2008 Brialee Ramble MTB Race Team Report
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Conditions:
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Bright, calm and sunny with temps in the mid 60’s. The trails were dry in spots but slick, greasy and downright swampy in others. The wet roots and rocks as well as the abundant dry ones were a challenge to navigate at speed.
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The Course:
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The course was a 4.7 mile loop on rutted out, rocky and rooty ATV trails. In addition to the large amount of rock and root there were multiple small stream crossings and extended mud sections. Climbs were short, steep and semi-technical. These are classic, old school New England trails created by other user groups vs. the new MTB specific, sustainable, flowing trails that groups like NEMBA (http://www.nemba.org/) have been building. Overall this was probably the most technically challenging course I’ve seen given the conditions. Beginners did 2 laps, Sport 3 laps and Expert, Pro/Semi-Pro did 4 laps.
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Results:
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Once again, NEBC had a large presence at the race in general, with 10 teammates racing the various fields and also on the podium racking up at least 5 podium spots. Do the math; that’s a pretty incredible success rate. Excellent work to everyone on a very, very challenging course.
- Janet Lorang – Beginner Women 19-34 – 5th
- Kristen Lukach – Beginner Women 19-34
- Linda Hood – Beginner Women 35+ – 3rd
- Catherine Womack – Beginner Women 35+ – 4th
- Julie Lockhart – Beginner Women 35+ – 5th
- Don Seib – Sport Men SingleSpeed Open – 1st
- Wayne Cunningham – Sport Men 40-49 – 12th
- Cathy Rowell – Sport Women 35+ – 1st
- Michael Rowell – Expert Men 40-49 – 1st
- Libby White – Expert Women 12-34 – 2nd
http://www.root66raceseries.com/results/index.php
As a side note, I also entered a roster of NEBC riders in the Root 66 Team competition. According to my figures we should be doing well at present and if we can keep plugging along, we will quickly be in very good shape.
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Reports:
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[Linda Hood]
This was my first mountain bike race this season and I was a little worried because I spent the winter training for a half marathon and only have been back on the bike for a month. It was great to see so many NEBC jerseys at the start line! I enjoyed the race very much. I was having a good day technically and felt that I was riding sections that I had walked previous years. I had people in front of me and close behind me the whole race which makes it a lot more fun than just riding by yourself. I ended up 3rd in 35+ and 7/14 overall for beginner women. Great way to spend Mothers Day!
[Catherine Womack]
The 14 beginner women left together, and as soon as we encountered big roots in the woods, people started going down left and right! I had pre-ridden the day before, so I had an advantage in remembering lines and not being too surprised by the wet, muddy conditions. I picked my way through the riders and settled into the middle of the pack. On the road out of the woods, Linda Hood passed me, and then back in the woods I think I passed her again. Then I dropped my chain on a short hill. Argh. This happened again, and I was really behind. But I caught up to some people, and traded back and forth—on the technical muddy/wet stuff, I found myself riding through the mess fairly well when some others were squishing and splashing on foot. I got passed, however, on some hills and some flat parts. Gotta keep working on fitness! After trading with Ilana Brito (MIT), I slid out on a technical turn and hit a tree (well, not really hard, but it did stop me), and she asked if I was okay. I was, but then she was gone. I settled in for what turned into a solo ride for the most part.
In the second lap, new NEBC teammate and carpool buddy Janet Lorang caught up to me. We traded
and commiserated a while, but then I caught a good line going through the first big mud/water section and went ahead. She had a sticky brake (big bummer), so was having to push hard the whole lap. I also passed a beginner man and a junior, but was then on my own. By this time, I was pretty tired, but the technical riding felt easier in the second lap. I entered the last woods section, crossed the stream, and geared up and stood to sprint (sort of) to the finish, where Mike Rowell and Kristen Lukach were standing. I high-fived the official, I was so happy. All in all a good race. I met my goals: 1) I finished; 2) I was not last; 3) I tried some new techniques (faster cornering and downhills); and 4) I enjoyed it enormously! I cannot wait until the Coyote Hill race!
[Julie Lockhart]
Goals:
Do better than last year’s First Timer’s race. Ride places I could not ride last year, learn from the rocks and roots. Very pleased with over all ride of the race in spite of being told not to ride a bike yet – stay out of the sun (early weather reports were for clouds and rain). Rode many stretches of the course which were impossible last year, despite that the overall course was much muddier and difficult. Lots of situations overcome, adding to my skills … MTN biking is fun!
[Don Seib]
Had not ridden a mountain bike race in 11 years but racing cx the last two seasons gave me the itch to try it again. Sold my geared bike a few weeks back so signed up for Single Speed Open class. Had read on the 66 forums the course was very muddy, and while it was, the bigger challenge was the stuff hiding under the mud. Pre-road the course and watched the experts go through the more challenging sections to figure out the better lines. Decided to try and hammer out of the start with the motto of out of sight out of mind. Unfortunately Bo Fuller latched right on and halfway thru the first lap cruised right by me. I was at the highest heart rate I have seen in a few years and decided to dial it back a notch and try to keep track of him in the many switchbacks. Second lap I could see I was gaining ground and put in a very hard effort to get back to Bo. Caught him in a technical section while he was trying to get through some traffic and passed on a short hard up-hill. He latched on my wheel and said he was happy to have some company. Having someone talk to you when you are pegged is a bit concerning but I went deep and put in my highest effort of the race. I could tell I was putting time on in the mud and technical so threw caution to the wind and continued for the next 5 minutes at my max. Last lap continued to put time into Bo but was ready to blow and had to dial it back. Having numerous NEBC people and my kids and wife scattered and cheering across the course was the high point of the day. Great race that had nice blend of technical riding skills and fitness. Timing, race organization and results were top notch. A big step up from when I raced back in the 90’s.
[Wayne Cunningham]
I arrived about 2 hrs before race time, registered and got ready. I did a lap to see what the course would be like and it was nothing like Winding Trails was. It was rocks and roots then mud with rocks and roots. I was off my bike a lot on that pre-ride lap as this type of course scared me. It took momentum to carry you over all the rough stuff or you had to be good at riding the right lines. I, however am not good at choosing the good line because it takes much more practice then I have done. On the start of my second lap to check out the first part of course I saw Mike Provost, the series leader and talked to him and followed him for half a lap and was able to stay on my bike for most of it by following his line. I was going in to this with mixed feelings, not wanting to get hurt and end my season right here. Jean told me not to sych myself out before the race starts and the right thing to do is get on a good wheel and follow. So I just figured it would be a skills clinic and not get over my head and get hurt. As the race started I went down twice in the first section of the race. That took any pressure off of doing well. At the tough spots when others in front of me had to get off I would shoulder my bike and run by them. (just like cross). At the start of lap two I was clear of riders and was told about 7th of 22. I had no one in front of me to follow so I was on my own. I remembered the last thing Cathy told me about picking a line was to think about the exits. As I did I felt faster and better as I went in to the lap flowing more and dabbing less. I saw riders ahead and got on the back of the two and rode. The one leading was Mike Provost! I got over anxious and passed in one of the many stream crossings. I just kept pushing since if I got a gap I could then fumble and still not lose as much. Wrong, I did get a gap of 10 to 20 seconds but endoed in a deep water hole of thick mud and by the time I got up and put my chain on, Mike rode by on the right side of the hole (the good line). I hopped on his wheel but with all the mud on my hands and bars I could not shift my grip shifters. I could go to a bigger gear but not easier gears. Stuck in middle of the cog I quickly bogged down and had to dismount many times. Watching him ride away was dishartning and I spent a half lap trying to get the mud off my gloves and pouring water from my bottle over the shifter to regain grip on the shifter. I could use the front one but it did not work out very well. It was also to hard to twist back up on the faster parts. Early in the last lap the shifter dried and started to work again but the damage was done I had lost time and a place or two. I pressed on and brought back some riders but don’t know by this point if they were in my field or not. Then with about 1/4 the race left I flatted and watched rider after rider go by while I changed it out. No more to tell from there on. At the finish line the official stopped me because my # plate was so covered with mud from the plant it was unreadable. Thats when I saw my cycle computer was gone I’m sure it’s in that hole. I finished 12th which is where I was on the first lap. Mike Provost finished 4th, D’Oh! All said and done I made it through with only minor scrapes(many) and the bruises are just starting to show. If I’m going to keep this up I should practice during the week and not just at the races.
[Cathy Rowell]
After racing reasonably well at Sterling (and a lot of cake), I wasn’t really expecting much at the MTB race on Sunday. When we got there, Mike and I got on the bikes to do a warmup lap, having been warned that it was a little messy out there. They weren’t kidding! This was going to be a more technically challenging race than Winding Trails … Most importantly, there were places where you just couldn’t see what was going to be underneath your tires… Several of us agreed back in the parking lot that this wasn’t going to be a race that was about pure speed – riding smoothly was going to be more important.
My legs still didn’t feel great, and I still didn’t have many expectations as I stood on the line. To calm my nerves, Jean C came over to tell me Wayne had overheard two women at registration lamenting “that Cathy Row-ell is here – and she’s fast!”. No pressure after hearing that ;-).
When the whistle blew it was a sprint to try and get into the woods as early as possible. I entered in 4th, which I thought was good. Of course, then there was mayhem with one rider going down, and another getting caught in the mess. We sorted that all out, and as we got onto the access road, I took the lead.
I’m a reasonably OK technical rider, but this course presented a lot of challenges. I led the pack until a particularly nasty mud section where I was passed. She was a better technical rider than I, and after trading places a couple of times, she passed and went on to win her category, and the overall Sport Women group. In the second lap, I was passed by another [younger] racer, who also was better technically than I was. Knowing there were two riders in front of me (who weren’t in my age category), I worked to try and stay ahead of anyone else who may be coming up behind.
My third lap was my best, from a technical standpoint. I had FINALLY figured out the lines I needed to take, and where it was just easier for me to get off and run (although I ended up with a bad case of swamp foot from doing this ;-)). I managed to cross the finish line 5 minutes ahead of the second place racer! Sometimes there is an advantage to being old[er] and on my 40th birthday, this was one of those times!
[Mike Rowell]
This past weekend was a busy one, what with the Sterling race on Saturday and Cathy’s birthday, but I wanted to get in another MTB race to further test the waters. After arriving at the venue Sunday and doing a preride, I discovered the Brialee course to be nothing like either of the other courses I’d done this season. On the line I chatted with series leader Stuart Jensen, my ride buddy Dave Barr and ‘arch rival’ so to speak, Jeff Molongoski. At the whistle I sprinted for the woods and went into the trail in 4th place and worked up to 3rd within a couple miles, behind Stuart and Jeff. My plan was to conserve, follow and wait until later in the race to make a move. That worked great save the lapped traffic coupled with the tight technical sections that made for tough passes. This simply meant I had to work harder at times than I wanted to pass, like running around people through a rocky mud pit or up a hill.
Jeff managed to get a small gap on Stuart and I but he was on a hardtail and I banked on the course taking its toll on him. About 2.5 laps in I was on Stuart’s tail going into a stream crossing and up a stream bed/mud section when he chose to run. I rode the stream then up the stream bed (the best trail is usually under the flowing water vs. through the mud beside) and attacked, dropping him. At that point I’d mostly recovered and could just ride my pace. About 1/4 lap later I could see that Jeff was coming back to me and I caught him shortly there after. I rode past and as expected, he jumped happily on my wheel where I knew he’d sit until the finishline sprint. The only chance was to force an error or at least make him pay a price for riding my wheel, which there isn’t any real advantage to other than psychological anyhow. There is no draft in most places but you can ‘dog’ the leader and force them to go harder than they want to, if they allow it. Anyhow, I rode over ever rock I could find, as fast as I could, and took the hardest lines I could assuming Jeff would follow my line. About a mile later I heard Jeff say he thought he was flatting and shortly there after I could see him in a switchback behind walking. Success. The rest of the race I tried to stay safe and smooth. With about a mile to go I hit the wall and turning the pedals became a chore. Fortunately I had enough of a gap to hold on to the line.
[Libby White]
Within the first half a mile of my race I was in the top 5, but girls continued to pass me through out the first two laps. Only one or two girls passed me in the last two laps. The first half of the race (first two laps) I felt okay, but not as great as I had hoped to feel. After taking a GU in the feed zone I felt excellent for the last two laps. Having a camelback also helped a lot in making sure that I drank plenty of fluids. :)