Ready or not the 2016 mountain bike race season is upon us and by this point in full swing.  I will keep this short and say that by the time I started training for 2016 some of my KSD  teammates were already racing. 

My first Enduro and first race of 2016. Not being in prime physical condition and not racing any previous Cross Country or Enduro races this year I didn't have the mental focus that I am accustom to heading into a race event like this, but what I did have was the bike. Now I will be the first to tell you that a better bike doesn't make a better rider, but having the right bike can make the difference between fun and disaster. Now was this the first time I raced the Mayhem enduro? No. But it was the first time on I raced on a bike with over 6 inches of travel, 36mm forks, and 27.5" wheels.  

The goal,
 My goals were to be able to do the bike some justice and at least jump all of the more natural dirt built jumps and maybe, just maybe, a wooden feature like the road gap or the new and improved creek gap "2". And most importantly, have fun.

The ride,
Saturday's pre-ride didn't look promising. Physically I felt good but I just didn't have my "mojo" whether it was riding with unfamiliar teammates and not having at least some of the usual rowdy KSD crew around, or having those big welcoming rocks stare at you from the landing side of the jumps, or not riding the Wilds in two years? I don't know so I just cruised the course until we met up with some dudes hitting the creek jump on stage 4. We watched them hit the jump a few times and then one asked "anyone else want to try?" I replied " yes, I want to check your speed" so as I followed him to the approach of the jump the speed felt too slow but I stayed on his back tire to complete the jump.  This was the little boost I needed. Saturday evening - free beer provided by Weasel Boy brewing of Zanesville, the party was on.

The Race,
I did a morning pre-ride of stages 1 & 2 with Mark a team member that couldn't be there Saturday for warm up. My legs felt weak. During the transfer to stage 1 I tried to keep my speed up to help keep my flow for the stages. However, we caught up to another slow moving team and I got bored so I tried to "bunny hop" a small roller, only I didn't have any speed and my back tire caught a tree root to drop my front tire on the downside of the hill and over the bars I went. Usually this is something of the norm for me and I was quite amused with myself and Matt's comment "I think I heard you say every cuss word in the book before you hit the ground" (or something like that ) anyway,  this could have been the kind of thing that gets my blood flowing for the rest of the day only to ruined by disappointment as I found my Garmin screen shattered. 

I did make pinkbike.com though...so that was pretty cool! http://www.pinkbike.com/u/beavercity/blog/wild-in-ohio-the-2016-mayhem-enduro.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=mobile&utm_campaign=news

“How many people are going to keep trying to crowd the front rows?!”  My teammate Josh Kunz shouts as yet another rider pushes by us to inch every little bit closer to the front row as we stand under the Kenda arch at the start of the NUE Big Frog 65 in Cleveland, Tennessee.  We are waiting for the race to start which begins with a three mile gradual road climb, being in row 1 or 3 is not going to make a huge difference right?  Thinking like that is probably why I’m “Bro not Pro” status; obviously this guy had the right mindset that a six foot head start will make or break your race I’ll just sit here and keep my mouth shut (My first victory of the day!)
About my victories let’s review my goals before the race starts:

#1. Ride and talk clean.

#2 Get into the woods with the second group, and recover in the single track, the first 20 miles is fast and flowy with limited places to cleanly pass, it reminded me of the first 20 miles in the Snake Gap Creek TT 50 miler where I got excited started passing people in the weeds and got a flat tire.  Let’s not do that today it will lead to failure of goal #1.

#3 Pace myself, I’m racing my single speed, not by choice (Thanks FOX service!) the week prior was the first time I survived an XC race without completely falling apart, I’ve been training harder on the SS this year but still have a lot to learn about pacing.

#4 If I can actually finish the race try to do it in about 6 hours (a little under preferably).

#5 Do not come in after Josh Kunz and Bill Mickey!  We forgot the #Skirtofshame at home so we made a side bet that last person in has to ride in the trunk of Adam Elser’s Kia to our celebration beers at Chattanooga Brewery (45 min away) thus the #trunkofshame is born and someone mentioned putting on lipstick too.

The race begins and the first thing I notice besides the usual everyone clipping in and bumping into each other is our “pro” friend from earlier has a support to the banner around his seat post, I think about how funny this should be when it pulls tight and his bike snaps back like a rubber band on him, I start to move out of the way awaiting the impending snap back...

...but his pro level of watts is too great (or the support was only hooked to a five gallon water jug) and the Kenda arch gets dragged down right on top of Josh and I.  It was like being in a bounce house on my mtb with about two hundred people looking to cram into the party.  We quickly lift the banner up and slide under it unharmed so I guess the race can now start, surprisingly I just laugh to myself, no profanity yet and still winning goal #1.

​As with most of the climbing for Big Frog the start is gradual enough to make you work but not enough where I have to stand and start putting power down it makes me think I picked the right gearing out of the hat (32 Absolute Black oval x 18) for the race.  I’ve been on the Absolute Black oval for a couple weeks and it seems to really excel on gradual climbs and letting me stay seated longer trust me once you go oval you won’t go back!  I pass a couple single speeders I saw on my warm up yesterday (one of which told me I was going to have a hard day in my gearing) and latch onto any geared riders wheel that I can find to help pull me up the hill.  I pass Bill Mickey and Ben Michaels (two other Ohio SS’rs) and tell them to jump on (don’t know if they did or not) but I found myself close to the front of the second group and I see my teammate, Josh Kunz a little further ahead in no man’s land between the first and second group.  I expect this is the last time I’ll see Josh and we duck into the single track with ten riders between us.  I find myself behind one geared rider that I was assumed with his line choice and shifting patterns was familiar with the trail and we were moving at a good clip so I sit in behind him and tell myself to relax.  I could have passed him a couple times but I knew if I had open trail in front of me I would start going too fast I wasn’t in it to win it. I was in it to just survive the day.  The train of riders built up behind us and it seemed like everyone was content with the pace because no one was talking or trying to pass from what I could hear.  I waited toward the end of the single track at Boyd’s gap where there actually some decent climbing before I made my pass.  I figured the whole train would join me and I knew I needed a head start for one of the few technical descents on the trail so I didn’t get ran over by a bunch of geared guys with plenty of suspension.  Only one rider joined me and it was Bill Mickey, we got a good run and surprisingly no one caught us on the short descent until we hit the road and a coupled geared guys pedaled by us.

Bill and I duck onto Old Copper which is flat double track with some occasional rocks and roots, we talk about #trunkofshame bet aside, if we can stick together we’ll try to make up some time on the roads and work together. 

We cross an awesome bridge that goes over the Ocoee River and go back onto some steep single track.  On the pre-ride we went up what we thought was most of the climb maybe a ¼ mile, Vanessa Marts who was with us said “it wasn’t much further than there was a switchback and then double track” well the ¼ mile was actually a mile of steep climbing, now I was regretting my gear choice and Bill was breathing down my neck so I let him by. I continued to mash at my own pace and try to conserve energy, even if it meant getting stuck in the trunk with ruby red lipstick on I wanted to finish the race!  Bill pounded away from me and I just kept telling myself I wasn’t going to get off and walk in the first half of this race and at least I was passing geared guys which was a confidence boost to think about how slow I’d be climbing if I had my fancy geared bike with me!

We finally arrive to the first aid station which I ride by and now enter the gravel grinder part of the race, as much as I hate descending on gravel it was a nice break from the beating I just got from the never ending single track climb.  The gravel was pretty mellow compared to some of the stuff I’ve been riding in Mohican country, I just kept telling myself to control my pace I had no idea what was coming ahead of me.  Passed aid station two and I roll into aid three I was stoked to see Bill Mickey bumbling with a drop bag loaded to the gills and behind him the flowing red beard of Josh Kunz.  I roll in and Josh asks me how I’m doing which I lie and say “I’m getting my second wind” and he promptly takes off.  I grab my bag load up my camelbak and leave the aid station before Mickey and after Josh like Cole Trickle trying to hit the pace car.  ​

​My trunk of shame lead was short lived as Bill caught up to me at the start of the next climb I do try to be sportsmanly and tell him I’ll be in the trunk, he tells me that he is cramping bad and hurting….then he drops me on the hill, if I could have caught him and ran him over I would have.  I catch up to Josh on the same climb and he told me that Ben Michaels came through the aid station right before me and is just ahead..I get confused because I don’t remember him passing me and ask if he is sure, which he was (Josh was correct except getting it backwards I was already at the aid station and Ben passed me.  Props to Ben for rolling the whole course without stopping for a refill once!) I knew Ben has to be a better gravel rider than me so the odds of me seeing him again was slim and all I had to worry about was not going in the trunk and I have both of my competitors in sight so that was my focus.  When the hill turned down I tried to stay on Josh’s wheel…I failed miserably and he fell out of sight.  Next aid station comes up and there is Mickey filling up a water bottle.  That pattern continued for the remainder of the gravel portion of the race get to a big hill “cramping” Bill would pass me, I’d eventually catch Josh, Josh would drop me on the descent, we’d both pass Bill when he stopped at an aid station, come to a climb Bill passes…rinse repeat over and over again for the next 25 miles of gravel with a little bit cramping some mustard consumption and one guy that was so delirious he was literally rambling to me as I went by.
Josh and I approach the last aid station together only to see Bill in his usual aid station pose we enter the single track together and Bill quickly jumps in behind us ten miles of singletrack to go and all the trunkofshame combatants are wheel to wheel.  Josh is nursing every gear that he has and Bill and I pass, I thought the climbing was over but now it is short punchy climbs and I know one of them is going to uppercut my hamstrings for immediate cramping and I’ll be on the side of the trail crying in my pink jersey and my pink handup gloves as I was expecting to happen.  I get a lead on Bill and Josh and one of the punchy climbs I gave in and started walking…followed by a loud expletive that Bill heard (Failed at Goal #1).  I could see Bill chasing down my sailor mouth and as soon as the climb was over got on my bike and tried my best to keep spinning while going downhill on a rigid bike.
I’m a horrible descender and it’s no secret, doing it on a rigid bike while trying to pedal to fight cramps probably looked like a flailing monkey in tight pink lycra or maybe it helped, I drop out of quartz trail and nobody is in sight, Adam Elser warmed me if I was going to get lost this would be the place and certainly Bill would have yelled if I made a wrong turn right?  I stopped at slow rolled the double track looking back for the now deceivingly difficult to see FMBR jersey through the trees…nothing, great I made a wrong turn going to end up in the trunk with ruby red lipstick.  I keep slow rolling and I see a couple guys I recognize that were helping with the race “I’m going the right way?!” I ask they confirmed I was ok and I pedaled as fast as my soon to be cramping legs would take me.
Onto Chestnut which had a lot more punchier climbing than I would have cared for, then the Thunder Rock Express…which for all the warning I had about the trail I didn’t think was so bad, maybe I was too tired to care about it I just was waiting for Josh and his full suspension bike to jump over me but it never happened.  Get to the bottom of the trail and I hear red beard yelling at me he catches up to me on the flat I try to draft him for a while for a free ride to the finish but can’t do it and tell him to take the win for the #trunkofshame he sits up and says we’ll ride in together and that I’ve earned the win…single speed and all, (for those not in the know Josh races with me as an expert SS in Ohio he chose not to bring the single speed and was ridiculed ALL weekend for it…I don’t care too much, if I had my geared full suspension couch I’d been on it too) so we cruised to the finish line.

​So there we are teammates who did not pull any punches on each other for the last five hours geared full suspension vs. rigid single speed cruising in side by side pretty cool huh? We roll through the parking lot and I am relieved to see the Kenda arch is removed at least I do not have to worry about that falling on me now.  I sit up and take my hands off my bars cruising across the finish line, imagine it….go ahead I’ll wait.  You beat your goal time by 25 minutes, you aren’t going to get stuffed in a trunk all you have to do is roll across pavement.  You are filled with victory!

A volunteer starts yelling at us "TURN RIGHT!!"

What?! My face looked like this….

​To my surprise the official finish is across the Ocoee river you turn onto a bridge then cross the line, Josh who kept his hands on his bars quickly turns right..I don’t, so I T bone him and fall to the ground in front of everybody.  Must be an Indian burial mound on this spot in the parking lot…..5 ½ hours ago the start line fell on me, now I’m lying on the ground from running into my teammate.  I quickly get back on my bike, my calf so cramped I can’t put my heel flat and hobble across the finish line at 5:33, I had a lot of victories today realistically I just laugh to myself what a way to end a race. Hitting 4 outta 5 goals ain’t bad a solid 80%, B- if you will I took that grade in High School and I don’t have to ride in the trunk ! Now the big question to I “race” my single speed for the Mohican 100k, I guess that depends if my squishy comfy bike is repaired by then.

Super thanks to Adam Elser for taking us into his humble abode and Trailhead Outdoors Bike Shop in Cleveland Tennessee for putting on a great race and spending over an hour dialing in Josh and my bike..lesson learned never go Chunky ESI when you can go EXTRA CHUNKY ESI!!!!

            ​Over the past three years I had heard stories about an epic mountain bike race in Dalton, Georgia. The tales of long climbs, ice cold river crossings, massive rock gardens and frozen drive trains stuck in my memory each time a different experience was shared by those who stood up to the challenge.  Those same individuals also wore a coveted belt buckle earned at the conclusion of the third and final 34 mile event of the series. I was intrigued by their experiences and wanted the opportunity to complete the series for myself. The thought of making it to all three events seemed like an impossible dream due to my work schedule, college courses and family responsibilities. Discussions started to take place on Facebook regarding registrations for the 2016 series. I read the initial post and instantly noticed there was change from three races down to two. I believed with proper planning and support from my spouse, this was an achievable event. We discussed the requirements for the event and she agreed to support my request. In no time at all I registered for the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial series.

           Personally, I need a regimented plan and measureable goals to work toward. Otherwise, I find myself constantly questioning the effectiveness of time spent training. Am I working hard enough? Am I training too hard and risking an overuse injury? Should I be doing cardio or strength training? All of these questions started to come to mind. I had not ridden seriously during 2015 and my stamina was not at the level I needed. I had returned to college, started a new job and my daughter entered elementary school. My life was busy and cycling had slipped way down on the priority list. I needed to make changes in order to elevate my fitness higher on the list; not only to prepare for the Snake, but to lose the “freshman 15” gained over the summer. It was November and the days were getting shorter. The only time available to train was early in the morning. The window of 4 AM through 6 AM offered the best opportunity for this time crunched cyclist, father, husband, student, and slave to corporate America. I quickly started looking at my training options. I could have ridden outside with my lights or invest in the necessary equipment to train indoors. I opted to add another hour or two each day in my home office with the latter choice.
​
                 My preference to train indoors led me to several options. I am a firm believer of positive reinforcement from those around me. I knew that it was possible to get the needed support and motivation from others through an online social media/training tool such as Strava. I had seen others following various structured plans and uploading their data and gains to show progress. This knowledge led to the discovery of TrainerRoad. An application used by many other friends and team mates to improve their cycling abilities. I wanted to couple this tool with a state of the art cycling smart trainer to get the most out of the time spent on my bike. After applying my motto of “buy nice or buy twice,” a second hand Wahoo Kickr was purchased to act as my resistance and power measurement tool in conjunction with my road bike. I believe the combined functionality of a smart trainer and proven training software provides a good foundation for efficient training. Consistent use of the trainer has allowed me to steadily increase my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) over the past 4 months. Not all of my requisite training was done indoors. Facing the outdoor elements and ascending realistic gradients was necessary to build additional endurance to prepare for this event.
I have to say outdoor social rides were the most enjoyable part of all my training. Between the months of November and January, several weekend group rides were organized with members of KSD and FMBR to build our base fitness up to prepare for the first event in January.  While each ride was challenging, they were also jovial, due to the antics of a select few, you know who you are, that made us smile when all we wanted to do was get off the bikes. The support from each and every person helped push me to improve. Ride after ride, my endurance returned and I felt able to maintain a faster pace without feeling my heart beat in my ears after a long sustained climb.  Before I knew it, January 8th had arrived and it was time to make the trip down south.

            Car pooling for the road trip down to Georgia allowed me to connect with new people. Of course, I had cycled with most of the group in the past, but I had not taken the time to learn as much as I could during an eight hour car ride from the same people. I was pleasantly surprised to learn just how genuine and caring the people were that I was fortunate to be in the same company with.  I would have to say that being social is not one of my strongest traits; however in cycling, we usually have similar goals and expectations. Taking the time to get to know people is just as rewarding as completing a long and arduous ride. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be associated with such considerate and likeminded individuals.  We were all headed toward the same challenge.

​Once we arrived in Dalton, we went through the check in process at the Snake Pit. We got our race packets and shirts with the event logos on them and headed back to the hotel to start preparing for race day. It was a bit unsettling not having all my tools available to tweak my bike as I would if I were back in Ohio. I made sure to pack a small bag of essentials for the second trip. Who would have thought that not having some snips to cut off number plate zip ties could be so stressful? Thankfully, other members of the group had the forethought to bring the right equipment. It seems like it is always better to have than have not. 

Leading up to race day, the weather was extremely uncertain. I brought enough clothing to support weather conditions from the 60s down to sub zero temperatures. However, the looming concern was the rain, which weighed heaviest on everyone’s minds. Were we going to have to deal with being soaked for the entire 34 mile course? Fortunately, the rain held off and the trail conditions were far better than expected. Comparatively speaking, the trail reminded me a lot of a frequented trail at Mohican State Park. The climbs were challenging and the downhill sections were fast. I have to admit that the downhill sections were not as pleasant as they were on the second trip. I had not adjusted the pressure in my front shock since I had lost quite a bit of weight. It felt as if I had been riding a fully rigid fork. I corrected the pressure prior to my second run and the downhill sections on the course became a play ground. 

​The most memorable challenge of the course was found in the rock gardens. My experience with rock gardens was minimal. Heading into unfamiliar terrain with tired legs weighed heavily on my mind. The last thing I wanted to happen was to go down hard, with my feet clipped in, and risk an injury that would not allow me to finish the race. I had no choice but to get off my bike and walk while in situations that my safety was at risk. What I learned from this experience is that you need to have the proper speed and ability to see the lines of least resistance. During the second trip, the lines seemed to present themselves more clearly. It also helped to follow other locals who knew the most efficient paths to take. What a difference it made riding someone’s rear wheel that knew where they were going. 

​The course leads to a pair of self supported tower structures on the final mountain ridge. These structures are faintly visible from time to time while traversing the remaining miles of the single track. A euphoric feeling and sense of finality enters your mind once they are in view. After transitioning onto the remaining gravel road, relief sets in and the final few miles are downhill to the finish. Crossing the finish line and claiming my prized inscribed belt buckle made all of the effort worthwhile. I had achieved my goal to complete both 34 mile events.

​This journey was not completely about earning a buckle or riding my mountain bike in a different state. It was about stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something that I would not normally do. It took a goal of this magnitude to force me to remain focused through all of the challenges that led to this point, and proves that we can do whatever we set our minds to. Effectively communicating, reprioritizing, planning and working extremely hard yields dividends on so many different levels. I’m extremely thankful for all of the support and new friendships formed throughout this experience. I’m looking forward to doing it all over again next year in the 50 mile event.

Here are some of our thoughts, quotes, etc. from our trip last weekend to the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial!

​After a great summer with my  KSD/FMBR friends, I decided to sign up for Trainer Road and the Snake. Corianne was going to do it again. Since I had such an adventure doing the Mohican 100K with her, I thought that this is the next adventure! The idea of a road trip to Georgia also seemed like a good time! It certainly was. Spending time with Sydney, Mike and Jim made the long trip seem short. Here are my thoughts at different points. ~Lisa

I just knew Lisa would love the diversity of the trail and we always have a great time riding and pushing each other so I convinced her she needed to register and trail for this epic event! ... that coincided with quadrupling the amount of people who decided to get bitten! ~Corianne

The trip started by everyone meeting at Josh's house...we then piled into three vehicles - we were even running early... until Shep got locked in Josh's house....ask him about that one!!

Before we left….. 
" Can't wait to try these sweet wheels." " How many mochiko bars and potatoes will Jim and I need?"  " I need to hydrate more." " How many times will I get to go to the bathroom?" " I can't forget the cookie bags!"  "This is going to be fun!" ~Lisa

On the way down: " Where are my shoes?"  " I'm pretty sure I packed my gortex socks…"  "Jim is looking at his phone again to see the stupid weather." " Sydney has an interesting frog." ( ask her about it sometime) " I'm not sure I understand the water ball concept". " I'm hungry." " How long does it take this guy to buy a lottery ticket?" " I should watch more B movies……maybe."  " Thank God we are stopping! " " I really don't think there is a Jimmy John's here." " I can't believe Dicky ate all the cookies."   " This is a great time…" ~Lisa

We decided to bring along some walkie talkies to help pass the time...those were some interesting conversations! Taking turns putting the new unicorn out the window to scare people...Josh playing with knives ... and me playing with photo apps on my phone...herding cats at the rest stops and not letting Shep pick the gas stations. ~Corianne

At bike shop:  " Why is Josh drinking from a gallon jug in the bike shop?" " I need a fender…" " Georgia bike shops come with watermelon moonshine on the side…!!" ~Lisa

The guys at Bear Creek Bicycles are amazing - gave lots of good advice, stayed open late for all us crazy MTBers, advised us of trail conditions and of course supplied us with anything we may have forgotten on our 10 hour journey! and... they have a bike shop dog... that Dicky was playing dog whisperer with - she could not get enough of Dicky. ~Corianne

We then headed off to dinner... 12 nervous mountain bikers filling up at Longhorn. ~Corianne

At dinner: " Holy crap, we are SO loud."  "  Dicky ate his steak already! Amazing!" ( It was truly amazing.) " Did Jim really just take Dicky's steak bone out of his hand and start chewing on it???"  " The mountain biking subculture is certainly unique…"  " This is a great time! " ~Lisa

Lots of prepping in the room before the race ... we got our race packets and did any last minute preparations. We even got on Facebook and had an amazing good luck message from a teammates daughter, Lauren - wishing us all good luck!! ~Corianne

During the race: " I'm so happy Corianne is riding with me!!!! "  " This is so much fun!"  " This dude from Florida is wearing a snowsuit. Holy cats!" Good save Corianne! x5 " (She had the best saves I've seen!)  "  " Ok I'm starting to get tired" " I wonder how the guys are doing?" " What do you mean you have never ridded an off-camber trail?!?" ( There was a man who said those words to me)    " I can ignore this pain, right?"  " I'm running out of leg gas."

​ "These downhills are awesome!!!"   "I think my triceps are going to fall out." (Long downhill)  " I guess that dude shouldn't wear new kits." ( A guy wrecked into a bush/tree between Corianne and me. He proceeded to kick the bush and MF everything. He tore his shorts and was LIVID!) " It IS NOT RAINING"   " Is that the radio tower!!!! SOOOOO happy! I'm over these rocks!"   " This is really a great time! " ~Lisa

Somehow I never hit the ground .. I had lot of close calls and many bruises on my legs from my bike, but like Lisa said, lots of good saves!  I thanked her for riding with me just after the 1/2 way point - I knew she'd still be having fun at this point. I also warned her that it's going to get tough .. mentally and physically with about 8.5 miles to go! We toughed it out - riding many of the rock gardens...and of course not riding the one where the photographer (MKocher Photography - he takes amazing pictures - support local photographers!) was ... HA! I told him to hold up a second and let Lisa catch up for a group shot of us holding our bikes on top that crazy rock garden! ~Corianne

So the road to the 2016 Snake Gap Started here....the finish line of the 2015 Snake Gap

Andy, Shep, and I earned our second belt buckle we love this race and this is a must do for us every year.  Dustin just came down to see the hoopla and without a buckle for his effort had to come back but Corianne...sweet innocent Corianne brought her own buckle back to Ohio and for some reason Corianne telling other teammates how much fun she had carried more weight than when Andy and I tell people how awesome it is. So next week there will be ten of us traveling 10 hours south to make another go.  Let alone the logistics of herding cats and bathroom breaks the trip down will be an adventure itself! Just as this conversation broke out as I type this blog:

So anyway the training tour for the 2016 The Snake TT announced that they were reducing the event to two races but adding a fifty mile option, as if 34 miles in January wasn't ridiculous enough the lure of fifty miles and a bigger beltbuckle makes the decision a no brainer to me.  To put it in perspective of local Ohio folk the fifty mile numbers wise is like the Mohican 100k, but 90% singletrack and real mountains in January.....

Most of us really don't want to drive ten hours to have a really bad day on the bike, none of us are winning anything it's about completing and not feeling like crap for 80% of it so that meant sacrificing our nice El Nino weather and riding the trainer, all of us joined trainer road and picked proper plans so at least we would be able to measure how much it was worth being stuck inside and taking the ridicule of everyone who was outside riding.  

Most of the KSD crew is spread out throughout North East Ohio so to be fair every Sunday someone would hosts a ride local to their area to be fair with the commuting, from Mohican, Akron, Lisbon, Bolivar, Canton, and one crazy day trip to Rothrock we got to see lots of different sites over the last few months.

And proof of what happens when cyclist drink together...even if they aren't riding they end up on bikes anyway...a tournament broke out at the FMBR/KSD Skratch labs party of who could climb a hill the fatest in Zwift world.  Flat pedals, no bike adjustments, and extra high fives if you drank during your run.  It went something like this...

 Well that's it we'll know how all this worked out for us about this time next week but either way we've had fun so far leading up to it!

And for those keeping score here is who is going and the distance they are doing wish us luck!
Kenny 50
Andrew 50
Tim 50
Dicky 50
Jim 34
Josh 34
Dustin 34
​Michael 34
Corianne 34
Lisa 34

Sunday we had a ladies only ride at Sippo Lake Park in Canton, Ohio. It's so awesome to get away from the husbands, the dads, etc. and just laugh and ride our bikes in the woods! There was certainly no shortage of laughter today!

Arryn volunteered to have the group to meet up at their house since they live so close to the trail. Here's the group before we took off. It was a chilly afternoon,  but we all dressed in our crazy socks and got going! 

Addie led the way for most of the ride. She knows these trails like the back of her hand - riding with her dad and mom through the woods. This girl is impressive on a bike! 

The trails at Sippo are about 6 miles - they are a combination of hiking/biking trails mixed with some single track. It's a great place to teach a beginner mountain biker the skills that make biking fun - there are some narrow trails and some flat towpath like trail, mixed with some log overs and roots nests. It's a great mix of everything and just short enough to do multiple laps if you're looking for some fitness or a single lap if you're looking for something more social. 

Ladies riding near the Wildlife Center.

Overall, I would consider the ride a success - there were no tears ... well maybe from laughing!

Some photos by the lake!

The sun peeked in and out throughout the ride, but the crisp fall weather was beautiful!

Interesting family hiking the trails ... 9 children and all dressed in their Sunday best ... pushing a stroller through the woods.  We may have attracted them with our meowing while riding up and down the Lonesome Pine Trail.

My big sister Amie & I have always enjoyed joining in adventures together.  When she asked me to go on the ladies only ride with KSD on Sunday, I thought, “Sure!  Why not?”  

Noticing big wet flakes of snow falling Sunday morning, I couldn’t help but verify, “This gig still on?”  Amie’s response, “Oh yes.”  These mountain bikers are a different breed of biker.  (They’ll ride in just about anything.)

I’m used to riding a comfort mountain bike on the towpath and hike & bike trails throughout Summit & Portage counties.  The tires on my bike are like the Kenda K847 Kross Plus seen here… mostly smooth with knobby outer edges.  



To give me my first true mountain bike experience, Amie tracked down a Cannondale for me to borrow… KNOBBY SIDE DOWN.

What a difference!  A much lighter frame than I’m used to, and the tires easily climbed over the smaller rocks & roots.

My greatest challenge was my first attempt at a log over.  I’m not sure which embarrassed me more… the fact that I ran into a tree only a few inches in diameter OR the fact that it was witnessed by Angie, who graciously let me shake the dust off of “Old Blue” for her.  (Thanks again, Angie!)  Amie, being the good big sister that she is, advised that on my next attempt I get my momentum going and try to coast more over the log & not look straight down… look ahead.  

Log over conquered.  BOOM. 

The ride was made most enjoyable by the group of ladies, ages 9+, who know how to have a good time. “Serious riding without all the seriousness!”  It’s no joke.  Lots of laughter, team spirit, & encouragement.  Sorry, I can’t share what all the laughter was about.  What happens on the trail stays on the trail (unless it’s humorously documented in photographs).

Thank you  Arryn, Addie, Corianne, Jill, Teresa, Lisa, Angie, Amie, & Lauren!  Hope to meet up with you on the trails again sometime.  (Meow!) ​

I must admit, it has been a bit of a struggle to get my daughter Lauren (age 11) out on the mountain bike trails. My husband and I have struggle, as most parents do with that balance of encouraging her to try, but not nagging so much that it turns her off. We got the "it will come" from several friends and family. Well this year it finally did! A big shout out to Addie (age 9) who somehow got Lauren interested enough to give it a try this year.

This ladies ride was a great way to show her another perspective of what "a ladies day out" can be. Thanks to Corianne for organizing the day and choosing a very family friendly trail at Sippo Lake Park. In this environment it allowed all of us ladies to go out for a casual mountain bike ride and have fun.

The ladies ride gave me the opportunity to ride with my daughter to help her to learn to appreciate and love the sport as I do. She is still a bit unsure of mountain biking, but taking her on rides like today helps to show her that mountain biking can be a fun thing that you can go do with your girlfriends. I must say, riding with her takes a lot of patience at times. Like all of us, she has good days and bad. Sometimes she feels more eager to try the hills and obstacles then the others. At this stage of the game it is most important to me that she sees a group of ladies out there having fun in a laid back environment. Many times on Sunday, I tried to encourage her to pedal harder to make it up the hill or pedal strong to get over the roots. Other times she wasn't feeling the love so she chose to walk. I had to remind myself to keep things positive so that she is willing to continue to ride.

She is nornal, she thinks some of these ladies are a bit cooler then her mom. I am ok with that. I feel this is a good group of role models for her to look up to. The group today was made up of a variety of skill levels. It is important to me that she learns that no matter what your skill level is, this group can come together and ride as one.

Thank you ladies!

As the sun set in the Killbuck valley at the conclusion of 331 Racing's Dr. Knob's Malevolent Team Challenge so did the "race" season for KnobbySideDown Racing for 2015.  Some of the big highlights of 2015 was whether as a team or individuals we raced in five different states (GA,NC,WV,PA,OH), had a blast during the summer at The Edge Outdoors Wednesday night group rides at the Medina Trails, (I mean how can a group ride with 70+ people not be fun!) with the help of our friends on the Frankford Mountain Bike Race Team our 2nd annual "Ohio Rogue's Raid Raystown" event grew to over 80 attendees!! and who can forget the #skirtofshame and all of it's victims! (Adam Elsner and Bill Mickey of FMBR we have not forgot about you yet!)

As a team we had such a fun year there was only one way to write a blog to summarize it, everyone on the team answered this question:

"What is your favorite mtb moment of 2015, give a highlight from this year, whether it was a race, a get together, training ride, or really funny conversation."  


​aaaand go!

It definitely has to be the mancation pisgah trip! It ruined every trail since! You have the video that sums it up Kenny.  (Andy did neglect to mention the "motel" that he booked for us to stay in ....The Mountaineer Inn)

"I'd make a rubbish drag queen!" I thought to myself as I stood in the shower looking down at the patchy mess I'd made of my leg hair with my beard trimmer, just moments before. To shave legs or not to shave legs is possibly the only subject among cyclists to spark a more lively debate than wheel size. I'm not going to dive too deeply into that but what I can say, as someone who hit puberty shortly after potty training is this: excessive leg hair + lots of sweat, mud, insects, spilled energy drinks (and that one awful time at west branch..... far far worse) results in something quite awful -  how it feels, smells and visually = nasty. Due to this, I decided a few years ago that as I didn't really want to start shaving my legs, I'd just opt for a bit of pre-ride manscaping to reduce the Velcro qualities of my leg hair. I can't say I've become any more skilled at it over the years and the results could be described as a bit slap dash at best. Usually it provokes anything from an eye roll to a "what did you do?" from Stella, depending on how much of a rush I was in and how much battery life the trimmer had left. Anyway, let me back up a bit here and explain why I found myself back on the manscape train. 

Having spent the last 18 months in Chicago with zero mountain bike scene and certainly no mountain bike family like KSD or 331 racing, I was very much looking forward to our return to Ohio. During a Facebook exchange, the KSD God Father Kenny C suggested that the timeline for our return just so happened to correlate perfectly with "The Twain of Pain", the first 331 race of the year, a team race with 2 riders riding alternating laps. I'll admit, I got a bit carried away and before you could say Kato Smells Danger, I had teamed up with Todd and entered my credit card details..... The comeback was on and excitement levels were high. 


Between the time of signing up and manscaping, a lot had happened. I'd moved back to Ohio and consumed my weight in fast food and beer during the transition. I'd also purchased a new bike from the good people at Edge Outdoors. So to put it another way, my pre race sit rep was chubby, out of shape, with awesome bike. I spent the day before the race trying to remember how to prepare. Luckily, as I'm a huge geek, I found a pre-race check list that I'd put together a couple years back. (I've attached a copy incase anyone is interested. This is just my interpretation of the Hammer race nutrition bible book, it's not perfect but it's served me well and is a decent starting point). After several hours of mixing powders, counting gel packets and checking and double checking the contents of my pack, I was ready and off for an early night. 

Race day started early and my drive to Camp Tuscazoar was uneventful. When I arrived, I was greeted by a large, grumpy looking, bearded man wearing work overalls and clutching a pitch fork. I couldn't see any cars or bikes at this point so I wasn't 100% sure I was in the right place. I'll admit, I was a little scared. I'm not entirely sure what Hawg tying is, but from what I can figure out from movies, it's not fun and is often performed in these parts by men matching this guy's description to unsuspecting, lost strangers. I cautiously wound down my window to greet him, desperately hoping this wasn't my time to be inducted into the HTC (hawg tying club). I wasn't sure weather to use a cheerful English accent or my dodgy fake American accent I use to be better understood at the drive through. Which one would best speak the hidden message of my greeting: "Please don't Hawg tie me"? I opted for Happy Englishman and offered a hearty "Good morning old chap, turned out nice again." (Not sure why I said that, because it looked like it was about to rain, but hey, sometimes weird stuff comes out of my mouth). His grumpy face and emotionless eyes stared back at me and he took 3 slow chews of what I assume was gum, before looking back at my bike rack and down at my car wheels. Several awkward seconds passed before our eyes locked again..... and then he spoke........ "Y'all here for Flag day?" His death stare turned in to a friendly face and he burst out laughing and slapping his thigh "I got ya, didn't I?" I let out an awkward, nervous laugh. I'm not sure if he intended to scare me or was just acting goofy. Either way, hats of to you, that was good. After a brief exchange he guided me to the parking lot and I unloaded my gear.  


After unloading, I caught up with the KSD crew. It was really great to see everyone. I've said it before, but we have something really special here. This is a great group / family and not only is it fun to be part of. but with the number of group rides and trail days that are organized and promoted by these guys, the NEO bike scene is a better place because of KSD.  


The race start was drawing ever closer and most of my time was taken up with my usual pre race routine: checking that the zippers on my pack were closed and taking nervous wees. During this whole time, the famous Skirt of Shame flapped ominously in the wind for all to see. The Skirt of Shame came about during my time in Chicago, but I've excitedly followed its progress online. It has changed hands many times but typically it's worn by the loser of a predefined one-on-one challenge during a race; kind of a 2 person race within a race . I knew the rules had been switched up for today and it would be worn by a different rider for each lap, I just wasn't sure how they would be picked. It didn't take long before I was nominated as a potential Skirt of Shame wearer for the first lap, due to my lack of KSD jersey. When I confessed that none of them fit anymore, my fate was sealed and I was handed the skirt. To be honest,I saw no shame in wearing the skirt; I've always quite enjoyed looking like a prat, and I was honored to be accepted back into the KSD fold in such an awesome way. I slipped the skirt on with pride, posed for some pictures and headed for the start line. 

I'd decided ahead of time that my main goals for the race were to finish without injury, preferably not last, and to have fun, and I did just that. Looking up, I seem to have already written a lot, so for those still reading, I'll wrap this up as efficiently as I can; bear with me we are nearly there. The overall race took on a bit of a theme. It was sunny on my laps and unfortunately for Todd, it rained hard during most of his time on the bike. Despite the weather, Todd put in solid times and was a great teammate. He never gave up, even on the last boggy ascent of his final lap when he suffered form some extreme chain suck. And he never let my dreadful lap times get him down. My laps were a blast, the course is great fun, there are a lot of climbs but there's never a dull moment. 

To summaries my race: lap 1 was all about the skirt, I had no end of people cheering me on, whistling at me or just yelling things like "Sweet skirt dude" or just "SKIRT OF SHAAAAAAME". I overtook a couple people and was overtaken by a few more, but I wasn't in last place by the end of the lap, so that means at least 5 people got beaten by a fat lad in a skirt. Lap 2 was all about keeping the pedals turning. My legs were done towards the end of the lap and the last climb was a real challenge. Lap 3 was all about getting chicked... again! This has happened to me for about my last 5 races, but this was different; it's like it was personal. I lost count in the end but at least 7 women flew by me, all of them going considerably faster than me and all of them were very polite about it which eased the pain a little. I finished my last lap with a huge sense of accomplishment and a big smile.  


Once the race was over, 331's resident comedian, Rody, gave out the medals and awards in his usual awesome fashion, ruthlessly mocking everyone that stood on the podium and skillfully shooting down hecklers with sniper like precision. And that rounded up a great day on the bike with great people. It's good to be back. 


Until next time, look after your selves.... And each other.

Find more pictures of the 331 Tuscazoar Twain Reign of Pain on our Facebook Page HERE courtesy of Anton Wyler Thanks for the great pics!

First of all full disclosure, I'm stealing Mr. Quickdirts race preview format blog...A.) because I'm not that good of a blogger, B.) his race previews are pretty good and they have convinced me to drive a little further to do a race when typically I wouldn't.  Check out his blog here and follow him on facebook here.  I know he has some excuse like a family vacation or something like that and that is why not he is joining us.  Even with the temptation of following Jim Costello around for hours on end I guess family comes first.

Ok I've given credit where credit is due so now the reason you are here, why do you want to do this race, and are all the rumors that you have heard about Camp Tuscazoar trails are true are they really that horrible and old school?

First why do you want to do the race?  We wanted to do a fundraiser for the Camp, which is an old boyscout camp that is now owned by a foundation of camp alumni that wants to "Keep the spirit" of Tuscazoar burning. This is private land that they let us play on, so anything that we can do to help we try to do. So we teamed up with 331 Racing and they gave us a unique proposition,  we prep the course, bring in the prizes, food and sponsors, they'll do the scoring bring the atmosphere and help us throw one of the biggest events the camp and Northeast Ohio MTB community has seen in a long time.  The heart of this race is a fundraiser and because of that 331 is graciously offered 70% of the profits of this race will go back to the camp, so even if you are not a "racer" or this seems like a long event just come out and have a good time, if you are your teammate each do one lap and then just want to hang out in the pit area, do it, and you will know that most of your entry fee is going to help develop the camp that you are enjoying that much more!  To find out more about the race or pre-register (this is a pre-register event only!) click here

Twain of Pain, definitely does not make this sound like a fluffy race does it?  This event is going to be a relay race with you and a teammate, for classes you can be on a  Co-ed Team, Female Team, and Male Team and there is Open and Novice/Sport divisions.  Open teams will have a maximum of 4 laps per teammate for 8 laps total while Novice/Sport does three laps per teammate so 6 laps total.  After 6.5 hours the race is over and teams will place based on how many laps they completed or who did the maximum number of laps in the fastest time, nobody will be DNF'd because they did not make all the laps.  Every lap will be alternated between teammates as you come into the transistion area you will hand a baton off and send your teammate on there way! Teams wil transistion in the area past the stockade, this is a great area for tents to be set up and give it a festival atmosphere.  In between your laps you'll be able to mingle with other racers, walk around a spectate, or just sit in a chair put your feet up and relax, whatever you want to do!

Now the trail report, some of you are probably thinking well I heard it's old school, straight up  climbs, doesn't sound fun to me.  I'm not going to sugar coat it yes there is climbing, is it impossible ..no.  Can you handle Mohican State Park?  If you answered yes you can complete a lap of Tuscazoar.  Over the last year passionate mountain bikers have started converting some of the hiking trails and added extra trail to make it more mtb friendly, you'll find some switchbacks, some flow, and some climbs that will challenge you no doubt, but lets be honest you didn't get into mountain biking to not be challenged right?  Overall the race lap is 6 miles with 1,100 ft. of climbing so per mile you will end up with a little more climbing than Mohican State Park for comparison.  Overall the trail is not very technical, almost wide and smooth in many places, the most technical aspect you will run into small armor sections that keep you dry and fast steep downhills (those are fun though right?)  Now for a photo preview taking you through the trails of Camp Tuscazoar!

We may have some surprises for the start but Pioneer point is where you will enter the woods, this trail is mostly a fast down hill trail, in fact the first .75 miles is downhill so getting a good start will be crucial in setting your self up for a good lap one.  In the Twain of Pain you have to switch to your other teammate each lap (more pain that way right?)

Next trail on deck is the Pipestone Trail, your still going to be moving and having the time of your life, guess what it keeps going!  More downhill just enjoy it and remember what goes down must go up!  At this point the downhill will start to get a little steeper and possibly even more fun!

So you've been enjoying a lot of downhill and you start to think to yourself, this isn't so bad it's actually fun, when Pipestone turns left and you see this sign, as heard on today's ride "this is where the pain begins" John Lorson-Soupcan Racing

The Pipestone climb will be .75 miles and you'll gain about 190 feet of elevation, expect some tight trail with switchbacks, you'll know you are getting close to the end when you hit the 8 dreaded switchbacks, here is a hint do not start counting from the beginning, you'll know when you get to them and luckily you'll almost be done!  After the 8th switchback you get a reprieve and some downhill that will drop you onto doubletrack.

Ahhh double track, fast smooth and downhill enjoy it you've earned it, the double track will end on sharp turn to the left and you will meet this guy, heads up you won't see the bridge till you clear the turn, and you'll be riding it at that point so be careful!  Also after this is your next signal that a climb is coming but it's not as bad as what is to come, just a couple switchbacks.

Your last Pipestone sign leads you to a quick turn to the right to the end of pipestone trail this will put you on a ridge line trial parallel to the Zoar Valley Trail, don't look down, trust us it's there, way down there!

Pipestone ends with a steep drop onto the Zoar Valley Trail, that will take you to the Roost Trail, this is our Fast and Furious 1/4 mile of fast, flat action also about the only place you'll get a good sight line of your competition, don't burn yourself out because I probably did not mention that the Roost trail is our second infamous climb.

Wasn't that flat fun?  A left turn off the Zoar Valley trail and the Roost trail officially starts at this point you are almost half way through the trail, the roost trail begins with a fire road climb that is a gradual climb that gets a little steeper then you get a break on a ridgeline trail then up again, overall the beginning fireroad is the worst the remainder of the singletrack is a gradual climb pacing is key, but if a competitor spotted you on the Zoar Valley Trail there is a lot of room to pass on the fireroad and they'll be chasing you down!

Top of the Roost!  You have officially made it to Buzzard's Roost, stats of this trail you climbed .75 miles and gained 250 feet of elevation feel free to take time and enjoy the view this is the best the camp offers!  Now get moving to the Iron Mine Downhill!

Now for the payoff of the Roost Climb, The Iron Mine Downhill!  If the Twain of Pain had an Enduro (TM) stage this would be it.  It starts off with a steep downhill littered with waterbars...note, I said waterbars not jumps, use caution on these bars, they were made to divert water not jump, if you have those skills have fun, if not be safe and roll them because every one of them will kick your back end up and put you in trouble!

Iron Mine Downhill ends with a steep punch climb that leads into icky's trail, good news is Icky's is the last trail to the finish line, bad news two more climbs to go

After the "easy" climb on Icky's and downhill you will have a short up and down that will lead to the final climb that will take you to the transition area, remember the trail started on a downhill, and you are at the bottom of the valley, time to pay for that awesome start.  Just for the race we rerouted a sketchy bridge and added a more flow/mtb friendly line this will set you up for the steep climb a little better but it's still a grind, on the plus side after this you are done and hand your baton off to your partner it is now there turn!  This last climb from the bridge is .5 miles and 200 ft mostly doubletrack and will put you right into the transition area!  Like any MTB trail the first time is always the worst, but luckily next lap you will know what's coming and will have a blast, so enjoy your transition time visit other teams tents, then get ready to roll out again!

A huge thanks goes out to the our sponsors for the race, Eddy's Bike Shop and Schwalbe Tires for supplying prizes for the Novice/Sport Division. ED&FA of Tuscarawas county for the pint glasses and CAMBA for the tools and donation to help fund this event.

Most of the KnobbySideDown Race Team showed up for a trail day at Camp Tuscazoar to help put that last bit of polish on the trail so that all the first timers to this new trail will have a great experience!  We all had some pet projects/safety/flow issues we wanted to handle for the race and we wanted to give a big thank you to some of our teammates that drove over and hour to help us dial everything in!  Get out and enjoy the trails we will see everybody next week!