Race: Tiger Rag
Date: 4-18-2004
By Rebecca Leeb-Team Burn Source Energy Drinks
I spent all winter on my trainer. 4 days a week. I live in the south. The weather isn’t THAT bad to justify riding inside all the time. Now it’s spring and, guess what? I’m still riding my trainer 3-4 days/week.
does this look like fun or what?!
All my riding buddies all think I’m nuts. They ask if I actually know how to ride outside. They ask if I’m going to be the world trainer riding champion. They think I am secretly Dracula – afraid of the sun. But sometimes being the trainer nazi pays off.
sometimes i ride my trainer outside - Ed can't even watch & Mark just think's i'm crazy
Sunday was the Tiger Rag mtb race in Clemson, SC. It was hot (high of 85*). It was dusty. The Expert wave wasn’t scheduled to start until 12:30 – just in time for the heat of the day.
The race starts in a field and within 50 meters you’re heading straight up a rocky, loose, mile-long fire road climb. Because the finish is at the top of the hill, each group does this climb one more time than the numberof laps they complete. Expert was scheduled for 3 laps (~ 9 mi each) – 4 times up the hill.
At the top of the hill you take a right onto the single track and into the woods. Once you are on the single track the trail combines some fast, big-ring flat sections, with some rooty, rocky technical climbs, a few creek crossings, some big-ring double track, a fun waterbar-air-under-your-tires descent, a screaming fast (I maxed out at about 30 mph) fireroad descent, and finally a brutal, no flow, twisty, debris littered section of single track with a make-you-want-to-cry climb back to the field where you have the pleasure of looking at that mile long hill to start your next lap. There are 2 feed zones. One on the mile-long hill and the other, mid-course, on the fire road just before the screaming descent. (Note to reader: remember this feed zone info you will be tested on it later.)
We were 15 minutes late to start and everyone was crowded along the thin line of shade at the edge of the field. I looked down and found a 4-leaf clover. Thinking about how lousy I fet at Tsali I picked the clover and stuck it in my pocket with my tube.
Women Ex/Pro was the last group to go off. I think there were about 10-12 of us. 2 pros and the rest expert. Despite our small number they split the group into age groups and started us 2 min apart: 19-29 w/ pros, then 30+. After sending off the 19-29/pro start, it was so quiet in the field – we could almost hear the butterflies beating their wings against the air. After all the raucousness of the warm-up area (2 miles above us) and the hum & buzz of everyone in the staging area, it seemed peacefully desolate to be the last group waiting to start.
“GO!” We were off. I got a good start and the hole shot. Then we hit the hill.
comin' up the hill......STIL.....really!
I really look forward to the day I do a race that does not start by going straight up a hill. My breathing was labored & my asthma kicked in. I got passed by the girl in the purple shorts (sorry I don’t know your name). I could hear labored breathing behind me as I wheezed my way up the hill. We passed the feed zone area and I heard Tammy (my picture taker & everyone’s favorite feed zone goddess) and some others cheering.
Right turn & into the woods. Fast, slight descent. Big ring. I’m creeping up on the girl in front of me. BZZZZZZZzzzzttt. I get too close, our wheels touch, and I lose my balance. “Sorry!” I yell as I hurriedly clip back in and pedal hard. I am back on her wheel. A two stage technical climb and out onto some double track. I pass her and she says “Good job”. I respond with a breathless “Nice pull.”
I used to think my specialty was climbing. In Sport it was where I won races. But I was getting killed on the flats. Enter 3-4 days/week on the trainer. Lo and behold I can hammer on the flats!
I’m in the big ring and spinning. I have a gap. I remind myself that now is the time for me to ride my own race. I don’t look back I just pedal forward. Coaching myself as I go. ‘Keep spinning smoothly.’ ‘That’s good.’ ‘Ride your own race.’ I’m in the woods looking ahead of me on the single track.
photo credit: Matt Baldwin/Staff, Greenville News online, http://www.upstatelink.com/images/g...0_MB_Tiger_Rag/
There is a slight S-curve ahead, and a branch across the trail. Wait! Not a branch. It’s a SN…thump-thump…AKE!! Whoops. Right over the center!! Sorry about that snakey. When I passed through the same section on the next lap the snake is gone. If you see it you’ll recognize it by the Python (how appropriate) tread mark across the center of it’s body!
I’m out on the fireroad before the screaming descent. I see a girl ahead of me and I push it into the big ring, get low, and begin to chase. I catch her about 1/3 of the way down the descent and pass her. It’s one of the 3 19-29/pro girls (the only 19-29) that started 2 min ahead of us. Toward the bottom of the descent I catch and pass one of the juniors (started 4 min ahead). Into the tight, twisty, brutal single track. It’s hot down here. Hotter than the other part of the course. I ride past a section that is no more than 5’ from the lake. The water is lapping and I can feel my bike pulling toward the cool, refreshing wetness. Ahhh……. No! Concentrate!
Back out onto the field and up the hill. I drop my empty water bottle and grab a new bottle and gu from Tammy. “You’re in 3rd about 20 second back!” Tammy yells. I don’t believe her. Into the woods. I’m rattling down a rocky, rooty descent and something hits my foot. ‘Wow! That’s a big rock.’ I think. The ‘rock’ hesitates on my foot and then hits the ground. Wait! NOOOOOOOOOOO! That was my WATER BOTTLE!!! @#%&# ARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!! Well, at least I have learned my lesson from Tsali and I have an extra gu in my jersey pocket. I wait a little while, until I am on the double track and beginning to feel more hungry than thirsty, and I suck down the gel, trying to get as much water from it as possible. I am parched.
I come out on the fire road just before the screaming descent, where the 2nd feed zone is. There are spectators & feed zone faries.
give me....photo credit: Matt Baldwin/Staff, Greenville News online, http://www.upstatelink.com/images/g...0_MB_Tiger_Rag/
WATER!! photo credit: Matt Baldwin/Staff, Greenville News online, http://www.upstatelink.com/images/g...0_MB_Tiger_Rag/
I yell “Can someone give me some water?!” People just stare. “PLEASE!! I dropped my bottle!” A few people scramble to get water and a guy thrusts out his water bottle towards me. “Thank you!!!!” I am eternally grateful for that feed zone and that water bottle. I drink some (AHHHHHH!) and begin the descent.
I pass another junior with a “Girl back!” as we hit the last section of twisty single track. I feel good! Better than on my first lap. I’ve been able to see a 2 riders ahead of me on and off for about the last 4 miles. They are teammates but I can’t tell if they are both juniors, or women, or who knows what – it’s hot, I’m a little dehydrated and I could be hallucinating!. The trail gets tighter and I can hear the water lapping and calling me. Holy cow it’s hot out here! I catch up to the twosome ahead of me and it is one of the pro girls, Patty,
photo credit: Matt Baldwin/Staff, Greenville News online, http://www.upstatelink.com/images/g...0_MB_Tiger_Rag/
And one of her junior teammates. Patty says, “Is that Rebecca?” “Yup!” I reply, “How you doing?” “Fine!” Patty says. The trail starts to climb and Patty lets me past. I finish the climb and pop out onto the field to start my last lap. I pass Patty’s teammate as we start up the long fire road climb.
I toss my empty bottle and grab a new bottle & gu from Tammy as I go past. “You’re in 2nd!” Tammy yells as I pass. I don’t believe her. Back into the woods. Tammy’s boys Jessy (age 14) and Jonah (age 5), are on the side of the trail cheering me on. Thanks guys!!
I am suddenly hungry. I reach down, grab my bottle, pull the gu off with my teeth, go to slide my bottle back into the cage, and DROP MY BOTTLE!! *%#! I have to stop and pick it up. I unclip, reach down, and my calves start to cramp. NO! I shove the bottle back into the cage and pedal off.
I’m getting tired. It’s really hot. I want to be done, but I still have enough in my legs that I can occasionally push forward. Up the rooty climb. Down the water bar descent. The spectators that were in the woods have all cleared out. It’s quiet and hot. With no one yelling “Go Robin!” it’s lonely out there! Out onto the fire road where the 2nd feedzone is. Sam, who was one of the many scrambling to give me water on the last lap is waiting with a water bottle for me if I need it. “Nope! I’m good! Thanks girl!”
Down the screaming descent. It’s almost over! Into the tight singletrack. Now I’m at the last hill before the field. My legs have had it. In overlapping time my right hamstring and my left adductor begin to cramp. OWWWWWWwwwwh!. I try to release the tension on both legs as I pedal. Still pedaling, I massage my hamstring but I can feel the muscle pulling from the back of my knee to my butt. Wow that hurts!! The hamstring cramp begins to subside. I move my left leg to relieve the adductor cramp. OW! I move it in a different direction. OW! OW! I breath deeply and hope that I can stave off the worst of the cramps for another mile and ½..
I’m out on the field and heading toward my final time up the long climb. Almost done. Keep pedaling. The road goes up, gets steep, curves to the left, flattens out…soon I’ll be able to see the spectators. Ahhhh! The first spectator is in view. Then more. The road gets steeper & I am grinding along – slowly. I see Tammy, the boys, John, and a bunch of others. They are yelling encouragement. Only 20 more feet and………….I’M DONE!!
I was the 2nd woman to pass under the finishing tent (I guess Tammy was right) and the 1st Expert woman. Woooo hoooo! My first real podium finish as an expert. (Ok, so there was no podium......just pretend i'm standing on top of a box)
Hey Peter! Like the shirt?!
Congrats to Z
3rd in Master 30-39 Expert,
and to Will (9th in Semi-pro…go BURN!).
Adam, awesome race and thanks for the dinner company!
Adam looking hot! photo credit: Matt Baldwin/Staff, Greenville News online, http://www.upstatelink.com/images/g...0_MB_Tiger_Rag/
Sam, thanks for the water offer. See you at Ducktown?
And finally, thanks to the usual suspects:
BURN Energy Drinks (www.sourcedrinks.com), Outback Bikes (uh, Peter, that is one tiny tiny girlie tee! outbackbikes@aol.com), Team 180’s (looking very cool in my shades on the "podium!; www.180s.com) and Hayes Brakes (www.hayesbrake.com)