Alpine Valley NORBA National

Alpine Valley, WI NORBA National

Race: NORBA NCS #2
Date: 6-15-2002
Place: Alpine Valley Ski Resort, WI
Distance: 11.0 miles
Speed: 5.0 mph
Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

The second round of the Chevy Trucks NORBA National Series was held at Alpine Valley, Wisconsin, about 30 minutes outside of Milwaukee, June 13-16, 2002. This part of Wisconsin is what the locals call "rolling." Those of us from Georgia called it flat. As you drive up to the venue, you see a huge partially manmade "ski hill" that juts out of the otherwise flat terrain. The Alpine Valley Ski Resort provided a picturesque venue for the race. Dense forests surrounded the ski slopes, and green plant life was abundant. Unfortunately, a lot of rain in the weeks preceding the race was the cause of the lush greenery, as riders would find out when they tried to ride the course. Rain, which amounted to several inches, fell both Thursday and Friday nights, making the course a muddy mess.

The course was a 5.2 mile loop that went up and around the mountain then back to the base. The start/finish line was located in the middle of the expo area at the base of the mountain. It weaved in and out of taped barriers through the parking lot. The first test on the course was a short, steep hill in the woods that was nothing but mud. It would not be rideable for any of the weekend's races. The trail continued on for a short spurt through the forest before coming back out into the barriers near the expo center for a long flat hammerfest to the singletrack. The first portion of the singletrack was slightly uphill and classic Midwest curvy. Roots were littered throughout the trail, providing obstacles for the riders to pay attention to. The Liquid Launch was one of the best places to view the Pro and Expert races as rider got down the steep incline, through a creek, and up the other side any way they could. The last third of the singletrack was a mudbog, sometimes as deep as 7-10 inches of the thick goo. Riders were lucky if their shoes did not get sucked off. They had no choice but to walk and carry their bikes through this section, lest their brakes and drivetrains get clogged up. Some unfortunate riders tried to ride through it, only to find themselves landing in the mess. Several short climbs were like slides when trying to walk up them. The course then came out onto the ski slopes for a descent towards the base. A small flat section rewarded riders with a breather before the half mile long "Dead Heifer Climb." A climb up the ski slope with one short section of singletrack. Once back in the singletrack, the next obstacle was a rock garden that the Expert had to ride and that the Sport/Beginner rides went around. The trail popped back out in the open for a short descent to a flat section along the back of the ridge and over to a short, steep hill with loose sand and dirt. The final climb was about 1/4 mile long up the skislope and was where the feedzone was located. The course then dipped into the singletrack that was fast, tight, and curvy. A drop off around a turn challenged riders before coming out for a fast section of the course along the base of the mountain .The final section of singletrack drained well and was fast all weekend. The final portion of the course came out at the base of the mountain, took riders over a slick mud covered wooden bridge, and then back to the expo area and the start/finish line.

8:00 am on Saturday was the starting time for all Sport and Beginner Riders as well as the Older Experts. The sunny, cool morning masked the muddy mess that awaited riders once the race started. Sunny and cool are my two favorite adjectives two describe any race morning. Knowing that I don't normally do well when the course conditions are foul, I psyched myself up all week by telling myself that I ride well in adverse circumstances. "Remember West Virginia last year self?" I repeated over and over. The mud wasn't a big deal, as I proved to myself during the preride. By race morning, my mind erased all doubts about the course conditions. Classes were staged in rows with 1-3 classes per wave. All Sport Women started together even though there were several classes within the wave. I got a front row starting position, not wanting to get tangled up in the web of slower riders that happens at a large race. At 8:09, we were off! I sprinted towards the front to get a good position up the first hill. As I came to the hill, I dismounted and began trudging up it with the rest of the field. I watched about 8-9 women passed me as I had the first breathing attack of the day. I backed off walking up the hill just a bit. At the top , I remounted for about 10 seconds before being forced off again when someone in front of me came off her bike. I decided to walk the rest of the singletrack. We finally came back out in the open, and I remounted. I tried to shift up into my big ring but was thwarted by a slimy mess that was part of the golf course we were riding over. Are the golfers going to be happy with us or what?!? I continued on in my middle ring, trying to stay on the parts of the field that had firmer footing. I crossed the wooden bridge and looked ahead. There were two women within my sight. When I reached the first small hill that lead into the singletrack, I hopped off my bike and began walking. This would be the story for much of the day. The previous night's rain soaked the few parts of the course that dried out during Friday's pro races. A large group of us stayed together for the first portion of the singletrack. I tried in vain a few times to hop off and on but wound up wasting more time than I would have gained if I were on the bike. Finally, I was able to get back on and stay there for about half a mile. When I came to the large mud bog with 7-10 inches of goo I hopped off, shouldered my bike, and slogged through. I put my bike down to balance myself as I put one foot in front of the other up the steep hill on the opposite side of a creek we crossed. No one was riding anything on that part of the course. I could have remounted for a second after that, but I decided to jog my bike and not waste the effort because I would have to get off for a large log crossing about 100 feet up the trail. I hopped the log and got back on the bike for about 5 seconds. I was forced to get back off when I came to a rock garden that was unridable because of the mud. When I got past it, I finally remounted my bike for a good while. I came out onto the ski slope and slid my way down, managing to stay up unlike a few of the men I saw. I stayed focus and was amazed that I was in my zone. Other than walking up one of the hills, my legs felt good the entire race so far. Of course, I was only about 2 miles into it. I came up on the Dead Heifer Climb and rode until I reached the singletrack. I got off and opted to push instead of ride to save time. Once again, everyone I saw was off of their bikes. At the top, I passed two women. I ran down the short hill and jogged the first portion of singletrack. I remounted before the rock garden and picked my way over some of the roots and through the rocks. I was forced off again on the other side where the trail was very wide but also very slick. I tried to ride a few feet of it but only managed to spin out. At the next open section, I remounted and popped up into a bigger gear. I stood for a moment to stretch my calves, which were becoming very tight from all of the walking and bike pushing. I came to the second "big" climb, a loose sandy climb that most of the guys were walking. I wondered to myself why everyone was walking this easy climb. I dropped down into my granny gear and spun up it effortlessly. Yes, I said that I, the self proclaimed climbing boat anchor, propelled up the climb without much effort. This little hill was nothing compared to what I train on in Georgia. I flew through a short downhill before coming to the feedzone hill climb. Once again, I was comfortable in a much bigger gear than I normally climb in. I saw a women about 5 yards in front of me and decided to attack rather than sit back and spin up the climb. I took off and passed her, barely making myself breath hard. I got ahead of her just before we reached the next singletrack section. I'd been passing men left and right most of the time, which felt great! These were Sport Men afterall, and I don't get a chance to pass many of them back home in Georgia. This section of the course was pretty fun and was all ridable except for one small drop off, which I chose to walk. I saw a few of the men make it, but it was faster for me to dismount. I came back out at the base of the mountain and hammered the flats. I passed yet another women before we went into the singletrack for the final time this lap. The trail was well packed down and fast. I had a huge smile on my face as I weaved in and out of the trees. THIS is what a real mountain bike race course should be like in my mind. I was having a great time and not even feeling the effects of a hard first lap. I came back out onto the flats and popped it into my big ring, which lasted only until I came to the mud covered bridge. I misjudged my turn and almost went down. A last second weight shift saved me. I dropped down a few gears and spun until I reached the pavement. I crossed under the start/finish banner and began my second lap.

My legs were still feeling good, and there was no sign of any breathing troubles. I hopped off again at the first hill. About half way up, I saw another women. About the same time, my lungs decided that it would be a good time to seize up. I backed off of my brisk walking/pushing pace and held myself under restraint until I reached the top of the hill. I jogged down the hill and passed the other woman. I asked her if she knew how many other women were ahead, and she said that she thought it was just us. As I found out later, there was one other woman in our age group ahead by about 3 minutes. I passed this gal and became elated. I had a real chance at making the podium, which only wanted to make me ride faster! I remounted at the end of the singletrack and plowed through the flats by the expo area. I backed off momentarily when I hit the slop before the covered bridge when a Clydesdale accidentally almost ran into me. He started to slide out in the mud but was able to stop himself before he hit me. He apologized, but there was no apology necessary because no harm was done, and we were all slipping and sliding. I dismounted as soon as I reached the next section of singletrack. I walked up the first hill and looked at the trail conditions about 15 feet ahead. They looked much better than the first lap. I remounted and was able to stay on until the Liquid Launch. Sport riders were routed around the Launch and through another portion of the creek. I rode through the creek and quickly dismounted and carried my bike up the other side. I ran past the worst of the slop and got back on the bike. My cyclocross racing last winter was paying off nicely! My legs still felt good, much to my astonishment. I did not feel like I was going as fast as I could because I was taking things conservatively to try not to fall. I came to the rock garden on this part of the course and dismounted. I ran it and slipped a little as I took the high line. I recovered quickly and resumed my jogging. I got back on at the far side and tried to pick my pace up a little bit. Coming around a corner, I neglected to see a small tree right on the side of the trail. I hit it fairly hard with my right side. Even with the bobble, I did not have to get off of my bike again until I came to the mud pit. Once again, I shouldered the bike and carried it through the worst of the mud. As I was climbing up the hill on the far side of the creek, a guy came up behind me trying to ride up the hill. He made it about 3/4 of the way before slipping out and almost sliding back down to the bottom, which amused me a bit. I got to the top of the hill and started jogging again with my bike beside me. I hopped over the log and ran through the rock garden before getting back on. The ski slope reappeared, and I skid and slid my way to the bottom and a quick respite on gravel. I made it to Dead Heifer climb again, rode almost to the singletrack, and got off to walk the rest of the climb. My right leg cramped momentarily, but I was able to stretch it out. I was breathing hard when I reached the top. I ran the bike down the next small hill and through the first 100 feet of the singletrack. I got back on and rode everything, including the rock garden. I came to the wide singletrack and did not even try to ride though the slop. I got off and pushed my bike through it. I remounted for the 9,148th time of the day and began the trek across the ridge behind the mountain. Right before the bottom of the next climb, I tried to shift into my granny gear, but my chain fell off. I dismounted quickly and tried to get the chain back on. I made one guy really upset before I pulled over to the side of the trail. After about 10 seconds, I got the chain back on and ran my bike to the bottom of the hill. Once I got to solid ground, I got back on and continued to the top. Along the way, I passed the angry guy. A brief downhill let me recover before the feedzone climb. The angry guy passed me again as I took it a little easy on the climb. Right before the top, I caught him again. I stayed behind him as we entered the singletrack, where he slowed to a crawl. I could not get past him. Finally, we came to a corner, and I called out "On your left," so he stops with his bike in the middle of the trail and turns around and stares at me. I bump his tire as I try to pass him, and we get tangled up a little bit. He yells out in a sarcastic tone "well just don't let me pass you again." I turned around with a smirk and said "don't worry, I won't" before I hopped on my bike and went on my way. My legs still felt good, and my breathing was nice and steady. I was very much into the zone and only thinking of one thing...the finish. I popped out on the flats at the base of the mountain and put it in my big ring. I downshifted once I got to the singletrack and flowed through it. Moonpie and I bounced off the turns and danced through the trees. I got back out onto the flats for the last time and pushed my big ring in a gear normally reserved for road spins. I backed off on the muddy bridge, so that I would not take a fall but pushed the pace again when I got to the pavement. I crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 6 minutes according to my computer and 2 hours, 12 minutes official time. My legs were ready for another lap!

What can I say? There are races when everything comes together, and I just have it. No breathing attacks (thank you cool weather!), the legs felt great, my bike worked perfectly thanks to Hayes Brakes and Chris, the Team Peggy mechanic, the course was awesome (even with all of the mud and walking), and it all came together. I wound up 2nd in my age group--19-29 Sport Women--and 3rd overall out of over 30 Sport Women. I got to stand on the podium and wave my arms, which is a wonderful feeling. It makes all of the training and suffering worth it. I was elated with my race. Rare is it that I can say I had an awesome race. Well, I had an awesome race in Alpine Valley.

Thanks to Chuck Flynn, Kym's Dad, for some of the pictures.

Kym Flynn suffers during the short track.