That was awesome! Really good to meet krunner and hotchkiss. I saw Chris B coming through on his 2nd lap but missed him somehow afterward. Alison won commandingly (of course). Not sure if any other STR folks were there but hope you had as much fun as I did!
So much fun out there today! Great to meet you FFW!:wave: Congrats on doing so well. A big thanks to Bev, and everyone who puts this race on every year.:clap: My race started out ok, that 1st climb is a butt kicker, and I was thinking that switching from a 32:22 to a 32:21 may have been a bad idea, but that thought was fleeting as I fell into some sort of rhythm. The elevation always gets my heart rate going, but I seemed to adjust alright. The course was looser this year than last, and I heard a few falls reported. Hope everyone's ok. I was riding solo in my class (and only 2 of us in Women's Cat 2), so I tried to catch up to whoever I could out there. I was stoked to shave a chunk of time off of last year's times. Added bonus: I won a new helmet-mount light set in the raffle! The shwag at Rim Nordic is awesome!:bang: It was rad seeing how well Allison and Justin did out there! Great job you 2! Can't wait for the next one.
Big Thanks to the Rim Nordic crew! Had a great time riding and racing on the mountain this weekend. Good camping, great racers out today. Nice to see everyone. Hope we make it up for a few more as I love the singletrack! LADIES!! Pro/Cat 1 women start together and if we get 6+ we get money! Tell a friend Not just for Pros - for all. It's a fun course, good mountain biking, and low-key good times. Bring out the ladies!
I beat my toughest competitor out there today, my BRAIN! I knew the start of the race was going to be rough with the elevation and lack of warm up, but I was hurting. My heart and lungs were working as hard as possible to keep me pedaling. My whole class left me it the dust and I was mentally already defeated. I trudged along with a less the positive attitude, walking big chunks of the climbs. Then along came another cat 2 rider in a troupe racing kit, "Get back on it Hotchkiss!". I'm assuming your here on STR because you knew my name. THANK YOU! It really meant a lot, and at that moment it was exactly what needed. It put me into a mindset that I needed to complete my 2 laps. I was plenty warmed up for lap 2, which I did much faster and much happier. The much faster part led to an awesomely graceful crash in the sand. Someone volunteering on the course got a picture of me mid crash, I hope it surfaces here. 2 poor guys with mechanicals kept me from being last (sorry skyler). But my victory came by having a time next to my name on the results, not a DNF. Since Kimmi was solo in her class she got 1st place!!!!
Pictures will be posted here: http://pinkshortsphotography.smugmug.com/BikeRaces But LIKE the facebook page to keep posted on new updates: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pink-Shorts-Photography/162679427122916
I had fun out there. I took off a little fast on the first lap and found myself all alone. I then settled into my endurance pace and eventually got passed up. I need to learn how to ride faster. It was pretty amazing getting passed by Justin halfway through lap 1. He started 2 minutes after I did and just flew down the downhills. I tried to follow his line, but all I saw was a puff of dust and next thing I know, he is out of sight.
Nocturn Light Congrats on your new light.:clap: I was racing when the Cat2 Raffle was held so I didn't get to see who won it. Argama and I donated the light to the raffle. It's a Nocturn N230. 230 Lumens with a very focused spot light. Makes a great helmet light or a great road bike light. The throw is very long. It's not really recommended for technical trail riding without a flood light on the bar. The Nocturn W660 is the perfect mate for it but it won't blow up if you use it with lights from other manufacturers'. Here's the website where you can read more about it www.global-gear.com. We'll be giving another one way at the next race. The weather was perfect up there today. The course was a bit loose but it made it all the more challenging. It was my first race in Cat1 and I won. I have to admit that I lucked into the win when the leader flatted. I'll take it any way I can get it though. My goal is to beat him straight up next time. Rim Nordic is tied for my favorite place to race in SC. The Idyllwild Spring Challenge is the other one. Both have amazing trails with gobs of singletrack and they both have the best promoters around. See you out there. Let me know if you have any questions on the light.
thanks for the compliments. i was suffering out there! trying to go fast, and succeeding some of the time. sorry about the dust, you likely couldn't see the trail and that contributed to the gap. those trails are all about precision. the racing line is very narrow. lots of fun, but not forgiving at high speed if you lose focus (i had to re-focus several times!). i think as i slowed down on the climbs throughout the race, i found even more speed on the descents to make up for it, just not enough to get me in the money... next time maybe. when it comes to riding fast there is only one word to remember.... practice. the hard part is not getting injured and having to deal with setbacks.
Great event, My race started off with alot of butterflies since it was my first Cat 1 race. Warming up I was sizing riders up and saw one other in my category and after talking to him it sounded like I was basically going to take second. So the race starts and I start off in the very back so I can see the pace, first hill not so bad I decide to step it up and get to the middle. Being on the wheel of the other B rider I was feeling great so I get around him and get up to the fastest person in our start time. Towards the end of the first lap I pass him and feeling real strong I hold the pace and get an even faster second lap (36 minutes). Middle of third lap I start to feel a bit tired and hungry, then it hit me hard. I reached for some Chomps and drop a bag, a whole world of curse words come out of my mouth until I realize I decided to carry two for some reason. I grab that as I hear "Holy Crap, I finally caught you, On the left" I hold the trail and reply with "You are going to have to work for this pass" A little bit down he passes me on the fire road and to my luck it was the 16yr old that was in the A class. Then the thought of others behind him pop to my head and I dig real deep and the rest was more of a blur. I finish my 3 laps at 1:55 and took 1st, found out the other person in my class dropped out after the second lap. That was a grunt. That event had the most support I have ever had, for the first time people I didnt know were yelling my name and so much motivation coming through the laps. Thank You all and great job everyone. I did win the raffle but all that was left were 2 girl shirts and a guys shirt. Thanks again for the great event and see you all in a few weeks.
My blog is posted. Not much for race details, but lots of cool pictures from the weekend camping. http://themannadventure.blogspot.com/2011/06/anniversary-and-rim-nordic-1.html
I really like reading your blogs. It's nice that you throw in all of the stuff besides just the racing that makes your trips memorable.
Race Results are UP! http://www.geoladders.com/mbr_show_race.php?route=47876 definitely some fast people out there. needs more women!!!!
He was the only guy in his class. He was given the choice of 1 or 2 laps, he chose 1. Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
