The Race That Almost Wasn't

We've been riddled with bad weather and poor trail conditions for what seems like an eternity.  And it was looking like the Canal Moonlight TT was not going to happen.  After postponing things a few weeks, the skies finally gave way to a beautiful blue and the wind moved in to dry things out.  So last Thursday night Dustin G and I loaded up about 40lbs of race equipment and rode through the 30mph gust to put on a race.  Due to the fact it was so cold we weren't expecting much for this event.  When we got to the trail Dustin started working on a fire and I took a lap to clear any debris from the trail.  By the time I came back, much to my surprise, a sizeable crowd had formed and Dustin was playing registrar.  Looks like we're having a race after all!
We had 15 people brave the elements and race through the dark, twisty trail.  Riders were started in 30 second intervals and somehow I got thrown into the mix.  Everyone took off and I was last to start in the first group of riders.  3...2...1...Go!  And at that point I was still trying to clip in.  I honestly think I was about 50 yards down the trail before I finally heard that positive click.  Must of been the pressure of such an awe-inspiring event (insert sarcasm here)!  So now I'm racing and almost immediately I have to take it down a notch as my legs were on fire.  Nothing like starting from dead cold and pedaling your brains out!  I finally started to get into a groove and by that time I was almost done with the loop.  So part of the course took you straight up the middle of the stairs.  As in straight up the middle, not off to the side where it's smooth.  As I was approaching I was trying to figure out the whole cyclocross dismount in my head.  I knew running the stairs would be the fastest option, but it required a good bit of timing to execute properly.  As I struggled mentally with my options, here comes the stairs.  I scrapped the cross technique and rode right up the middle.  As I made the climb I quickly realized it was a bad decision, but pride got in the way of things.  Somehow I made it to the top of the stairs, made the turn, and flew smoothly into the finish.  After crossing the finish line I thought to myself, that was really hard.  Then right after that I thought, that was really fun!
After my race I got to hang out by the fire with everyone, roast some marshmallows, and yell at the other riders through the MegaHorn...Setting off the siren mode for good measure.  We tried to get some pics to document the evening, but unfortunately my batteries died after a few snaps.  We'll have fresh ones for the upcoming TT.  It was really cool to see riders of every skill level on the trail, even some that had never ridden at night.  Everyone had a blast, even those that took some wrong turns straight into disqualification (Dan & Robin, you'll have a second chance this week).  While finishing position was important, I'm sure after it was all said and done, no one really cared.  We were on our bikes, in the dark, freezing cold, blasting through the woods.  Now that sounds like a good time to me.
This race wouldn't have happened without some help.  So thanks to Dustin G, John, Julie, and Troy for clearing the trail after the snow.  And thanks to everyone who showed up to race.  Give yourself a pat on the back!  We've got the final TT this Thursday so don't miss the action!         

Good Time Guaranteed!

http://andyjordans.com/articles/moonlight-mtb-time-trial-pg285.htm

Canal Crown Race 4 - Grand Finale

I can not believe we pulled this thing off. There was a lot that could go wrong, but didn't. The trail was cleared for every race (merely minutes before the last race thanks to John P), only one race had to be postponed due to rain, no one sustained any major injuries, and everyone had an absolute blast. We started out with 10 people at the first race and the line up increased every Thursday. Race 4 had a total of 23 riders chomping at the bit to give it a go! Lots of familiar faces were seen as well as some new ones.

John Pilcher, Canal Crown Tree Massacre!

The expert class was dominated once again by hometown hotshot, J to the T! Dude is like a bulldozer with a wrecking ball attached. I'm still looking for evidence to prove he cut the course, bear with me guys...not really. Another repeat was in the number 2 spot. Matt Kogel was able to stay consistent and keep his usual 15-secondish gap over the race for 3rd. And the race for third is usually a good one until JT's riding buddy, Josh Jackson, makes his race debut to mix things up. He put on a good showing and beat out the usual 3rd place suspects. Another interesting thing that happened was the starting situation Dustin go into. I noticed as I was starting the Expert class his bike was upside down and it looked like he had a small pit crew dialing things in. Come to find out Phillip borrowed his bike and had the flat pedals on. Needless to say trying to get pedals off with a short wrench is on the difficult side. So D was up next, I gave him the 30 second warning, they're still struggling. 10 seconds, 5 seconds, and about the time I said go he was at the line clipping in, and taking off. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this may have effected his lap time in a negative manner. Nothing like some pre-race stress to get the heart rate up.

The Sport class is always a good race and this time it was no different. Brian Williams kept doing what he does and landed the 3 spot. He just barely knocked Jimmy C off the podium. Speaking of Jimmy C, I'm pretty sure there's nothing left of the stairs as he completely crushed them on the climb. I swear there were chunks of wood flying off his back tire. What made this race really unique was the fact there was a tie for first place between Kris "I only do the clockwise races" Fausnight and Bobby "I swear I'm not a sandbagger" Boham. Being that we've never had a tie we really didn't know what to do. We threw around some good, and not so good, ideas then somebody said let 'em chug for the win. Obviously there was no arm twisting necessary there. So they chose their poison from my cooler, we got the megaphone ready, and they proceeded to do their impression of a young man at Kappa Alpha rush week. Being that Kris's can was empty and Bobby had Miller Lite all over him, Kris got the win! Could you imagine if everything was settled that way?

Last, but certainly not least was my favorite, the beginner class. It's really good to see people step out of their comfort zone and give something new a try. Most of the beginner class is folks that have never raced and in some cases never ridden the trail. It's all in the name of fun, and fun was had. Jerry Murphy put it down once again and landed himself in third (must be that vintage dirt bike racing). There must be something in the water because Bob Kogel, Matt's dad, landed himself in second place as well. And then first place went to not only someone making their race debut, but also the youngest competitor. Josh Boham came out and cleaned house in the beginner class. Someone is definitely moving up to sport next year, maybe even expert if he keeps things up.

But the real highlight of the evening was not the racers with the fastest times or the ones with the best placing. This goes back to the idea of trying something new. My wife Kim had contemplated doing one of the CCTT's each time, but it never seemed to happen (probably because she was always helping set up or taking registration). While she was signing people up at race 4 she was going back and forth with the idea giving it a try. She pre-rode the course, she had all her gear with her, but the struggle continued. To back track a little we let the beginner and sport class go first this time. Kim was still torn, but it was too late to jump in as the group was finishing up. That is until Jeff G showed up. Jeff races the beginner class and was running behind schedule, or on time as we typically run the beginners last. So we told Jeff to hurry up, sign in, and run after the last expert racer goes off. So Kim signed him in, I gave him a number plate, and he was ready. Then like a phoenix rising through the flames, Kim throws down the pen, puts on her helmet, and says screw it I'm racing. At this point I was freaking out and trying to get her pumped up at the start. While my efforts may have been appreciated, as I look back I was probably doing more harm than good. Off she goes into what is becoming darkness. I know my wife well and I know she's not a fan of the woods at night. I'm hoping she makes it back out of the trail before the sun falls over the Canal Jungle. Almost 18.5 minutes later, Kim crosses the finish line, 1.5 minutes faster than her original goal. I asked her how it went and she said it was getting really dark, really quick and she was trying to keep the boogey man from getting her! She definitely earned a pat on the back for that one. I have a feeling Kim will be putting down the sign-up sheets and picking up her bike next year!

Kim Jordan gets out of the woods just in time!

I would like to take a second to thank everyone that helped keep the CCTT series going. Whether you raced, did some trail maintenance, or helped out at a race, your efforts are greatly appreciated ane we could not have done it without you. The series was even more fun than I expected, everyone else had more fun than I expected, and we're looking forward to putting it on next year. So start your training now!

Bryan Nuckols right behind team Rabobank on the run-up!

Canal Crown Time Trial Race #3

We had a record turnout for the CCTT3 on Thursday night! There were a few new riders in the Expert and Sport class, the beginner class increased substantially, and we had our first female competitor! Here are a few highlights from the evening. As usual JT dominated in the Expert class with a new Counter-Clockwise course record of 11 minutes & 4 seconds (I'm still waiting on some local racers to come out and give it a shot...yes you've been called out). I think we need to put some trail police out there to make sure he's not cutting the course! My boy dgaddis shook things up this time by putting down the stopwatch and picking up the bike. He was able to knock Brian and Ross off the Expert podium with his 3rd place finish. Best of all, he didn't puke doing it!
Dustin's boss, Mark M, came out for the race and ended up with first place in the Sport class. Not bad for not knowing the trail and pretty much being new to mtb'ing. Big Jim Culpepper made his race debut with a third place finish. Must have been that pre-race Red Bull! I swear you could feel the Earth shaking when he came down the stairs. Philip "J is for Genius" Roberson also made his debut and shattered his personal record! Becca Phelan represented things for the girls in the Sport class. She was able to beat out five other male racers times! On top of that, I think she wrecked like 3 times doing it!

Jimmy C blows up the trail with his aggressive riding style!!

The Beginner class was awesome as it more than doubled in participation. Matt Kogel's dad, Bob, was another person making their race debut. He shredded up the trail landing the number one spot! And right behind him was another first timer, Ethan St. Martin. The original plan was for Ethan to race my single speed. No gears, no shocks, nothing to mess up. Wrong. Ethan took a couple test laps and right before his start time realized the front tire was flat. Cross Boss Ross stepped up to the plate and sacrificed his bike and shoes. This was probably a blessing in disguise as Ethan had already over-done it on his test runs and was going to need all the help he could get. Surprisingly enough less than 15 minutes later he found himself in second place in the Beginner class. Must have been that Anthem X...

So there were lots of first timers, lots of familiar faces, and lots of fun. This whole thing is going even better than dg and I had thought. I can't believe there's only one race to go in the series. If you haven't made it out, mark your calendar for August 27. Come out, kick up some dirt, and have fun!

ESM after his first warm up lap...

ESM minutes before staging. Even the lil Victor boy was worried about him...

ESM, mid-race and mid-dehydration...

ESM minutes after his race...

Canal Crown Race 2

For some reason I didn't blog on Race 1 of the AJBW/SORBA Canal Crown, so it's only right that I make it count for Race 2. Where do I start? Attendance was up a considerable amount as we went from 10 to 15 racers! The beginner class doubled and the sport and expert classes had a few extras as well. In typical fashion it was never a dull moment. As we were getting ready to start the pre-race meeting we hear CrossBoss say to Bare Nuckols, "Uh, there's a snake by your foot Bryan!" And sure enough merely one half of an inch away was a 4 foot black snake making his way through the trailhead, and Bryan's feet. Fortunately no one was harmed by this, apparently, non-venemous reptile. But Lowell D couldn't resist himself and switched into Nat Geo mode to wrangle him up. After a few pics with this creature of the wild the racing began.

LD, snake wrastler.

Race 2 had everyone going in a clockwise fashion with an uphill finish straight up the middle of the stairs...As in dgaddis and I piled up a bunch of branches on the left side of the trail (definitely the easiest path) to force racers into the center of the stairs (definitely more challenging). Being that JT won last time we let him start first. Roughly 11 minutes later he started up the stairs, got about three-quarters of the way up, and came unclipped resulting in the first fall of the evening. Being that JT's a dang good rider, I immediately thought, maybe making them ride up the stairs was a bad idea...nah, what was I thinking, this is no time to be soft, it's an MTB Race?! After watching everyone kill themselves trying to ride up the stairs a few of the racers figured out they didn't have to ride the whole way and started running their bikes up to the turnaround. But no one matched Ross and his cyclocross style dismount, to run up. We were still talking about it the next day in disbelief. He was like a giant gazelle fleeing a close encounter with a cheetah!

The Crossboss, part man, part gazelle, seconds before the run-up.

The expert and sport class racing continued, everyone was having fun, and the beginners were the last racers of the evening. One of them was barely familiar with the trail, the other doesn't own a bike and has never ridden the trail. This could have gone really bad, but thankfully both did really well and neither of them came back to the finish bloody or bruised. It seemed like they had a lot of fun, despite having no idea what they were getting into. And that's the whole idea behind this race series.
F-U-N!

So dgaddis did some math, got everyone's times, and the victors were given their spoils. Third and second place received their trophies/beer shot glasses. First place for each class received a custom made trophy by myself...OK, so I just added some spice to the same 50 cent trophy everyone else got. Everyone was stoked on their winnings and we all hung out for a little race re-cap. Ah, yet another good time!

Now that's a trophy for the mantle! Look at that commercial style head. Perfect pour!

Click here for the official Canal Crown web page with results and pics.