NEMBA Racing Team Blog

Any time there is a race near Boston and the weather conditions are perfect (mid 50′s) people are going to come out and race.  Rob and I got there a little after 10am and the place was already packed.  My guess was 400+ riders which was a fantastic turnout.  We quickly found a nice spot to setup the tent and grab some photos:

Photos Courtesy of Martin Allen Sr. and Riverside Racing

The Cat3′s had just finished their race which had started at 9am.  After catching up with them Rob, Shawn and I ran over to the start to watch the pros and Cat1 (including Dan Ward riders take off at 11am.  We would have to wait till 1:30 for the start of our race.

The course was incredibly fast with very little technical so it would be on the gas the whole time.  I believe the lap distance was a little over 7 miles.  First half of the course was rolling single track.  In the middle there was a mile+ of  double track.  The last few miles were single track culminating is a bunch of really steep short climbs.  While some sections were on older trails with some exposed roots it’s really a good course for a hard tail bike.  Passing just about anywhere was easy also as the trails were wide in many sections and due to the sandy soil the vegetation was sparse.  The only issue was the dust due to the dry conditions.  Poor Rob was coughing the whole way home.  Thankfully Shawn, Steve and I had ridden the course thanks to a Bike Barn racer we had randomly met up with on a random Saturday over the winter.  Knowing the course is always a nice advantage.

At the start Shawn, Rob and I lined up together with the 45+ other riders in the 30-39 age group.

Notice of course we all have our number plates folded back at the bottom for that extra aerodynamic advantage

Everyone told us to be one of the first into the woods or traffic would be an issue.  Unfortunately for me, there was an 1/8 mile stretch of pavement and a single 30 tooth ring on the crank of my bike.   Halfway down the paved section I realized the futility of my gearing situation and ended up rolling into the single track mid pack.

Thankfully traffic did not seem to be too much of a problem for me as everyone in front of me was pinning it trying to stay with the leaders.  The only spot I probably lost 15 to 20 while queuing was at the bridge crossing early in the lap.  At the back side of the bride was a 2 foot step with an exposed route that was catching people up.   Once past I was able to settle in somewhat and began to pass several other riders.  Have to say everyone was super nice, I made sure to call out all my passes and everyone let me by immediately.

I spent the first half of the opening lap working my way past the slower riders which I love.  At a few points on the faster sections of the course I was even able to do some drafting.  It was strange being able to draft during a Mountain bike race.  Rarely are we going fast enough for such a thing but I was thankful for the chance to recover some.  After the race someone said we averaged close to 13 miles per hour which was crazy.

The last third of the lap I caught a Team Bums rider.  After a couple of leapfrogs I decided just to stay on his wheel best I could.  The last mile and a half of the course had three short very steep climbs.  The first was no problem but the second was a run up.  Dan was here taking photos and it was nice to have some words of encouragement.  It was also a surprise when he said Shawn was less than a minute ahead.  At the last steep climb a few minutes later.  Steve Crossley, Marty Allen and Andy Gould were camped out at the top to cheer (read as heckle) us as we attempted to clean the climb.  This one was difficult due to the loose soil and exposed roots but I cleaned it finishing the first lap.


Transition was the once place to grab some hydration, assuming you could breathe

I continued to follow the Team Bums rider as best I could, but half way through the second lap he took off chasing a third rider who passed us out of nowhere.  I kept the cranks spinning as fast as I could content in the belief that Shawn was still mixing it up at the front…

As I approached the run up climb towards the end of the second lap I don’t believe what I see, is that Shawn!?  As I pulled up I had to ask what the hell.  Two days ago he crushed me on our ride at LLF.  Apparently it’s his tradition to go out way to hard and completely blow himself up at the first race of the season, be sure to ask Steve about the Grind last year.    All he could mutter was “I’m done dude” which to me was unacceptable so I pulled in front trying to goad Shawn into chasing. (which totally worked)

As I rolled up to the last sharp climb I once again see Steve, Marty and Andy at the top.  I jokingly called out “I’m beating Shawn!”  This hurt my focus and I picked a poor line up the slope and was forced to dismount.  The guys told me to run, Shawn was right behind me!  I bombed down the back side as fast as I could and the second I hit the pavement it was into a TT tuck, engines to full.   Next thing I know Shawn is pulling up next to me sawing the bike frantically.  Ok I’m in for a sprint to the line, engines to ludicrous speed!  He ended up getting at the “line” by inches but no matter what he tells you I passed the timer 7 seconds ahead, as proved by the results

A few minutes later Rob rolled in which was awesome.  He had sprinted the run up climb and grabbed three places right at the end of the race.  Congrats Rob!

Considering the competition the NEMBA boys had a good showing.  This was a tough race no doubt but I had a blast.  It was great hanging out with the team and all my other buddies on Riverside and Blue Steel.  This is what racing is all about.  Looking forward to Willowdale in a few weeks.
-Carl

Well if you want to race with your buddies when they go down to the Route 66 race you’re going to need a license. As in a Cat I license for USA Cycling, and as many of you know you can’t just get one. They want to see the resume. So I sent it to them and they laughed at me and said, “where are your USAC results”? Sigh, All those EFTA races don’t count for nothing huh. So it was off to race a Cat II race with the sport guys. It’s been since 2010 that I raced in sport, no problem I thought to myself.  Full report

Carl, Rob, Shawn

Ride Report from Josh Burgel and the Cat 3′s

 Mini Ride report and Results for the group of 4 were as follows.  Note that It was the first mountain bike race for me, and first bike race of any kind for Rob and Chris:

Dan Voss crushed his competition almost getting the best time in the first wave of one lappers (1st in Mens Cat 3, 40-49).  Probably would have, if he hadn’t let some dude stand on his wheel just off the starting turn.

I (Josh Burgel) came in second in Mens Cat 3, 30-39 – and may have been a bit more competitive with the winning sandbagger if I had more than 3 gears.

Rob Pillar found his max heart rate is good enough for 6th (Men’s Cat 3, 30-39), and with that race under his belt may be ready to go forth at Willowdale with confidence that his heart won’t explode.

Chris Taylor realized that he can withstand, and pass most of his competition.  And that passing is really fun – and even though he started off the back, he passed so many that he ended up in 9th (Men’s
Cat 3, 30-39).

Lots of race action this weekend!  How did things go at the Lung Opener for those who raced it?? Lets hear some reports!

Shaun P., Dustin and myself got our seasons rolling at the singlespeed-a-palooza this weekend in Montgomery, NY.  A bit outside NEMBA’s territory but we got a lot of attention from folks who made the drive from New England as well as locals happy to see we made the drive out that way to race.

If you’ve got a SS in the stable this is a great early season race to check out.  Awesome trails, perfect for one-gearing.  And Darkhorse Cycles knows how to host, very organized and a great atmosphere.  Their ‘Expert’ class is a little more ‘Open/Pro’ so we all decided to race the NY and North Sport class, which was the biggest class registered for the race.  They haven’t posted finishing results yet but I remember seeing 97 pre-reg’d riders for NY/North.

We all rode pretty consistently and posted great early season results.  I came in for 10th, Shaun got 23rd and Dustin got 35th all in the top 3rd of a very large field.  Dealing with traffic early was ‘interesting’.  Check out my full report for the fun times I had in the first 5mi.  To sum it up with a quote from a fellow competitor…”Well if somebody’s going to run into me at least it was a NEMBA guy.”  You’re welcome!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

And we all can appreciate something like this.  Some of the guys who maintain the trails down there had this on hand post race.  I’m digging it.

Today was a day of firsts for me.  Unfortunately not first place!  See the blog post here: http://artroti.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/a-day-of-firsts/

For years I have been a singletrack misfit, faster than the casual rider and slower than most of the more serious ones. I’ve always been able to crank out the miles, but usually at my own pace. When riding with others, I always found myself wanting to be faster but lacking the dedication to put the hours in the saddle to get there. It’s a big reason why I joined the NEMBA team in the first place. I figured if I represented a team, I’d be more likely to stick to my commitment. That said, I figured I’d put in some time and try and represent well in the Novice class. Well, I have been sticking to my commitment and I have been putting in the saddle time to make sure I represent the NEMBA team as best I can.

I never really thought about any other added benefits to joining a team until this week. Ride Bully sent out an e-mail this week calling out the sport contingent. It was just the motivation I needed to suck it up and step to the plate. I entered the Weeping Willow as a sport vet I for the first time ever. In doing so, I crossed a mental barrier for me. I made a commitment to myself and our team to train harder than I ever have before.

I have an eight mile loop at Willow street that I ride every two weeks or so to use as a time trial. Today I set my fastest time ever…by a good margin. It felt incredible. Today I felt like I was one step closer to my goal of joing the ranks of the more serious riders, and no longer being a singletrack misfit.

Thanks for the motivation Shawn!

Jason