Sun Valley Nationals

Having previously spent time riding incredible trails in Sun Valley, Idaho, I was super excited when USA Cycling announced that the town would be hosting the 2011 xc mountain bike nationals.

The cross-country race was incredibly hard. The course designers thought it would be a good idea to send us straight up the ski slope on a loose service road. To say it was steep would be an understatement. I managed to successfully ride the climb only two of the six painful laps. The rest of the course was better, with a long gradual singletrack descent and short flat loop around the village that included a challenging machine-built rock garden.

Looking down the course towards the start/finish area.

The race felt more like survival than racing. I fought hard and finished 27th, one of the last to avoid being pulled as a lapped rider. I knew I was capable of a better result, but sometimes things just don't work out the way you hope.

The super-d event bright and early the next morning turned out to be a lot of fun. I raced downhill as a junior back in the day, but had never raced super-d before. Check out the video to see a lot of the course. I surprised myself and finished 14th in Pro on my standard xc-setup F4. Definitely want to do some more super-d/enduro type events in the future.

Sunday through tuesday after the races, local brothers Matt and Andy Luhn took me on some world-class rides. The riding possibilities in this area are endless. I have never been anywhere else where you can (legally) ride all over the place deep in the heart of rugged mountains.

Pioneer Cabin at 9500 feet.

Wednesday morning I loaded up the honda and hit the road for Missoula, Montana. The drive north was so beautiful!

8701 foot Galena Summit.

Sawtooths above the town of Stanley, Idaho.

My plan for Missoula was to race the weekly wednesday night race series, ride with my buddy Brian on thursday and friday, then race the Pro XCT final race on saturday.

Lots of racers at the weekly beer series! http://www.tomrobertsonphoto.com/

The weekly race was a ton of fun, but unfortunately I crashed really hard on the wooden fly-over ramp. Turns out I should have pre-ridden a little more and not hit the ramp with that much speed. I wasn't seriously injured, but there was enough damage done that I decided to head back to Washington so I could heal up. The course was such a blast and there were so many people out racing already! Looking forward to coming back next year.

Methow Valley

Last weekend was the first weekend that really felt like summer to me. A couple days of camping in the beautiful Methow Valley was just what the doctor ordered. The 2nd annual Loup Loup Indie Series race was a blast. A couple tweaks to the course, including a fun new bermed descent had people smiling. Joe Brown put on another great event! Like last year, all procedes go towards expanding the trails at Loup Loup. This should be an even better venue in years to come.

My race went well. I took the hole shot and kept the pace hot the first time up the long climb to the near 6k foot high point. On the second lap I started to fade a little and Kevin Bradford Parish almost caught me on the climb before he eased up. I ended up holding him off for the second year in a row and taking the win. Good friend Patrick Means had a great ride and rolled in shortly after Kevin to round out the podium.

Thank you for the podium shot Patrick and Deanna!

The Sunday after the race, Whitney, Courtenay Mcfadden, Kristin Stouder, and I rode Buck Mountain. I had never done this one and it turned out to be fantastic! Epic feel, without the big commitment and miles. Randomly, it seemed as if the whole Bellingham mountain bike community was riding the trail at the same time as us!

Thanks for the photo Courtenay!

The next two weekends I'll will be racing a few summer crits, then I'm off to mountain bike nationals in Sun Valley, ID, followed by the ProXCT finals in Missoula, MT. Well, that is assuming I can find a way to get to the races...

Test of Metal

Do you ever get the feeling that some things are just not meant to be? For me, Test of Metal might be one of those things. The first and only other time I raced the 67km 800-person mass-start race was in 2008. That year I was having a great race until flatting out. I was really excited to give Test another try this year. After racing Gearjammer a couple times since '08, I've gotten to know the Squamish trails pretty well.

Whitney and I loaded up the civic friday morning and headed up to Squamish. The quick 2.5 hour drive from Bellingham made me wonder why I don't ride up there more often. After meeting Patrick and Deanna and setting up camp, Whitney and I hit some nearby trails. White Rabbit, Wonderland, and the Dump trails were rooty, rocky, and fun. I never cease to be amazed by the number of cedar ladder bridges on the trails.

Friday night the pattering of rain on the tent woke us up. Not letting up until morning before our start, the trails were soaked. Lining up in front of 800 people at the start line makes Test of Metal a truly special event. The race started out with a few miles of pavement as we climbed up through some neighborhoods. Tons of people were out in their front yards cheering. Entering the first dirt surfaces of the race, everyone sprinted hard for position. I saw my heart rate the highest I have ever seen in a race: 198 bpm!

As we continued to climb, now on dirt, a lead group formed that included Max Plaxton(Specialized), Neal Kindree(Devinci), Kris Sneddon(Kona), Chris Sheppard(Rocky Mountain), and myself. After a short downhill for some recovery, we climbed up "Jack's trail"-the first singletrack of the race. With Plaxton on the front, the elastic started to stretch between everyone on his wheel. Fully in the pain cave, I let some space open between Sneddon and my front wheel. Sheppard came around me and filled it in, but I struggled to hold the pace. Coming out of the trail onto Alice Lake road, I was about 10 seconds behind. Seeing the lead of the race slowly ride away from you has to be one of the most agonizing feelings in a race.

From the Test of Metal website.

In no-man's land, I rode steadily for the next few miles, until being caught by Marty Lazarski(Devinci), Kevin Calhoun(Rocky Mountain), and an unknown Blue-Cycles rider. Following Marty down "Cliff's Corners" and "Roller Coaster" was awesome! Canadians know how to descend, that's for sure! The tunnel of cheering spectators lining "Roller Coaster" was the highlight of the whole race for me.

Heading through the feed zone(thank you for the bottle Deanna!) we soon hit "9-mile," the infamously long climb of the race. By the top, Marty and I were together with nobody else around. Following the Canadian down "Ring Creek Rip" at breakneck speeds, I heard the heartbreaking hiss that can only be one thing; a flat tire. Pulling over, I did whatever I could to fix the flat. Patrick even dropped me his Co2 when he went by, but in the end, I had to put a tube in and was only able to pump it up to about 20 psi. It was enough to get me down the "Powerhouse Plunge" and part-way through "Crumpit Woods," before I flatted the tube and had no other option than to run and walk. After about 45 minutes, I finally reached the finish line in 196th place.

It's always disappointing to have mechanical problems in a race, but it really is just another part of the sport. One thing that makes mountain bike racing so special to me is the self-supported aspect that comes from the roots of mountain biking in the wilderness. Plus, when I think about it, I was really overdue for a flat tire. The funny thing is, the last time I can remember flatting in a mountain bike race was during Test of Metal in 2008!

Whitney kicked-butt and finished 2nd in her age group, despite her "lack of riding!" Patrick finished strong for a top-20 in his first Test of Metal. Other highlights of the weekend include great gas mileage (45mpg!) and really delicious cappuccinos from Galileo coffee in Britania Beach.

Full results: here

Ski to Sea

The Bellingham Olympics a.k.a Ski to Sea was last weekend and wow, what a fun weekend that was! The seven leg relay race from Baker to Fairhaven was bigger than it has ever been and the weather was also better than it has ever been(at least of my four ski to sea years). This year I raced for the same team as in past years, but with a new name, "Klicks Running and Walking". We were formerly the RunningShoes.com team, but the store's name was recently updated to Klicks.

This year marked the 100 year anniversary since the historic Mt Baker Marathon Race. A record number of 500 teams (8 people per team) and more elite level athletes than ever made for an unforgettable race. The number of people in town was shocking. The nice weather brought thousands of people out to watch and enjoy the festivities at the finish line in Fairhaven. There was a solid line of cars backed up two miles long on State Street waiting to park near the finish! Good thing we were on bikes, of course.

Steve George and Jim Clevenger (owner of Klicks) started us out strong with the XC and Downhill ski portions of the race. My roommate, Sam Alexander, moved us ahead of our Whatcom County rivals, Beavers Tree Service, with a super fast time in the brutal downhill running leg. Phil Elsasser, our road biker, rode smart and waited for a couple other riders to work with. They pace-lined to the finish at very high speed, passing or picking up several riders along the way and moving us further ahead of Beavers. Our canoers, Eric Gerstl and Alan Lipp, then powered down the Nooksack River from Everson to Ferndale with a top-10 split.

Nervous and excited to do my part, I waited on the beach until Eric and Alan came charging up in 8th place overall. After carrying the canoe together off the beach, I jumped on my bike that Whitney was holding for me and sped away into the grass fields of Hovander Park.

The mountain bike leg of Ski to Sea is not known for being very "mountain bikey." After racing it last year, I knew what to expect this year and just thought of the course as being its own unique beast, more similar to a cyclocross race. Primarily pavement and dirt roads, aerobars and semi-slick tires (like my Schwalbe Furious Freds) are common. 29ers also seem to be favorable, but my Noble 26er full suspension definitely did not slow me down. The few sections of "singletrack" are freshly cut paths through tall grass fields. This year the course was lengthened by a few miles to a full 20 miles.

The team aspect of Ski to Sea has a big motivational effect while racing. I felt very focused and was able to really turn myself inside out. By the end of the leg, I had passed 3 riders, moved the team into 5th overall, and extended our lead in the Whatcom County category. Our kayaker, Peter Marcus, paddled like crazy and led the team in for the Whatcom win and 5th overall! To make the day even sweeter, it turned out that I was the Top Gun in the mountain bike leg for the second year in a row!

Team Klicks Running and Walking.

Photo credit: Randall Wick

These results called for some serious celebrating. The annual team party at the Klicks store downtown didn't disappoint. Lots of food, beer, and celebrating. Oh and of course we each enjoyed our turn at drinking beer out of the Galbraith Cup! It was another exciting and fun-filled Ski to Sea weekend. Maybe the best ever?

Results:

Overall

Individual Legs

Indie Series Opener

The weekend before last was the first Indie Series mountain bike race of the season. The race took place outside of Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula. Indie Series coordinator, Mark Peterson, had the help of Olympic Dirt Society, organizers of many awesome downhill races. They put together a great XC course for the event. Admittedly, the long climb was a drag at times, but the long BC-style downhill more than compensated. Bermed corners, steep chutes, roots, rocks, jumps, ladder bridges, you name it. Refreshingly fun for a cross country race! I am kicking myself that I didn't get some helmet cam action. Oh well, there is always next year.

Also rode some of the Olympic Discovery Trail "Adventure Route." So fast and flowy! No braking and no pedaling for very long periods of time! I'll have to go check that one out again in the future.

Stottlemeyer 60

A new mountain bike race series in Washington featuring longer marathon-style courses? Sign me up! The NW Epic Series is an exciting new addition to Washington mountain bike racing. The first race of the 3 race series, the Stottlemeyer 30/60 miler, was yesterday and the conditions could not have been much better. The Port Gamble trail network featured a great mix of trail styles.

The 60 mile race started out a little more leisurely than the usual 25 mile olympic-format races, but the pace was still high enough to stretch the field out up the initial fire road climb to the start of our 4 laps. I was the first to enter the singletrack, with road racer Chris Wingfield on my wheel, followed by Toby Swanson, Eric Atwood, Jason Jablonski, and others.

The next 4 miles were slow-going on fun technical singletrack. I think this was probably the most challenging part of the course for a lot of people. The riding was very dynamic, with constant ups, downs, twists and turns through the thick, wet, dark forest. Similar to Lost Giants on Galbraith and some of the trails I grew up riding out at Black Diamond, bike handling skills could definitely make or break someone's race here.

Finally popping out onto a fire road, the front of the race started to come back together and a large peloton of maybe 20 riders formed before we entered the next singletrack. This trail felt like the polar opposite of the previous singletrack, featuring ripping fast flowy dry track through new growth forest. I looked down at my gps a couple times and saw speeds of around 25 mph. Not bad for twisty singletrack!

Passing the second feed zone, we were about halfway done with our first lap. The second half of the course was more physically challenging, with some longer steep climbs, but it still featured a lot of killer singletrack. One trail in particular was especially fun. It was mostly downhill with soft root-strewn dirt in a dark, damp forest. The sort of stuff that I consider iconic Pacific NW trail.

After completing the first lap, I decided to up the pace the second time through the initial 4 miles of techie trail. Soon it was just Toby and I rallying through the woods, just like old times. After establishing our lead, we were occasionally caught by Jason Jablonski, but would usually pull away again in the technical stuff. By the third lap, Toby was starting to cramp and eased his pace a bit.

Photo: Yumay Chang

Now all alone, I concentrated on riding smooth and steady. Despite having already ridden 45 miles, I made a little goal to myself of riding my final lap just as quickly as my previous laps. I remember in high school my cross-country coach told us about "runner's groove," this blissful state you can occasionally find yourself in, where your body switches to autopilot and your movements feel effortless. It may sound strange, but I started to feel this amazing comfort, smoothness, and ease to my riding. It just felt easy. The peacefulness of the forest, and the joy of riding my bike took over as I cruised through my last lap and across the finish line. Jason Jablonski(Set Coaching) finished second, followed by Ian Tubbs(Audi) in third.

Since I had never raced such a long mtb race before, my plan had been to focus on quality nutrition and hydration, as well as even pacing. The wonderful feed zones twice per lap made my nutrition plan easy. I would stop about once every hour to fill my bottles with Clif Electrolyte mix and grab handfuls of Clif Blocks and M&M's, stuffing them into my mouth as I sped off into the woods. The feed zones totally kicked-butt! Tons of food and water, and very friendly volunteers.

I was concerned about going too hard too early in the race, so I made sure to focus on riding at an effort level that I thought I could maintain for 60 miles. After looking at my lap splits post-race, I couldn't be more happy with how I paced myself. All four of my laps were within 90 seconds of each other, with my last lap nearly my fastest. I was also really happy with my bike set-up. Since this has been such a wet spring and the forecast called for chance of rain, I chose the Rocket Rons, as they are more of an intermediate-conditions tire. The combination of those tires and my Noble F4 had me feeling smooth and comfortable all day.

The Stottlemeyer turned out to be such a killer race. Great course with an excellent level of support from the volunteer-staffed feedzones. To make the day all the more sweet, Whitney won the 30 miler! Yeah, that's right, my girlfriend was the fastest woman! Sounds like it was a close race too, with the top five all within 8 minutes of each other.

Check out complete results: here

Next race up is a new venue, the first Indie Series Race in Port Angeles.

State Championship Weekends

My last two weekends of racing have been back-to-back WA state championship events. First was senior road race champs down in Elma, followed by this last weekend's mountain bike champs over in Wenatchee.

The state road race was held on the Vance Creek course, which I had never raced before. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting a very interesting route, but I was happy to realize the course was actually really fun. It started and finished at the old half-built nuclear power plant(cool to see up close) and featured some really fun narrow winding farm roads that made me feel like I was back in Europe. The race finished on a one-mile punchy climb. Not long enough for a pure climber to ride away on, but too long for a pure sprinter to win.

Lots of laps.

My Second Ascent teammates, Mike and Kevin, and I rode well, staying near the front and getting in a few moves. Second to last lap, friend/Bellinghamster Ian Crane and I were off the front up the climb, trying to bridge to a two-man break-away that included another friend/Bellinghamster Steve Fisher. Unfortunately the pack chased us down then proceeded to sit up and just put along, letting the break ride away with the win.

The last time up the climb and into the finish, the race for 3rd came down to an uphill finish. Logan Owen and Ian Crane finished just ahead of me as I rolled in for 3rd in the sprint and 5th in the race. A pretty decent road racing result for me. Mike and Kevin finished really strong as well, both in the top 20.

Last weekends mountain bike race was an event that was put on by Jake Maedke, the same promoter who runs the awesome Beezley Burn race weekend. If you have never met Jake, he is a super cool dude and his events are top notch. Check them out at his website.

The event, called the Chainsmoker, was held at Squilchuck State Park. Some of you may remember racing the old WIM Squilchucker race. I remembered, but it wasn't until I raced it again that I truly recalled how incredibly challenging the course was. My previous experience of Squilchuck was from age 16, when I battled(and came in second to) Tom Kutina in the junior sport category. I should also mention that it was nearly 100 degrees outside, if I remember correctly.

This time around, the weather was anything but 100 degrees. Alternating between rain, hail, and sunshine, the course had turned into a mud fest by about 30 minutes into our race. After a blazing fast start, I stayed on Spencer Paxson's(Kona) wheel for as long as I could until he got rid of me at the end of the first lap. Now in no-mans land, I stayed about 30 seconds behind Spencer and 30 seconds in front of Russell Stevenson(CyclingNorthwest) for the next hour. Starting the 4th lap, I felt my body starting to protest the hard effort and Russell caught me and quickly dropped me on the steep paved climb through the campground.

My 4th and 5th(final) laps had me remembering how hard the course was when I raced it as a junior. I really hit the wall and was nearly to the point of walking up some of the steep hills. I was relieved just to make it to the finish line. I was also happy that I held on for third place, finishing about 2.5 and 3 minutes behind Russ and Spencer, respectively.

Thank you for the photo Patrick!

Chainsmoker was a race that reminded me of some of my old mistakes: after a solid warm up, start a race hard to stay with the leaders, but not so hard that I blow up before the finish. Also, make sure I eat and drink enough. This was one of those races where I felt like I was turning myself inside out the entire time, without many chances to drink or recover.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend of racing and hanging out with good friends, which reminds me; Chris, Courtenay, Patrick, Whitney and I had a super fun time camping and barbecuing Friday night before the race. It was also great waking up only 100 feet from the race course!

Next race up is the Stottlemeyer 60 mile mountain bike race in Port Gamble. I'm really excited for this one, but not exactly sure how my body will handle such a long mountain bike race...