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Tour de Carmel 2006

Today was the 2006 Tour de Carmel.

Tm: 1hr. 41 mins.
Mi: 22.03
Tp. Spd: 22.5mph
Av. Spd: 12.9mph

D.IN.O.@TRTP Intro

I was pretty excited and nervous about my upcoming first race. So when the day came, I was ready. On the way to Mr. W's apartment we stopped at Steak 'n' Shake and got steak burgers and shakes.

When we got to the trail we unloaded our bikes and raced over to the registration tent. The lady handed us 2 long forms to fill out. We were like “Oh man, we don't have time for this!” So then I told her that Jon and I had previously registered, and we didn't have to fill them out. Whew! We got our number plates and started tying them on. Then Mr. W. took a bunch of pictures with his camera.

We also got our jerseys that we had purchased and tried them on. I had to get a large. Those jerseys were tight! Unfortunately the theme this year was "Peace, Love, Mountain biking" I'm not opposed to peace, but it always seems to be unsupportive of our troops. They were colored like they were tie-dyed. We both decided to not wear the jerseys in the race. We're going to wear them in the Tour de Carmel.

We got to the Starting line, after everybody else, while the announcer was giving the rules. We had almost missed our first race!!! After the horn, we all took off raggedly like a bunch of noobs. LOL. Jon wiped out about 30 seconds into it. About a minute later he passed me (like he always does) and kept up with the pack. I was tailing several of the stragglers and we kept trading positions in the beginning of the race.

When I cama to the overpass, I had to stop because my front tire's quick-release was loose. Some other racers from other classes passed me and yelled "Keep going!'... Pretty nice. They were all pretty friendly. I didn't have much trouble except for wiping out once and light stomach cramps. I was way ahead of the stragglers and behind the pack so I crossed the finish line alone.

When I finished, Jon was waving at me, and coasted to a stop. He came in 2 places ahead of me (he had taken a wrong turn somewhere and had to backtrack) We traded stories and more pics were taken. We traded in our number plates for t-shirts and sweatshirts. We unfortunately had to leave before the results were announced but I called the day after and found out. I placed 18th, and Jon came in 16th.

Anyway, I had fun and I'm looking forward to doing it again!

Lessons learned:
Always give yourself enough time for any unforeseen circumstances before a race.
Go over you bike and make sure everything is how it's supposed to be, it will save you time in the race.

Here are the pics the race photographer took:
http://www.dinoseries.com/mtb/photos/2006/race7photos.htm

Tm: 44 mins
Mi: 7.35
Tp. Spd: 18.2
Av. Spd: 9.8mph

Note; Stats include race, and to truck.

My first race is tomorrow!

I'm really excited and a bit nervous!

7 miler

To stay ready for the upcoming D.IN.O. race, I went to West Park, went up the big hill, did the big oop, went down the short trail, did the big loop again and went home with a little time in West Village.

Tm: 33 minutes
Mi: 7.39
Tp. Spd: 21.5mph
Av. Spd: 13.1mph

Soma Lever

I bought a Soma Lever at my LBS today when I was in to get a replacement bolt for my toe cups. The bolt was free and I needed a tire lever...

I didn't have much time, so I just circled Laurel Lakes.

Tm: 5 mins
Mi: 1.37
Tp. Spd: 18.8mph
Av. Spd: 15.5mph

I got a new helmet, a Giro Indicator

Bike Wave was out of medium-sized helmets, so I went to Nebo Ridge and bought a black '06 Giro Indicator. To get the specs, here's a link. I really like it so far, and hopefully I can get out and try it today...

Tm: 26 mins
Mi: 5.58
Tp. Spd: 16.2mph
Av. Spd: 12.8mph

Rum Run!

It's 5a.m. EST, I'm getting ready to go up to Plymouth to see some friends at the blueberry festival. We are also going to go to the Rum Run trail. I'll probably get home after 12, so stay tuned....

Later....
It was a great trip! We got in five laps, twice on the Beginner, twice on the Intermediate, and once on the Advanced.

The beginner trail was pretty smooth, while the intermediate had a lot more uphill and steeper turns. The intermediate had this awesome tabletop that you could get some air on. The advanced had a 15-foot drop/jump/hill that you could avoid, jump or ride down. I wasn't even going to think about jumping it.

Before we got to the trail while we were loading our bikes, the plastic shell fell off of my helmet. I knew it would happen some day. I rode with it loose all day, but I'm going to need a new one.
I will have to retire my well-worn Giro Mojave.

Tm: 1 hr, 23 mins
Mi: 11.44
Tp. Spd: 22.5mph
Av. Spd: 7.9mph

Bought a bike rack

So I bought a bike rack from Dick's. It's a Graber TrunkRack2, and it takes two bikes. It's all black and it can fit on cars, mini-vans, and SUVs without hitches.

It will come in handy.

I got my bike back today

If only it would stop raining...

The LBS only had to replace the front granny gear, although the chain needed to be replaced. It was stretched but I didn't want to wait while they ordered a 9-speed chain. Only 3 links needed to really be replaced, so they did it.

My bike is at the shop

To get the granny gear replaced. I would have done it myself but I don't have a crank tool, and it's cheaper if they do it. The guy said my chain was toast but probably could make it for another month. I didn't want to put $30 more into a bike that will hopefully be replaced next year.

So, my bike should be operational by Thursday.

Free shwag, Cannondales, & bent cogs at the TRTP

And lots of bikers, two tents (BGI and Cannondale), the HMBA trail crew, a downed tree, lots of female joggers and the Cannondale dog. What a great day! ;-)

Yesterday I was busy at the BMV (D.E.L.P. Woot!) so I wasn't able to go biking with Mr. W. and Jon. They were borrowing 2 Specialized full-suspensions, an Epic and a Stumpjumper. They only had time for one lap though.

So I got up at 6a.m. and left a little after 7a.m. for the TRTP. Jon was the only one who was going to ride. AS we got ready, a big group of female jogger took off. We decided to go down the "easy" entrance, because that's how the DINO race is going to start. I'd hate to go down the "hard" entrance with a bunch of racers all around.

Lap 1
Tm: 45 minutes
Mi: 7.5

1/2 lap
Tm: 22 minutes
Mi: 2.84

Total
Tm: 1 hour, and 7 minutes
Mi: 10.34
Tp. Spd: 18.6mph
Av. Spd: 9.2mph

New path at West Park

There was a new 1/2 mile long path at West Park. It ends about 50 ft. from Shelbourne Rd. It's pretty nice.

I also saw prep for a wedding in Crossfields.

Tm: 30 minutes
Mi: 5.73
Tp. Spd: N/A
Av. Spd: N/A

TRTP Users Meeting

I'm posting this before the event (link) in case I can't get to my PC in time afterwards.

Mr. W. and Jon will be there around 5 p.m. and we're going to do to 2 laps if it's possible. After that, (if Jon remembers his camera) we're going to try to get some action shots. (I'll post them here) Also Mr. W. is borrowing 2 Specialized full-suspension bikes, an Epic and a StumpJumper. I hope to try them out.

None of us ended up making it, so that's pretty disapointing.

Went to the State Fair yesterday

Since I went to the State Fair yesterday I wasn't able to get out for a ride. And all I did today was circle Laurel Lakes. Some is better than nothing I guess.

Tm: 15 minutes or so
Mi: 1.30
Tp. Spd: N/A
Av. Spd: N/A

Got my bike fixed

I took my bike to the LBS today to get the brakes tightened and the rear tire fixed. I mentioned to the guy that I was going to race, and he told me about a race this Sunday. Then I told him that I'm going to do the D.IN.O. race at the TRTP. He asked if I was doing th Junior class. When I said that I was doing the Into class he said that it would be easy. Sweet!

That reminds me, my entry form was officially mailed today. I ordered a jersey, too. Now, if Jon would just scrape together the money for him entry and jersey...

Not to self: Remember to switch brake pads (v-barke on front, cani' on back)

Tm: 15 minutes
Mi: 0.5 (or so)
Tp. Spd: N/A
Av. Spd: N/A

After long last... t was cut short...

Sadly, yes. My rear tire needed some air so I hooked it up to my cigarette lighter powered compressor (Yeah, I know, I need a pump...) and tryed to fill it. After about 10 minutes of no noticable difference in pressure I gave up and headed out. I noticed that when I would swerve, the tire would fold a little and make a cruching noise. Not cool. By the time I got into Crossfields the tire was pretty much flat. So I walked, jogged and coasted back through Laurel Lakes, and then carried it down the sidewalk home.

I inspected the tire but I couldn't find the culprit. I'll have to take it into the bike shop.


Tm: 20 minutes
Mi: 1.0 (give or take...)
Tp. Spd: N/A
Av. Spd: N/A

Dropped my water bottle

This was the first time I have ever dropped my water bottle as I tried to stick it in the cage! If that happens the race I'm gonna just leave it and suffer thirst.

I went to West Park and I noticed there was a big group by the base of the big hill. It was some local acting group putting on a Shakespearean play. I would've stayed and watched, but I was hot and sweaty and the whole crowd was basically parent with little kids. So I passed.

I just did two big loops then went out of the park. That's when I dropped my water bottle and it started to rain. By the time I got back into Laurel Lakes the rain had stopped. I crossed the road and went into West Village. I mostly just jumped curbs near the pool, then went home.

Tm: 30 minutes
Mi: 5.62
Tp. Spd: 17.2mph
Av. Spd: 11.3

Lost my bike taillight :-(

After my ride today I realized that I didn't have myred 5-LED bike taillight on the clip. It must have come off when I was riding at the TRTP. So now, I have to buy a new one. Oh well, just $5.

I circled the three Laurel Lakes, then went into West Village. I decided to go off the pavement so I road on the rocks and dirt. It was fun with all of the ruts and bumps.

Tm: 20 minutes
Mi: 3.2
Tp. Spd: 19.8mph
Av. Spd: 9.7mph

Town Run Trail Park at last!

So I left the house at 15 'till 11a.m. with the sky threatening to rain. But the sun was trying to keep the scheduled isolated thunderstorms off as long as possible.

I got to the TRTP, loaded my bottles, set my glasses in my helmet and started towards the beginning. The start of the TR trail has a nice little slope, but one side has a nice (rocky, twisting and just slightly unsafe. Note the sarcasm just dripping from my voice... I mean words... text whatever.) rut. I had to stand at the top of the hill for a few minutes to get myself prepped for it. Finally I eased off the brakes (only slightly) and shot down. It wasn't too bad.

My first lap I decided to take it easy and just get re-aquainted with the terrain and hazards. A few miles into it I took one hand off the handle bars and took a drink. Bad idea. I was still pedaling and my front tire glanced off a rock... I got to know the weeds of TRTP very well. Some must have had little thorns/needles because my leg and arm began to burn like a million misquito bites. I thought "Oh boy, there goes my ride!" but after a quarter mile of going slow and itching (and scratching) like crazy I finally forced myself to stop scrathing and after a bit the ichiness went away.

The rest of the lap was pretty much uneventful except for when I had about 3 miles left to go and I pulled over to let a biker with a blue jersey (male, mid-thirties or so) pass me. About a half-mile later I heard a shout and crashing and a deer jumped right across the path! There was another biker going the otherway on on the path (and these sections are about 20 feet apart) and he yelled "Did you see that?!?!" I yelled back "Yeah!", and he was like "That's so cool!" I've never had that happen before!

When I pulled out of the woods, I took a brake uner the pavillion. The first lap was good, I didn't make all of the hills (some due to my rear derailleur not shifting properly, and some to me not having enough speed) but I went over all of the obsticles, with the exception of a log pile that's just too hard for me right now.

The second time down the beginning it wasn't so hard. I decided to go faster this time. I passed a guy (white jersey, late twenties) talking on his cell phone on the top of a hill. I asked him if he was ok, and he said yeah, so I went on. Five minutes later he passed me. (much to my chagrin) When I went under the bridge on the way back there was a dad with his daughter and son. The idiots were standing all over the pathway, so I had stop untill they moved. (They did have nice bikes though)

A couple miles from finishing I heard another crash and saw the hind-end of a deer disapear in the brush on the side of the trail. I was like "Wow! Twice in one day!"
It was a great ride! I might not win the DINO race, but I shouldn't come in last.

Lap 001
Tm: 48 minutes
Mi: 7

Lap 002
Tm: 45 minutes
Mi: 7

Total (2 laps combined)
Tm: 1 hour, 36 minutes
Mi: 14.05
Tp. Spd: 17.7mph
Av. Spd: 8.7mph