Stump Farm 12
I kicked off the weekend by doing the 12 Hours of Stump Farm -- one of the WEMS races -- held just outside Green Bay at the Brown County Reforestation Camp trails. Dave and I had so much fun at our first WEMS race that we decided to give this one a try as well. On Saturday morning my racing enthusiasm was a little on the low side and I really didn't want to get up and get motivated. Luckily the 6 hour duo race didn't start until 1pm so there was enough time for me to be a lazy slug and still get out the door. Plus I slept in the car for a huge amount of the time and stuck Dave with the driving.
Upon our arrival there was already a bigger crowd in the parking lot than the Thunderdown in the Underdown but it was still a small contingent by WORS standards. One of my FORCs teammates and her brother were also going to race the 6 hour duo which probably confused people all day long having 2 FORCs jerseys and 2 Chainsmokers jerseys out on the course all the time.
At 1pm Dave and his teammate Ryan did the Lemans start run and were off with the other 6 hour racers. My teammate and I were ready and waiting to go out. And much to our suprise Ryan and Dave rode through the finish area together and with only one 6 hour solo rider faster than them. I know I wasn't expecting them in 37 minutes but out I went. The start of the race is nice doubletrack and then a sweeping sandy corner into the singletrack . . . . so what did I do? In my excitement I took the corner way too fast and went down hard in the sand.
I got up cursing myself and had a great time attempting to get my chain untangled and back on the bike. Then I was back on the bike cursing myself more and chasing after my teammate. I have to say that I don't think crashing in the first two minutes of a 6 hour race is really the way to start your day off right. It kind of put me in a bad attitude from the start.
About half way through the course I caught back up to my teammate and eventually she let me go by. Big mistake on her part really since we then got to some sandy corner sections and I rode like a roadie who had never before ridden a trail. I admit it; I was being a big wuss in the sandy sections after my crash. And there was a lot of sandy sections so it was kind of a problem for me. Once we got into the flowing, twisty singletrack I was riding a bit more like a real mtn biker though and got the tiniest gap on my teammate. Then we hit the doubletrack sections with some "climbs" (mole hills I believe someone called them) and my teammate was right on my wheel again. I led through the final doubletrack and then she surged by me on the final climb to the finish area.
And what do we find in the finish area? Two Chainsmokers ready for racing action? NO . . . the look on their faces as we fly into the finish area is priceless as neither Dave nor Ryan are prepared for us to finish our lap in 43 minutes (yes, a mere 6 minutes slower than their lap). As Dave finally heads out I yell at him to do 2 laps not 1. Fair? Probably not but I didn't want to go back out in another 37 minutes. That gives me enough time to clean my leg up, stretch, change into fresh clothes, drink water and eat part of a luna bar.
After two laps Dave comes in first and I'm out. I take a completely different line through the sandy corner into the singletrack (and go a bit slower) and I'm off to a much better start. This lap feels completely differently as I don't have the adrenaline from crashing and I'm not chasing to catch back up. I try to ride the sandy sections better and I can feel the flow of the singletrack so much more now that I've settled in a bit. I can tell I'm going to be slower this lap but only a minute or so. I pass a few people which always feels good (nothing like passing 12 hour solos and small children to boost your ego) and I get passed by a couple of people.
I come into the finish area again and I ask Dave how many laps he's doing. He says two which means I have time to stretch, eat and change again. When Ryan comes through he yells out that Dave has flatted. As we wait for Dave to come through I get this feeling that maybe all is not well as it is taking awhile for him to arrive. I go and get my bike and my bike clothes on in case he's having problems. When Dave arrives he says that he'll go out for another lap if I give him a tube but I can tell that he's mentally in need of a break. I tell him I'll go out.
At this point I have no idea where we are overall. I know we're not 1st or 2nd but I also don't know if we're 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th. I'm pretty sure we're not 7th or 8th. I have to say I have low motivation for racing at this point so I start to take it easy. I actually start to question the whole reason I race. I think about giving up on racing entirely. I look at my watch . . . 22 minutes so not quite halfway. I keep riding. I look at my watch . . . .28 minutes. What??? Only 6 minutes have gone by. Oh well, at least I'm over half way. I start thinking that I don't like doubletrack so why am I doing Chequamegon. Maybe I shouldn't. I pass a young guy. I pass a woman and then a man. In the singletrack I'm enjoying myself so I decide racing isn't so bad although racing for over 45 minutes seems like an eternity. I hear a guy passing one of the people I passed so I get mentally prepared for him to pass me as well. But then he doesn't catch me and he doesn't catch me and I start to wonder if I imagined him. No, I can hear a bike back there somewhere. I finally get out of the singletrack to more hated doubletrack. I can hear the guy coming now and some inner demon doesn't want to make it easy for him. I pick up the pace and start working harder. He's behind me but he's not trying to pass so I keep the speed up. We get to the last damnable "climb" and he makes his move around me. I grab his wheel as I suddenly get the feeling that this guy is on a 6 hour duo team too. He gets a little gap on me around one of the last turns as I'm taking it carefully and the sun is totally in my eyes.
On the final climb into the finish area I punch it a little and pass him and what do I see? There stands Dave with a bike with no back wheel. My first thought is "crap he doesn't want me to go back out does he" and my second thought is "are our wheels compatible?" A quick mental jog and I realize they are so I come skidding to a halt and we quickly pop off my back wheel. Luckily it is a great fit and no brake adjustment is even required and Dave is off. I'm a little concerned as I like to run my tire pressure much too low (28psi that day) and so Dave is going to have to take it easy or suffer another flat.
I plop down on the ground and await Dave's arrival. Luckily he's able to ride my wheel all the way without trouble. We anxiously await the results to see how we've all done and Dave and I were able to hang on for 3rd in the 6 hour duo.
And this photo sums up the day for me . . . my chosen Sock Guy socks of the race. First lap is the pink/purple flames which are my fave socks. Second lap is the FORCs socks which complete my team kit. Third lap is my Anarchy socks which remind me of my days as a punk rock chick. And yes, this is a blatant pimp of Sock Guy and the Sock Guy blog. So there!
Upon our arrival there was already a bigger crowd in the parking lot than the Thunderdown in the Underdown but it was still a small contingent by WORS standards. One of my FORCs teammates and her brother were also going to race the 6 hour duo which probably confused people all day long having 2 FORCs jerseys and 2 Chainsmokers jerseys out on the course all the time.
At 1pm Dave and his teammate Ryan did the Lemans start run and were off with the other 6 hour racers. My teammate and I were ready and waiting to go out. And much to our suprise Ryan and Dave rode through the finish area together and with only one 6 hour solo rider faster than them. I know I wasn't expecting them in 37 minutes but out I went. The start of the race is nice doubletrack and then a sweeping sandy corner into the singletrack . . . . so what did I do? In my excitement I took the corner way too fast and went down hard in the sand.I got up cursing myself and had a great time attempting to get my chain untangled and back on the bike. Then I was back on the bike cursing myself more and chasing after my teammate. I have to say that I don't think crashing in the first two minutes of a 6 hour race is really the way to start your day off right. It kind of put me in a bad attitude from the start.
About half way through the course I caught back up to my teammate and eventually she let me go by. Big mistake on her part really since we then got to some sandy corner sections and I rode like a roadie who had never before ridden a trail. I admit it; I was being a big wuss in the sandy sections after my crash. And there was a lot of sandy sections so it was kind of a problem for me. Once we got into the flowing, twisty singletrack I was riding a bit more like a real mtn biker though and got the tiniest gap on my teammate. Then we hit the doubletrack sections with some "climbs" (mole hills I believe someone called them) and my teammate was right on my wheel again. I led through the final doubletrack and then she surged by me on the final climb to the finish area.
And what do we find in the finish area? Two Chainsmokers ready for racing action? NO . . . the look on their faces as we fly into the finish area is priceless as neither Dave nor Ryan are prepared for us to finish our lap in 43 minutes (yes, a mere 6 minutes slower than their lap). As Dave finally heads out I yell at him to do 2 laps not 1. Fair? Probably not but I didn't want to go back out in another 37 minutes. That gives me enough time to clean my leg up, stretch, change into fresh clothes, drink water and eat part of a luna bar.
After two laps Dave comes in first and I'm out. I take a completely different line through the sandy corner into the singletrack (and go a bit slower) and I'm off to a much better start. This lap feels completely differently as I don't have the adrenaline from crashing and I'm not chasing to catch back up. I try to ride the sandy sections better and I can feel the flow of the singletrack so much more now that I've settled in a bit. I can tell I'm going to be slower this lap but only a minute or so. I pass a few people which always feels good (nothing like passing 12 hour solos and small children to boost your ego) and I get passed by a couple of people.
I come into the finish area again and I ask Dave how many laps he's doing. He says two which means I have time to stretch, eat and change again. When Ryan comes through he yells out that Dave has flatted. As we wait for Dave to come through I get this feeling that maybe all is not well as it is taking awhile for him to arrive. I go and get my bike and my bike clothes on in case he's having problems. When Dave arrives he says that he'll go out for another lap if I give him a tube but I can tell that he's mentally in need of a break. I tell him I'll go out.
At this point I have no idea where we are overall. I know we're not 1st or 2nd but I also don't know if we're 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th. I'm pretty sure we're not 7th or 8th. I have to say I have low motivation for racing at this point so I start to take it easy. I actually start to question the whole reason I race. I think about giving up on racing entirely. I look at my watch . . . 22 minutes so not quite halfway. I keep riding. I look at my watch . . . .28 minutes. What??? Only 6 minutes have gone by. Oh well, at least I'm over half way. I start thinking that I don't like doubletrack so why am I doing Chequamegon. Maybe I shouldn't. I pass a young guy. I pass a woman and then a man. In the singletrack I'm enjoying myself so I decide racing isn't so bad although racing for over 45 minutes seems like an eternity. I hear a guy passing one of the people I passed so I get mentally prepared for him to pass me as well. But then he doesn't catch me and he doesn't catch me and I start to wonder if I imagined him. No, I can hear a bike back there somewhere. I finally get out of the singletrack to more hated doubletrack. I can hear the guy coming now and some inner demon doesn't want to make it easy for him. I pick up the pace and start working harder. He's behind me but he's not trying to pass so I keep the speed up. We get to the last damnable "climb" and he makes his move around me. I grab his wheel as I suddenly get the feeling that this guy is on a 6 hour duo team too. He gets a little gap on me around one of the last turns as I'm taking it carefully and the sun is totally in my eyes.
On the final climb into the finish area I punch it a little and pass him and what do I see? There stands Dave with a bike with no back wheel. My first thought is "crap he doesn't want me to go back out does he" and my second thought is "are our wheels compatible?" A quick mental jog and I realize they are so I come skidding to a halt and we quickly pop off my back wheel. Luckily it is a great fit and no brake adjustment is even required and Dave is off. I'm a little concerned as I like to run my tire pressure much too low (28psi that day) and so Dave is going to have to take it easy or suffer another flat.
I plop down on the ground and await Dave's arrival. Luckily he's able to ride my wheel all the way without trouble. We anxiously await the results to see how we've all done and Dave and I were able to hang on for 3rd in the 6 hour duo.
And this photo sums up the day for me . . . my chosen Sock Guy socks of the race. First lap is the pink/purple flames which are my fave socks. Second lap is the FORCs socks which complete my team kit. Third lap is my Anarchy socks which remind me of my days as a punk rock chick. And yes, this is a blatant pimp of Sock Guy and the Sock Guy blog. So there!
posted by MadCross at 10:10 PM
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