TWW Race Reports

Check out our antics at the races!!! Or if you're having trubble sleeping...

Sunday, May 23, 2010

CCCX #5 at Fort Ord By Mike Urbina

I went into this race fully expecting it to be a fight! Three of my friends from NorCal Bikesport, Curt Kimble, Dave Wolbeck, and Keith Flood came down from Santa Rosa and they are all competetive.TAnd another TWW'er actually showed up (Jeff Hane) with family in tow.
Off the line I took the lead and held it into the single track. We did a small loop about a mile long before going through the start/finish, then started the first of 4 laps. To make a long story short, I held the lead to the finish but it wasn't as easy as it sounds. I was pushing hard to get away but every time I would roll out of the start/finish chute to start the next lap I would look back and see Curt just entering it. That meant I only had about 15 seconds on him. Each lap I would pull another couple of seconds on him but he was hanging tough! It wasn't until I completed the third lap that I looked back and didn't see him. He would later tell that he started cramping on the third lap which allowed Glen Cockrell, another top 3 regular, to get around him for 2nd. Dave W. ended up on the podium as well with a 4th place finish right behind Curt.
It was good to get some new blood into the series and I was hoping that one or more of the NorCal boys would finish between Glen and I to help me in the points but Glen was having none of that. Keith D. put on another great race! It was a fast course which made for a fast paced race.
Oh yea, I have to say the new tires I got from WTB worked fantastic today and I'm not just saying that because they sponsor us. I'm running a Nanoraptor on the front and a Vulpine 1.9 semi-slick on the rear. I had some doubts about the Vulpines' climbing ability but it worked great, especially on this course.

Mike U. 1/14 Sport 45-54

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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Lake Sonoma Race Report

Saturday was technically my first "real" race as an expert/cat 1. I raced the solo 8 hour race at boggs as an expert, but it didn't really matter what category I registered as, I still had to go in circles as fast as I could for ~8 hours. Saturday was different. By doing well enough last year, I treated myself to the upgrade and earned bonus laps at several races this year (Lake Sonoma, Tamarancho, Skyline, and the HMC). Life has been hectic, and I've barely been riding, but Katie kicked me out of the house so I could treat myself to a day with bikes, beers and friends; sort of an early birthday present. .My alarm went off Saturday morning and I struggled to get out of bed, gather my things, and load up the car. But once I was on the road, the lack of responsibilities tugging at me every which way was calming. I turned the radio up and enjoyed the nice drive up 101. I showed up about an hour early and there were maybe only 20 cars in the lot. I got my bike ready and laid everything out I'd need for the day. People started to arrive, and I greeted Paule and Tom Taylor from Roaring Mouse, as well as their carpool buddy Cisco Moran.

After catching up with them, I road around a little, trying to convince myself the 4th lap woudn't be too bad, and to just go have a good time. This was one of the few times prior to a race where I had no strategy, didn't care about results, and just wanted to enjoy myself out on the trails. About 75 people lined up, none of who seemed anxious, and with a 5-4-3-2-1 GO!, the Pros and SSers were off; sort of a mildly chaotic, "Oh, is that us? Excuse me, can I get up to the front?" A minute or so later (with a count down from 5 to GO! that took only about 2 seconds) I took off with the other 15 or so experts, and I think I hit the top of the paved climb in 2nd to last. No big deal though. I had to bleed my front brake the night before and other than the 10 minutes warming up, I hadn't had a chance to really feel 100% confident I'd done the job right. Oh well, they seemed to be fine.

As soon as we hit the first downhill, it was clearly evident that I've been riding my mountain bike, but haven't actually been mountain biking. My little SF loop and the headlands have helped me maintain my fitness, but not my technical skills. I struggled most of the first lap, and was quickly passed by the lead sport guys. No worries, I was holding on to Hans Kelner's wheels (Sycip), and I've always felt he is a solid rider. I passed him about half way through, then caught Paule who was on his SS. As we came through the start/finish, I was pleasantly surprised as the lap was shorter than I expected. I kept the pace easy knowing I'd blow up if I tried to actually race the entire 2 hours.

The 2nd lap was pretty uneventful, more comfortable on my bike, but starting to get a little tired. Paule grunted by my on the climb to the S/F never to be seen again. On the 3rd lap, I could feel myself fading. About half way through, I rolled up on a younger guy with a flat and decided I could use a rest. Turns out he was racing expert and crushing it, but didn't know how to use the CO2 cartridge someone had lent him. We got it figured out as more sport folks passed us. Back on the bike, and the kid took off like a rocket. By this point, my chain sounded like garbage, and I needed to get some lube on it or I was calling it a day. I started up the little fire road climb to the parking lot, and the top 2 pros (Brian Atell from Marin and Jason Moeshler from WTB) lapped me sprinting to their finish, flying by as if I were standing still. As I crested the hill, I asked spectators for lube. No luck. At this point, I wasn't going to win any trophies or medals, and decided just to roll over to my car, lube up my chain, and go back out for my last lap. At this point, about half of the racers already had a cold beer open and had finished their first burger.

Okay, lap 4, here we go... I'd stuck to my rule of avoiding my little ring for the first three laps. But I had promised myself that since I'm doing the extra lap, I could treat myself to the granny ring only on the last lap. And I used it plenty. As I started the last lap, I could see Hans behind me about 30 seconds to a minute, but since the beginners and sport folks had finished for the day and the course was empty. We passed two straggling sport racers, but other than that, we were on our own. I was able to ride almost everything and never really bonked. But it was definitely a slower lap.

I rolled in alone, had a hamburger and a couple Coronas with friends and called it a day. The weather was perfect, zero traffic both ways for the drive, and course was challenging enough to feel a sense of accomplishment, but moderate enough not to break my spirit. All in all, a good morning of bike riding.

Matt
11/13 expert men 2:09ish

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Saturday, May 01, 2010

Sea Otter by Mike Urbina

I really wanted a podium this year so I concentrated on being ready for this one. I ate right, got more sleep, trained according to how much time I had until the race. The week before the race I did an epic ride that started in Morgan Hill and included Metcalf Road, Quimby Road and upper Mt. Hamilton. I felt like superman that day. The very next day, Saturday, exactly one week before the race, I woke up sick. Really sick. So sick I didn't go to work Monday and Tuesday. I stayed home and pretty much slept for 2 days. The day before the race comes and I'm still far from 100% but hey, I'm paid up so I'm going for it.TI got a good position on the starting line for a change which was nice. On my right was my friend Curt Kimble who had just come off a 2nd place finish at NVDC. Off to my left I saw Glen Cockrell who I battled all race long for the lead at CCCX#4. I knew I had my work cut out for me.We took off around the track and I knew I didn't want to get pushed too far to the edges of the peloton. Well, I'd never been in the MIDDLE of a peloton this size and it was a scary place! There was alot of bumping and leaning on each other going on. As we rounded turn 11 Glen took the lead and I settled into the top 5. Through Rainey curve I got hit from behind by someone who almost went down. I just kept looking forward and kept the bike straight. Up the corkscrew I got passed by about 20 people before we funneled into the dirt. No problem methinks, there's plenty of room to pass up ahead. We got to the fire road and I watched Curt and many others slowly pull away from me. I was kind of in denial about what effect my illness was having on me but now I had accept that I was getting dropped and there was really nothing I could do about it. The technical sandy sections were fun as always. About 2 miles before I got to The Grind I could see Glen up ahead. Before long I caught and passed him. As I went by he said "I'm done". I replied no you're not, get on my wheel and try to relax. Damned if he didn't do just that! We motivated each other all the way up the grind and we were slowly picking off other riders. About a half mile from the top I could see Curt up ahead and then it was ON. He became my target for the remainder of the race. As we reached the summit of The Grind, my focus switched from holding off Glen to catching Curt. It was then that I finally pulled clear of Glen. I was closing on Curt but ran out of time, I finished just behind him by 19 seconds.We were talking after crossing the line and wondered if we might be in the top 10 but it was not to be today. We took 13th and 14th. I was a little disappointed but felt I did all I could do so....what the hey.
Usually at SOC I bolt right after the race but since Curt camped with a friend with a trailer, I went over for some post-race refreshments. We checked out the expo, partook in some of the food which was surprisingly good and ran into some some of our competitors. It was cool getting everyone's perspective after the fact. As we were eating, up walks Sherlock who sat down and ate with us. Unfortunately he didn't race due to other commitments.

--Mike U. 14/56

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