, and knowing that there was alot of rest on the first 5k, I took advantage and tried to keep my speed high over the short uphill sections. I got to the last half of the 10k skate, with the leader in my age group in sight. I was fighting to close the gap, and it was closing but not fast enough. I had a pretty good result today, I was able to keep the tempo on, unlike my other experiences w/ practicing the skiathlon. All in all it was fun, and I'm anxious to try it again. In the mean time, I have to focus on the next event, on Saturday, 15K classic, and then Sunday, 30k Skate. I'm ready to put the smack down. Bring it.

thanks for reading.

Ski Report: Birke 2006

This year, since I live 1700 miles away, I figured I'd come to the birkie early. It would be great! More days to soak in the energy, right? Well sort of. You can't really beat Birkie weekend at telemark lodge. People are bouncing off the walls with Birkie fever. I did get a healthy case of Birkie fever, Coming to the Birkie on the Thursday before the race you have to keep yourself busy as you can only think about the race so much. The friends that I traveled to the Birkie with are old timers. Of the three, two of them are in the Bircheleggings club (20+ Birkies) and two of them have won their age class in the freestyle race. They are serious about the Birkie. Talking wax, weather, food, clothing, breath right strips, bitch hill, and so on. I like ski racing and the birkie, but boy it was a little much.

We did get a really nice ski in on Thursday at the double o crossing. For those that havn't been there, this is the half way point of the birkie. I had forgotten just how wide and smooth the birkie trail was. I'm used to skiing on pretty darn nice trails at the nordic center at Mt. Bachelor, and these were right up there. The birkie trail is SWEET!

Race morning finally arrived, and it was about 9 degrees according to Bob's wireless thermometer, but reports from the start were that it was zero. Not used to skiing in below zero temps anymore, so I put on 2 layers of wind breifs. We also had gotten a few inches of very dry powder the day before, and it continued to snow during the night. This caused some worries, but the classic skiing was most likely going to be better because of it. I had planned my wax according to the recommendations for the classic race (my second classic birkie, 7th birkie overall). I had an ironed in layer of toko green base wax, and then a layer of Blue Extra, followed by 3 thin layers of toko carbon white. I put this wax on in the room at the lodge. Chip and Marty came by the room, and I jogged over to the start with Chip. I set out on the trail to test my wax, and let's just say my kick was pretty crappy, in fact, I had terrible kick. I put 2 additional layers of blue extra on my skis, and skied a little bit, and thought it would be good. I'd carry the wax with me in case I needed more. In hindsight, I wish I'd have left off the carbon white all together, I think it was a blue extra day.

I lined up next to 3 other classic skiers and then bang the gun went off. They lit off a bunch of fireworks for the start, I think they used to have a cannon or something, but the fireworks were good. The start went well, I actually took out the classic skiers in the lead, for the first half kilometer, then the group of three passed me, and I was able to hang on until we exited the power lines. If you've never been there, the 'power lines' section is this insanely wide ski trail that has HUGE power line towers going through it. After that point I was pretty much alone until the lead women came by, and then groups from wave 1 would slowly pass me. It was about 8k into the race where I took a drink of my water bottle that I mixed some heed, and red bull. It tasted so awesome. Little did I know that was the last time the bottle would be thawed until about 4pm that day!!! I was able to get other feeds from many of the people out on the course, so it wasn't a huge problem. But the red bull would have been helpful on the last 10k.

Small groups of skiers continued to pass me by, and each time, I could ski with them for a bit, especially on the uphills. I was skiing good flirting with catching the 3rd place elite wave classic skier (he was in sight). In an effort to be under 3 hours, I broke the race into 3 17 kilometer sections, where I would attempt to ski each in under one hour. I made it to 17k in about 59 minutes. We had gone over the hardest section of the course, passed the high point, so I was feeling pretty good about my race, but I didn't have a lot of cushion if I was going to break 3 hours, and there are still a lot of ups and downs in this race. Chip came by in one of the groups from wave one, so I asked him if he missed his start, but later he told me they wouldn't let him into the elite wave because he had bib 225. I think he got screwed, and should have lined up in the elite wave.

Double O came and went. I was feeling pretty good, my skis were gliding awesome, and my kick was decent. The kickwax worked much better for me in the skating lane, because there was a dusting to 2 inches of snow still in the classic tracks. I'd say I skied about 90% of this race out in the skating tracks. I made it to 34k still on schedule to break 3 hours, but by only a couple of minutes. I had to keep the pressure up if I was going to make it. I have to say the last 12 k was pretty brutal. My back was getting sore from all the double poling, but the thought of the finish line kept me going. There was a wind on the lake that was a little annoying, but it really wasn't as bad as others talked about after the race, but that's maybe because they were flying across the lake and I was struggling a little. Some years the lake seems like 10 miles, but today it was not too bad. I could see the beginning of main street, and a glance at my watch told me I was on schedule to break 3 hours! The very loose snow on the first part of main street was hard, and skiers were wavering back and forth fighting to stay up. I faintly heard Jeff's wife Rebbecca yell my name along with all of the cow-bells and cheering. In my past years doing the birkie I would often room with Jeff, who lives in Moorhead, MN, near where I went to college in Fargo.

I went across the finish line and it was at that point that I decided I had a good/great race, with a time of 2 hours 57 minutes. I would later learn that I won my age group in the classic race, and finished 8th overall. I was also over 15 minutes faster than my last attempt at skiing the birkie classic style (in 2004), so that felt pretty good. Birkie number 7, in the books. Hopefully see you next year, Hayward and Cable!