Adventures with Chip - Breakheart Reservation MTB

A gorgeous day to get a little lost.

It looks like we're on the Blue trail...
but we ended up on the YELLOW
#hike-a-bike

Like a dog, Chip can't pass a good stick without picking it up.

Adventuring

I somehow convinced Chip to head out for a ride at Breakheart Reservation with me a few weekends ago. I knew he was feeling tired from a hard week of football -- and wasn't really keen on heading out for an adventure -- but with the promise of food he rallied for a ride. (It was a little manipulative on my part -- I know can entice him to do anything at the mere mention of food.)

We had brunch at The Iron-Town Diner in Saugus -- a fantastic place which Chip rated a "Ten outa ten". (Impressive.) We then headed off for Breakheart Reservation and a quick little adventure getting "lost" with a ton of hike-a-bike on the yellow trail. 

My side goal while we were there was to find some easy hiking trails for the Cyclopaths, but realized as we were riding (and hiking) that the trails we chose were a little too challenging for our gang. I have a little more exploring to do.

We had a great time, though! Can't wait to go back!

Iron-Town Diner

The burger was as big as his head....
but he finished it in three minutes

Working on those skills

It's like pinball alley down there, turning sharply left at the bottom.
I knew I was going to crash.
But went anyway.

Rebecca's coaching still floats through my head.
Feet level, weight off the seat. Bananas.
Brake with one finger -- feather to control speed.
Don't look down -- look straight ahead to a happy spot.
Keep elbows bent, not rigid.
Ketchup. Ketchup. Ketchup.

I think I've got it.

Mountain Bike Adventures with Rebecca

"Every time I see your feet aren't level
and your butt isn't out of the seat,
I'm going to shout 'bananas'.

There may come a time when I will be able to fly over roots, stumps and boulders on a rock-strewn downhill descent without crashing. Right now, though, I'm still landing hard on my ass almost every time.

Just adding to my collection of bruises.

MTB and CX pro Rebecca Gross was in the house for two weeks giving me as much guidance and coaching as she could possibly cram into me. OK. Got it. "Feet level on the pedals. Weight off the saddle. Look ahead to a happy spot. Keep those elbows bent. Don't look down. Don't brake. Really! DON'T BRAKE..."

That one is tough for me. As I forget to look ahead to a happy spot, and look down and see the massive rocks ahead of me on the trail, I tend to put the brakes on and down I go. Eeeesh. It's not easy.

"Every time you say 'I can't' or 'that's too hard',
I'm going to shout 'ketchup'."

I keep trying.

I get up.

I keep going.

But I have #bruisesonbruisesonbruises.

It was a bananas and ketchup kind of day.

Winding down summer on the trails

Easy summer days

Willowdale with Michelle. (My big head! Hahahaha)

Lost in Willowdale

Packing, Shipping, Reassembly and Back on the trail

Hahaha... Pro pack job. (aka I did it myself.)
The 29er baaaarely fit.

Three cheers for Bike Flights, which made shipping my bike to and from Tucson affordable and painless. I met a few folks from Bike Flights at 24HOP the morning before the race, (they had a tent set up near registration), and ohmigosh they were soooo nice. Don't you just love it when you take a chance on something and it actually works? Shipping my bike to Fairwheel Bikes through Bike Flights -- (and later, home) -- was one of the easiest parts of my adventure.

I disassembled and packed the Kona myself -- (which Fairwheel Bikes reassembled and tuned on their end in Tucson) -- but reassembling it when it arrived home was a little harder. I lost a derailleur bolt in Tucson while I was packing the bike. It just simply disappeared into a black hole. Really! And I didn't pack the wheels very well, releasing too much pressure in one of the newly-converted tubeless tires -- which made a mess of the sealant in the bike case and difficult for me to re-inflate without an air compressor.**

I knew I needed to bring the bike to a shop -- and Lila suggested giving Josh at Western Cycles a call.

I still have issues with the bike fit  -- JRA Cycles really did me a disservice on that score -- which my race in Tucson only confirmed. On the outset, my seat hight, (and fore and aft position), needed adjustment and my bars were/are too wide. A few of the guys (MTB pros) at Old Pueblo tried to find a pipe cutter to cut the bars down for me before the race, but ultimately I decided to do the best I could with what I had and deal with it when I got home.

I brought the Kona to Western Cycles last week, and before I knew it, I was headed back there to pick it up. (Super quick.) I still need to work on the fit -- and may give Justin Cammarata a call -- (and Josh did say he could cut the bars down if I decide to go that way) -- but for now I'm riding it as is. My budget needs a little break from the bike.

Good to be back on the trails.

A stop at the pond on Wednesday. The ducks are back.

(** P.S. I've discovered we have an air compressor in the basement. Good to know.)

24 HOP, Yes there were snakes

This guy needs to go. Caught at the rock drop.

When a rattlesnake crosses your path, you stop.

24 HOP (Continued), The Final Lap

IT'S GO TIME... and I'm excited to finally be a part of this race, (though I've been in the middle of it the whole time). Michelle, Sandrine, and I head out as a team, each of us taking turns at the front, with Sandrine offering much appreciated race advice along the way. I learn a lot from her as we tick off the miles.

It's not long into our lap before we get to the part where we need to choose -- do we tackle my nemesis bitch or follow the sign that reads, "Skip the Bitches"? It's my lap, therefore it's my decision.

Skip. No question. Skip, skip, skip.

The ensuing path is gorgeous, loopy singletrack that progressively gains in elevation and is infinitely cooler than the dull gasline road. Other than the easier opportunities for passing, (which is more difficult on the bypass), I don't know why anyone would choose The Bitches if they had a choice. (Which early riders do not -- since the bypass is prohibited before 3 pm.)

Final lap

Michelle French

The fun continues as we ride through twisty tracks and cactus gardens... really so incredible... and I have to say I enjoyed nearly every single aspect of the race. Of course I'm beat up, sore as hell, and trying to keep my left side off the saddle, but the terrain is gorgeous and I'm having an amazing ride with the girls.

Midway into the ride, what becomes a setback is not any of my injuries but a defective valve on my camelback, which keeps popping off every time I take a drink. Damn. Forced to pull over several times to fix it, my frustration level rising, I come to the conclusion that I'd rather risk dehydration than deal with the stupid camelback.

Another slug of Jack at the Whiskey Tree

For several miles I didn't take a drink... until we got to the Whiskey Tree... hahaha.  I swallowed as much water as I could, topped it off with a slug of Jack Daniels with the girls, and then continued on.

On the final climb I struggled... pain nudged my hip on every-other-pedal-stroke, I was dying of thirst, and where did the air go??? Ah, yes. We were at 5,000 feet. Not super high altitude, but far from sea level, and the air was thin and dry on the climb.

I slowed down considerably, taking a few breaks to catch my breath and drink some water, enormously grateful when we finally got to the top and started to descend the rocky downhill back to the FINISH. (It's on this part of the course that both Sandrine and Michelle each (separately) take a bloody wipeout. Ugh.)

The last mile to the finish line was fun and a race official called out "716!" as I entered the transition tent. Eric was there waiting for us and it's official... we're done.

Yaasssss... done.

_________________________

We finished 50th of 74 teams, which is fair considering our (4) crashes and injuries and missing one or two early morning laps. Not too bad. I'm not disappointed. We'll beat that next year.

Half our team, Eric, Wil, Addie and Shannon finished injury free  -- while Michelle, Sandrine, Jennifer and I weren't as lucky -- each of us having a nasty wipeout or crash, going home bloodied, battered, bruised and bandaged.

Still, it was an amazing race -- the camaraderie and fun we shared topped everything -- and I'm so thankful for the experience. I'm excited to return next year and tackle it with more experience behind me!

Time to start working on that.

A New Day, 24 HOP (Continued), Rise and Shine

Catching the sunrise with Addie atop the rock drop

Addie and I walked down to the hub of 24 Hour Town, grabbed some coffee, and climbed up the rocks overlooking the rock drop to catch the sunrise. So amazing. Really. Just watching the sun come up, catching an occasional racer speed below us as they headed for the drop, breathing in the desert air... So spectacular. It made me appreciate being there. Thank you, Addie, for the beautiful start to the day.

Early morning at the rock drop

We returned to camp an hour later to find everyone up and Eric getting ready to ride. Almost 2 hours have passed since Addie left the baton at the exchange tent. C'est la vie. It's a new day.

Good morning, Eric!

We have time to get 2 or 3 more laps in. Since teams must finish after 12 pm on Sunday to avoid being penalized with a DNF, we agree that Eric and Wil will each take a lap, and I'll take the last lap to finish us out after 12 pm.

Addie and Dan packed up to head out, hoping to get an early jump on the drive back to Arkansas, (while staying updated on the race via text), followed shortly thereafter by Shannon, who must catch an afternoon flight to Seattle. Camp Kitty is shrinking.

Eric finishes his lap at 9:20 and Wil at 10:45. Our final lap comes up, and Michelle and Sandrine join me for a VK team ride of the course. I take the handoff from Wil, give him a hug, and head out with the girls. It's time for me to take my turn.

Sunrise over 24 Hour Town

Sunrise over 24 Hour Town

Race Day, Part 4, 24 HOP in the dark

Sandrine in the early morning hours

Before the end of our first rotation, while getting ready for her night lap, Shannon discovers her lights aren't holding a charge. Since I'm no longer riding at night, I give her mine -- a Serfas TSL-1200 that lights up the trail like it's daytime.

We're all sharing what we can. Sandrine and I are even bunking together on a queen-sized air mattress as it is the only one still holding air, and neither of us wants to sleep on the ground. While she gets ready to head out for her lap after Shannon, I head to bed for a nap.

Shannon finishes her lap at 1:52 a.m. -- and Sandrine finishes hers at 3:42. Both have great night lap times. I wake up soon after while Addie is out on the course. The 2 hours becomes the only sleep I'll get during the 24 hour race.

Teammate Jennifer is camped further down the trail at Camp Hanson with friends and family who are also racing, (including hubby Jason Hanson and daughter Shelby Hanson. They're an MTB family.) I text Jennifer to let her know that Addie is now riding and what time we expect her to finish.

Shortly after, she texts back that she can't ride her lap. She sprained her finger in the crash from her previous lap and has just discovered she can't brake! Captain Michelle is dead asleep and unresponsive when I try to wake her, (she's had a long day); Sandrine has likewise fallen asleep, having just finished her lap an hour before... and Wil is a bit of a bear when I try to nudge him awake and ask if he can take the next lap. He gives me a harsh but groggy "NO." (Hahaha... to be fair, he had just fallen asleep. I'd be mean, too.) Only Shannon is awake, tired, but willing to ride -- but doesn't have fully-charged lights. Sigh.

Dan has a tracking app following Addie and pinpoints her location on the course. The two of us wait as she nears Camp Kitty and stop her before she passes to see if she can take another lap. (16 miles of singletrack is a long loop for an endurance relay.) Addie's beat and down to the last lumens on her lights. One light is completely drained. She can't go another lap. (In hindsight, this would have been the lap for me to take, but as I've loaned my lights to Shannon and we didn't recharge them, there's nothing I can do.)

We decide to leave the baton at the check-in tent for the next rider who wakes up.

Addie gets back to camp, changes, and suggests we go get coffee and watch the sunrise.

Sounds like a good plan to me. Six hours left to race.

Jennifer Hanson (non-race pic)

Race Day, Part 3, 24 HOP Here we go...

Back at camp, we figure out the order everyone is racing in, and the estimated time it might take to loop the 16.5 mile course. (Our predications are a wild guess.) In our original plan, I was set to go fourth, just as dusk was settling in, but I can barely move my hip and I've yet to get on my bike. I'm scratched from the current order, (no night lap), and pushed to Sunday, giving myself time to recover.

The ride starts at noon, with a "Le Mans start" -- a half mile run up the course where riders scramble to locate their bikes and jump into the race. Shannon is leading us off, so I go down the course with her bike and wait for her to reach me on the run. As the race kicks off, and the crush of riders come screaming by, I worry I'm going to miss her... and then here she comes... wearing kitty ears.

(Ohmigosh I love her.)

Shannon Hogan, lap 1

Shannon gets us going with an amazing lap and this thing is ON.

Eric takes lap two, followed by Sandrine. They crush it.

Eric Alikpala, lap 2

Sandrine McFadden, lap 3

A few hours into the race, reports come in of a horrific crash out on the course, as we watched a medevac fly overhead. Eric passed the accident scene during his lap and it was a gruesome crash -- the rider's nose torn off and cheekbones smashed, he had to be intubated. Watching the helicopter leave Willow Springs, knowing the rider had been so critically injured, lying in the desert for an hour and a half before a medical rescue, was unsettling. I was suddenly gripped with a "WTF am I doing here?!" kind of feeling.

Friends and teammates texted earlier in the day to see how I was doing, and I reached out to several to let them know what was going on. Words of encouragement came flowing back -- including a huge boost from Will. I'm always his biggest cheerleader when the chips are down and he hits a low point -- now the tables have turned.

Minutes later I get a text from Rebecca -- and it feels like the universe is trying to pick me up. "Having fun?" She asks. I take a deep breath and text back, "I crashed on the pre-ride pretty hard. On the last drop of The Bitches." She responds, "real mtbing. Impressed you're still at it." I shake my head, tears falling. I wasn't still at it -- I was falling apart. But I also didn't want to text back that I couldn't do it. More deep breaths.

I can do this.

Before Sandrine finishes her lap, Colin and I head out for a light spin to see where I'm at. I'm very sore but able to ride with my left butt cheek shifted off the saddle. I'm determined to get back on the bike Sunday.

Addie heads out next at 4:30 and finishes at dusk, followed by Will, Michelle (who crashes), and  Jennifer (who also crashes). First rotation done.

It was a great day -- but also emotional. I crawl into our tent a little after 1:00 a.m. and close my eyes for a bit.

We still have almost 12 hours of racing to go.

Addie Teo, lap 4

Wil Matthews, lap 5

Race Day, Part 2, 24 HOP Pre-Race Meeting

The pre-race/captains meeting starts at ten a.m., and most of us head down for the revelry. 24 Hour Town is lined with several vendor tents, and a few of us stop at Pivot Cycles, BikeFlights, FairWheel Cycles, Tasco MTB and the coffee tent. 

I meet a young guy standing nearby in a sling, and ask him what happened. He tells me, "I broke it yesterday on the pre-ride." "Holy shit!", I tell him. "I crashed on the pre-ride!"

"Ya", he says. "There's a little jumper on the last....", he didn't even need to tell me... "OMG!!!  I crashed there tooooooo!!!!! We bond. CBFL. Crash buddies for life.

Several hundred riders have gathered for the pre-race talk and celebration. Ride organizers are sporting lucha libre masks while entertaining the crowd and dishing out ride details. Thanks are extended to the ride sponsors... swag is tossed out to the crowd... there's a reminder to use proper rider and trail etiquette... and the number one rule gets shouted out again, "BE NICE!" (And really, everyone was.)

There's also a warning** about the The Bitches and the jumper near the end, (which has apparently broken many collarbones), and la luchador points to my guy looking innocent in his sling and shouts, "It has already claimed its first victim". Awwwww.... my crash bro.

Race meeting over we head back up to camp for a team meeting. It's looking like it's going to be a great day for a race.

Race Day, Part 1

Rise and Shine, it's time to race!!

Ooohhhhhhhhhh.... waaaiiitttttt.... I can't walk. I can barely move. WTH is wrong with my ass?! I wiggle out of my sleeping bag and try to look behind me, but can only make out the sharp edges of a bruise. There's still cactus needles buried in me and I'm in crazy pain. I grab my phone and try to take a backwards selfie, but considering I can't manage a normal selfie, I fail miserably. I swallow my pride and ask Sandrine to take a look.

"Oh DAMN.", she says. "ARE YOU OK?!?"

Ummm... no.... but I ask, "How bad is it?" I kinda have an idea it's not good.

"Ahhhhh... well... it's bad."

In Sandrine's lovely French accent, it doesn't sound as horrific as it feels, but as I get dressed, I show off my lovely backside to Shannon. (You know you've really bonded with your teammates when you have no shame in asking them to take a peek at your ass.) Shannon winces and confirms Sandrine's assessment -- it's not good.

I slowly get dressed and join the others for coffee -- because all I can really think about at this point is coffee. I'm not feeling so great...

As everyone starts to wake up, we begin to talk about our race plans, and I have to confess I can barely move, much less ride a race. It's not long before all of the girls have checked out what gorgeous colors my backside has become -- a rainbow of black, blue, purple and magenta. Only Dan, Wil, Eric and Colin are spared the glorious show.

Colin hands me 800 mg of ibuprofen to ease the pain, and we decide that I'm not racing for a while -- if at all. Soon after, we head down to the hub of 24 Hour Town for the pre-race meeting.

It's not a good start to our race...

24HOP Pre-Ride Crash

Day 2, Pre-Ride...

Friday morning, after heading over to the University of Arizona campus where I picked up my bike from FairWheel Bikes, Sandrine and I drove out to the Willow Springs course to wait for the rest of the team. We were anxious to ride! Dozens of RVs and trucks were lined up along the access road waiting to get in, and 24 Hour Town was hopping. (A far cry from the day before.) RVs and tents were crammed in to every little spot available as we made our way up to our campsite, grateful to team captain Michelle for staking our claim earlier in the week. Camp Kitty had a perfect location on the course.

Ahhh... the Arizona desert was so amaaaaazing. Ohmigosh, 86 degrees and sunshine... I was in heaven.

Addie, Dan, and Shelby - Pre-Ride

Addie and Dan arrived from Arkansas late in the afternoon with enough time to join Sandrine, Shelby, Jennifer and I for a pre-ride of the race course. Shelby and Jennifer live in Florence, Arizona, and were familiar with the course so they led the way!

The pre-ride had some challenges. The course starts out with rolling singletrack until it hits a wide gasline jeep road that includes a series of seven steep climbs and descents called "The Bitches". I was warned about this section -- though it was tougher than I'd anticipated. After struggling on three of the climbs, Dan and Shelby lowered my tire pressure and adjusted my shocks, which helped tremendously -- my wheels were no longer slipping and sliding through the sand without any traction, and I was able to climb the second-to-last of The Bitches without any problems.

Feeling more confident about tackling the last climb, I increased my speed on the descent to give myself momentum for the climb ahead -- and hit a little kicker at the bottom of the hill that sent me flying. (I later learned it was the same spot Noah wiped out on the week before**. (Note my asterisks here.) The jump was unexpected, (I saw it too late), and I couldn't control the landing after my front wheel hit the wall of the next climb. I knew I was headed for a crash and landed off course against a boulder, rocks, and low-growing cactus. (Thankfully, no snakes). I closed my eyes to brace for the impact -- and afterwards opened them to find myself staring straight ahead at a large cactus, inches from my face. Woah. Close call.

Addie, Shelby & Jennifer (pic by Dan)

Addie, Jennifer, me, Shelby & Sandrine (pic by Dan)

I'd slammed my backside and hip pretty hard on the wipeout, and got nailed with some cactus needles, but nothing was broken and I was feeling grateful that I missed the head-on collision with the cactus and could get up and keep going. (And, again, feeling lucky there were no snakes... because the heat during the day definitely brought out the rattlers.) I was hurting for sure, but shook it off as best I could while we continued our pre-ride, making a stop at the Whiskey Tree to share a slug of burning whiskey with several other riders as the sun was starting to set.

This was a big flask of whiskey.

Heading towards 24 Hour Town before sunset (pic by Dan)

We arrived back at camp just after sunset, and found Camp Kitty well underway. The rest of the team -- Michelle, Eric, Shannon and Wil, along with crew Ami and Colin -- arrived while we were out on our pre-ride and it was time to celebrate! Dan made a fire while we pulled camp together, (although Ami and Colin get mega kudos for doing the majority of the camp build), and everyone settled in. I was feeling pretty battered and bruised at that point, and the pain increased as the night wore one, but there really wasn't much I could do about it. My teammates took good care of me, (love them), and eventually we all called it a night and headed off to bed -- Soooo excited for race day.

The sun goes down in the Arizona desert

Going Tubeless

Pre-race...

Thursday morning, while enjoying sun and coffee at Starbucks with Sandrine and Michelle, our conversation turned to a review of the course -- a 16-17 mile figure-8 loop made up of 80% single track through cactus and rock, and 20% rough fire roads. Michelle mentioned getting five flats during a previous ride... ahem, cactus needles... and recommended running tubeless tires.

Tubeless tires? I had a vague idea of what they were and how they worked, but had no experience with tubeless. (I do have experience with flats, though, and the possibility of getting five freaking flats during a race in the desert did not bode well.)

I planned to pick up my bike from FairWheel Bikes after we finished our coffee -- so gave them a call to see what could be done about converting my tires to tubeless. I knew it was a long shot... it was last minute and they were likely busy... but I thought it was worth asking about.

Steven in the service department at FairWheel Bikes was so incredibly nice and agreed with the girls that I should be running tubeless tires on the Willow Springs terrain. ("Probably something you don't think of the Northeast, but I'd definitely recommended it here.")  Steven explained that not all rims are tubeless-ready, but he'd look at what I had and do what he could. True to his word, with a Stans No-Tubes Conversion Kit, he was able to get it done, and I was able to pick up my bike Friday morning before our pre-ride. Good to go.

(Thank you, FairWheel Bikes!)

And yes, I did get some cactus in my tires, but not one flat. Kinda funky how that works.

Two Weeks Post-24HOP

Tough to wrap up the incredible experience I had at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo... such an amaaaaazing weekend of TEAM camaraderie, singletrack riding, learning a lot, and experiencing the generosity of a mountain biking community that can't be compared. I had some ups and downs at 24HOP, but more ups than downs (by a ton), and I wish I could go back and do it all over again, (minus my pre-ride crash, but more on that later).

Coming home thoroughly exhausted, battered, and bruised, my immunity system was weak and I caught an awful cold to top things off. OMG. When you're down, you're down. Recovering from crash injuries coupled with a head cold and cough wiped me out for two weeks solid. I'm just now getting back on track and going through photos from the race, and hope to write a few little posts from the experience. Better late than never.

To start, though, I want to thank Michael, Will, and Chip for making things work at home while I was away -- and for supporting my first venture into mountain bike racing -- though actually, I want to thank you for all of the support you give me when some crazy adventure gets in my head and you just smile and say, "Ok, go for it." It really doesn't work without you guys. Thank you for your love and support and encouragement.

More on 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo soon...

Ready to leave the snow behind

WINTER has made a comeback, with snow hitting us Friday (no school) and again today (no school)... which isn't ideal, but I'm rolling with it. Since my mountain bike shipped last week, my choices for the weekend were to ride The Deathtrap in the snow, or head out for some snowshoeing... and snowshoes won. (Crosstraining!) We had a gorgeous weekend and I had great fun hiking in the snow.

Race and team details for 24HOP are coming in like crazy. The race order is set... although I learned this morning that we are down a team member, so that will change. Our VK teammie Echo Rowe was unable to make the trip, so 15 year old hardcore MTBer Noah Paez stepped in earlier this month to take her place. Unfortunately, he had an accident yesterday while pre-riding the course and suffered multiple abrasions, a leg wound, and a possible concussion. (Oh, Noah!!) Hoping he heals quick, although he's definitely out for this weekend.

Heal quick, Noah!

With the snow falling, I now need to start packing. A 24 Hour mountain bike race in the desert requires a whole lot more planning and stuff than I anticipated. Time to start packing it up.

My bike has arrived in Arizona already -- (quick work by BikeFlights and Fed Ex) -- I just hope this latest round of snow ends Tuesday so my flight leaves Boston ON TIME Wednesday. I can't wait to get to the Arizona desert. I'm ready for this.