Sonoita-Patagonia TT
Tolero Crit #1
Faster Grand Prix Crits
Yesterday was a hard day. I did both the M55+ and the M65+ at the Faster Grand Prix Crit in Scottsdale. This is a short course, 0.6 miles, with one unusual 180 degree turn, that comes at the bottom of a hill and you immediately climb out of it. It made it difficult to maintain a fast speed and difficult for people to get away successfully.
First was the M55+ race with Lionel Space and a full cast of fast guys … no Dave Bixby though, thank goodness! I was doing this as a warmup for the M65+ race that followed immediately … we actually had about three minutes from the end of the M55+ and the start of the M65+. I stayed with the front group until the last lap and then got gapped and didn’t want to spend the energy to get caught up. I think I got 5/6 out of 10.
In the M65+ race there were only six entries. I felt pretty good, and actually got away for awhile, but the group caught me after one lap solo. We dropped Norm Kibble pretty early in the race which was a real priority for me, since although Norm is out of shape, he still has a heck of a sprint (former national crit champ). On the last lap, I made a rookie mistake and let Bill Hydinger and Michael Patterson get ahead of me with two turns to go. After making this mistake, I had no chance to catch Bill, who is riding very strong this year, But I was closing very fast on Michael … however, I ran out of race track and he beat me by about six inches! Bummer! But I did get third place (medal and $10 … whoopeee!!), and won a prime lap (got a bottle of bike clothes wash). I also got some good crit experience as I really hadn’t done any crits this year except for VOS.
Overall, this was just what I wanted, a good warmup for the State Crit next Sunday … that will be my third “A” race of this year.
-Doug
Tucson Bicycle Classic 2014
After reading Bryan’s exciting Shoot-out report, this is going to seem pretty dull!
The weeks before TBC, I was undecided about racing, because I felt unprepared, but I thought, “what the heck, I need to do this, it’s in our backyard”. I had been off the bike for six weeks, due to traveling and surgery on my shoulder and hip and didn’t have high expectations.
TT – Doug wanted me to buy a TT bike, but I am frugal, so I settled for TT bars. I practiced on them the Monday before the TT and felt pretty comfortable.
The day of the TT, the ladies had good conditions, with some windy gusts here and there. I had my best TT time ever (according to Strava) and finished in 8th place out of 15.
On a side note, it was a lot of fun, hanging with the team at the Brown picnic area. Pretty cool that we have an age range of 19 years old, up to 70! There was a flurry of activity with racers coming and going. Thanks to Bryan Schlegel, who provided a TT warm-up, that was enlarged by Doug and taped to wall for the racers to follow!
Road Race – In my prior years of doing TBC, both times, the field was only three racers. This year, we had 15 women in the 55+! Amazing! We were in a combined field with the 45+ and 65+, 70+, so there was a big group. I was able to hang with the lead group for the first lap and over the railroad tracks and then the pace picked up, I was hanging on and my left calf starting cramping. It continued to cramp and I started to drop back, further and further away from group. I had to unclip and pedal with my right leg only, it was miserable! The cramping got worse, but I managed to finish, but dropped to 10th place.
Circuit Race – The leaders started off with a bang and we passed the Cat 4 women, who had started two minutes before us, dropping seven of the women. I was able to hang with the leaders for two laps and then fell off, with two other women. We were working together nicely, and then another woman dropped on the climb. It was down to two of us, chasing the leaders. I learned the woman I was working with, had won the very first TBC back in the 80’s! When we turned on to Greasewood on the final lap, I kicked it up and went as hard as I could. I ended up in 5th place.
Overall – I finished in 8th GC, taking 17 minutes off my 2012 GC time!
It was a hard, but fun weekend. After looking back at everything, I saw I hadn’t done enough long, hard training rides.
Public thanks to my honey, Doug, who not only has to prepare his bike, but mine too – I’m so blessed, I just have to get on my bike and ride!
-Liz
Overview:
The senior masters categories all raced together: master 65+(my group), 70+, and 75+ … we were scored separately. In the master 65+ there were nine entries, in the master 70+ five entries and in the master 75+, three entries.
Stage I – time trial:
In preparation for the prologue, I rode the 3.2 mile course about 10 times in the two weeks prior to the race. On Wednesday before the race, my time was 8:45. My best time ever. However, on race day after coming down the ramp and making the first right turn, I was met with the first drops of rain and a strong headwind. It did not let up, but only increased, at some points being a driving rain and probably headwinds of 15 to 20 mph, and gusts even stronger. Terrible conditions to match my terrible time of 10:00. However, conditions were the same for everyone in our group and I came in second, 18 seconds out of first, and 14 seconds ahead of John Conahay who was third.
Stage II – road race:
At the start of this stage, my plan was simply to ensure no one got away and I held my 2nd position within the GC. On the first lap nothing happened, however, on the second lap, Franz Hammer took off and was quickly followed by Roy Quade. Our GC leader, Randall Maddox, and I discussed what level of threat this was to us. My assessment at that time was that it was nothing too serious, since Franz was 77 years old, and not in our group,and I didn’t feel Roy would have enough strength to stay away. However, they built the lead to perhaps 25 to 30 seconds ahead of the peloton. Randall and I decided to pursue them. Although we were gaining, it became apparent without a very hard effort, they would not be caught. At that point, I put my head down and buried myself to catch them prior to Helmet Peak. We were successful in doing that, and as we made the turn, I was in the front. It might be interesting to read Randall’s excellent blog report of this, so I’ve included a link to that here: http://teammaddog83.blogspot.
Stage III – circuit race:
Unlike VOS, when I had my position of second in the GC pretty sewn up at the start of the final stage, today was very different. With Conahay so close, I really wanted to win the bonus time on the sprint lap. Randall and I talked about this and we devised a plan where I would round the corner on Greasewood first and Randall would position himself second. Randall would slow the pace of the peloton as I sprinted ahead. However, I couldn’t muster a sprint for the kilometer. Conahay won the sprint lap and got the three second bonus, Randall got second and I got third. Conahay and I were now only two seconds apart. I needed to win this stage to keep my second place in GC. As we approached the last lap, Randall and I discussed our strategy. Randall was very thankful for the work I had done for him in the road race, protecting his yellow jersey, (and my position in the GC). He was willing to sacrifice himself to preserve my lead. This time, as we turned onto Greasewood, Randall was first and I was second. Randall motored up that first climb and buried himself on the downhill section. I clung to his wheel. As we approached the 200 meter mark, I gave it my all and powered past him for the final sprint. This time, I did have good sprinting legs and won the stage, securing my position of second in the GC six seconds, 13 seconds out of first. During the final sprint, my power peaked at close to 900 watts and averaged almost 700 Watts, for the final 20 seconds. Not bad for this old guy’s legs.
Conclusion:
This was probably my best racing weekend ever and not just because of the finishes of first in the circuit race, second in the time trial and second in the GC. But because of the wise counsel received from BrYan and the teamwork that Randall and I were able to have during this race. Although Randall and I aren’t teammates, we worked extremely well together and developed effective winning strategies.
Looking forward to my remaining “A” races: State crit championship and state time trial championship!
Doug (The Wheelman)
P.S. Just to keep my nickname solid … I went to check my wheels on Thursday night and found that I had a flat on my Enve 60mm that I was going to use in the TT (fortunately this was just a loose valve) AND a flat on my Enve 25 front that I was going to use in the RR and Circuit Race … Fairwheel was able to get me setup fast with a new tubular on this wheel for Saturday’s race! I really am “The Wheelman”!!
-Doug
Saturday’s road race started off with a hard effort. Horn, in crazy but typical Horn fashion, went to the front and drilled it. I would say it was pretty uncomfortable trying to keep pace with the group. The group turned the corner on Duval Mine, over the tracks, and settled down in a grove up the climb. The group rode steady with maybe one have hearted attack. It was difficult to really put any distance in on the climb due to the head wind. The wind will make for weak and half ass efforts because the group will just ride any attackers down. However, the wind played a huge role on the descent. The first time heading down Helmet Peak Road was fast. With a semi cross wind and sometimes a tail wind, this made for some fast riding. Between Helmet Peak and La Canada the first time around the average speed was 29.8 mph. This was just the prelude to what was to take place the second time around. Duval Mine Road had some cross wind, but not as bad in previous years. There were some attacks, but they were quickly shut down. We turned and started the climb. I looked over and Mr. Scott was right next to me. I asked him how he was feeling. I don’t remember the response, but I had a feeling he was fine. Near the top of the climb a little attack went off and formed a break-a-way. I don’t remember if it was 3 or 4 but they worked well together. This seemed to spark the interest of San Tan Racing and they put a few people on the front. I was wondering if the break would make it to the corner of Helmet Peak before we caught them. As the group closed in on the turn, I knew the speed was going to be silly going down Helmet. I moved to second wheel before the corner. This was a very good choice because it became very fast. We came down Helmet Peak at 37.4 mph. If anyone was caught out they were pretty much out of the race. On La Canada, we stayed around 30 mph with people trying to bridge up to the break-a-way. The first attack on La Canada put me over 1,000 watts. I counted 8 times people trying to bridge up to the break-a-way just on La Canada. The wind had picked up at this point and Duval Mine was pretty difficult. There were 3 more attacks with some slight gaps. We were all back together except for the break-a-way by the turn to the climb. Now not being a great climber this is going to sound odd, I was glad to be on the climb. There was a sense of normalcy. At this point, I looked around for Tim and crew and did not see them. Rich Goedel was asking, “What are you looking for?” I asked him, “Where is the rest of my team?” His response was something like, “They didn’t make it.” Oh crap! At this point, I was bound and determine to finish in the front group. San Tan Racing began chasing hard down Mission. They were asking for help and Flagstaff Racing lent a hand. Flagstaff also was setting J Carnes and teammate up for an attack to try to get to the break-a-way. I have seen J do this before with some success. Once we turned on Helmet Peak… away they went. Once again, we went down Helmet Peak pretty fast (37.2 mph) and cut into the break-a-way. Carnes and teammate managed to get to the break-a-way, but they were doomed at this point. We were within about 10 seconds of them when we turned on La Canada. As we caught the break-a-way, I moved to the front of the group to be somewhat of an opportunist. The attacks came and I just surfed from one attack to the other. One thing that puts me into great difficultly is being on the back when attacks like these come. It’s just so much work to stay with the group riding that way. The group turned on Duval Mine and it was a drag race to the finish. People were surging by me. I had to keep riding around people who couldn’t handle the pace at the end. Out of the 35 people who made to the front group on the second lap, a dozen fell off on Duval Mine. I had to sprint with Tim Miller just to finish at the back of the main field. I should have fought harder to maintain my position. However, I am glad to be with the main pack at the end.
-Jeremy
Tumacacori RR – 1st Place!
Sometimes the planets align and things go your way this was one of those races.
It wasn’t a perfect day I started out filling my cleats with mud and couldn’t clip in. I had to clean them the best I could but it didn’t give me anytime for a good warm up.
Fortunately this group of mature adults decided to do an easy first lap. It was a real pleasure to race with a group that’s not attacking at random times for no real reason.
The second lap had a couple attacks that didn’t amount to much. It was a small group of nine riders but several teams were well represented, GST and New York life had the most.
On the third lap Matt Pobloske tried to shift on the steep part of the loop and wrecked his derailleur. We soft pedaled thinking he had just dropped a chain. His teammate said he was out so we continued on our way.
On the forth lap of seven I decided to test the field on the climb. I quickly created a gap on the group. Only two riders were able to get close, Luis Chacon ( my TT rival ) and a New York life guy. Both had teammates in the group so I felt this would be a perfect breakaway. I slowed up and let them catch me.
Luis refused to help much but the other guy was great ( wish I could remember his name). I tried to convince Chacon to help but he pretended not to speak English.
The fifth and sixth lap I kept the pace going not wanting the group to catch us and hoping to tire out these two fellows. I rode my fastest pace I could without killing my legs up the hills. Each time they both struggled to keep up. I saw this as a good sign but I knew they could be playing possum.
On the final lap just after the first turn I opened it up. I instantly created a gap on them. I kept the tempo as high as I could without blowing up. At the top of the climb I had some serious time on them.
I put my head down got in the drops and pretended I was in a TT for the rest of the lap. I did keep an eye out just in case they decided to show up again.
It didn’t happen and I was able to smash my group coming in long before my rivals.
This race was made for my skill set I’m sure it would have been a different story had it been a flat course.
I have to thank Mark and Kurt for their cheers today it really helped!
The best part of the race was at the summit were Chacon had a large group of friends and family cheering him on. On the last lap as I reached the summit with out him they were totally silent. I yell out ” how about some applause people!” They all laughed.
Great day in the books.
I hope Kurt did well today!
-Tim
Results: |
||
| Tim Scott: | Men 40+ | 1st Place |
| Kurt Garbe: | Men Cat-3 | 11th Place |
VOS Stage Race 2014
VOS Cat-4 GC Podium.
VOS RR Cat-4
-Tim
Stage 3 VOS Crit race Men Cat-4
– Tim
From the lone flame in the 45+:
VOS 2014 M65+ Podium
VOS RR – M65+
-Doug
| VOS Race Results | TT | RR | Crit | GC | |
| Doug Perry | Men 65+ | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 2nd |
| Rick Ellewanger | Men 65+ | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 4th |
| Michelle Lalond | Men 55+ | 25th | 24th | ||
| Kurt Garbe | Men 45+ | 24th | 11th | 26th | 19th |
| Tim Scott | Men Cat-4 | 3rd | 11th | 29th | 2nd |
Cochise 2013
Bryan finishing the race in typical Sprinters fashion!
Rich Horn is my hero! The wind is always a factor at Cochise and this year was no different. Everybody, no matter how much they try to hide, ends up putting more watts to the pedals to overcome the constant drag than they want to. He looked great going into Bisbee and had a fast time up Mule Pass considering the distance he still had to cover. I expect from the results that he probably soloed all the way from Bisbee to the finish, pushing through the wind all by himself, the only one strong enough to finish.
Here is my take on the 97 this year:
Beto called the night before and gave me & Jeremy spot-on beta on who to watch just like always. What an invaluable resource he is to this team! Amongst his picks, I had spotted in the registered riders list the other 3 powerhouses that podiumed: Tim Carolan, Sean Daley & Andre McNulty. Those guys along with the winner (Flanders) and Michael Hast lit up the climb just after the roundabout and put 90 seconds on Jeremy, myself, Robert Chorost & 3 others’ chase group.
At the top of Mule Pass, Jeremy shattered our chasers with a strong pull in the last ¼ mile and we all went over fragmented. I got an amazing running 2-bottle feed from Doogie at the top and hammered to get to Jeremy so we could descend together. As soon as I got to him he had a blowout! I cursed as he called Doogie to get a wheel & pace and I proceeded down the long hill to get to two of our group already descending.
I descend pretty well and pulled them back within a minute. Staying tucked as I approached at a much higher speed, I was screaming at them to get on, determined to work hard to pull back the leaders. Predictably, they let me go flying by solo without getting on, so I sat up to wait. When they got to me, I encouraged a fast rotation (the best way to descend quickly with a group by the way) but since neither one of them seemed to know how to achieve a tuck, the mostly followed me down the remaining miles.
We began rotating and quickly pulled back Jose (McDonnalds sponsored sprinter) who also got dropped by the climbers. After a few miles of work, the douche-bag tandem (we all have stories about these guys from years past!) pulled a 2-3 more riders to us, already yelling at & berating riders to pull hard as they roll up. We all begin working well despite being cooked, everyone sharing in the work, rarely sitting out a rotation to recover the legs, but the tandem begins their chicanery.
I knew they were working with the pro and took care to point out their alliance to the rest of the group whenever they were out of hearing range. The tandem riders continued to berate our riders so I knew what was coming and that our chase was doomed to fail. From this point forward, I conserved my energy to recover my legs knowing that catching the leaders wasn’t going to happen.
The attacks began coming from the tandem & Jose. I covered when I could & surfed others covering when I couldn’t. Robert Chorost was real riled up and began attacking the tandem every chance he got. The rest of us followed or pulled through. This continued for miles up Davis road.
Karma was swift today and the tandem began to flat on their front wheel. I took stock of the distance remaining, considered both options and the ramifications, and not fully out of generosity, I offered up my spare wheel for the tandem to use. Doogie was close so I asked him to give my wheel to the tandem as our group soft-pedaled to wait.
All this lollygagging in the cross-wind allowed the substantially larger chase group 3 to catch us near the end of Davis road. I breathed a big sigh of relief knowing my pulls on the front were over and went to the back to give my legs a much needed break. The tandem and others took up the work on the front but without impetus.
We turned into the wind on 191. The pace was slow enough and people weren’t pulling through, so I moved up to top 10 to surf and cover attacks. I found Jose’s wheel and battled all on-comers to retain it, knowing he was the strongest and wouldn’t let any breaks get away.
Eight miles from the finish the pace slowed significantly in the blustery headwind and I knew this was the time to make a move. Jose moved out left and started heading to the front. I followed him a few places knowing what he was about to do and took stock of the situation. I knew in that instant that if I went with him we would be working together in the wind for the next 8 miles, fighting to be first out of the chase group. I also knew he was much stronger than me and that he would probably jump me for the win as we neared the finish line. Those that know me know how competitive I am and how much I will give for minor victories. This time I’m happy to say I decided to let him go solo and without reservation, gifted him 6th place if he could stay away by himself. I dropped back a few places and reinserted myself into the group as I watched him disappear up the road.
I surfed up & back a lot as the group varied between charging hard strung-out and slowing, making sure to be sheltered behind big experienced riders. I moved up to 3rd when we turned off 191 into a horribly strong crosswind, one of the few to actually get a draft a we were driving hard on the white line on the left hand side of the road! We turned onto the final stretch. Sprinters positioned themselves in key places while the usual early attempts at 3k/2k/1k solo glory went & sputtered. The tandem drove a fast pace in the final 1k into that brutal head-wind. I had made the decision earlier in the day to delay launching my sprint a bit longer than usual due to the wind direction. Gary Raymond launched his sprint at 250 meters on the left side. I waited on the right side of the group in 3rd position to surf chasers and launch at 150m. Kudos to Gary! He stayed strong for the full 250m. I launched strong to pull him back accelerating the entire way, but even with my much faster top speed he beat me by a wheel over the finish line for 7th, relegating me to 8th.
After the sprint, my legs felt the best they had all day. I feel good about the decisions I made on the road and I’m thrilled with my result. I figure, the best result I could have had that day was 6th place, so two places back from that on my first event out in 3.5 years is pretty good. It’s only been 100 days since I was cleared by my surgeon to ride again. To be honest, I can’t believe it went this well, and I’m starting to regain some confidence back.
Y
I know. It’s getting mildly frustrating. I was climbing great and felt awesome. The funny thing was the tires were the same but the wheel set was different. If anyone has a suggestion on a durable race/training tire I’m all ears.
It was kind of comical after the ride when I was talking to Bryan about the tunnel. When we were in the tunnel I heard Bryan shouting and saw him wave his hand. What I thought he was telling me was to drill it to the top. “Hey, go go go!” Instead it was “Hey, you are popping me off.” Dumb ass!
Great job Rich! As always, nice to see you in a race. Even if it’s not the same race. Animal!
Shout out to Doogie. Magnificent support. I’ll watch where I throw the bottle next time. Great electrical taping job, it keeps the mind busy for a minute or two.
Bryan, as always, brilliant riding sensei.
Jeremy
Great story! Wish I could have something as exciting to write up. No I was not the only finisher in the 165, here are the top 10:
PLACE NO. NAME SEX AGE TIME MPH CITY, ST 1 3 RICHARD HORN M 44 8:11:26 20.0 TUCSON, AZ 2 24 BOB MCKENZIE M 61 9:04:35 18.1 TULSA, OK 3 21 CHARLES WHEELER M 52 9:30:21 17.3 PARADISE VALLEY, AZ 4 22 BRUCE MOGEL M 55 9:44:22 16.8 SCOTTSDALE, AZ 5 20 JOHN HEALY M 31 10:02:01 16.4 SIERRA VISTA, AZ 6 10 ROBERT LAPOSTA M 46 10:05:30 16.3 SIERRA VISTA, AZ 7 8 MARK GOLDENTYER M 55 10:10:16 16.1 TUCSON, AZ 8 11 JESSICA WALKER F 35 10:14:59 16.0 TUCSON, AZ 9 15 THOMAS ARMSTRONG JR M 57 10:34:40 15.5 SIERRA VISTA, AZ 10 9 MICHAEL INGRAM M 63 11:15:39 14.6 TUCSON, AZ
However this year between all three distances, there were over 125 DNF’s, 5 of those were in the 165.
I was on the front from the outbound turn onto Glenn. Due to a stomach bug that hit me Friday, I had to visit the facilities before the climb which caused a several minute delay. After that I went slow for the first 2/3 of the climb to help bring Bob McKenzie back to the 5 or 6 riders that jumped in with 97 mile riders as they passed. Once Bob was back with the group I thought I should try to catch some of the faster people from the 97 so I can draft off them from Mule Pass to Davis road turnoff. I did pass many people going up to Mule, found no one to ride down with and a mile or so after the bottom jumped on a small group with a tandem for about 5 miles. Then I left them to bridge up to another group of 10 or so riders because I thought I saw an Aggress jersey there. Once I caught them, the Aggress rider was off the front by himself, it was the last climb before Davis road. I left that group and bridged up to see who’s flames were burning brightly and it was Jeremy! He said he had gotten a flat and the lead group was about 10 minutes ahead. I road with him for about half a mile and then wished him well as he turned off at Davis. It was nothing but wind and grasshoppers from that point on. Oh, did I mention a stomach bug? I had to stop a few more times, but I will spare you the graphics. I did stop to swap out front wheels at Dragoon. If I did not have to stop so many times, and for so long, I would have gone under 8 hours for a platinum. Next year will be a piece of cake because more strong riders will be doing the 165 with me.
I’ll post a picture of the Conquistador as soon as I have a chance.
-Rich
State Time Trial Champion!
This all started after the Cochise County Classic, Kurt had just taken 2nd place in a great sprint finish. We had known each other from competing for sprints on the Shootout.
He invited me that day to come to a team party and see what Aggress is all about. I had been impressed by Kurt’s and Rich Hornes selfless acts while riding and competing against them. I admired their drive and ambition in the sport. I decided to check it out.
I showed up at Kurt’s home and was warmly greeted by all. Great group of extremely different folks. That night they were celebrating their TTT state Championship amongst other accomplishment of 2012. Gus was excited and had an infectious pride in this team. I was hooked, I knew I wanted to contribute to this team.
I went home and started planning for 2013. Knowing I needed to upgrade so I could race with most of the team in cat3. Wanting a State Championship jersey.
It’s been quite a year with more races then the last five combined and there’s still two more to go. Every member of this team has been awesome. Encouraging in my failures and successes. Even when I hit a cone on my first TT ever and went down at the finish line. You didn’t laugh too hard.
–Fast forward to the ITT state Championship-
Four Aggressors competed in this pain fest. Rich, Rick and Gus have been regulars in the sickness we call time trials. This one started out great with my son Brenden coming with me to support the team and get us some great pictures.
This was the most cyclist I’ve seen at a TT. We got ourselves a great spot for the pop-up and I felt like I had a great stress free warm up. I came off the trainer filled with nervous anxiety. Super stoked to get this going.
I pull up to the starting line checking out all the sweet rigs I see my competitor riding. I have a plastic water bottle taped to my handle bars with a bendy straw so I never have to get out of the aero position. Looks super redneck.
I came into this with a plan. I came into this prepared. I had envisioned the entire race in my mind. Having done the course multiple times now I knew what it would take.
Louis Chacon is a consistent powerful time trialist. I knew I needed to take him out of his game. He had the last position following me and would be highly motivated to chase me down. I decided to go all out on the outward leg hoping Luis would trash his legs chasing a lighter, better climber into the wind on a ascending grade.
I was passing competitors all the way out trying to maintain 27mph all the way out. It worked I was still feeling strong when I came to the turn around I saw mr. Chacon at least 30 secs behind me it was time to Go Go Go. I come to the left hand turn and it’s covered in riders no way around them. I had to wait.
I continued to maintain a 26.6 mph I had my computer set up so I knew what my avg was at all times.
At 50 minutes ‘bang’ my inside left thigh cramps bad. If I had been running it would have dropped me. I had to let off the gas and spin. I figured I just lost but I force myself to breath and relax. Fortunately after maybe a minute I felt it relaxing. I pick up my pace as high as I could. I saw the finish line but it never seemed to get closer. I was able to push up to 30 mph the last 1K. I looked back no one insight. My legs hurt so bad I knew I had to keep spinning.
I ask my son how long the guy behind me came in. He said 10 seconds. I though for sure I took second as he had started 30 seconds behind me.
I’ve never push myself that hard or felt so bad afterward. I didn’t even try and find out till Rich called us over for the awards. When I did find out I had won I was beyond happy and surprised. It made the most painfully horrible experience worth every second.
Tim
NMORS Signal Peak Challenge, NM
On August 18, 2013 @ 9:04 a.m., Robert and I started our MTBike race in Signal Peak, NM, eight miles north of Silver City, NM, in the Gila National Forest. The largest turnout that I recall for the singlespeed category, with representation from AZ, NM, and TX. The start of the race is a steep, rutted, jeep road that tests your mental fortitude and power output, putting you in the red from the gun. I got a good jump with another ride from Taos, NM. The scouting report indicated he was the rider to beat and was leading the points category, including the altitude advantage and a season pro. The start is above 7000 ft and travels through numerous power climbs on a FR with challenging terrain to the summit of 9000 ft. I sat on his wheel which afforded me the opportunity to attempt to capitalize on his weaknesses. I cleaned some potential hike-a-bike sections and put a significant gap on him and the rest of the group of 14 riders. My goal was to reach the summit with a small gap. The climb takes approximately 50 minutes and leads you into a 3-mile stretch of sweet high-alpine singletrack that is perhaps the most challenging section of the race. The pics depict the obstacles on this stretch of singletrack, except the tight-off camber drop off sections. Courtesy of Paula, she staged herself on the most grueling section of the trail. By that point of the race, you were forced to display your best poker face impression for the mug shot. Paula reported I had a 5 minute lead on the 2nd place rider at that time of the race. The descent on the CDT is the most rewarding section of the course, with fast-swooping singletrack and tight technical swithchback.
I continued to push as hard as I could, and, tor the first time in that race, my legs felt empty. I had caught several Cat 1 and Pro open geared riders in that 10-mile stretch. They had started approximately 8 minutes before our wave. They were good sports and allowed me to pass through. I caught a Stan’s No Tubes racer on the final fun downhill, which consists of rollercoaster type jeep ride which encourages big air. He was on a full suspension rig so I encouraged him to take lead. I got distracted at one point with spectators on both sides of the trail, catching huge air and I believe a camera shot from one of them. A big cheer followed, and perhaps one of the most adrenaline rushes of my life. The legs were back for the next two sections of steep, off-camber, climbs for the final leg of the race. After numerous water crossing and a bombing single track descent, I sprinted to the finish.
I finished the race with not my fastest time, but satisfying result since I had not officially raced in over a years time. The race averaged 7800 ft and over 3500 ft of climbing in a 22-mile loop. The average finish is 2:20 and I finished in 2:02. Results are not up yet, however, I believe I finished 9 minutes of the second place finisher. Robert had a great run for a podium spot, however, a catastrophic mechanical kept him from finishing the race. He can chime in on his experience. Next up, a 100 miler mid September.
Rigid and Single on a 29er 
Three Bears TT #2
| Kurt Garbe | Men Cat-3 20k | 30:20 | 1st place |
| Kurt Garbe | Men Cat-3 30K | 45:47 | 2nd place |
| Rich Horn | Men Cat-3 20k | 30:52 | 2nd place |
| Rich Horn | Men Cat-3 30k | 44:42 | 1st place |
| Tim Scott | Men 40+ 30k | 43:05 | 1st place |
| Rick Ellwanger | Men 65+ 30k | 50:42 | 1st place |
| Gustao Amado | Men Cat-4 30k | 47:49 | 5th place |
| Kerry McLaughlin | Men Cat-5 30k | 50:28 | 2nd place |
