What I Did This Summer

"I haven't seen anything on your blog."

"When are you going to update the blog?"

"Are you guys still racing?"

After last year's effort at keeping our race adventures up-to-date, I cyber-bonked this summer after the first spring races and am just now recovering. Due in no small part to having fewer photos than last year (thanks to our absolutely horrible camera). Being hopelessly behind, I am going to summarize the summer's events, along with what photos I have available.

In fairness, this past summer was a bit askew compared to the previous year, when Amy and I gorged ourselves on every race we could squeeze in. 2011 was considerably more complicated due to evil forces in Eastern Burke County that created near-constant stress and made weekend travel difficult. We persevered nevertheless and got to as much racing as our schedule would allow.   

So, picking up up from where I left off in April...

May 1, May Day Biathlon, Morganton

Despite having fewer races in her legs than last year at this time, Amy obliterated her previous PR in the May Day Biathlon, finishing 3rd overall female.  Her overall time of 1:24:49 over the 5k run and 30k bike legs was eight minutes faster than last year, and her 4th-ranked and 3rd-ranked run and bike efforts, respectively, reflected a consistent effort across both disciplines.

May 15, The Ascent, Caldwell County

The Ascent was the latest diabolical offering from Pirate Race Productions. The mass-start hill climb ascended the newly-paved Reynolds Parkway, a 9.25-mile quad-buster that climbs 3200 feet at an average grade of 5.9% from the hinterlands of Caldwell County up to near Blowing Rock. While the claim of this being the hardest climb in the Southeast could be debated, with maximum gradients over 20% and the Garmin frequently reading grades in the upper teens, it was a bump to be taken seriously. Whatever your low gear was, it wasn't low enough. Amy set out with a small but strong women's open field, taking third place for her second podium of the spring.

Memorial Day Weekend

After last year's Memorial Day weekend bonanza that saw us race from Valdese to Fayetteville, we stayed slightly closer to home but still took advantage of the many races on the calendar, with Amy hitting three races and displaying her athletic versatility.

Friday, May 27, High Point Criterium

We returned to High Point for their annual two-day crit-fest. High Point has one of the most spectator-friendly venues and puts together two interesting (some would say dangerous) criterium courses, the reward for which will be hosting the US national criterium championships beginning in 2013.  The Cat 4 women started with the Cat 1-3 field, which split the field up quickly and resulted in the entire field getting broken up by the end of the race.  Amy, which is the lead rider in the dim photo below (I told you our camera was awful), finished 4th in her category on a dreary, rainy afternoon.

Saturday, May 28, Hearts for Heroes 5k, Valdese

We scampered home after the crit the night before so that Amy could get rested up for one of our favorite runs, the Hearts for Heros 5k.  Held right down down the street from our home, it has gained a reputation in its three short years of existence as one of the most challenging and well-run 5ks in the area.  Indeed, this year's field dwarfed the previous two editions and attracted stiff competition.  Despite the previous day's racing and travel, as well as the fact that the course boasts a considerable amount of short, steep hills, Amy set a new PR for a 5k and finished 3rd overall female with a time of 22:36.

Sunday, May 30, North Carolina Time Trial Championship, Lexington

 Of the three races of the weekend, Sunday's state time trial championship was what Amy had her sights set on.  The 40k course wound around Thom-a-Lex Lake and rewarded riders who could both climb and motor.  Unfortunately, participation in Amy's age category was light, leaving her competing only with herself.  Even though the result was a foregone conclusion, her time of 1:08:26 was excellent and made her worthy to carry the crown of State Time Trial Champion, Women 30-39.

June 25, Valdese Triathlon, Valdese

Amy again competed in our hometown triathlon, which was moved from its traditional April date due to flooding rains.  She finished the 250m swim, 9-mile bike, and 5k run in 1:04:11, a PR for her for this event, and good for 4th place overall female, up from 11th last year.  Her result was anchored by a 2nd-ranked bike time of 30:19, only 14 seconds off the top women's time for the morning.

July 8-10, Piedmont Triad Omnium, Lexington
The middle week of July was bookended by a pair of 3-day omniums, with the first taking place in Lexington.  With Amy's ABRC team looking to make noise at their "home" omnium the following weekend, five women from the squad were on hand to shake things up in the women's Cat 3/4 field.  The team was in solid position after Friday night's storm-drenched 20k time trial, with Amy finishing 6th and the team placing four in the top-10. 

The ABRC squad of Janet Trubey, Kristin Robertson, Amy, Erica Chard, and Allison Arensman

The following day brought searing July heat for the criterium in downtown Lexington.  Again, ABRC was the team to beat, with Allison Arensman breaking away early and soloing to a fine win while the team controlled the field, led by the top-10 efforts of Amy and teammate Erica Chard. 

Amy and Erica control the pace in Saturday's Criterium

With solid placings in the overall omnium, the team looked to finish strongly in the final day's 38-mile road race.  After battling the heat for nearly two hours, the race came down to a bunch sprint, with Erica finishing 3rd, Allison 4th, and Amy 15th.  Despite not taking the top step on the podium, ABRC placed four in the overall top-10, with Allison in 2nd, Erica 4th, Amy 6th, and Kristin 10th.

Rolling out for Sunday's road race

July 15-17, French Broad Cycling Classic Omnium, Asheville

The following weekend was a major target for ABRC: the French Broad Cycling Classic, their home race, on their turf.  With claws sharpened from the previous weekend, the quintet was primed for another strong weekend, joined this week by teammate Klara Roussow.  A 20k time trial would again make the initial selection for the weekend.  All six landed in the top-20 of the deep regional field, with Erica, Amy, and Allison finishing 10th, 11th, and 12th to lead the team heading into Saturday's road race.

The road race stage of the FBCC may be arguably the hardest road race in the Carolinas, and possibly the Southeast.  With a 10-mile gradual climb starting at mile two, two 2.5-mile climbs, and a summit finish, the course is a climber's delight and a sufferfest for the rest.  ABRC placed Allison on the podium in 2nd, with Erica coming across the line in 11th and Amy 20th.

With Allison threatening for the top step on the podium for the omnium, ABRC entered Sunday's criterium with the goal of controlling the race as they did the previous weekend.  Despite a deeper field and a more selective circuit, the team played its hand to perfection, setting Allison up for a fine sprint finish for the win and exerting total dominance of the chasing field.  Klara rounded out the podium in 3rd, with Erica coming in 10th and Amy 14th.  The criterium win gave Allison the overall omnium title, with Klara, Erica, and Amy all finishing in the top-20.  It was very much a team victory for ABRC, who drew high praise for their teamwork over the past two weekends.

French Broad Criterium Action

July 23, Lowes Time Trial, Charlotte
After competing in the entire Lowes TT series over the previous two summers, Amy and I chose to do just one of the events in 2011.  Amy kept pace with her better results from 2010, finishing the 10-mile event in 25 minutes, 21 seconds, just 20 seconds off of her best Lowes effort.  I finished in 26:06, well off my best mark but good enough for 6th in the fixed gear category.

August 4-7, Crossroads Classic, Salisbury
A new event for us this year was the Crossroads Classic.  Traditionally a men's-only series of criteriums, the Classic has added more women's events over the recent past, and for 2011 added a road race to break things up.  Amy competed in three of the four events for the week, starting with the downtown Salisbury Criterium.  The first event of the series, it featured a women's open field, with Amy's category 4 field having to compete with a stacked elite field.  Amy finished 15th in a fast and highly technical race.

Chasing during the City Park Criterium

The third event in the series was the High Rock Road Race, and it had a separate Cat 4 women's event for the inaugural race.  With the playing field level for the Cat 4s, Amy finished 3rd in the bunch sprint to the line, displaying rapidly improving late-season form after a summer of racing.  She carried this form to the the following day's race, the City Park Criterium, in which she worked in vain with a select group in an attempt to catch a solo breakaway.  Another sprint with the chasing field saw her finish 4th for the day.     

September 3, Lenoir Triathlon, Lenoir

2011 marked the third year in succession for Amy doing the Valdese and Lenoir Triathlon double.  After strong results the previous two years, Amy took the overall title for women this year.  Anchored by the top female bike split for the second year running, Amy finished in 1:04:43 for her first multisport overall win. 

September 10, Brenner Pro-Am, Winston-Salem

The Brenner Pro-Am criterium was held In Old Salem, the second year in a row for an event in the historic Moravian village.   With all women's categories starting at once, combined with a tight and hilly course, the field split up quickly.  Amy settled in to a solid group that worked together for a steady race.  Amy bagged another podium, finishing 3rd among Cat 4 women.

September 11, Carolina Cup, Greensboro
The Carolina Cup circuit race has become one of Amy's favorites, and typically punctuates the end of the road season.  Despite a hilly and technical circuit, the course has failed to break up the women's Cat 4 fields over the past two years, and 2011 was no exception.  With the race culminating again in a sprint finish, Amy finished 6th against another strong field.


So, after her second full year of racing, Amy finished her 2011 road campaign as the 6th-ranked criterium racer in North Carolina among Cat 4 women (62nd nationally among all categories).  She was 10th-ranked in road races, and 4th in time trials.  In 34 events, she bagged 8 podiums, with 3 overall wins. She also finished 3rd overall for the Ring of Fire series for Cat 4 women.

Where was I in all this?  Mostly turning wrenches for Amy amidst the occasional race here and there.  After some early season road races (Fork Shoals, Rock Hill, and Tour de Moore), I settled into fitness maintenance with the Ring of Fire along with training with Amy as I kept my sights fixed on cyclocross in the late summer and early fall.  So, stay tuned for some reports from the cross front while I get muddy and Amy rests up.  

Kicking Off The 2011 Road Season

The Bradford pears are green, Cherry blossoms are Giro pink, and pollen is wreaking havoc on our sinuses - road season is upon us. Actually, road season comes early in North Carolina, as the compulsive adrenaline junkies just south of us hit the late-February Greenville Spring Training Series in mid-season form. Although we entered one of the GSTS races in Fork Shoals, SC to test our building fitness in late February, we were looking at the beginning of April to sink our teeth into the new season. Rock Hill Cycling Classic, April 2-3, 2011 After priming our engines at the first Wild Wing Cafe Ring of Fire the Wednesday before, we headed to Rock Hill, SC for the 31st edition of the Rock Hill Cycling Classic. Amy lined up for Saturday's Winthrop Lake criterium with three teammates from her new 2011 team, Asheville Bicycle Racing Club. Amy was invited to join ABRC after her former team, SpokesWomen Syndicate, lost their primary sponsor, Performance, at the start of the year.

The 0.6-mile course, circling a scenic lake on the campus of Winthrop University, provided a beautiful setting for racing.

The course featured a hill on the back of the circuit, steep enough to make things interesting, but not steep enough to force a selection.

Rolling through the start-finish area near the end of the 15-lap race.

Exquisite dental hygiene in the post-race photo reveals a successful outing. The ABRC women put a large footprint on the Cat 4 crit, with (l-r) Amy taking 7th, Kristin Robertson finishing 5th, and Allison Arensman taking the top step of the podium for 1st.

The full ABRC contingent at Winthrop: Amy, Allison, former SpokesWomen teammate Erica Chard, and Kristin.

On Sunday, I entered the Rock Hill Road Race, a 43-mile loop through the hills of York County. Being well-suited for... well, something, I'm sure, but definitely not climbing, I hung in for almost half the race until the relentless hills got the better of me. I motored to the finish line in 28th with plenty of positives despite the fact that I'm saving myself for cyclocross season. Yeah, that's right... I'm saving myself for cyclocross season. It was a successful day for Velosports Racing, with teammate Alan Brookshire joining me in the Masters 4/5 race, and Frank Obusek, Andy Kimble, Wade Turlington, and Jimm McElroy making themselves a presence in the Cat 3 event.

Heart Of Carolina Weekend, April 9-10

Saturday's race took us to Asheboro, NC, for the first of two criteriums for the weekend. Despite a morning weather forecast that promised a high of 77, we arrived to heavy overcast skies, an occasional fine mist, and very cool temperatures. It was announced just prior to Amy's 2:15pm race that the temperature had just warmed... to 49. Fortunately, my cold-natured wife wears long base layers if it's colder than 75, so she came prepared with various and sundry cold-weather goodies and lined up for the Women's Cat 4 event toasty warm (relatively speaking). Unfortunately for me, the warmest thing I had were the straps on my Tevas, and I shivered through the weekend with nary a shoe, long sleeve, or trouser.

The 1-k circuit through downtown Asheboro included a deceptively nasty hill before the 4th turn into the finishing stretch. Above Amy and teammate Janet Truby (in last year's light blue ABRC kit) power up the last section of the hill early in the race.

Amy leads the field down the start-finish stretch late in the 30-minute contest.

Above, Amy winds up a sprint at the end of the final lap of the race...

... and outgallops the field for 3rd place, her first podium of the season.

Below is a video of the field heading into the hill in turn 3. Amy and Janet were making a move up the right side of the field in an effort to take the cash prime on that lap. Their efforts were successful, as Janet sprinted for the dough while Amy blocked the field from responding to her attack.

I raided Amy's clothing basket and entered the Men's Cat 4 race later that afternoon, glad to be warmer and caring not about the obvious cycling faux pas of racing in a non-matching base layer. As for my result - as previously stated, I'm saving myself for cyclocross season.

Sunday took us a few miles further into the country to Denton, a tiny farm town near the Uwharries that is host to the Tour de Kale, a well-organized and highly competitive charity ride that we competed in last June. Alas, the weather was still cool but more damp than the previous day, with a fine mist falling during the entire 30-minute race.

Carving through turn 1 after the first lap.

Although the course was described by race organizers as "flat," this was mostly relative to the previous day. In actuality, the course gradually climbed along the back stretch of the circuit, and then descended toward a very fast start-finish area. This would prove to be a factor at the end of the race.

The video above shows the final "sprint" at the end of the race. Sprint is in quotation marks, because most of the women were racing with now-common compact chainrings, and the finishing straightaway was steep enough that they spun out in their biggest gears. So it was more of a finishing "coast." A cassette with an 11-tooth cog has already been ordered. Nevertheless, Amy finished a fine 5th in a smaller but overall stronger field than yesterday, capping off a weekend of arguably her most complete race efforts to date.

So after the first two weekends of racing, Amy has netted a 7th, 5th, and 3rd, and there is much to look forward to in her second complete season of racing. As for me... my preparation for cyclocross season is going well!

We would like to dedicate these past two weekends to Aaron, a reader of this blog, for motivating us to keep working hard at the values that are important to us - healthy living, an active lifestyle, striving to be more than just average, and, most importantly, to be good role models for our children. Thanks Aaron!

Final Road Season Wrap-up

Our road racing season is now officially over and in the books. We punctuated the season with the last race in the Lowes Time Trial series on Wednesday, September 22nd. With the series championship for Cat 4 women virtually in the bag, Amy scared off all competitors and was the only Cat 4 to clip in. She sealed her second-straight series title with a new PR of 25 minutes, 0.74 seconds. I broke out my fixed-gear bike after competing all year on my geared bike, setting my own PR in the process with a time of 24 minutes, 55 seconds. My time was good enough for 7th in the fixed-gear division.

Getting ready for the last time trial of 2010.


Working it with her medals for the series championship and for a new PR.

This past Wednesday, we partied down at my team's end-of-the-year Ring of Fire awards dinner. At the dinner, Amy was recognized as the series winner of the women's division, scoring a sweet set of Continental tires.

Amy posing on the top step of the gi-normous Velosports end-of-year podium.

So when it was all said and done, Amy raced in a whopping 42 races in her first full season, and the finals stats were most impressive: 17 top-three finishes, including 7 wins, and 2 season-series championships (Ring of Fire women and Lowes TT Cat 4 women). As a measure of her consistency, she finished the season ranked in the top ten among NC Cat 4 women in road racing (tie for 7th), time trials (4th), and criteriums (3rd), and was the 16th-ranked Cat 4 woman in criteriums nationally (out of 741 women!). She also snagged 2 age-group podiums (1 win) and one overall podium (2nd) in the three multi-sport events she entered.

As for me, I did 49 races across three disciplines (road, cross, mtn). As for my results, well...

(crickets chirping)

I got the satisfaction of a job somewhat well-done, more or less. My fitness did improve throughout the year, with some better results toward the end. In the words of many a Chicago Cubs fan: just wait 'til next year.

Of course, now that road season is over, our attention turns to cyclocross. So grab your cowbells and your thermals and get ready for cyclocross season later this month.

Bridge-to-Bridge Incredible Challenge 2010: A Love Story

DISCLAIMER: While this is an account of the Bridge-to-Bridge Incredible Challenge century that we rode last Sunday, this blog entry is to Amy. You are welcome to read it. It is sappy, and it is only partly about cycling. So if you are cynical, jaded, don't like sappy stuff, are tired of seeing pictures of Amy riding her bike from behind, etc., consider yourself forewarned. If you like seeing pictures of Amy riding her bike from behind, well, that could be kind of creepy, but I won't hold it against you.



"Let's do the Bridge to Bridge," you said, only a few days before its 22nd running. You knew how I felt about it, and all those reasons immediately ran through my mind: It's too expensive. It's too logistically complicated. I can ride those roads any time I want for free. I hated the only other century I did. The local riders who get all geeked out about it every year bug me. Et cetera. But you wanted to end your road season on a big note, so you made your case for it. I told you that, while I wouldn't choose to do it myself, if you wanted to ride it, we would. So we made our plans, and while I started to get excited about it, if something had derailed our intentions as we waited to the last minute to register (fearing one of us would catch strep throat from Addy), I wouldn't have cared too much. But we stayed healthy, dodged a registration glitch, and got signed up on Saturday less than 24 hours before the start. We were in.

We lined up with 500+ other riders just before 8:00am on Sunday morning in Lenoir. Even though you agreed that we should ride our own pace and simply survive the ride, as soon as we lined up, you wanted to move up closer to the front, revealing that competitive spirit that drives you take on new challenges. And that spirit helped us cover the first 50 miles of the ride, though the rolling hills of Caldwell and Burke counties, in just a little over two-and-a-half hours.

Refueling at the base of NC 181 with our riding partner for the day, former JIRDC co-worker and century ride veteran Will Moomaw.

The 12-mile climb up NC 181 to Jonas Ridge is the real start to the Bridge-to-Bridge, and it represented a mini-challenge for you of sorts. As I had my previous reservations about B2B, you had your previous reservations about this particular climb, mostly due to the high traffic it carries. As we settled in to the effort, it was beginning to occur to me that there was something more special about this ride to us than simply a cycling challenge. Having lived just outside of shouting distance to the climb, I had ridden up 181 dozens of times over the years. And now, there you were, tackling this same mountain for the first time. We would now have a common connection to a route that is a rite of passage for area cyclists. However, as the broader meaning of day began to coagulate in my mind, I started to have my crisis point of the day halfway up the climb; I started to suffer, and I had to slow down and drop away from you as you rode ahead, steady in your effort. My thoughts returned to managing my effort, which was becoming labored and very uncomfortable in the unseasonable heat. At its worst, I questioned whether or not I would really be able to finish the ride. I settled down and caught a second wind in time to catch up with you at the summit rest stop. As we stretched and refueled, I knew we would finish.

Early in the climb up NC 181.

Resting up at the summit of NC 181.

After the rest, we set out to tackle the remaining 40 miles of the ride. Despite the effort, I realized that as we traveled roads I had ridden on in years past, I was sharing part of my life with you. We talk often about how different our lives were at one time; we were each previously married, we grew up in different eras, we did different things. But cycling is a part of me that is the same, and these roads we were riding were a way for you to know me 20 years ago, when I first started riding them as a student at ASU.

Shulls's Mill Road

Shull's Mill Road

The climb up Shull's Mill Road, from Hound Ears, to Blowing Rock, was particularly special to me. I had ridden that climb many times in the years that I lived in Boone, and it was always one of my favorite climbs. Despite my affection for it, I had not ridden it since probably 1993. So even though it meant more climbing in an already brutal event, I was happy to hear of its inclusion in this year's event due to construction on the usual route up US 221. On this particular day, it would mean that after the screaming, 40+mph descent out of Linville to Foscoe on NC 105, we were less than 25 miles from the finish. The climb was as beautiful as I remembered it, with the road canopied with green leaves under cloudless skies. I was so happy to be sharing it with you, and the ride continued to morph from just a ride to a profound experience between us. For you, however, it was becoming a different experience, and strain of the day was beginning to take its toll.

Climbing toward Grandfather on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Even a lousy photographer gets lucky from time to time.

Grandfather Mountain looms in the distance...

Cresting the south slope of Grandfather on the Viaduct, with only the climb to the summit remaining.

The change in the route for 2010 also meant that ride would ascend the south slopes of Grandfather Mountain via Blue Ridge Parkway, cresting at the famous Linn Cove Viaduct. As with Shull's Mill Road, this climb is another favorite from my Boone days. However, we have actually done it before, albeit not after 90 miles of cycling.

We crested the ridge over the Viaduct, and after a brief descent, turned onto US 221 for the 1-mile trip to the entrance to Grandfather Mountain. We had covered 99 miles, but with only three miles remaining, we knew the final two would be the stiffest test of the day. We made the right turn into the park, and the road immediately turned upward. We tried to settle into a rhythm that would get us to the top. As the road winds through the park, it gets steeper as it moves towards its terminus at the famous swinging bridge. Your pace slowed a bit, but you kept turning the pedals over.

We were inside of one mile to go, and the road pitched sharply up, over 15%. As we grunted our way up this pitch and around the corner, the final test lay before our eyes: the last half-mile, the steepest section of the road, folded into steep switchbacks and devoid of trees so that we could see every last foot of the climb. Participants walking their bikes up the cruel slope outnumbered those who were still pedaling. The big yellow sign indicating 1/2 mile to go took the wind out of your sails, and you had to stop to gather yourself. We pulled off, stared at the final hurdle ahead, and steeled ourselves for possibly the steepest climbing we'd ever done, with muscles long depleted of energy.

We set out and started the last half mile. It is hard to describe the severity of the climb, but we both know that the picture above of the start of this section doesn't begin to reveal its difficulty. By the time we reached the first switchback, you said you needed to stop. We pulled over to the side, which mercifully had an asphalt pulloff, and the look on your face was one of desperation. You told me afterward that you were near tears and were facing the despair that after all those miles, you didn't know if you could make it to the top. I knew that you were in a dark place, at least as far as cycling goes, and after a day of challenge after challenge, you were at rock bottom. You said to me that you just didn't know if you could do it. We assessed the rest of the climb and determined that the next two sections, separated by one switchback, were not as steep as what we had just done, so if you could just regain your momentum, you'd have something left for the final steep rise to the finish. Off we went again.

You clipped in and steadied yourself on the steep grade, and I immediately began encouraging you. I was so determined for you, and I wanted so badly for you to finish on your bike, because it meant so much to you. You rounded the last two switchbacks, staying steady, before facing the final wall to the finish line.

As you stood on the pedals, with spectators and earlier finishers cheering you on, I knew you were digging as deep as perhaps you ever had on a bike to get up that final grade. We watched others stop pedaling up that slope, unable to finish; we watched some get off the bike at the bottom and not even try it. But you did it. You would not quit. We crossed the line together, 8 hours and 10 minutes after leaving Lenoir that morning.

My experience during the Bridge-to-Bridge Incredible Challenge ended up being so much more than just a bike ride, and that final ascent up the slopes of Grandfather was a catharsis that made the cycling just a backdrop to all that I felt. I felt your struggle to get to the top. I saw that summit as a symbol of everything you've accomplished as a cyclist in such a short time. I saw the beauty of your spirit in that beautiful landscape, the spirit that drives you to take on new challenges and not quit, and which in turn challenges me. Because of you, I rode farther and higher than I ever had before. I felt my love for you, the love that makes cycling more than just riding a bike, the love that underscores everything we do together, and that makes completing such a difficult event together so powerful.

I love you and am so very proud of you for everything you have achieved this year. Thanks for talking me into the Bridge-to-Bridge.