Lake Sonoma Bikemonkey #1

[Jim Hewett]

Training is coming along pretty well in preparation for my first peak period around Napa Valley Dirt Classic and Sea Otter.  I have been getting my training hours in, but lacking a bit on recovery time.  My 2 year old son, Simon, is so full of life that he rarely sleeps through the night.  Though I miss him if I haven't seem him for 4 hours, I sure could use longer stretches of sleep!

On a day of intensity training last Thursday, I had my first down day of the season.  I tried my hardest for two intervals to get my heart rate up to Zone 5, but was unsuccesfull.  I reluctantly called off the effort.  I feel it was from lack of quality rest and recovery over the last weeks of my build 2 period, but I only had one more intense workout (Lake Sonoma XC) before a rest week.

The weather had been nice for a couple of days, but it didn't do much to dry the trails at Lake Sonoma.  I opted to ride my training bike (Trek Paragon) rather than my race bike with a brand new drivetrain.  I also chose to ride the worn XX chainrings on my training bike rather than replace them with the new ones I have.  It seems such a shame to put new rings through a muddy C priority race!

Tom Sharp and I did a warmup lap of the course and knew right away that there would be issues.  Some sections were moist and tacky, but many were snotty with sticky mud.  There were some slick climbs and descents that would probably deteriorate with traffic.  My tire choice was not perfect for these conditions, but few competitive racers choose a true mud tire.  I was running my most aggressive combo that still rolls really well, a Schwalbe Rocket Ron front and Maxxis Ikon rear.

I saw Kris Sneddon, a truly fast Pro, and was surprised to see he was riding on some narrow and super low-tread tires.  I guessed he was experimenting or anticipated getting some extreme practice on super-racey tires.  Kevin Smallman was there on his "trail bike" rather than his XC bike (arriving shortly).  There were a few Whole Athlete riders that I knew could be in the mix - Tony Smith, Dario Fredricks, and Riley Predum.  All in all, a competitive field for a grassroots local event like this.

As the gun went off and we headed up the short paved climb to the singletrack, Sneddon moved to the front and I got in behind him.  I noticed right away that his tires were going to slow him down on the muddiest singletrack, but I sat on his wheel and didn't try too hard to pass.  Some other aggressive riders tried to make moves, but after the climbing started, Sneddon and I slowly pulled away from the group.  I felt pretty good and was happy to see my heart rate at the appropriate level!

We rode together for the first and fastest lap of the day.  Just before the last climb, Sneddon stopped with a flat tire.  I passed the start/finish in first, but lost a little of my speed without Sneddon to pace me.  Soon, after climbing out of a muddy section, I noticed my first drivetrain issues.  It was probably the worn chainrings, but certainly the muddy conditions, that were causing chainsuck.  I was able to backpedal and clear the problem repeatedly, but it threw off my focus and my pace enough that Dario and Tony caught up with me.

We rode the rest of the lap with Dario in the lead and me and Tony close behind.  I tried to stay out of the smaller ring, but I did not have enough pep or traction to climb many of the mucky climbs in my big ring.  Some puddles that were more water than dirt seemed to help, though, and the chainsuck became more of a nagging concern than an immediate problem.  The pace was slower than the first lap, but I was starting to feel it.  Small gaps were opened and closed, and it began to look like we would stay together for awhile and do some suffering on the last lap.  At this point in a race like this, it comes down to a few things:  manage mechanical issues, focus on the worsening technical conditions, and keep the legs turning even though it hurts.

We came through at the end of the second lap together and started up the pavement to the singletrack.  I had to dig a little to close a small gap, but went into the dirt just behind Dario and Tony.  The muddiest sections of the course had become even worse and I moved into second when Tony overshot a sloppy corner.  Dario and I dismounted to run a short climb that I had ridden on the first two laps, and then entered a muddy descent littered with rocks.  I washed out on a corner and jumped back on only to wash out 30 feet later.  This time my handlebars had spun hard enough against my top tube to break the brake lever body from the handlebar mount!  I tried to hustle out of Tony's way and yelled some encouragement, then I sat down beside the trail to experience a little disappointment and cheer on friends and other racers.

The course doubles back on itself, so I easily made my way over to the last hill of the lap and watched everyone come through a couple more times.  Sneddon was trying to reel in as many racers as he could.  He still finished 2.5 minutes down, though I estimate he spent 5 minutes fixing his flat.  Dario and Tony slowed down on the last two laps, but stayed ahead of Kevin Smallman, who put in a good effort to get within 20 seconds of Dario.  Tony has been coming on strong the last couple of years.  Though he is just a senior in high school, he has a great future ahead of him and I welcome the competition at these local races and the bigger ones.

Obviously, I was not happy with the crashes and the subsequent race-ending mechanical, but I did get in two good laps of intensity training.  Tony and Dario proved very capable racers, and I look forward to mixing it up with them all season.

Now comes a rest week with my first Pro XCT race of the year at the end of it!