Saturday morning my dad came up and we hit the road to the Stokesville campground to setup the camper in the awesome spot our friends had saved for us on Friday. This year due to having our new baby along for the ride Me and my wife also had a hotel room in Bridgewater. The plan was for me to stay at the hotel Friday night and stay and party at the campground post race.
I felt good about my training this year and was fairly relax unlike usual the day before the race. It had been hard to get the training hours in with a baby but I had managed to make it happen with lots of early morning and solo riding. Saturday was hot and I was sweating just sitting outside not a good sign for things to come on Sunday. Sean wanted to see the end of the course and I wanted to get a little bit of riding in to wake the legs up. So we head backwards of the course out of the campground. Thank god this section is downhill on race day going up it sucks!
Didn't hang out at camp to late since we had the baby and needed to get to the hotel. The next morning after a so so night of sleep we were up at 5am and off to the campground. No matter how organized and prepared I am before a big race I always get frantic right before the start this year was no different with me losing the keys to the car and searching everywhere. Finally they were found and a quick and frantic team photo was taken before heading down to the start corral area. I was hoping to beat 9 hours this year but lined up right at the 8 hour sign. Why? well because everyone lines up ahead of the time they should. Probably over 100 people were ahead of me including a tandem. Come on people be more realistic getting to the single track first isn't going to make that much of a difference unless you are gunning for a podium.
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| Blackwater team |
Unlike previous years it wasn't cool feeling in the morning not a good sign when you plan to ride 100 miles. After a quick speech from Chris Scott we were off! With me being forced straight at the pole I hadn't seen earlier and then having to brake like crazy due to the traffic jam in the first corner. Finally manage to get out of the campground with out being run over by any of the other riders and down to the road to be greeted by my wonderful wife and baby as they course marshaled for us! Off to the first fire road at a pace that seemed a little on the fast side of things for a endurance race. Davy caught me at the start of the fire road and joked he had already put an 1hr on me since he lined up with the 9 hour group. So much for lining up ahead of the crowds!
Highlight video with Karoline and Dylan course marshaling and me swimming at the end.
I caught up to fellow Blackwater rider Robbie Bruce and rode with him for a while. He had similar time goals as mine so I figured it was a good place to be granted it all felt a little fast paced. We hit the first singletrack surprisingly with no traffic jam. The first rock garden forced us to stop like the previous year it's all ride able but all it takes is one person to mess it up and everyone is walking. A none eventful ride up Narrowback with no major delays and down the super fun Tilman west trail spitting us back out on a fire road. At this point I was sweating a ton and had already gone thru a full bottle of water. I should have grabbed a new one at Aid 1 but since usually you never need water at this point my plan was to not grab one so I didn't. This is probably one of my flaws in racing I always stick to my plan even if its not the the right choices anymore. A big pace line was ahead lead by Robbie Bruce. I hung on with them until the turn up the pavement. At that point they seem to keep hammering at a pace I wasn't willing to match and so I got dropped back by myself. Somehow only 15miles into a race off 500+ people I couldn't see a single person ahead or behind me. This would seem to be the trend of the day anytime there would be a road section were a group would be helpful I was all alone. I at least had the silver lining that I could ride Lynn trail at my pace instead of having to follow someone else up it. Except about 50 feet from going into the single track and big group of rider caught and passed me. O well guess I have to match whatever pace they set. Overall it was slower going then I wanted but at least everyone was riding. I got to my preset point of this is now to steep to be worth grinding up and jumped off and started walking. I was actually walking faster then the riders ahead still grinding up the climb so I passed a couple of them. Eventually catching back up with Robbie. Not sure who but one of my friends 4 or 5 riders back yelled I needed to practice my hike a bike because they were catching me. My joking reply of can't go faster someone is in my way made Robbie pull over to let me past. Finished up Lynn hike-o-rama and ripped down wolf ridge passing multiple riders fixing flats.
Over to Aid2 where I was completely out of water I grabbed new bottles from the volunteers mixed one with Infinit mix and head out. They gave me two smaller sized bottles but I figured this would be fine to Aid3. Note this was the first year running bottles before I had always used a camelbak but usually didn't drink much water. I went to drink from one of the bottles and found the value was busted and chewed out looking guess that's the gamble with the bottle exchange. I lost probably half that bottle due to the broken top. By the time I got to Hankey my legs were already starting to cramp not what you want only 30miles in. I try to down some endurolytes capsules and eat some mustard and the cramps go from terrible to I can deal. This goes on the rest of the day. I know its because I'm dehydrated since I'm not sweating as much but I can't seem to make up for the lost water. I make it up to the top and get down to Aid3 without incident.
At Aid3 I grab new bottles and down some coke. About to grab something from the food table and go but a volunteer insists they need to take my bike because they are "backing up". No one is behind me and I'm not sure why they did this another racer had the same comment. I grab some food and pretty much follow the volunteer 50 feet down the road to the bike hanging area to immediately grab my bike after he hangs it up. I try to find someone to work with on the road section but can't seem to get a group working together everyone seem to be splitting off instead of forming pace lines. I get to Brailey and start the climb. This is one of the shorter climbs and isn't to steep but it still seemed to kill me this year. I even had to walk a couple rock gardens. On the plus side when I got to the bottom for the first time I've done this race everything was dry instead of being mud. I pass one rider waling who stays he broke his nose. I offer to send a medic up to help him out but he says he thinks he will be fine on his own.
I hit Aid 4 grab my drink mix and shot bloks from my drop bag and then go down to the Blackwater tent to see my friends, wife and baby. It's always a boost to see them at the aid station and I pose for a couple quick shots with the baby before rolling out to tackle the death climb. My legs, hands, feet, arms basically everything is cramping on and off but I just try to change positions and keep them to a manageable level. I feel like I'm doing a pretty good pace up the climb until about mile 70 where I'm out of water. At this point I just keep looking at the Garmin and praying to see aid station 5 and the miles drag on. Finally I see the turn to aid 5 and down some coke and eat a slice of pizza. It gives me a big boost and I hit the part of the death climb people hate the "killing fields". The thing is I don't mind this section the short downs give me a boost to keep going and before I know it I'm actually at the sign marking the top and the turn to the single track descent. I love the chestnut descent when I actually have the hand strength to brake. I'm not sure if its just lack of hand strength or how I have my brakes setup but always at the point I can't seem to stop and have to start going to two fingers to use the brakes. Since I usually don't brake with two fingers it really throws me off and I pretty much was out of control going down. But I survived without any crashes into aid station 6.
I grab just a new bottle and hit the road just wanting to get the race done. I feel OK getting over to the Hankey climb for the second time but once the road turns up I can tell I have nothing left. I also can tell by the time I won't be breaking 9 hours but should easily set a new personal record. It's not very motivating to push myself. I see Laura Hamm and catch up to her. Me and her were together at this point last year and I know she is a strong climber. I make it a point to at least keep her in my sights so I at least have some type of pacing. I manage to do that to the final double track. I yell that's it's beer time as I pass her standing a mashing like always on this section since I know if you build momentum the small uphills aren't bad on this final stretch.
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| Coming into the finish |
I reach the final descent into the campground and fly to the finish for a time of 9hour and 9min. 17 minutes faster then the year before not bad considering I had a child to train with this year. It was a great race and dry for the first time I've been there. I had thoughts of not going back next year but I've already been talked into it so I can beat the 9hour mark. Hopefully next year will be cooler without all the humidity. Overall many Blackwater riders got there first finishes at Shenandoah many were just happy to finish with the humidity. It was fun hanging out post race and enjoying the food and beer
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| My Attempt at smiling post race with Dylan. |
