A NUE Race Experience.

For sure I could not top last years miracle win at the Shenandoah 100. I was just getting back to form after several back fractures just 6 weeks earlier!

So I came into the race yesterday with lets just have a fun race attitude, the weather was perfect and so many of my friends where there.

Good thing I had a good mood going into it. I ended up flatting in the lead on the first 20 feet of trail! I stoped reached for my tube and co2 on the seat post and it was GONE? Must have rattled off. Anyway It was good I had an emergency back up tube and micro pump in my pocket. Needless to say flatting in the first single track of a 650 rider feild is a sure way to slow your chase effort. Many times being rejected a pass while plowing thru brush twigs and leavs. Patiently I got thru. In if for the long haul I knew making it back to the front would take some time as not to blow up.

I made it back to the chase group of Micheals Eatough and Jens Neilson by the end of Wolf trail. The 15 minutes of company was nice It was cool riding with my former TrekVW teamate. He now works full time and rides part time but rode to 7th on the day!

My chase got serious on Hankey and Dowels. I was getting reports that the gap was only 2.5 mins. I passed Sam Koerber and just stayed focused on the maximum I could do without blowing up when I caught back on.

Bridge Hallow i felt like I was in a trance just go at it. However it was nearly game over on the decent as my stiff chase pace was too fast for my comprimised tire. PSSsssSSSSssssSSSS

Great. I pulled over and when to fix it mode only to flat again a mile later. This time I had no tube so I stood there for several minuets hoping to begg for one. Chris tossed me one and I got to fixing, this time at a more leasurely I am going to finish this bitch one way or another pace. ;)

I suppose lady luck granted me a wish last race and now she was taking the toll. Fair enough.

It was really fun to ride take in the scenary and hang with my friends in the race and talk some. No pressure. It was pretty cool. Then as I caught back up with Chris Eatough near Little Bald he motivated me by saying you know your only a minuet or two from the podium. Jens is right up there. Sure what the heck. I knew I would feel better about my day if I finished off right. So I hammered it on the last couple climbs for a well earned 5th.

At Pisgah I plan on runing the bomb proof DD Schwalbes (they dont't make the DD's in 29 yet)

but most importantly I am going have a good time. Thats what this time of year is all about!

Congratulations to everone out there that finished; its not an easy thing to do!

Go ride!

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop  # 11:41 AM 0 comments

Lazy blogg.

Jay did a great job puttin together the most wacky and fun weekend with the guns grits and gravel cross camp this past weekend. The Lost river guess house nicely offset the rugged nature of the rodeo and mud with some luxurious digs. Check it out. So much fun.

www.rawtalentranch.com/

j

posted by Jeremiah Bishop  # 9:47 PM 0 comments

Wheeler Pass.

The goats probably wondered what the hell someone was doing riding a bike up there as was I.

Barely able to breath 12,500 feet my mind was foggy legs heavy. I pushed on but I wasnt racing so much as getting thru that part.

Ross Schnell had other plans as we traversed alpine tundra at 12,000+ Between the 2 summits there where bogs wild flowers and an cold wind. The terrain was steep. I mean scary, my chain fell off while decended in second and I got a real close look at the foliage that grows at 11,500 feet! Check out the vid on cycling dirt Alex and Toast where droping down the mountain fast but Ross was on a mission. Sontag and I where in persuit but my chain kept falling off so I was glad to see the smooth bike path this time. Ben and I put it in TT mode for 6 miles and caught Grant and Toast, I went on the attack up the final rocky trail toward breck peaks trail. Half way thru I saw Ross up ahead, " I can get him'! I sprinted ahead and barely held on the last DH for the win by just few seconds.

One more day some fun trails and just have to ride smooth.

J

posted by Jeremiah Bishop  # 8:43 AM 0 comments

Power UP Day 4

Today was awesome. I was hoping my legs would come around; despite riding really fast Alex has matched me tit for tat up unitl today and i was wondering if i could do anything to shake him. Stellar racing.

Today I jumped on the 29 flash and it was a rocket ship! Good legs plus a 19 lb bike on a course with 7,400 ft of climbing is a good feeling. I took a risk and started hard but I was solid and just hit the groove like, in the zone.

The last time I was able to climb this way at altitude was when I went up head to head with Jeremy at the AMC and won.

Highlights of today.

1. No 40 degree rain

2. Matt Ohran stoped farting

3. Killer single track off of 11000ft Colorado trail

4. Not crashing into the stream i did not see untill the last second; locked it UP!!!!!!!!!

5. Getting the free New Belgium tripple from the DJ Birtch single speed gang

Wheeler pass is up next it is sweet, but involve 20 mins of hiking with the bike on your back breathing like a cat with a hairball at 12,600ft!

Thanks for all the support out there.

JB

http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/view.php/breck-epic-stage-3-mt-guyot.html

http://www.mtbracenews.com/view_article.jsp?id=156

posted by Jeremiah Bishop  # 11:05 PM 0 comments

Mt Guyot.

Heavy clouds clung to the jagged mountain tops. I should have know that could mean cold temps up there. But in the am hustle to get going forgot my shell jacket.

Needless to say it was a good stage save for the 42 degree steady drissle at 11.000ft wearing about 8 ounce of clothing! Those clouds where a socked in east side of the continental divide. It looked like a rainy dark day over there.

Then the big decent on the Colorado trail

Dude that was wicked. Big rocks reminiscent of my home trails Massanutten except my hands where frozen.

It was sick to watch Tostado do a plank ride at 15 miles an hour over a 12 foot deep ravine. I was walking that one! No thanks.

Alex and I hammered up American Gulch putting a little time on our rivals and testing each other.

Did hang it out putting some heat on AG for the final dh, Ha ha ha such fun. http://www.cyclingdirt.org/video/353154-Breck-Epic-Stage-3-Finish

Another big day tomorrow!

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop  # 11:13 PM 0 comments

Crazy day at the Epic

Today started well enough a few clouds but nice temps. However things got tough right away. My legs felt really heavy on the first climb.... after struggling to keep up with the lead group Tostado Grant Shriver and Schnell we toped out. My crank felt stiff but we where going downhill??????

I knew something was wrong with the crank or free hub so I stopped. My cassette would not spin back and was impossible to move with my hand. The leaders stepped on the gas. I just put my head down and went into solo tt mode for a half hour chasing thru the single track using every decent to hang it out. Got to the first aid station, I got a rear wheel by it too locked up?? What the. (later found out the bolt for the Der. hanger backed out and was rubbing the cassette) I jumped on the back up bike 29R and took off like a bat out of hell. The huge climb up the Colorado trail was built for this bike. I caught and passed Ben who was having a moment. By the top I caught Ross Schnell just in time for a huge ripping 15 min decent. I was cutting and slicing the turns I was on it! Ross and I reveled in the sweet trail.

The 2nd to last big climb I could see Shriver up ahead and dug as deep as I could, I had been chasing as hard as I could for 2 hours! I was motivated by my catch but thought Toast and AG where long gone. We started and single track climb on gold hill and, Whoa!! There they are the leaders! I was stoked to get back on. We dropped some more sick trail to the French gulch road. Shriver and Toast doing all the work. ( they where pushing to get more time on Ben)

Alex and I attacked hard and starting putting more time on our rivals. That last decent was like a fume roller coaster and the bottom has some sweet berms. Alex rolled in just in front of my but I got what I worked so hard for. Another day in the leaders jersey. Alex and I are not tied for the lead!

Tomorrow is going to be a bitch. 9.000 ft and 44 miles. The circumnavigation of Mt Guyot see if I can have a smoother go.

Stay tuned.

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop  # 10:13 PM 0 comments

CFR in the Hunt

Pennsylvania Creek stage was a tough one. 6,000ft of climbing, 41 miles and hitting a sweet single track it was sure to be good.

Alex captured some of it on his helmet camera. (cyclingdirt.org) If you watch said footage you will notice I am rolling along nicely up the Boreas Pass road during the - ehem - neutral 20 mile an hour uphill roll out. But not in the early trail clips thats because the action that took place early on.

Soon as the police car pulls off, Ben Sontag goes out of the saddle putting the hammer down. Josh Toastado followed. I let Colby and Colin Cares set the pace behind the first break. Matt Shiver (2nd from last years Leadville 100) attacks on the right and the chase is on.

We are dropping and weaving thru the aspens like a pack of hornets in pursuit of a dog. Colin goes down hard in front of me in a loose turn. I slam on the brakes and ask him if he is ok, he grunts "yeah" then I hit the pedals to make up some time. I dropped my chain and got it tangled around the crank losing 15 seconds. I put in a chase for a few mins and then made contact just as the trail went up for the longest climb of the day - a rutted and apple filled jeep track that climbs over 1500ft. I am in the groove now. Josh is turning the screws hard with Sontag and Shriver falling off pace by a few seconds. Alex seems on point and I am doing really well for arriving from sea level last night, just a little stiff and breathing like fat a kid chasing an ice cream truck.

Sontag joined us just in time for Feed 1 and the tough climb up to the highest point on the course. Alex was feeling a spring in his step and put down the hammer. Nightmare on baldy was knarly, a nasty rutted uppersection gave way to nice hillside single. We were putting pressure on but Toast was still there.

(OH, just heard Colin went to the hospital because his breathing was labored and has some type of injury. Best wishes. I think he is out but he was up walking around.)

Back to the story. I knew a lot of the course today from the Firecracker and I hit it up Little French. XC pace. Wished I felt that good in the Firecracker, but I will take it when I can get it. Alex and I started putting some time on Josh. We dropped down the flume at full speed it was a ripper. Alex was killing it in the dirt road decents; both of us catching sweet air on the grade reversals.

Alex and I were well matched today, he has been racing high up and my form is coming around so we were on the march. We hit the final climb up to Sally Barber mine flat out knowing time gaps need to be taken when you can get them and while you have the energy.

Carving berms turns and skating over rocks at full speed, man that was awesome.

I happened to be leading and took the stage just in front of Alex.

Ben attacked Toast on the final climb and rounded a podium sweep for CFR!

Other notes Pua Sawicki slayed it and was like 9th in the mens times! Evan is leading the single.

Garth and Ohran suffered but had fun. Thats all I got.

Stay tuned anything can happen.

JB

posted by Jeremiah Bishop  # 5:21 PM 0 comments

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